Endless Evolution: Last Star

A bright flash moved away from Adam. Rosalind prepared to repel the energy clots, Silvana stood behind her since it was the safest place.

However... Franz was in no hurry to do anything. He didn't need Rosalind's help to deal with Adam's energy clots, but his arms were still folded into his sleeves, a slight smile on his face.

"What...? Nothing's going on?" Rosalind frowned, staring intently at Adam whose eyes were still closed.

Franz threw his head back slightly, throwing Rosalind an arrogant look.

"Hah, Rosalind, did you think I was wrong? I thought your faith in me was much greater."

It was just a joke, but Rosalind took everything seriously, she was like that at work and in everyday life.

"My apologies sir, but the chances that Adam could overcome the last 0.7% in one hit were too slim for me to put Silvana in danger."

Franz rolled his eyes and shook his head.

'Agh... Sometimes I wish she'd be less serious or at least realize where it's necessary and where it's not, well... you can't have it all at once, right?'

Silvana glanced at Adam, then turned to Franz.

"That's it? Nothing else is going to happen? He broke the First Wall?"

Franz nodded deeply.

"Yeah, he made a hit, and the lack of energy clots shows he's reached 100%. However, it's not the end."

"Agh...?" Silvana was confused, she didn't understand what Franz was talking about.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Suddenly an active shudder ran through the ground, running through Silvana and causing her legs to lose stability.

"Oh!" Silvana gasped as she grabbed onto Rosalind's arm to keep from falling.

Rosalind stood steady, the shaking did not affect her.

"Silvana... I think you should look ahead. Don't worry, I won't let you fall." Rosalind calmly uttered, pointing forward.

"What...?" Silvana muttered, turning to the side.

Ripple. Ripple. Ripple.

The shivering caused light ripples in the lake that gradually became stronger and more active. The ripples were coming from the small island in the center, from Adam, the energy around him began condensing.

Silvana frowned as her grip on Rosalind grew tighter, and her legs stopped shaking.

"What's wrong with this energy? Why... is it like this?"

Strangely enough, no quick answer followed, as Franz and Rosalind had not expected to see such an outcome either.

"Hm... How curious, you don't see that often." Franz muttered thoughtfully while rubbing his chin.

He stared intently at Adam, who remained calm despite what was happening, though there seemed to be reason for concern.

Black, thick energy like smoke from a terrible fire slowly covered his body. The energy stopped reaching the level of his shoulders, but it was only the calm before the storm.

Whooooooooooosh.

In a heartbeat, all the energy surged upwards in a powerful stream, quickly expanding beyond Adam's body, reaching the island's edges.

The violent wind currents, coming from the energy made the water ripple even more, soon reaching Franz, Silvana, and Rosalind.

"No, why is this wind so strong!" Silvana shrieked, holding onto Rosalind with both hands.

Franz's long, purple hair fluttered while his gaze slowly traveled upward, looking at the dark energy pillar.

"Black, right?"

Silvana gritted her teeth and looked at Franz.

"What does that mean? Does the color of the energy have any significance in this case?"

Franz nodded deeply, remaining calm despite the strong wind. After all, every one of the Phantoms who broke the First Wall went through this.

"Yeah, like with any other color that could have come from the First Wall, everything is individual, but we have some solid information."

Franz shrugged, pointing to Adam's energy.

"Black can mean many things - destruction, death, failure, corrosion, maybe even the end of time or some kind of disease. Well, that's enough for now, as Adam will have to deal with it in the future."

Silvana nodded deeply. The situation made more sense to her now since she studied the matter.

However, they all realized that it was worth waiting until Adam returned to find out what he would see in the First Wall's reflection.

...

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

Shards fell, disappearing into the vast abyss to reveal the First Wall.

Adam gulped. He didn't know what was happening, but he had a few guesses.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

When all the shards from the top layer were gone, the surface of the First Wall shook like a lake before the white color changed to black.

Adam's eyes went wide for a moment, full of confusion.

"What, this is the second part?" Adam tilted his head, not knowing what he was supposed to do.

He turned around as if looking for a clue before taking a deep breath and stepping forward.

Adam reached out his hand, going to touch the First Wall, since he had no other option. It helped him last time.

[No... You shouldn't do that now...].

The Evolution Tree's voice echoed in Adam's mind, stopping him one step away from the First Wall.

Adam lifted his gaze, looking up.

"Hmm? Why?" I definitely can't get through the second part now, so I shouldn't worry about becoming a W1-Phantom." Adam furrowed his brows.

[You'll see your trial... Do it later... The First Wall will wait for you for as long as you need...]
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Adam's eyes moved from one place to another, he wanted to know what was ahead of him, but after recent events, his trust in the Evolution Tree increased.

[You have an important battle ahead of you... I'm a part of you, I know what awaits you... So... I suggest you concentrate on what's actually important...]

Adam's fingertips trembled, instinctively he took another step towards the First Wall, about to touch it.

Whooooosh.

Adam's other hand gripped his wrist tightly, dropping his right hand and taking a deep breath.

"Right, there's only one day left until the wedding, so there's no point in rushing, I can't do anything in such a short time."

[Wise... Mature decision...]

Then, the Evolution Tree fell silent.

Adam made his choice, but there was nothing he could do with himself but look once more into the First Wall.

Even though the surface was black, there was nothing mirrored in it, so instead of his reflection, Adam saw only a void.

"Anyway, I guess it's not good that my First Wall is black. It reminds me of Plague Reaper again. Damn, is he ever gonna disappear from my life? I need a new opponent... A stronger one to eclipse the memories of Plague Reaper."

Taking a deep breath, Adam closed his eyes, returning to the real world.

Turning around, he saw Franz in the distance, who was waving at him, wanting to question him about what happened. Rosalind's gaze was more serious than usual, and Silvana was looking at Adam with wide eyes, hiding behind Rosalind's shoulders.

Adam smiled bitterly, heading towards them.

...

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

A light crunch came from the breaking popcorn, disappearing from the bucket time after time by the swift movements of someone's hand.

The silhouette was sitting on top of a tree on the peak of a hill, far away from the lake, yet from this point, everything was clearly visible though the distance was huge.

"Hah, I didn't come here for nothing. So black, right? Given your history... this looks like it's going to be interesting." Gladius smirked, popping a handful of popcorn into his mouth.