Soulis of Nihilum

The two stared at each other intently, thinking about the next thing to do, but Uncle Beard's voice interrupted them at some point.

"Atlas... who are you talking to?"

'Who am I talking to? Well... good question...' Atlas thought.

Could he tell him he was talking to a horse?

Seriously, after what had happened in that crazy city, what would happen to him if he told him something like that?

So, Atlas cleared his throat and lied with a stony face: "Uncle Beard... Run outside... There's a strange guy behind the barn!"

"WHAT? It must be those bastards again... Sons of bitches!"

The young man's words instigated Uncle Beard, who ran out of the barn with his beloved pitchfork like an enraged lion.

Atlas couldn't imagine that a simple lie could arouse all that anger in him, but who cared... his stupid plan had worked, so he focused all his attention on the horse without wasting any more time.

"Bolt? Can you talk?"

The horse stared at him until the young man heard a strange voice in his mind.

"Kid... give me more apples!"

"FUCK!" Atlas fell to the ground in shock.

That damn horse could talk...

Or was it he who could understand the horse?

In that brief moment of confusion, Nihilir's words reappeared in his mind...

'Soulis of Nihilum... a way to interact with the world that only I hold...'

Just like the Obsidian Eyes, this was probably a gift from him. Or at least, this was the only possible explanation in his mind.

'Well, talking to Chaos Creatures isn't bad... Maybe, I'll be able to understand that damned bird too...' Atlas exulted in his mind and then tried to communicate with the horse: "Bolt... If you can understand me, bend one of the legs!"

Neigh!

But the horse did not follow Atlas's commands and instead turned its wide butt toward him and raised its tail slightly...

Plop...plop...plop.

A pungent smell assailed the nose of the poor boy who was only a few steps away from the fence.

Enraged by the actions of that bastard, Atlas cursed loudly: "Bloody hell... the hell are you doing?!"

"Hehehe... see, your apples are portentous. Boy, I've done so much for you. Give me more apples. Come on! Don't be a cheapskate..."

Bolt's voice surfaced again in Atlas's mind, but the boy was too pissed off because that bastard had just shitted a giant pile of excrement in front of his nose.

"You want another apple? FUCK YOU!!!" Atlas shouted instinctively but then thought about it for a moment and proposed: "If you want another apple, tell me what happened that day..."

Hearing Atlas's words, the horse immediately began to speak, ignoring his rude manner.

"That day?... Hmm... Past the full moon, you reappeared right in front of that strange entrance, and you were all naked. So rather than wait for some bandit to arrive, I took you back to the stable..."

"And that's it? Uncle Beard said I was a little beat up. What happened?"

"Ohhh...nothing much, maybe...and I say maybe. I dragged your body for a while. But only for a short distance. You probably got minor injuries, crawling on the road or something."

Of course, the horse's response infuriated Atlas again.

"You dragged me all the way back? Couldn't you find a better solution?"

"Better than that? How could I do that? HEY... I'm a horse! I don't have fingers or arms... Luckily, you were holding on to that pickaxe. Otherwise, I would have left you there..."

A series of disturbing images appeared in the young man's mind.

He did not want to know how much horse shit he had crushed or worse...

Outraged, the young man stopped asking for more information about that damn day, and instead, one thing came to his mind: "Bolt, If you follow me, I'll give you one of those juicy apples from time to time."

Atlas's proposal was tempting to Bolt, but when he turned around and saw all those mares waiting for him, he quickly changed his mind.

"No... here I have food every day and look at the line of mares. I will stay here. Safe and warm ..."

Initially, Atlas wanted to be nice, but Bolt was already his, so why did he have to listen to a horse's nonsense?

"Hehehe ... Uncle Beard gave you to me. So..."

But the horse did not let him finish and again responded with another big pile of excrement.

"Little boy... I am no longer the normal old horse of before. But a Chaos Creature is way stronger and healthier. So, leave me the two apples and scam from my castle! Or I'll submerge you in that pile of shit!"

A bully... that damn horse had become a bully!

What the heck...

Atlas wanted to beat him so severely, but the situation was not on his side. He was already weaker than him before. Now that he had turned into a monster for some stupid reason, it had become even more impossible.

"SHIT!!! What the hell happened?"

Atlas instinctively recoiled, imagining the tragic end he might come to among that hideous heap.

Was he seriously going to argue with him?

What could he do with his paltry power...?

"You bastard... Don't think it ends here..."

Infuriated by that arrogant horse, Atlas threw an apple into the pile of excrement and turned to leave, but one step away from the exit, Uncle Beard came back inside with his suit a little torn: "Hahaha... how satisfying. Next time, they'll think twice before stealing my horses... Atlas, thank goodness. That you were here!"

"What?" The young man was still caught up in what had just happened in the back, and Uncle Beard's words caught him off guard.

He had lied before saving himself from another problematic situation, but someone was actually there?

"Uncle Beard, what's going on?"

Uncle Beard removed the dust from his clothes and smiled: "Hehehe... Since Bolt brought you home. My stable has become famous. Even the city's nobles want my horses and praise them as loyal stallions. You are my lucky star, Atlas. Ever since I met you, luck is always on my side..."

"Indeed... you were not so popular in the past." Atlas muttered confusedly and then proposed: "Maybe you should get some guards if the other stables try to steal your horses."

"Hahaha... that won't help. My niece will be back in a couple of days. When those fools find out her identity, they'll stop this bullshit. I assure you... Hahaha."

Her again?

The same one Uncle Beard wanted to introduce me to?

'It's better to get out of this town. As soon as possible...' Atlas thought a little worriedly, but then looking strangely on the back, he spoke in a low voice: "Uncle Beard... I can't take Bolt with me. So, I hope you take care of him. That old horse is ideal if you need help making long, tiring trips or carrying weighty loads. It's best not to let it sit in this barn for too long. In fact, since you have helped me so much, give Bolt to your niece. After all, you saw how loyal it is... it's a perfect pet."

Uncle Beard was a little hesitant at first, but when he thought of his niece, he could not let this great opportunity pass him by, so he heartily thanked the young man: "Atlas, I will surely tell her great things about you. Don't worry. Aurora will appreciate your gift!"

Atlas's intention was not to ingratiate himself with the girl, but whatever... there was no use arguing with that stubborn man.

"Um, then, I'll come back to see you if I have time. Take care, and try to make Bolt work hard!"

Atlas was satisfied with his little revenge, so he walked out of the barn, ready to discover the wonders of this world.

But little did Atlas know that the latest Flaming Apple was again changing the horse's body...

|||

The city of the Inflamed Chalice had given much to the young adventurer.

Wealth, new friends he could trust, and a nice pile of artifacts.

Then there was also the matter of his popularity, but that was best left among those fools.

Good and bad things had happened, but it was time to get out of town forever.

He had waited for so long, but now he could finally do what he had longed for a long time: venture into the World of Oblivion without fear.

Of course, the best way to do that was by joining the Mercenary Guild or one of the many Martial Sects. Still, his first objective was to apprehend a Martial Cultivation Manual and some techniques.

And the place he had to start was right where he had lived since his childhood, the village of Nevery.