Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 768: The seal, the harbinger of the constellation (Part 1)

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The dark heart, devoid of blood vessels and flesh cover, lying among the unusual strange bones of the mysterious skeleton, continued to beat vigorously.

Its heartbeats were much slower than a humanʼs, if humans have 60 to 80 beats per minute, the dark heart beats no more than 10 times per minute, perhaps a little less frequently.

It wasnʼt until a few seconds later that Adam realized what Lone Blaze had said.

”Agh? What do you mean? Were you born here? This is someoneʼs grave...”

Adam couldnʼt say for sure who was in the grave. At first, he thought a person was buried there, the build was similar enough to a set of bones, yet the black color was unnatural for bones, at least for human ones.

Sure, under certain conditions, like a fire, lightning strike, or any intense heat, the bones could have burned and turned black, but it wasnʼt just the color.

The bones seemed to be made of solid metal, a flawless frame for even the strongest body, the color and structure were the same everywhere, there was no external influence that affected the color, it was natural.

[Adam... I am the External Artifact as you Phantoms call it. Unlike normal artifacts, the chances of an External Artifact being born from an anomaly are very slim. It takes something special, an anomaly powerful enough to wipe out a fortress in a single blast...]

[Or... there is another option...]

[Another energy source powerful enough to give the wandering energy form and will, something comparable to the Midnight Crystal or even far surpassing it...]

Adamʼs eyes went wide at Lone Blazeʼs words. He was well aware that there were many different sources of energy in Dead Lands, so far the Midnight Crystal was the most valuable thing that monsters or Phantoms could obtain.

One even small midnight crystal was enough for the Top-1 monster of the Purple Threat Level, the Plague Reaper to evolve. It seemed like there was simply no point in having a denser energy source.

[Adam, turn this heart over...]

Lone Blazeʼs voice trembled with trepidation and, to some extent, fear of its desires.

It was strange, Adam was confused, Silvana was silent as well, which meant she too, knew nothing about the black skeleton and the dark heart.

Nodding slightly, Adam leaned over gently squeezing the dark heart through the gaps between his ribs. The dark heart was just lying among the bones, so Adam effortlessly grabbed it and lifted it, slowly, afraid not to do something he would regret later.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Strangely enough, the dark heart continued to beat even in Adamʼs hand, only now the blood flowed not to the ground but down his arm, thick drops falling off his wrist, crashing to the cold earth.

[Now... turn it around, you still donʼt understand anything...]

Following Lone Blazeʼs instructions, Adam did so as his eyes went wide.

On the back side of the dark heart was a cavity almost half the volume of the heart itself, as if someone long ago bit off a chunk of it, taking some of the energy of this great object that itself stood above the artifacts.

Electric shocks ran through Adamʼs body as the puzzles in his head quickly came together into a complete picture.

Then, Adamʼs lips came into motion, releasing a whisper:

”So... You were born just from a piece of this heart?”

[Basically yes, itʼs a long process, simple anomalies and irregular energy played their important role too, but without a piece of the dark heart, without a catalyst, nothing further would have happened.]

Adam wanted to say something, but at the same time, his expression froze.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The First Wall shuddered vigorously, thick darkness came out of Adamʼs body completely covering his frame. The darkness traveled towards his hand, wanting to force it to crush the heart, he felt his fingers bend slightly, the tension growing with every second.

Slowly turning back around, looking at the shattered crimson crystal and the dead Savage Broako, his eyes grew deeper.

He realized that from the very beginning, from the moment his First Wall changed greatly, his goal, his opponent he had to defeat to pass on was this dark heart.

”Wait, is this normal? Silvana... Shouldnʼt I kill a monster to destroy my First Wall?”

His voice trembled, indicating his confusion, no less than Silvana, who had no answer.

ʼAdam... This may happen too rarely for an Operator of my level to have access to this information... In any case, itʼs not like you have any other choice.ʼ

[Go, Adam... This is your goal, this is the path to power, and...]

Lone Blaze was silent for a few seconds, directing his gaze to the bloody line running from the coffin to the pond.

[So you can stop the ritual. Do it!]

Despite Lone Blazeʼs haste, Adam did not force things. He raised the dark heart high up, watching as it slowly beat.

Gradually, the curiosity and confusion in his eyes were replaced by disappointment. He was expecting a great battle, a monster superior to the Plague Reaper in every way, yet all he had to do was crush the strange heart.

”Fine, perhaps itʼs my own fault...” his voice grew quieter, ”After all, the Two Walls follow my path, Iʼm the one who decided everything.”

Clutch.

Adamʼs grip grew stronger, his fingers tensed as he crushed the dark heart in one sharp motion.

Black blood covered his face, a thick stream flowed down his arm, it was a veritable river with no end. Somehow, a heart the size of a fist, deprived of its third, could hold liters of blood full of energy.

Lone Blaze and Silvana said something simultaneously, but Adam heard neither of them. Dead silence engulfed his mind, while darkness gradually filled his view until he was completely submerged in the depths of his consciousness.

The Evolution Tree shuddered slightly as it watched the First Wall.

[Thatʼs it, but... Adam, Iʼm afraid you donʼt even realize that this wonʼt be one small step, in your case... it will be a wild leap forward.]

At the same moment, the First Wall crashed voluntarily, giving its energy to Adam.