Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1926: The Lonely Pearl and Blue Light

Adam came to understand what the Highest Bliss was while fighting Vaarh in the Primal Lands. He was even able to obtain the Blood of God and discover what it truly was.

But the final condition for the Third Grand Star remained a dark mystery to him.

He had many thoughts about what the Bottomless Void might actually be. Adam and Silvana had theorized about what he needed to do to obtain it.

Now, Adam finally understood.

The Bottomless Void did not require his death, nor a descent into the depths of the Dark Field.

All of that had merely allowed him to reach the necessary point, so that he could be alone with himself.

Only the cold accompanied him, but Adam wasn’t sure about that.

After all, how could a dead monster feel the cold? Now, his body lay at the bottom of the Dark Field, and his mind was descending deeper and deeper.

For the first time since he had become a Phantom, he was alone, in absolute silence that nothing could break.

He couldn’t hear the Evolution Tree, the Silver Weaver, Lone Blaze, or Lakma. Even Silvana couldn’t maintain contact with him for very long.

In fact, Adam wasn’t sure if it was the real Silvana or just his imagination.

“I can stay here for a long time… As long as I want. But even if I never reach the bottom, do I really need to?”

Slowly, Adam opened his eyes.

He was already so deep that he could no longer see his body lying at the bottom of the Dark Field.

“This silence is pleasant, but I’ll get bored too quickly…”

Adam smiled bitterly as he closed his eyes.

“I’m saying all this right, aren’t I?”

He asked, standing before the Path Construct.

It was the only part of his powers that remained with him, even after his heart had stopped beating and his body had frozen.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The Third Grand Star was trembling violently. It was the only star emitting a faint light, as the First Grand Star and Second Grand Star had gone out. Without Adam, they lacked the energy to shine, but the Third Grand Star did not need it.

“Looks like we’re on our own, right?”

Adam smiled as he reached out his hand toward the Third Grand Star.

“It’s time to shine, and I’ll help you. I’ll pave the way for you. All you have to do is give me your light.”

Tremble!

The Third Grand Star trembled more violently as a bright light burst forth, sweeping through Adam’s inner space.

Adam didn’t resist the light. He just smiled brightly.

“It’s time to go back, for all of us.”

Blink.

The next moment, when Adam opened his eyes, he felt sand beneath his palm.

He slowly stood up, looking around.

“I see… I’m actually at the bottom…”

Adam looked around, seeing nothing but dark blue sand all around him. This was exactly how he thought the Grand Abyss was supposed to look.

“Now. All I need to do is find a path back up, right?”

He reached his hand upward as the light ran along his forearm, ready to burst out along with it.

Suddenly, something caught Adam’s eye.

“Hmm?”

He saw a glint off to the side, which was strange, since the bottom was empty. There were no monsters, no rocks, just sand.

Step. Step. Step.

Wanting to find the source of the glint, Adam stepped toward it. The pressure and cold were still too intense for a K4-Phantom like him, but the light of the Third Grand Star protected him. Thanks to it alone, his heart began to beat again.

Soon, Adam stopped as his eyes widened for a moment.

“Huh, is this luck, or did he actually know something?” Adam smiled bitterly as he looked at the dark-purple pearl, the size of a ball, lying amid the blue sand and darkness.

As soon as Adam bent down, a flash of light swept before his eyes.

[Abyss Pearl.]

[The pearl most often appears in the deepest and darkest places of the Grand Abyss. But these pearls also love to watch the long journeys of others, whether it’s the path to victory, to death, or both at once. They’re like the abyss itself – they love to observe things while remaining on the sidelines.]

“Right, now I’m sure I’m alive again. And…” Adam looked at the light runes floating before him. “It’s been a long time since this happened, hasn’t it?”

He lifted the Abyss Pearl as sand trickled off it with a gentle stream of water. It fit in the palm of one hand, but filled the entire space.

“The Pearls. Ergander didn’t lie. They really are valuable and rare. But… It seems they’re actually much easier to find in the Dark Field.”

Adam didn’t know if it was luck, an effect of the Dark Field, or if he himself was the reason the Abyss Pearl had revealed itself.

Now, he was certain of only one thing – it was time to leave this place.

Normally, this would be impossible for a K4-Phantom.

He was at the very bottom of the Dark Field, but Adam had no intention of wandering around here and provoking monsters.

All he needed was his path.

Clasp.

Adam stretched out his hand, reaching for the rift through which he had entered the Dark Field. He knew that this rift was hidden somewhere within the darkness.

Whooooosh!

The light of the Third Grand Star shot forward, cutting through the darkness. In the blink of an eye, a pillar of light appeared that seemed to connect the top and bottom of the Dark Field, serving as a direct path to the single rift.

But Adam immediately encountered an obstacle.

The gray dragon was wandering in front of the rift. Its long body was shielded by the dark flows, protecting it from the pressure.

The dragon had been searching for Adam, and now that the pillar of light had dispelled the darkness, it had finally found him.

Whooooooosh!

In the blink of an eye, the dragon lunged and hurtled toward Adam at tremendous speed, cutting across his path.

This attack could have reduced Adam to dust, but… for some reason, there was no fear in his eyes.

On the contrary, his heart began to beat faster, and his Path Construct shone brightly while his aura continued to grow unceasingly.

Adam stretched out his hand as his voice rang out:

“Stay out of my path.”

With a flash, something that had previously been beyond his reach swept past Adam.

The blue threads reflected in his eyes, and no dragon could stop their free surge.