Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 283: Midnight Crystal (Part 8)

The hot steam from the newly made tea wafted before Adamʼs eyes, while wrinkles appeared on his face from time to time.

Silvana sat in front of him, with a calm face, waiting for Adam to speak.

He had come here right after a long conversation with Katrin and to think it over again was his big mistake. He replayed her words in his head over and over again to make sure he remembered everything.

However, while Adam pondered he only stumbled upon new questions - the most important was about the Initial Gene and Spark.

He already knew quite a bit about these things, especially after talking to Katrin, but Adam realized that there might be secrets he didnʼt know anything about.

Also, from time to time, Adam remembered Magnusʼs words, that every free scientist had his area and it was Aiden Henk who concentrated on Phantoms. This led to careful work with Spark, Evolution Tree, and Initial Gene.

”Agh... Whatever, before I go on the mission Iʼll ask her everything again.” Adam looked up, running his hands through his hair with a slightly pained look.

Silvana only cast him a calm look and took a sip of her tea. She waited for Adam to come to his senses, for Katrin was not the main event of the day.

Experience tales at m v|l eʼ-

Adam and Silvana hadnʼt expected Katrin to show up with such a sudden proposal and it didnʼt mean they were going to stray from their original goal.

”Sorry, I know weʼre supposed to be talking about Midnight Crystal and my next mission to become a K2-Phantom, but Iʼve been thinking about Naturalborn Phantoms and Artificial Ones. Can you answer one question for me?” Adam said slowly, looking up at the ceiling with a deep gaze.

Silvana nodded leisurely.

”Sure. Iʼve been studying this subject like any Operator for a long time. Iʼll be able to explain it all to you.”

”I see... Well, the main difference between Natural and Artificial Phantom is that one has the talent that is Spark and the other does not. Thus, the Naturalborn Phantom has to kill a monster to get Spark and since the Initial Gene is not influenced by other genes, Naturalborn Phantoms are superior to Artificial Ones.”

”Thatʼs correct. Some people have Spark immediately and others have to risk their lives to get it. The reward matches the danger.” Silvana shrugged slightly.

Strangely enough, though it had only been one night since the Miracle Observatory, Silvana had changed a lot, not externally but internally. She was calmer, not as an ice queen, but as a person who had experienced peace and tranquility.

For her, sitting in front of Adam and explaining something to him was a pleasant chore, and seeing him trying to absorb the information while constantly frowning was a bit of a fun experience for Silvana

”But... Though Artificial Phantoms have Spark, and they and the Natural Ones need to kill a monster first to become a Phantom.” Adam continued.

Silvana only took a sip of her tea, which had already cooled enough that it didnʼt burn her tongue.

”I thought about it while I was coming here, but what happens if a person with a dormant Spark goes and kills a monster? Roughly speaking, what happens if an Artificial Phantom kills its first monster 1 on 1, not with the help of the military and other Phantoms?” Adam asked.

Silvanaʼs eyes went wide, she clearly hadnʼt expected Adam to be thinking about something so complicated.

Sooner or later, though, everyone who knew of the existence of Naturalborn Phantoms came to that question. Usually, it was Operators and high-ranking military officers, but sometimes Artificialborn Phantoms found out about it as well, in various ways.

”You think that in this way, an Artificial Phantom can become a Natural One? Like avoiding its destiny?” Silvana said calmly.

Adam nodded.

Then, Silvana sighed heavily and shook her head.

”Itʼs a rare event, and itʼs even harder to detect something like this because when a person has a Spark, that person is immediately under the gaze of the government and the military. However, there have been a few cases.”

”And...?” Adam asked with intense curiosity in his gaze.

Silvana closed her eyes.

”Nothing has happened. The abilities of such Phantoms are no different from any other Artificial Phantoms. They put their lives at risk without any meaning.”

Adamʼs eyes went wide.

”But... Why? In both cases, a mere human kills a monster 1 on 1, why canʼt those who already have Spark become Naturalborn Phantoms?” Adam was puzzled.

Silvana shrugged her shoulders.

”Unfortunately, this particular question I canʼt give you a definitive answer to. There have been really few recorded precedents, but there is one theory as to why it works that way.”

Adam nodded slightly, listening to her intently, afraid to miss even a single word.

