Even the Dog Fell Silent

"Master, this is my friend Yulia." Abin phased through the wall into the backyard, then turned to Yulia. "This gentleman is my master. He was just saying what a lovely name you have, and praised you as an elegant lady." "Your master has great taste!" Yulia snorted softly and gave Wayne a slight nod of her head by way of greeting. Dog and horse conversed silently. Wayne couldn't hear their voices, but seeing that the undead warhorse was mild-tempered, he placed a hand over his chest and bowed in return, accepting Abin's bizarre social circle. Birds of a feather flock together; an evil spirit hound being friends with an undead horse made complete sense! Besides, the undead warhorse was merely a bit eerie—compared to that Cthulhu-esque bunch from the Church of the Earth's Core, she was practically normal. "Hello, elegant lady. I am Wayne, Abin's master." Wayne smiled and extended a hand—a subconscious gesture he immediately regretted. Yulia saw nothing odd about it. She lowered her head to gently nuzzle against Wayne's hand, striking up an enthusiastic exchange with him. [Ding] [Yulia has sent you a friend request] Wayne sensed a ripple of magical power. He responded with his thoughts, establishing a friend connection with Yulia, and communication became effortless. It was like telepathy, or perhaps a conversation on the soul level, yet distinct from the contractual bond he shared with Abin. Experiencing this new form of magic made Wayne quite curious. He chatted amicably with Yulia, and before long, the conversation drifted toward magic. Meanwhile, Abin was also conversing with Yulia. "Yulia, didn't you want to find a new master? Why haven't you brought it up yet?" "How could it be that fast? Your master is very nice, but this is the first time we've met. If I let him have me too easily, he won't cherish me later." "What a hassle. If you're too embarrassed to ask, I'll help you." Abin had practically worried himself sick trying to tether this little wild horse for his master. Ignoring Yulia's coy hesitation, he laid out the whole situation directly to Wayne. "Your master went missing?!" Wayne's eyes went wide. Yulia was looking for a new master, and through Abin's recommendation, she had decided to give Wayne a chance. How truly... tragic. Wayne was so heartbroken he almost burst out laughing. Good deeds really did bring good karma; the ancients never lied. He accumulated virtue daily, and the heavens rewarded him with a lackey and gear arriving right at his doorstep. "I do have that intention. However, you must pass a test. Drawing this sword is no easy feat," Yulia said coyly, sounding just like a girl on a blind date who had taken a liking to a young man: *You're not bad, but... well, I still need to see.* "Then what about your previous master? He only went missing—he isn't necessarily dead. If he comes looking for you one day..." Suppressing his delight, Wayne let reason take over and furrowed his brows. "A horse cannot have two masters. When that time comes, you'll have to choose. I don't want to put you in a tough spot, nor do I want to make an enemy of your previous master over this." "My master doesn't have much of a brain; he won't care about such details. If he gets mad, I'll just let him ride me for a couple extra laps. He's very easy to coax," Yulia grumbled resentfully. She didn't really want to find a new master either, but her back felt so empty. Running without anything on it felt unnatural; she just wanted something to weigh it down. Wayne's lips twitched. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but the resentment in Yulia's tone made him envision a squabbling couple. The woman couldn't stand the man's chauvinism, stormed out in a fit of pique, and picked up some blond punk on the side. *Oh no. Am I the blond home-wrecker?!* Wayne stroked his chin to steady his twitching mouth. Forget being a blond home-wrecker; he belonged to the pure love faction, a lifelong supporter of pure love warriors slaying NTR fiends in one strike. Then again... Yulia's master was currently in a Schrödinger-like state, fifty-fifty dead or alive. If the guy really had kicked the bucket, rejecting Yulia would be spitting on Heaven's favor. Caught in a dilemma, Wayne chose a middle ground. He would make a slight sacrifice and care for Yulia free of charge on the previous master's behalf, saving such a handsome mare from wandering the streets. Once the guy came knocking, he could take Yulia back whenever he wished. That way, at most, Yulia was merely honing her skills beneath his saddle, and the ultimate beneficiary would still be her former master. No NTR, no blond home-wrecker. Everyone was a pure love warrior. *Perfect. I'm practically a genius!