Endless Evolution: Last Star

For several minutes, Silvana explained all the details of the dark dream to Adam while he recalled all the hints he had received from Kyros, the Crimson Monarch, and Arnoth.

"Damn, when I think about it, even during the battle, they were hinting at their origins to me. However, without knowledge of the K4-Phantom, I simply couldn't understand what they were talking about."

Silvana took a deep breath after their long but necessary conversation.

"Hah..." Adam grinned. "So the dark dream is a high-risk, high-reward situation, isn't it?"

"Yeah, something like that. And, I can say that because of Lone Blaze and your intervention, the Crimson Monarch was very unlucky. I don't know what power he possessed before falling asleep, but he was a Black Threat Level, considering Arnoth's reaction to his name."

"Hmm. It seems so." Adam nodded deeply. "However, it's still strange, considering that I was a K2-Phantom, the Crimson Monarch was a Dark Yellow Threat Monster. The strongest level I could encounter."

Silvana shook her head. "That's not entirely true. It's difficult to assess his exact strength given how chaotic your battle was. However, you fought at the limit of your level. I think I'm safe in saying that the Crimson Monarch was comparable to an S1 Red Threat Monster."

For the next minute, Adam nodded from time to time, answering his questions in his head. He wanted to be sure he fully understood the situation because he kept coming back to those two battles.

"Wait. What about the World Wipe? I know for a fact that the Crimson Monarch and Arnoth were Hollow Wave monsters. That means they survived the World Wipe!"

That wasn't always true. As Wilfred said, any creature that was strong enough to survive the World Wipe was considered a Hollow Wave creature, but in this case, Adam was not mistaken.

"As I understand it, during the dark dream, even the Red Threat Monsters can survive the World Wipe, not just the Black Threat ones and the Lords. However, this is not much different from the strongest K3-Phantoms that the government chooses to keep in the most protected place of Queen Elisa's barrier."

"So... Most likely, Arnoth was a Red Threat Monster and the Crimson Monarch was a Black Threat one. Arnoth awoke a little earlier than he should have, and the Crimson Monarch emerged from the dark dream much earlier, which greatly limited his power, right?"

Silvana nodded.

"Yes, something like that. The black flash transports the monster to a safe place during the dark dream, but as I said, very often something can go wrong."

Then, Adam's eyes lowered, reviewing the details of his mission again.

"For example, a K4-Phantom that will go straight to the Dark Zone and force the monster out of slumber. Someone like me, right?"

In response, Silvana smiled slyly. "Sure. Well, in this case, the monster has already prematurely emerged from the dark dream and simply wants to absorb the energy of the First Star to reach the peak of its power.

"I see. And naturally, the Citadel cannot allow that to happen." Adam grinned.

"Correct. I won't hide the fact that it's not the biggest threat. However, the Flash Carrier, the monster that accepted the call of the First Star and plunged into the dark dream, could become quite powerful if the process reaches its conclusion."

Adam tilted his head.

"How powerful?"

"Considering the level of the mission, it could reach the F4 or even F5 Black Threat Level when it absorbs all the energy of the First Star. In a few more years, such a monster could become the new Lord. Obviously, this is not in the Citadel's interest," Silvana explained calmly.

Adam scratched the back of his head.

"Damn, so the First Star directly helps the monsters? Yeah, the dark dream has big risks, and the same thing that happened to Crimson Monarch could happen to you—you'll wake up much earlier, much weaker than you were, but... Why don't humans have that?"

"Actually, we do."

"Hmm?" Adam pointed to his chest. "Are you talking about my case? If it weren't for the Third Key, I wouldn't have had to go to the Dark Shore! I almost died!"

Silvana shook her head.

"No. I'm talking about the Touched Humans. Sure, it's a completely different process, with different conditions, risks, and rewards, but there is something in common."

She leaned forward, staring intently at Adam.

"In both cases, one of the two Stars is involved. For us, it's the Last Star, for the monsters, it's the First Star. That doesn't mean that humans are the favorites of the Last Star and the First Star helps the monsters. No, it's what our races have achieved over many years of existence in this world that destroys itself time and time again."

"Got it," Adam replied calmly, moving on to the mission. "So, at the Corrosive Lakes, a Flash Carrier awaits me?"

Silvana smiled. "Yes. By the way, technically, the Crimson Monarch and Arnoth were also Flash Carriers, but we had no way of knowing that."

"Yeah, that's not surprising." Adam scratched the back of his head. "It's amazing how much is connected to the First Star, although it's impossible to know that too early."

"Well, it's an important part of our world. As Wilfred said, it's only thanks to the First Star that the Last Star hasn't managed to destroy our world completely yet."

With a deep sigh, Adam put his tablet aside and headed for the door. All that information had given him a headache. He needed to think about it properly and clear his head. The best way to do that was on the way to his mission!

"Alright. Which fort should I go to? Damn, if the Tarnished Lands are as far from the Citadel as the Dark Shore, I'll have to fly for almost half a day!" Adam complained as he touched the door handle.

He turned to see Silvana's smirk, who knew more about it than he did.

"What…?" he raised an eyebrow, confused.

Silvana giggled.

"Don't worry. You'll be at the borders of the Tarnished Lands in less than half an hour, and 25 minutes of that will be needed to get there."

She stood up, pointing to the side.

"You won't have to fly there, Adam. You'll be teleported to the Tarnished Lands."