Endless Evolution: Last Star

Nexus seemed to be the one thing Phantom couldn't get on his own and for that, he needed the help of the Citadel. The blacksmiths were taking Phantom's genes and creating something completely new out of them, but actually, they were just helping those genes develop.

When Adam had to create his Nexus, Silvana had asked him to decide what kind of Nexus he wanted, to give his genes a specific purpose beforehand. Sure, sometimes things didn't go exactly according to plan, but either way, Phantom got roughly the Nexus he wanted.

However, once the Nexus was already created, and the Phantom was going from K1 to K2, the blacksmith's help was no longer needed, well... that wasn't true for most Phantoms going through evolution at that level.

To create an area where Nexus could evolve on its own like a living being required a tremendous amount of energy, considering it was a K1-Phantom.

This was impossible for most K1-Phantoms to achieve, but given that Adam was at the limit of what the K1 could achieve, it was a reality for him.

In fact, Douglas wasn't surprised, as when he saw Adam's energy pillar, he immediately realized that his Nexus would evolve right there, without the help of the Blacksmith.

"What...? What's going on? Is this how it's supposed to be?" Silvana gulped, glancing quickly back and forth at Douglas and Adam, or rather at the white dense dome he was under.

Douglas smirked.

"Didn't you notice that? I'm sure you did. Now, Adam is getting his new Nexus."

...

"Damn! What's going on!" Adam exclaimed, trying to get closer to the bright light that surrounded his Nexus, but there was no way he could.

The cocoon was ready and all Adam could do was wait for it to open, releasing something completely new.

[Your Nexus, Weaver's Treasure, was irretrievably destroyed, but its nature remains.] Adam heard a calm voice, devoid of any emotion.

Then, he stopped, no longer trying to change anything.

"So... I'm getting a new Nexus? Fuck... That doesn't sound good at all, though... it doesn't have to be something completely different, right?" Adam muttered, hoping that his new Nexus wouldn't turn out to be useless.

Adam realized that everyone had their preferences. For some, the Nexus was a huge hammer or sword, for others a magic book or bow and for others, a more compact version worked, whether it was gloves like Adam's or some accessory.

Adam was afraid that his Nexus wouldn't turn into a weapon, then he wouldn't be comfortable fighting.

Well, that was no longer up to him to decide.

...

It had only been a few minutes in the real world, but Adam felt as if he'd been here for days, staring at the cocoon that occasionally shook.

Soon, the cocoon cracked, releasing a bright light, revealing two identical silhouettes inside.

Adam squinted, the light blinding him, but he didn't want to look away. It was critical for him to see his new Nexus.

"Oh... I see... Looks like I can trust my Evolution Tree." Adam muttered as a confident smirk appeared on his face.

The cocoon split in two disappearing into the darkness leaving two gloves floating in the air, no... now they looked more like the gauntlets of some knight or medieval tailor. Discover hidden tales at empire

The gauntlets were considerably longer than the previous gloves, they easily reached the level of his elbow but did not overlap it so that Adam retained full freedom of movement.

Black leather covered with tiny elastic protective scales was the main material. At the tips of the fingers were metal plates, thin lines running from them moving along the inside of the palm to meet in the center, then a thicker line going to the wrist where it ended in a wide steel bracelet.

As before, from the fingers, moving along the outside of the palm, there were five threads taut as strings, but when they reached the steel bracelet, everything changed.

Coming out of the bracelet, the threads became several times more, they became about twenty, they covered every gauntlet along the edges.

And... Adam's gaze fell on the last detail of his new Nexus that he didn't understand at all.

On the inside of the gauntlets, above the wrist, there was a thin recess, 1-2 cm deep, it was hollow and elongated, the back was slightly wider and the front was indeed narrow.

The only object that could fit perfectly into such a recess was a massive needle that no tailor would use.

Whooooooooooooosh.

Before Adam could realize anything, the gauntlets were heading towards him, ending up in his arms. At the same moment, their exact ghostly replica appeared next to the Evolution Tree, taking its rightful place.

[You have received your new Nexus - Echoes of a Tragic Story.]

[Echoes of a Tragic Story

For better or worse, stories don't always have a good ending. Most do not realize that stories with a bad ending or a good ending just don't happen, it all depends on perspective.

