Endless Evolution: Last Star

“Will you be at Radiant Branch?” Adam blinked.

For some reason, he hadn’t expected that.

“I thought only Phantoms would be there.”

However, Farla shook her head, showing him that he was wrong.

“There will also be members of the Gamma Division. What’s more, among the nobles there will be quite a few ordinary people, and there will also be people from the government. After all, the Gamma Division is the core of the government, so you could say they’re our branch.”

Adam raised an eyebrow.

“Is there a reason you decided to tell me this? I mean, we’d have run into each other there anyway if you’re going too, and… something tells me you didn’t just want to share the news with me.”

Farka smiled bitterly.

“Well, well, this is only the second time we’ve spoken, and you’re already saying you know me well enough? I’m not sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.”

Before Adam could say anything, Farla waved her hand as her gaze grew stern.

“I want to know what you’re planning to do at Radiant Branch. You must realize all eyes will be on you, not just from the nobles, but from the other Future and Present Stars, too. You must already know about the Star Rail.”

Adam nodded as Farla continued.

“During the last Radiant Branch, you lived in the slums and collected scrap metal to earn a few credits. Now, the most powerful Phantoms of the Citadel will declare you one of the Present Stars, even though there are less than six years left until the next World Wipe.”

Adam was silent for a moment, then he leaned back in his seat.

“And? Why should that bother me?”

‘Also…’ he thought. ‘Under the right conditions, you could progress even faster than that. Aiden demonstrated this with Sano and Natta.’

Sure, Sano and Natta were a special case. They were personally chosen by Aiden, and he helped them reach their current level. Still, even with Monster Nexus, they were weaker than Adam, and now the gap between them had grown even wider.

Farla clasped her hands together.

“Because they’ll want to test what you’re capable of. Some will envy you, some will think you’re not worthy of that title, and many will try to recruit you.”

She stared intently at him.

“You’re a K4-Phantom, but you’re still a loner. You don’t belong to any faction. That’s also rare. Sooner or later, every Phantom has to make a choice, and you won’t be an exception, Adam.”

Her last words brought a frown to his face.

It sounded more like a threat than a warning or advice. Still, Adam knew Farla was right.

The factions, especially the Big Three, had tried to recruit him several times, but Adam had progressed too quickly and left the Citadel too often for the factions to have had the time to do so.

If Adam, like many other Phantoms, had stayed at the Citadel for a few weeks after each mission, he would most likely have already joined one of them.

Adam crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’m not going to join anyone.”

“Why?” Farla asked immediately.

“No reason.”

In fact, there was a reason.

Adam had only one goal – to stop the World Wipe. As far as he knew, none of the factions had that as a goal, neither the humans nor the monsters.

Additionally, he didn’t see the point in joining a faction. He always obtained all the necessary resources on his own. He hadn’t worried about money in a long time, and he was progressing faster than many others thanks to his own powers.

All he needed was himself and Silvana, that’s it.

“Hmm…” Farla hummed, trying to figure out what Adam was thinking. “Well, that’s your right, but I’ve warned you. You can expect some serious pressure from the Twelve Branches.”

“Ah? Why?” Adam tilted his head.

Farla smirked.

“Because you’re better than their offspring. Sure, they can’t make you a member of the family because you have different blood running through your veins, but they’ll try to become your allies or something like that.”

“You know, the more you talk about it, the less I want to go there.” Adam raised an eyebrow.

“Hahaha!” Farla chuckled. “No, I’ll be glad to see you there. Thanks to you, it’ll be a truly interesting Radiant Branch.”

She waved her hand nonchalantly and took a sip of wine.

Then… her blue eyes filled with coldness, making Adam flinch.

“Before I go, I have one more question for you, Adam.”

“Y-Yes?”

She leaned forward as her gaze grew deeper and deeper.

“You do realize that in six years, your entire family will be dead, right?”

Adam and Silvana’s faces turned pale.

They hadn’t expected Farla to mention Adam’s family. It was a sudden shift they weren’t prepared for.

“Ms. Farla…” Silvana’s lips trembled. “This… I don’t think you should—”

Farla’s eyes darted to Silvana, silencing her.

“This is an important matter, Silvana. You can keep quiet about it, pretend this problem doesn’t exist, but that won’t change the outcome.”

Her gaze returned to Adam.

“You’re not a stupid guy, even though it sometimes seems that way. You must have thought about this many times, haven’t you?”

Adam leaned forward as his expression darkened. He didn’t like the direction this conversation was taking.

“Even if that’s true, what’s it to you? When I found out about the World Wipe, it was a huge blow to me, especially considering that there are less than ten years left until the next collision of the stars.”

He continued.

“If my family and I had been born at the beginning of the World Wipe, or even in the middle, we would have had time to live out our lives, but… my family wasn’t lucky enough to be born so late.”

Farla nodded deeply.

“I see. Just as I thought, you understand all the risks and consequences. So, have you thought about how to save your family?”

“Agh?” Adam was caught off guard.

Farla narrowed her eyes.

“You know, besides monsters and Phantoms, there’s another category of beings that can survive the World Wipe.”

Her voice grew deeper.

“Adam, have you thought about turning your family members into Touched Humans?”