Endless Evolution: Last Star

"That's it... I can't take it anymore... If I eat one more bite, I'll die..."

Silvana took a deep breath, leaning back in her chair. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten so much.

At Operator Academy, they were taught that Operators should always look good and clean, they should be in shape both internally and externally to match the status of their Phantoms.

Sure, not all Operators adhered to this rule but most realized that it was important, not only status but also a show of respect for their partner.

Silvana, with her strictness to herself and her job performance, tried to look as good as possible.

Her worst nightmare was to have someone tell Adam that his Operator looked inappropriate.

This applied not only to clothing, hair, or makeup but also to physical condition, whether the Operator was female or male.

So... a few fatty burgers in the evening, was clearly not something that would help Silvana keep her physique in good shape.

Crackle.

Adam took a large bite, savoring yet another new flavor. It wasn't a problem for him.

Even if he gained a few extra kilograms, a few training days or a single mission would make him lose so much energy that he would be in shape in no time.

"Hah, I'm surprised you ate so much. To be honest, I thought you'd give up after the third one."

Adam uttered with a slight smile on his face.

"Looks like you liked them more than you thought you would. Hahaha, we all like a good meal, don't we?"

Adam smirked, casting a glance at Silvana.

Silvana got embarrassed, her cheeks slightly flushed with shame as she shyly looked away.

"There was no way I could have stopped you and... if I hadn't eaten anything it would be rude, and the food would spoil. I just couldn't do that."

Silvana explained her actions but didn't sound convincing, especially to Adam, who knew when Silvana was lying.

"Sure, but somehow, I think you just wanted to eat and think about nothing."

Silvana didn't answer anything, she just gulped, trying to show that it wasn't true.

Adam shrugged with a slight smile on his face.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that. You're right, I'd be upset if you didn't try anything. After all, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't do it, and my evening wouldn't have gone nearly as interesting."

From Adam's last words, Silvana blushed even more, as she turned away, hesitating to meet his gaze.

Did Adam notice that?

Nah.

He was concentrating on the burger in front of him and thinking about how to move on to the next one. However, his words were sincere, he was just saying what he felt and what he thought.

He didn't realize that his honesty was appreciated by Silvana as something much more.

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After a few minutes, Silvana took a deep breath and looked at Adam.

"What do you plan to do next?" Silvana asked.

They had been resting for two days now, not that it was a long time, but if Adam was ready to get back to work, Silvana would definitely support him, as she always did.

Adam shrugged.

"I'm not sure. To be honest I haven't had time to properly consider my plans yet."

Then, Adam scratched the back of his head.

"I'll probably take a few more days off, we deserve it. Then... Hmm, Damien recommended me to practice with Tron, I'm sure it will be as useful as it is tough..."

Silvana nodded.

"Sure, I'll contact his Operator as soon as you say you're ready. But... Adam, you remember that you had another purpose for becoming a K2-Phantom, right? And, that has to do with Damien too."

Adam blinked a few times. He was trying to figure out what Silvana was talking about, and soon a realization came to him.

"Oh, you're talking about the Lower Ring and the Black Swan, right? Aiden Henk..."

Adam muttered as his gaze grew darker.

"Yeah... Damien said I'd better not go down to the Lower Ring until I was K2-Phantom, or I couldn't accomplish anything. I was too weak. I should think about it."

Adam said in a low, thoughtful voice.

"Meeting Magnus showed me that free scientists are unique and strange people. At first, I wanted Aiden Henk to get his punishment for what he did, but... I quickly learned that a man of his status shouldn't have to worry about the consequences of his actions."

Silence fell for a few seconds, Silvana didn't interrupt Adam, giving him time to gather his thoughts.

"Then, especially after my first encounter against the Dark Phantoms, I had enough determination to desire to kill him, after all, he almost caused me to die, I had too little chance of survival, and I was just lucky."

Silvana gulped. She knew well how Adam had become a Phantom. Each Naturalborn Phantom had a unique situation, difficult and brutal, but they all managed to survive.

