Endless Evolution: Last Star

Adam and Silvana followed Douglas's advice. They didn't agree with all of his decisions, especially Adam after the incident with the Twilight Palace, but Douglas was an experienced and wise man.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Phantoms had passed through him, whom he knew well given how long he had lived, so he understood that Adam and Silvana needed a reset. It had been a long run for both of them, so before Adam set off for the Tarnished Lands, they needed to gather their thoughts.

Crack.

The shower door opened, releasing a thick stream of steam and revealing Silvana's figure, who made no hurry to hide her naked body, slowly drying her hair with a towel.

Adam sat on the bed staring at the ceiling.

"Thinking about something?" Silvana asked with mild interest.

"Yeah, Douglas... That cunning old man. I'm thinking about our battle. Do all members of the Gamma Division possess such power?"

Silvana smiled, picking up her tablet.

"No."

"Hmm? Why are you so sure?"

"Because after you became a K4-Phantom, I gained access to a huge amount of information. Even the Gamma Division was no exception."

Adam smiled happily, but his expression quickly became serious.

"However, are there still secrets for us?"

"Sure." Silvana nodded. "Some information is still classified for us. Although looking back on my past experience, I can't even guess what is being hidden from us."

"I see..." Adam sighed heavily. "So, what about the Gamma Division?"

"Their progression is different from the Phantoms and the monsters, although in this respect they are much closer to the monsters."

"Hmm?"

Silvana sat on the edge of the bed, checking the data.

"On average, the older a Touched Human is, the stronger they are. They have some kind of special training and the ability to absorb energy from their surroundings, but their speed is much slower than that of monsters. At the same time, it seems that they don't have such heavy barriers as the Phantoms."

Adam's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Damn, Silvana, that sounds too good to be true!"

In response, Silvana shrugged. "Well, considering all the risks, it's not surprising. Although, it's not as good as it might seem at first glance."

Adam already knew what Silvana was going to say.

He glanced at her. "There isn't a single Touched Human equal in strength to the Second Rank Phantom of the Lords, right?"

Silvana nodded in confirmation.

"Correct. I can't access every member of the Gamma Division, especially the strongest ones, but it's obvious. I think what Douglas showed is the limit. Considering Andreas's role and his age, they are most likely on par."

"So... The maximum is the K4-Level of the Black Threat Level. Hmm, that's actually incredible. Douglas wasn't lying when he said that the Gamma Division is the core of the entire Citadel."

For a few moments, there was complete silence as Silvana fell silent abruptly.

Then, she put the tablet aside and looked deeply at Adam.

"Adam... I know you think you can become strong enough to stop the World Wipe, but... We have to think about other options as well."

She gently took his hand, as Wilfred and Douglas's words ran through her mind over and over again.

"What will we do after the World Wipe? Our families... they'll be gone. It'll just be you and me, won't it?"

Deep down, Adam didn't want to talk about it because Silvana was right. He hoped he could change everything. However, he was no longer a child, and there was no point in running away from this conversation.

"Unfortunately, in that case, we have no choice but to accept that these are the last seven years we have with our families. We must cherish this time and do the best we can."

Tap.

Adam touched Silvana's cheek, stroking it slowly.

"But we must also never forget that we have much more time together. I don't want the World Wipe to happen and millions to die, still... I'm grateful that I will at least have you."

Silvana's eyes welled up, but she managed to hold back her tears so as not to drown Adam in them.

"Okay, then let's not waste any time and do everything we can, just like before, alright?"

Adam smiled.

"Sure. Have problems ever stopped us before?"

Every K4-Phantom and Gamma Division member went through this. However, monsters were no exception to this rule.

Some monsters went through Awakening quite early and eventually became Elders with consciousness and speech for decades, only to find out that soon only a small part of the world would remain.

The World Wipe wasn't the only problem in this world. The struggle between monsters and humans always brought a lot of grief and pain, but it was not as significant as the conflict between the First Star and the Last Star.

The brightest and dimest stars were not going to stop until one of them won.

Many tried to end this vicious circle, but so far no one has succeeded.

...

With the next rays of sunlight, Adan and Silvana woke up.

They took a week off, and it turned out to be a lot. They both wanted to return to the Dead Lands, especially Silvana. Now she had the opportunity to influence the battle; all she needed was her spectral form.

"The Tarnished Lands, huh?" Adam muttered as he got dressed. "Damn, I was angry at Wilfred when he said I was at the bottom of the food chain, but now I realize he was right. The Tarnished Lands are like the White Treat Zones for the K0-Phantoms!"

Silvana, sitting at her desk, giggled.

"Don't be silly, you can't compare those territories, the difference in danger is huge."

"Yeah, but still... Argh, at least I hope I can take the first step towards evolution there!"

When Adam was ready, Silvana turned to him.

"I've arranged everything, but there's one thing you need to know before you go to your destination."

"Hmm?"

Adam tilted his head in confusion, meeting Silvana's sly smile.

"There's a mission for you, K4-Phantom, Adam Vinter, straight from Douglas. The target is at the Tarnished Lands, so it's time to think not only about yourself but also about the Citadel!"