Endless Evolution: Last Star

In the morning, at the crack of dawn, Silvana opened her eyes, glancing around.

"Fuck... Looks like I missed this..." Silvana muttered, reaching for the bottle of water and drinking it completely, she was thirsty and her mouth was as dry as the desert.

The place was a complete mess that hadn't been in her apartment for an unknown how long.

"Damn, I need to get cleaned up right away, but..." Silvana smirked slyly, "Can't say I regret what I've done."

...

About that time Adam woke up, but Jena wasn't beside him, her half of the bed was empty.

Slowly getting up, Adam made his way to the kitchen, seeing Jena who was hurriedly getting dressed and putting on light makeup.

"Hey, is there an emergency?" Adam asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Jena turned around sharply glaring at him, she was half naked, but that hardly embarrassed her as much as Adam, she was thinking of something else at the moment.

"Oh you're awake, sorry but I have to run, I'm already late!"

Adam raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hmm? Where to...?"

Jena took a deep breath shaking her head.

"To my job! I'm a medic working for Fort Norton! I'm supposed to be there in thirty minutes and I haven't even brushed my teeth yet! Fuck, a mint gum should be enough, right?" Jena asked uncertainly, she was worried about how she looked.

Adam shrugged nonchalantly.

"Don't worry about it too much, the important thing is to get there in time."

Jena's eyes went wide for a moment.

"Yeah... You're right!" Jena nodded a few times as she sped up, after a few minutes she was ready to leave.

Spraying perfume a few times at her neck, and taking one last look in the mirror, Jena both nodded and grabbed the doorknob.

"If you're hungry you can grab the sandwiches in the fridge, I don't know how old they are, I bought them a long time ago. Bye!" Jena hurriedly said before walking away.

Adam smiled weakly before yawning widely.

Lately, he was fully immersed in the Phantom life, dedicating himself to the battles in Dead Lands, so he forgot that most people actually had a very different life.

They had jobs and responsibilities they were obliged to fulfill. Sure, all of this could only exist because of the Phantoms constantly killing monsters and fighting for the Citadel, but it was also an important part of the society they lived in.

Tap.

Slowly, Adam made himself a coffee before opening the fridge and pulling out two store-bought sandwiches that were clearly not fresh.

Taking a sip and the first bite, Adam muttered: "Well, it's not that bad. I'm sure while I had such a good night someone had to face a real nightmare, right?"

...

Tap.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Glara's feet touched the ground as the second girl approached her and released her hands.

Walking down a long passageway they found themselves in a spacious room with many doors leading to it, there was a second floor with an observation deck, somehow this place was like an arena.

"Good, you are dismissed." Gladius said, with a slight wave of his hand.

The girls looked at each other, nodded, and left, they had a lot of work ahead of them in this place that lived by its own rules.

"Gladius... What you said earlier... Is it true? I can become a Phantom?" Glara asked in a trembling voice.

Gladius smiled.

"Young lady, that was only one option, you must not forget that there are two others, one of which is truly terrifying." Gladius reminded her, pointing three fingers.

Glara gulped, she realized she was excited too soon, but she couldn't help it.

Like most people, she wanted to be a Phantom. Unlike Silvana who chose her path as an Operator and didn't want to be anything else, Glara had always thought about what she would do if she became a Phantom.

In fact, she still had a real chance at it since she wasn't even 18 yet, but... fate had other plans for her.

She knew that her chances were minimal, there were only a few tests left until she turned 18 when she could get the Spark. Their family didn't have a powerful bloodline, neither her parents nor the other two older generations had a Phantom among them.

Lero was the first and was the one from whom a decent lineage could have started, but he died.

So, Glara realized that the chances of her having the Spark were slim to none.

She wanted to become a Phantom, not only because it was a common desire of many people, but also because her brother was a Phantom. She had dreamed of fighting alongside him and helping him in Dead Lands, but now she had a different goal...

"I understand, but all I can think of right now is a third option. If I can become a Phantom, I will replace my brother and continue his work! I'll kill the monster that ended his life!" Glara clenched her fist tightly, an unusual flame ignited in her eyes.

Gladius cast a quick glance at her.

'Well, well, once she heard about becoming a Phantom she changed completely.'

Then, he shrugged.

"That monster is already dead, but you have the right mindset."

Glara wanted to say something, but the sound of mechanical doors interrupted her.

Step. Step. Step.

Followed by the sound of muffled footsteps echoing through the spacious hall.

Glara's gaze traveled to the source of the sound making her eyes go wide with fear and admiration.

The first thing she saw was a tall man in a white long coat, he had snow-white hair, the tips of which swayed in front of his unusual amber eyes, full of wisdom and cruelty.

But... it wasn't the man's appearance that astonished her, it was something else....

A massive monster with three eyes and four crystal wings, with creepy short limbs and bones protruding from its back, hovered beside the man like his pet.

A glint traveled down the tip of the monster's tail, which was long and of glass, capable of revealing what the human eye could not see.

It was a Spark Seeker, a monster that might see the Spark.