Tragedy for one can be happiness for another. A sad ending for one becomes salvation for the other]

Adam nodded silently, getting used to the new sensation. Once again, there was nothing concrete in the description, but he didn't pay attention to it, thinking that he would soon be able to figure it out for himself.

Then, Adam took a deep breath, looking around.

His gaze traveled to his Evolution Tree.

"Is that it?"

There was no reply.

"Can I leave now?"

Silence.

Nothing was heard until... there was a slight crackling sound that grew stronger with each passing second.

"What the hell...?"

Adam muttered with his eyes wide open.

He looked at his Elemental Root, which after the growth of the Evolution Tree seemed small and weak. Now, it was time to correct that mistake.

The Elemental Root, most of which was purple because the main aspect of this Elemental Root was gravity, began to grow rapidly.

Within seconds, the Elemental Root reached the size of the other roots of the Evolution Tree, but the Elemental Root wasn't going to stop there.

It continued to grow, running up the majestic trunk, reaching the level of the upper branches before finally stopping.

[Your Elemental Root has grown.]

[The past reinforcement is now too insignificant considering your strength level and the new magnitude of your Elemental Root.].Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Then, dense white energy from the Evolution Tree flowed through the Elemental Root, filling it with enough power to provide Adam with something new, something that was worthy of his current level.

[Gravitational Elemental Root (Second Form)

Gravity was something you could get used to, but it was much more desirable to learn how to control it. Previously, it was out of your reach, you were only a part of this mysterious and immense power.

But... maybe now you will be able to control at least a fraction of this force? Who knows...]

"Well... If I understand correctly, there's only you left now, right?" Adam muttered translating his gaze to the artifact hovering to the left of Evolution Tree.

The Horn of Calamity shuddered, sending out powerful electrical discharges, but after a few seconds, it was over.

Adam blinked a few times, slightly puzzled.

He understood that his artifact shouldn't have changed just because it went from K1 to K2, but... after everything that already happened, he naively believed it would.

However, Adam was right about something, his artifact had gained some benefits as well.

[Horn of Calamity (Second Rarity Artifact), gained a boost to its First Trait: One-horned Disaster.]

[One-horned Disaster (Changes):

Now, you can release lightning energy from your body for a short period, but only to temporarily enhance other objects.]

Adam scratched the back of his head, not having tried this new feature in practice he couldn't be sure how useful it was, but he realized that it clearly had some useful application.

"Agh... Alright, this was more than I could have anticipated, but it looks like it's finally over." Adam sighed heavily, trying to make sense of what had happened.

Pretty much everything from his Vault to Orders, Initial, and Power Genes has changed. Elemental Root, Nexus, and his artifact were also left behind.

Now, Adam was a completely other Phantom. His powers had a strong connection to those he possessed as a K1-Phantom, but... things were different now.

Well... There was something else here that Adam had just forgotten about, but that thing was in no hurry to reveal itself. For now, its time had not come, for it was too early for Adam to become any stronger.

"Hmm... Fine, from the looks of it, I can leave." Adam muttered getting ready to leave the inner space.

But... nothing happened.

Every time he did it without a problem, it was natural, smooth, and calm. It seemed that something was in Adam's way, that he had to see something else before he could get out of there.

Whoooooooooosh.

A pale light fell on Adam as he felt powerful currents of air, though there shouldn't have been anything like that in the inner space.

Then, he looked up, only to see a massive white vortex spinning rapidly.

The first thing Adam thought of was that the vortex was like the Revolve, only on a larger scale, magnified many times over.

Trailing off, the vortex engulfed Adam, oddly enough, finally bringing him back to the real world.

...

"Please! Your extra large strawberry milkshake!" The girl in the cute suit held out a cup to the man waiting for his order. It was a small, local coffee shop nestled amid the road.

"Oh, thank you." The man said with an enchanting smile on his face.

"Be careful! It's almost a thousand calories in here!" The girl giggled sweetly.

The man said nothing, he just nodded before disappearing into the crowd.

He had black hair slicked back with gel, green eyes, and a serene look.

He wore a wide-brimmed beach hat that cast a shadow over his face and a loose red shirt with short beige shorts and black sandals.

Whoooooooosh.

His silhouette disappeared as he found himself on top of a building nearby. A wide section of the Citadel came into view and his gaze traveled towards Fort Norton as if he could see through the walls.

"It should probably be over by now, right? So it's about time we put his powers to the test." The man smirked, took a sip, and disappeared again.