GRARLLL!!!
"Hmm... you'll have to do something for me... something significant. You must find my four brothers that are hiding in this world... and bring each of them a Celestial Scarlet Peach. Certainly, it will not be an easy task since we hide from the eyes of the treacherous Nekrium's followers..."
"Nekrium?! Who are you talking about?"
Atlas had never heard of that name, but if someone as powerful as Falgnis was hiding from him, then his life was doomed to meet Nekrium's path.
"Well... you should not be bothered by that fellow for the time being... He can't meddle with you in any way."
He didn't know his identity, but he felt reassured hearing his response to the request. It didn't bother him too much. However, Atlas had only four fruits, and he found himself somewhat at a loss when he thought back to Rose's motives.
"Almighty Falgnis... I accept your proposal, but..."
The boy did not have time to finish the sentence that four fruits appeared out of nowhere before his eyes.
They were slightly different from the Celestial Scarlet Peaches he had picked earlier. In fact, they were at least twice the size.
GRARLLL!!!
"Let's consider the four fruits you stole as the reward for my mission. You can deliver these to my brothers."
Atlas hid the four fruits in his space bag and bowed his head in thanks.
Atlas was relieved seeing that the matter was going so smoothly, but suddenly, he felt a burning sensation inside his chest, and scarlet-red blood came out of his mouth.
Cough! Cough!
Terrified by the strange occurrence, the young man turned his gaze toward the creature, but with that boiling blood in his throat, he could not utter a single word...
GRARLLL!!!
"If you're wondering what's happening to your body... well... consider it a precaution and a gift on my part... You didn't think I'd let you leave without some form of guarantee, did you?"
Cough! Cough!
Atlas was enraged by the creature's vile actions, yet he could still understand the reason for his distrust.
Cough! Cough!
GRARLLL!!!
"You have been affected by my power, the Divine Fiery Chains. They will keep the worst side of you humans at bay and remind you not to idle along the journey. Furthermore, they will also warn you if one of my brothers is close enough..."
The excruciating pain gripping his heart was unpleasant, but there was no alternative.
His strength alone could not overpower the edict of the Fire Ruler...
|||
The intense burning lasted long enough for the Technique to take place in his body.
Other than a slight warmth on the left side of his chest, everything had returned to normal, but enduring that excruciating pain had scarred the young man's mind and body.
His legs could no longer support the weight of both, so his body fell to the ground, planting his knees on the hard rock.
Fortunately, Falgnis had focused all his wrath on Atlas, sparing Rose a tragic end.
Even though her body had been spared, seeing her new companion in that condition wore down her soul. A few tears came out of her blurry eyes, but it was as if she did not notice.
'Hey... what's going on?'
She still did not know his name, so she called him as loudly as she could...
Gasp... Gasp...
Talking was tiring in that condition. Fortunately, Atlas only needed to use his mind to communicate with her.
He reasoned about it briefly before answering and did not find it sensible to communicate to the girl what had resulted from his conversation with the creature, so he simply explained to her the only good news in that whole story: '... We are safe... don't worry...'
She was not so stupid to think that they could go away like this.
'You're a liar... Do you think I'm stupid? Do you think I can't understand what he did? What kind of pact did you make with that being?'
'I did what was necessary to get out of this damn place... and besides, it doesn't seem wrong to think of you as a fool... How did we end up in this hellhole? Whose fault is it???'
The anger simmering inside the young man finally came out, and Rose did not know how to counter it.
The two wanted to discuss more, but Falgnis started giving all the details he remembered about his brothers...
GRARLLL!!!
"It has been thousands of years now, but it is difficult for us, elemental spirit, to move freely in this world... From what I remember, my brother Falqua should be among the icy waters of the North. Falerra, on the other hand... Hmm... I think he is in the arid lands of the South... Then Faletus... he should still be hiding between the blue clouds of the West. Finally, Falsul is on top of the highest mountain in the world... I think somewhere in the center of the continent..."
The clues were few but more than enough to at least have an idea of where to begin the search.
The fire spirit's request might have seemed difficult, but if he wanted to survive, it was inevitable to search under every single rock on the continent or scan the skies for silly blue clouds...
|||
Nearly a quarter of an hour passed before Atlas could finally speak in an understandable tone: "Cough... Cough... It won't be an easy task, but I think I'll succeed in the endeavor with a little patience."
GRARLLL!!!
"Well... you can take it easy if you want. However, I advise you... No, I demand that you find my brothers before the rise of the Immortal Army..."
What did he mean by those words?
"... What is the Immortal Army?"
How could Atlas remain calm hearing those troubling words?
GRARLLL!!!
"Although I have been hiding in this place for a long time... I have always kept an eye on this ocean. Billions of evil spirits populate these waters, and as you know, nothing has survived the treacherous jaws of death. So, take a little advice. Don't go any further, or you'll never come back."
He had not precisely answered Atlas's question. Still, the meaning of his words was quite clear, especially after hearing the disproportionate number of evil spirits roaming in the icy waters of Obscurium.
It was apparent what the Immortal Army was all about...
An army that had death as its ally...
Just like those evil spirits he encountered on the journey...