Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 277: Midnight Crystal (Part 2)

Tron put his feet up on the table and crossed his arms over his chest, staring at the ceiling. Silvana had been sitting across from him for some time now, but she hadnʼt said anything yet.

Last time, Adam had been in Silvanaʼs seat, but Riska had also been here then. Now it was the middle of the night so Riska was at her home.

Lovers or husband and wife might have lived together, but Phantoms and Operators rarely did something like this. Only on rare occasions to improve their relationship if there was a drastic need.

”So... While Iʼm still sleepy and not starting to get angry for you disturbing my sleep... What exactly is bothering you, Adamʼs Operator.” Tron said calmly, slowly shifting his gaze from the ceiling to Silvana.

Tron purposely didnʼt call her by name, emphasizing her position in this world. He realized that if Silvana had come here, she could only have one reason for doing so.

”What should I do if Iʼm jealous?” Silvana asked, with the most serious look possible. She clutched her knees, staring at Tron.

Tron looked relaxed and unconcerned. He was uninterested in this conversation. It seemed that help from him was useless.

”I see... Some girl surpasses you and, even though you realize thereʼs nothing to worry about, your mind wonʼt listen to you and envy eats you from the inside out. Did I say that right?” Tron said slowly, looking up.

Silvana nodded, clearly surprised. Tron understood the nature of her problem immediately, even though she hadnʼt had a chance to explain anything yet.

”Yes... How did you figure that out?” Silvana asked, puzzled. Continue your journey on m|v-lʼe -

Tron shrugged his shoulders.

”Itʼs clear from the look in your eyes. You wouldnʼt have come to me with any other advice. If this is about your relationship with you and Adam, then it may well be about another woman.”

Silvana gulped.

”Itʼs just... Iʼm not going to be Adamʼs girlfriend, after all, Iʼm an Operator and heʼs a Phantom. Iʼve never had any sexual desires for him, nor lust. So... Why am I starting to feel jealous of another woman, is it because of Adam? Or is it because I feel weaker?”

Tron rolled his eyes, it seemed that he hadnʼt expected Silvana to come to him with something so trivial.

”Damn, you and Adam, youʼre still kids, though... heʼs gotten a lot older morally in the last few months, now heʼs more mature than you in that regard.”

Tron said in a low voice leaning forward and placing his fingertips against each other.

”Agh...?”

Tron sighed heavily.

”Apparently this woman is physically superior to you, isnʼt she? I doubt you think any girl is smarter than you.” Tron said, pointing out Silvanaʼs arrogance which she carefully tried to hide.

Anyway, Silvana was a really smart girl. She may not have been the morally toughest and she may not have been as cunning as Louis, but Silvana was clearly confident in her intelligence.

Silvana clenched her teeth tightly, nodding slightly.

”Yes, it is.”

She couldnʼt say who it was, for Magnus had forbidden them to talk about Nessa. However, even without his ban, Silvana would not reveal such information.

”And from the looks of it, you just donʼt stand a chance of beating her.” Tron suggested. He thought it was about some Phantom girl who was paying attention to Adam.

It wasnʼt strange, since most Phantoms dated other Phantoms, not ordinary people.

Thus, Tron assumed that Silvana was worried because of her jealousy, although there was no reason to worry. No one but her could be Adamʼs Operator, for their relationship was already too strong.

”Sure... That... Thatʼs just impossible.” Silvana said sincerely. Nessaʼs silhouette appeared in her mind.

Silvana continued:

”I just donʼt understand why I feel jealous. I mean, I can never become that strong, so whatʼs the point of worrying about it? However, my mind isnʼt listening to me.”

Tron nodded slowly.

”Yeah, because youʼre not confident in yourself.”

”What? Iʼm not confident in myself?!” Silvana exclaimed in disbelief.

Tron smirked slightly.

”A confident person wonʼt let his mind waste time on such a thing as envy.

Well, envy can be useful, but itʼs not called envy, itʼs called a desire to be better. If youʼre insecure, then you should deal with it like Adam did.” Tron uttered as a sharp glint passed over his eyes.

Silvana frowned.

”What? You know about what happened at Alienated Rocks?”

Then, Silvanaʼs eyes went wide when she realized something.

”Right... He must have done it so quickly and easily, without permits or paperwork with the help of you and Riska. I see...”

Tron shrugged. Silvana hadnʼt realized that Adam had recently sat on the same couch that she was now, but it didnʼt matter.

”But... I canʼt take him away to Dead Lands and harshly remind us of our places. That strategy wonʼt work in my case.”

”Well, you just need to regain your confidence. Though this method wonʼt guarantee success, I suggest you just go back to doing what you do best.” Tron waved his hand carelessly.

”Agh? What am I best at?” Silvana tilted her head in a puzzled manner.

Tron nodded.

”Be an Operator.” Tron said calmly, in a tone as if those were his final words.

However, Tron didnʼt make a mistake with his choice of intonation.

It was enough for Silvana to understand.

Silvana stood up and bowed low.

”Thank you very much!”

Tron only glanced at her before pointing to the door.

...

Tron hadnʼt revealed some incredible secret to her, for it was quite simple.

Silvana hadnʼt acted like an Operator to her fullest potential for some time now, given the overall length of their relationship.

During the battle against Thunder Demon, Silvana had been worrying too much and had only created panic. Before that, Silvana hadnʼt seen Adam for a while, because he was in Fall Hill Prison. Then, after all these events, it was Miracle Observatoryʼs turn.

Anyway, Silvana just couldnʼt act like a normal Operator. There was some kind of problem every time.

”However, everything is back to normal now!” Silvana clenched her fist tightly, with flames in her eyes. To see such emotion on her face was indeed a rare sight.

Silvana missed being a normal Operator, preparing missions, gathering information, and briefing Adam.

It would be enough for Silvana to run one mission like they had done before. Moreover, she had the perfect opportunity for that - Midnight Crystal!

Then, gradually the flames in Silvanaʼs eyes calmed down as she looked up at the starry sky covering the entire Citadel.

”Youʼll have to go to the Dead Lands one of the next nights because you wonʼt be able to become stronger in the daylight. Adam, youʼre a Naturalborn Phantom, so... something will probably happen again this time.” Silvana smiled bitterly.

”Well, Iʼm ready for it.”

...

The next morning, after a long sleep and a good breakfast, Adam left the house. It was much later than usual, about an hour or so.

As he left the house, Adam noticed someone standing at the front gate, obviously waiting for one of his family. When Adam opened the gate, his eyes went wide.

ʼWhat...?ʼ Adam muttered in confusion, his gaze meeting Katrinʼs, who was frowning heavily.