* Wayne nodded repeatedly. With Yulia's permission secured, he prepared to try drawing the bone knight's sword. Only if he drew it would he qualify; if he couldn't, everything was just empty talk. Just as Wayne was about to touch the hilt, a thought struck him, and he withdrew his hand. "Let's find a deserted spot first. If it makes too big a commotion, we can slip away easily." *** The graveyard. A hazy ringed moon, thick mist, ghostly will-o'-the-wisps... The wind gusted, casting blurry shadows from the trees, and thick fog crawled along the ground. Everything about the scene was steeped in chilling dread. Wayne had wanted a quiet, uninhabited corner, and Yulia had taken him quite literally, leading him straight to a cemetery graveyard. It was certainly quiet, and there were definitely no living souls. Wayne choked on a torrent of complaints. Yulia had claimed her previous master had no brains, but was she any better? Who on earth brings someone to a graveyard in the middle of the night? It was dead silent—what if someone suddenly spoke up? Graveyard or not, Wayne wasn't picky. Eager to give it a shot, he placed his hand on the hilt. "This sword is called Shadow Nightmare, the incarnation of bad dreams. Only my master can draw it. If you feel any discomfort while drawing the sword, please let go immediately and do not force it," Yulia cautioned. Wayne raised an eyebrow. Initiating a fusion with the Book of Greed, he buffed himself first before slowly drawing the shadow blade. A freezing, sinister killing intent crept up his arm. Wayne sensed an intensely concentrated aura of decay—one that severed all vitality, representing the most exalted death and symbolizing the eternal slumber that lay at the end of total rot. The Book of Greed extended a tentacle and swallowed this aura of death. Near the large eyeball, the smaller eye representing death gleamed brilliantly, blinking slowly and lifelike. *Clang!* Wayne drew the blade from its sheath, and a cold gleam reflected into his eyes. The crossguard was fashioned from white bone, and the pommel was a skull clutching a ruby in its jaws. The blade was made of an unknown material, shimmering with a metallic sheen. Wayne looked at the blade. Despite being named Shadow Nightmare, it was actually blindingly white, reflecting his face like a mirror. In the reflection, his facial features and skin texture vanished, replaced by a skull whose eye sockets danced with white fire. Astonished by the sword's peculiarities, Wayne failed to notice that through his fusion with the Book of Greed, the giant eyeball gazed upon death, and aided by Shadow Nightmare, a decaying yet eternal power coursed through every corner of his body. A gray vortex surged, and Wayne's body turned to bone. Black armor condensed into being: pauldrons, cuirass, vambraces, gauntlets... Piece by piece, dark and menacing armor formed, covering his torso and limbs. A tattered, dusky cape cascaded down from his shoulders, and a skull knight shrouded in black smoke slowly took shape. Wayne was cold all over, yet felt no discomfort. On the contrary, his mind was exceptionally serene, his desires muted, granting him an unprecedented calm. At the pommel of bone, the ruby flared with crimson brilliance as boundless power of death flooded into Wayne's skeleton. With this sword in hand, he possessed an inexhaustible, endless well of power. *So strong!* *Absurdly strong!* For the first time, Wayne felt the might of god-tier gear. This power was immensely direct, and came with zero side effects... While the side effects looked severe, the skeletal armor was merely a skin. Once he set down the bone sword, he would still be that hot-blooded, impulsive youth of justice. "Master..." Yulia watched the spectacle with bated breath. Seeing Wayne draw the bone knight's sword and take on a form identical to her master's, she was instantly overcome with excitement. She bent her front hooves, kneeling to address Wayne as master. As for her former master, Yulia believed a horse had to aim high. Being a warhorse, her back couldn't stay empty; she needed to carry something, no matter what. Abin wagged his tail furiously. As expected, Master Wayne was one of a kind—only he could draw this sword. *Wonderful, now I can stay friends with Yulia forever.* Having had an empty back for so long, Yulia was eager for Wayne to mount up and take her for a couple of laps. She kept her front knees bent, inviting him to mount with visible impatience. Wayne gripped the pommel at the front of the saddle with one hand and stepped into the stirrup, ready for a test ride. But halfway up, he suddenly remembered: it seemed he didn't know how to ride a horse. The poor play with cars, the rich play with watches, and the ultra-rich play with horses. His financial background had never afforded him such a skill. If it were Veronica, now that would be a different story. With her long legs, she had the makings of an excellent equestrienne. "Master?" "Uh... I don't know how to ride," Wayne spoke slowly, his voice deep and somber. "..." x 3 Even the dog fell silent. "It doesn't matter, you can practice. I'll go slowly and carry you around the cemetery for a lap so you can get a feel for it first," Yulia consoled him. "Yulia is right. Nobody is born knowing how to ride a horse—I don't know how either. Master can get the hang of it first; riding is just like walking, you'll learn as you ride," Abin piped up encouragingly. "Makes sense." Wayne stowed the Shadow Knight's sword, swung into the saddle, and steadied himself with both hands on the pommel. Once Yulia stood up, he asked, "I forgot to ask earlier—who was your previous master?" "The Death Knight!" Yulia said proudly, "He serves the Goddess of Death, the aloof knight who walks the mortal realm on Her behalf, the creator of the Great Underground Catacomb, the one whom believers of death revere and worship—" "That's enough, stop right there. Pull over by that tree up ahead, I want to get off."