”Itʼs all about the Spark. The theory is that Spark is strongest at the moment of its appearance, like a bonfire that when lit is much brighter and stronger than it is a few minutes later, though still burning. Thus, a person must get their Initial Gene at the moment of Sparkʼs appearance.” Silvana waved her hand slightly.

”I see... Itʼs only possible to do that by killing a monster without having Spark before. In that case, you get an active Spark and Initial Gene at once, causing Natural Phantom to appear in the process...” Adam muttered with a deep gaze, pondering Silvanaʼs words.

”Yes. Thatʼs the most plausible theory. Also, if that theory is correct, it is possible to become a Natural Phantom by having Spark originally. However, it would have to happen within the first few minutes of Sparkʼs appearance, I think you realize that the chances of that happening are slim to none.” Silvana said seriously.

Adam nodded, he understood exactly what Silvana was talking about.

People didnʼt know if they had Spark or not, they needed a special monster called a Spark Seeker to do that, it was the one that was checking Adam, Lana Tiates, and the other youths at Morton Observatory.

So in order for what Silvana was talking about to happen, the person would have to have Spark right at the moment of fighting the monster, so that the Spark wouldnʼt have time to cool down like a flame. Technically, the process was no different if the person didnʼt have Spark.

In both cases, Spark was at the peak of her power and immediately received the Initial Gene.

The only difference was that in the first case, Spark appeared because of talent at the right time, and in the second case because the person killed a monster, but it led to the same result and path to becoming a Natural Phantom.

”Spark Seekers, these are the monsters that find Spark in humans, or rather, all monsters can see it, itʼs just that Spark Seekers arenʼt aggressive at all and they have mirrors on their tails that can show it to scientists and doctors.” Silvana explained as if guessing what Adam was thinking.

Adamʼs eyes went wide.

”By the way, do the Three Rings people get tested that way too?” Adam tilted his head in confusion.

In the slums, heʼd been led to a lab, but Adam doubted Three Rings had the same harsh conditions.

Silvana nodded.

”Something like that, but they use more humane methods there. As you know, Spark appears between the ages of sixteen and eighteen. So every teenager in Third Rings at that age has to be examined every three months. That adds up to a total of eight times.”

Silvana continued:

”However, they are not forced to look at the Spark Seeker like you and the other teens at Morton Observatory were. They are simply injected with a small dose of sedative, then let the Spark Seeker in, check the results, and take the monster away. An hour later, all the people wake up and get their results.” Silvana explained carefully watching Adamʼs reaction.

Adam smiled bitterly.

”I see...” Adam said quietly while his gaze grew deeper and darker.

Unconsciously, a dark aura began to emanate from Adam, rather faint but palpable. Silvana instinctively flinched.

”Well, I canʼt say that Spark Seeker was very scary, but itʼs still unpleasant to realize that this kind of fucked up thing is happening right in the slums. Oh, by the way, that means you went through those tests too, right?” Adam realized that. Silvana was a few years older than him.

Silvana smiled slightly.

”Yes. As you realize, all eight times were failures. I failed to have Spark appear. I didnʼt count on it, though, and I didnʼt want it.” Silvana shrugged.

”Agh...? You didnʼt want to become a Phantom? Well, though I realize now that itʼs more than possible.” Adam muttered, scratching his cheek and remembering Narata and Riska.

Those two were Phantoms, but they still chose not to go down that path and they had the right to do so.

Silvana calmly replied:

”Operator Academy education is difficult and lengthy. It is at the age of 18 that Operators leave the academy and that is when they take their final test. I wanted to be an Operator and I did a lot of things for that, becoming a Phantom was not in my plans.”

”Yeah... I see... Itʼs good to have a purpose and a clear path, unlike me you knew what you wanted to do in this life.” Adam said in a sad voice looking at the ceiling, ”Well... I didnʼt have a goal, but at least Trici does, hopefully, she will be a great Blacksmith”

After a while, Adam and Silvana glanced over, realizing that the moment had come. Theories, information, and talking about the past and life in the Citadel were important topics, but that wasnʼt why they were here.

”So, are you finally going to tell me what Midnight Crystal is?” Adam asked sternly, his voice was unaccustomedly commanding showing that Silvana could no longer delay this moment.

”Sure.” Silvana nodded.

Then, a sharp glint passed over her eyes as she slowly said.

”Midnight Crystals. Mankind believes they are shards of the Last Star.” Silvanaʼs voice echoed around the room.