Endless Evolution: Last Star

Adam and Relana had disappeared, leaving only Gladius and Silvana at the atelier.

“They… Where did they go?” Silvana asked, looking around in confusion.

Gladius waved his hand.

“To the training hall located beneath this workshop.”

Then, he headed to the corner of the room, where there was a small kitchen, or rather, a coffee machine and a few snacks.

“How about another coffee? I don’t think the last one was enough to perk you up, was it?” Gladius rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, getting ready to get to work.

Silvana was at a loss.

“Are you sure everything will be all right? Relana, who is she, anyway?”

Gladius smirked as he turned on the coffee machine and chose which type of coffee to use.

“Oh, you’re curious now? Good, I’ve got a story to tell. You see, Relana isn’t just a tailor.”

Silvana nodded.

“Yeah, I’ve already figured that out. An ordinary tailor can’t take Adam down in one move. It was hard not to notice, considering it happened right in front of me.”

Gladius shrugged.

“Well, don’t get me wrong, Relana’s an excellent tailor. She’s been doing this for a long time, but that wasn’t her first job. Once she figures out what outfit will work for Adam, she’ll make it.”

Silvana narrowed her eyes.

“Yeah? And exactly how is she going to figure that out?”

“It’s simple. She’ll fight him.”

“W-What?”

Gladius waved his hand.

“Don’t worry, Relana knows how to control her power better than most. Adam will be fine, I can guarantee that. Now, how about we discuss one thing.”

“Agh?” Silvana was taken aback.

Gladius leaned on a counter as his eyes glinted.

“Why was Adam staring at me so intently? He probably thought I hadn’t noticed, but that’s not the case. I could feel his piercing gaze on me the whole time. It seems he’s discovered something about me that he hadn’t realized before.”

Tremble.

A slight shiver ran down Silvana’s spine as a chill swept over her while Gladius’s aura slowly spread.

“Now, while Relana and Adam are busy, you’re going to tell me everything you know.”

A dangerous glint flashed in Gladius’s eyes.

“You see… I don’t mind people having their secrets, but in this case, it involves me. So, I want to know everything, and I’m curious how Adam managed to find out something about me that made him look at me like that.”

Silvana gulped.

But she made no attempt to leave.

She knew who Gladius was, and she had enough experience and self-control to make the right decision in this situation.

‘Alright, sooner or later Adam would have asked him about this himself. I don’t have any other choice anyway, do I?’

“He saw your battle against the Frost Dragons Clan. He saw Xyrea’s true form and also how the Grad Family’s Legacy Artifact appeared.” Silvana said confidently, without fear.

Gladius was silent for a moment. No emotion other than slight surprise appeared on his face.

It was the first time Silvana had ever seen Gladius at a loss. To some extent, she even enjoyed seeing him in that state.

“That’s unexpected…” Gladius nodded slightly, as if trying to recall what had happened back then. “That was a long time ago, a very long time ago.”

Then, his eyes darted toward Silvana.

“Did he see anything else?”

Silvana shook her head.

“No, that’s where the memory ended. But he saw your power, what you looked like back then, and how you carried out Queen Elisa’s orders.”

Gladius smiled bitterly.

“Yeah, those were good times. I mean, I’m feeling pretty nostalgic, right now is the calmest and best time for Phantoms and humans, compared to how things used to be. But there were some things back then that I liked better.”

“Like the fact that Queen Elisa was actually a queen back then and gave orders, instead of just being a protective barrier for the Citadel?” Silvana asked.

Gladius nodded knowingly.

“Something like that. I won’t ask how you know that, you probably just figured it out, right?”

“Yes. In fact, in the Tarnished Lands, Adam met a Phantom who was also trapped in a crystal. But unlike Queen Elisa, this Phantom… she had been dead for a long time.”

Gladius rested his chin on his hand, his gaze pensive.

“That’s what awaits every Phantom who tries to survive at the very last moment of their life. Well, if, of course, you still have enough energy left to do so.”

Silvana frowned. Something wasn’t clear to her.

“Yes, but… Queen Elisa is alive. Sure, her condition isn’t normal, but her aura and energy are present, and her heart keeps beating. Why is she the exception to this rule?”

Gladius turned to her, a faint smile playing on his face.

“Well, well, do you want me to tell you all the secrets of ancient times? You’ve already learned what you shouldn’t have, not about me, and not about Queen Elisa. Anyway, sooner or later you would have found out about this anyway.”

He sighed deeply.

“As you know, Queen Elisa is significantly stronger than the Phantom Adam encountered. And, unlike that Phantom, Queen Elisa wasn’t mortally wounded.”

“Ah…?” Silvana was confused. “Then why is she in a crystal? What happened then?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Gladius’s gaze filled with sadness. “She did it willingly.”

Silvana gulped.

“But… why?”

Gladius waved his hand.

“To become stronger and stronger, to concentrate energy in one place. The Citadel was becoming too large, and even back then, the first Bastions had already appeared. We simply didn’t have enough Second-Rank Phantoms to cover a sufficient area with protective barriers.”

Silvana nodded. She knew that only Second Circle creatures could create protective barriers of that type. It was the only way to defend against the shockwave of the World Wipe.

“Also, Queen Elisa understood that if she died or was injured, it would be a major blow to the Citadel and all of humanity. So… She made that sacrifice herself. In return, she gained safety and the ability to create a protective barrier large enough to cover the entire First Ring.”

Gladius’s gaze grew more profound, as if he were speaking not only of the queen but of an old friend as well.

“Something like that.”