But... one should never forget that they were only a tiny fraction of all the people who were potential Naturalborn Phantoms, for if one didn't become a Phantom, it meant that he died, there was no other outcome.

"Gradually, I realized that before I make a final decision on what I want to do with Aiden Henk, I first want to know his motives and what he doing." Adam waved his hand slightly.

Silvana stared at him intently, remembering the events that had happened at Miracle Observatory, they affected Adam greatly.

It was his first and so far only encounter with a free scientist. He didn't know it yet, but he was going to meet someone else soon.

"It's because of Magnus and Nessa, isn't it?" Silvana suggested.

Adam nodded deeply.

"I think so. If I didn't know all the details of his work and his and Nessa's history, I'd think he was a real monster."

Adam continued:

"Sure, he's far from a good man, but I'm not talking about good or evil, I'm talking about understanding him and his intentions and my anger that built up when I saw those girls in the pods, just disappeared."

Silvana looked away before walking over to Adam, sitting down next to him, and placing a hand on his shoulder.

She could see that Adam's mind was full of doubt, as he didn't know what was right and what was wrong. Moreover, he had limited information and did not fully understand the state of his morals.

He was no longer a boy from the slums, who would consider Magnus the embodiment of evil and demand punishment rather than death for criminals.

A lot had indeed changed since that moment, both in his powers and in his mind.

"Don't worry. You don't have to get into the thick of things again. Take as much time as you need. What's more, I'm sure you'll have other things to do soon. The Phantoms are never bored."

Adam only smiled bitterly, feeling the warmth of Silvana's hand on his shoulder and the calming aura emanating from her that was meant only for him.

...

While in one place there was peace and quiet, in another it seemed such things were not even heard of.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The entire room shook after a powerful energy blast, illuminating the entire space for a moment.

"RRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTT!!!"

In a heartbeat, there was an eerie, painful roar from the Shadow, emanating through the cover of darkness.

Then, everyone saw the aftermath of Natta's attack as well as the satisfied smirk on her face.

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

A blue explosion as bright as the flames of a cold star destroyed the dry branches with ease, broken spikes flying off to the sides, passing in front of Shadow's red eyes filled with hot pain.

Reaching the darkness, the blast burned it like a holy light before reaching the monster's lean body, its rough skin and numerous thin bones breaking them as an unstoppable force.

Whoooooooooooooosh.

The remaining energy from the sphere swept forward, being only a tiny fraction of the former power.

A thin blue ray flew over Sano's shoulder, rippling her hair before crashing into the wall, leaving a black stain.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Dark drops of blood tumbled downward, smashing against the steel floor. Puddles quickly formed, reflecting the Shadow, as well as his half-circular wound, the size of half his torso.

Glara who cast a quick glance at the Shadow's condition, gulped.

She couldn't believe that Natta's attack alone was enough to inflict such a gruesome wound!

"RRRRRRRTTTTTTHHHH!!!"

The Shadow made a hissing sound like a snake before looking at Natta, wanting to burn her with his fiery gaze full of hatred.

Natta took a deep breath before taking a step back and grabbing her right shoulder. Her right arm went limp, dangling slightly from side to side.

"Damn, I keep forgetting every time what the price will be for this."

Natta smiled bitterly glancing at her right arm, it was broken in several places.

It seemed like the perfect opportunity for the Shadow to get revenge on Natta for what she had done.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

But... a silhouette with two massive, combat gloves, was already behind him, about to finish what Natta began.

"Hey, stop looking at her. Give me some attention too!"

Sano exclaimed, before bringing her fists down on the Shadow's back, nailing the monster to the ground.

Then, before the Shadow could do anything, Sano slammed her fists apart, and her gauntlets shook, filling with red lines.

"Hah, I'm going to imprint you into this floor. You're going to be the fucking decorations for this place."

Sano uttered with a devious smirk, looking at the Shadow as her victim.