Endless Evolution: Last Star

"Yeah, without Queen Elisa, everything would have been much more difficult. Although we have Phantoms comparable in strength to the True Lords, so even with great destruction and losses, we would be able to survive the World Wipes."

Wilfred looked away, even though he knew all this, but even he was forced to think about it.

How much longer would he have to watch the world being destroyed? No one, neither he nor the other Phantoms nor the strongest monsters, could do anything about it. It was the force of nature, no... the force of the world that was simply impossible to stop, no matter what they did.

"So, the True Lords protect themselves and the Black Threat Level monsters, and Queen Elisa protects humans, right?" Adam asked for confirmation. He wanted to be sure he understood everything correctly.

Wilfred nodded, but the darkness in his eyes prevented Adam's smile from appearing.

"You're right, but not quite. Queen Elisa and her barrier will not protect humans, only Phantoms, and only the strong ones."

Adam nodded in response as he waved his hand. "Yes, that's what I meant, I just chose the wrong word!"

Wilfred shook his head as Silvana silently bit her lip almost to the point of bleeding. She understood what Wilfred meant.

"Adam, you are a K4 Phantom, and let's be honest, even when you were a K3 Phantom, the government would have chosen you for the strongest protection under Queen Elisa's barrier, but... what about your friends and family?"

Without a second thought, Adam was about to answer, but before the first words could come out, he froze.

His smile slowly faded into a grimace full of fear and despair.

His parents, Gary and Leona, and his younger sister, Trici, weren't Phantoms, they had no connection to the energy or events at the Dead Lands.

Obviously, Adam wasn't going to turn them into Natural Phantoms. Their chances of repeating Adam's path were negligible. It would be suicide.

Wilfred understood all of Adam's thoughts from his gaze, from the goosebumps running down his body.

"Yes, Adam. In seven years, your family and friends will die. They won't even understand it. All they will see is two incredibly bright stars, a white one and a black one, colliding with each other and wiping out the world."

With a deep sigh, Wilfred shook the ashes into the ashtray.

"They won't feel pain, despair, or fear. All of that will be yours, Adam."

Adam's heart ached.

Then, Wilfred pointed at Silvana.

"You too. You are not a Phantom, but you are an Operator. After Adam's Evolution Tree transferred the Evolution Seed to you, your energy became connected. After you opened the Crystal Gates, the fusion of energy moved to a new level, but the foundation remained.

"You will survive, Silvana, because Adam's energy will protect you, and you will have enough strength to survive the backlash under Queen Elisa's barrier, but... I can't say the same about your family. About many of the girls you studied with at the academy and your acquaintances."

Silvana's eyes filled with tears, and she struggled to hold them back.

She didn't want to think about it or admit it, but she knew that Wilfred's words were nothing but the truth.

The only way to guarantee survival during the World Wipe was to become a K4-Phantom or be the Operator of such a Phantom. Well, the hundred strongest K3-Phantoms were more of an exception than a guarantee, as it was not a reliable option.

"Shit..." Silvana croaked as the first tears fell onto her hands, crumpling the fabric of her pants. "This... This isn't what I expected to hear."

"Wilfred." Adam's cold voice rang out. "What about you? Did you lose anyone in the World Wipes?"

Without hesitation, Wilfred nodded deeply.

"I never had a family. I still have no idea who my father and mother were, and I'm unlikely to ever find out since their blood is only in me. But I had many friends, acquaintances, colleagues, people I respect, and even lovers. Well, until my relationship with my Operator reached a certain stage."

Adam gulped. He understood what had happened to them, as well as the fact that Wilfred had to say it himself. It was his scar to heal, which was impossible.

"Now they are gone. Nothing remains of them, not even a handful of ashes, dust, or a piece of cloth. The World Wipe left nothing of them, just as it left nothing of the millions of other people and billions of monsters that inhabited this world."

Silvana and Adam exchanged glances.

Despite the grim truth and the sad moment, they felt the bond between them grow stronger, especially after Wilfred's story. There was a simple reason for this, which Wilfred had long understood after going through the pain of losing loved ones.

Wilfred brought the cigarette to his mouth. "You see. Given what you have just learned, you must understand that from this moment on, in this world, you can only be close to your Phantoms/Operators or creatures of the same level. Well, at least it has to be a K4-Phantom or Elder.

"Everyone else will either die of old age or perish in the World Wipe. I assure you, no one likes this, and everyone felt the same way you do now when they learned the truth about our world. We can't do anything but keep working."

Adam touched his head, his fingers sinking into his hair.

"The barrier. How big is the barrier? I mean... Does the World Wipe wipe out the Citadel along with millions of people?"

Wilfred smiled bitterly as he exhaled a ring of smoke.

"Queen Elisa's barrier is not a sphere, but a cylinder. It has a fairly limited radius, but its height and depth are enormous.

Thus, thanks to Queen Elisa, all K4-Phantoms and Second Rank Phantoms inside the barrier, Heaven Island, the First Circle, and the Inner Field of the Lower Ring, that is, the four towers and some of the territory around them, along with the central part of the Cave Grid levels, will survive the World Wipe."

Adam sighed heavily.

"Fuck... You're definitely not the one to go to for good news."