Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1771: The List

To some extent, Adam’s entire journey and his life as a Phantom began because of Aiden Henk.

Aiden was a man who strove for perfection and conducted numerous experiments in pursuit of his mysterious goal.

However, ironically, it was Adam who became one of Aiden’s few mistakes - and most importantly, he was a successful one.

From that very day in the lab, when a dozen youths were being tested to see if they had the Spark, Adam had only heard about Aiden Henk but had always wanted to meet him.

At first, he was driven solely by a desire to take revenge for what Aiden had done, but over time, Adam’s feelings about what had happened changed.

Though slim, he had a chance to stop the World Wipe and save his family. Moreover, if he hadn’t become a Phantom, he wouldn’t have met Silvana and wouldn’t have been able to protect himself from danger when necessary.

Thanks to Adam becoming a Phantom, his family and he himself were able to escape poverty, and for several months now, he hadn’t even known how much money he had in his accounts. It no longer mattered to a Phantom of his level.

If one disregarded the horror and fear of death he had experienced on that very first day, Aiden’s mistake and his composure had become a true blessing for Adam.

”This...”

Adam’s voice trembled as he leaned forward.

”Is that true? Are you suggesting I meet with Aiden Henk?”

Gladius rested his cheek on his hand and nodded slightly. ”Of course. Have I ever lied to you? I might have left things unsaid, but I haven’t lied. Though Aiden doesn’t know yet that you’ll be meeting very soon.”

Adam glared at Xyrea, who stood calmly to the side and continued unpacking groceries. Preparing for the upcoming dinner was more important to her than their conversation.

”What about you? What do you think about this?” Adam frowned. ”You’re Gladius’s Operator, strange as that may be considering you’re a monster. You know Aiden Henk, don’t you?”

Xyrea paused as she slowly turned toward him.

”Of course. However, I can’t say our relationship is friendly. I haven’t known Aiden Henk as long or as well as Gladius does. All I can say for certain is that he’s interested in you just as much as you are in him.”

Before Adam could say anything, Xyrea added:

”It’s very hard to pique this man’s interest, Adam. He knows and has seen far more than you have - you can be sure of that.”

Gladius nodded in agreement.

”I think it’s time to meet him. I’m sure you’ve wanted this for a long time. Aiden, like many other Phantoms and me, wants another Second Rank Phantom to join the Citadel. Right now, you’re one of the top candidates.”

A glint flashed in Adam’s eyes.

”Are you saying you know about the other candidates as well?”

”Huh, of course.” Gladius chuckled. ”That information isn’t a secret. If you have access to the upper echelons of the mission department, you can find a lot of interesting data. There are several Phantoms whose chances of reaching the Second Circle before the next World Wipe are over 50%.”

”Agh?”

Adam’s eyes widened in confusion.

”Only 50%? I thought the mission department had already determined who would become a Second Rank Phantom in the near future.”

”Nah.” Gladius shook his head. ”There are quite a few K4-Phantoms throughout the Citadel who’ve hit a wall and are unlikely to ever break through it. The fact that we have Phantoms with a 50% chance of becoming a Second Rank Phantom within the next six years is good news in itself.”

Silvana stared intently at Gladius.

”I take it that even an Operator like me doesn’t have access to this information, right?”

Gladius smirked. ”Correct. But?”

”But...” Silvana bit her lip. ”Could you name at least one person on that list besides Adam?”

”No.”

Gladius replied sharply, causing Silvana to frown. She had been hoping for at least a hint.

”Don’t get me wrong. Even if I were to name every single person, it wouldn’t be a problem for me. However, I don’t want to spoil the fun for either of us. Who knows how Adam’s opinion might change if he sees the whole list? When you start watching a movie, you don’t want to know who survives in the end, right?”

True, Adam and Silvana would like to see the whole list, but they knew there was no way they could force Gladius to do it.

Moreover...

’Tsk.’ Silvana snorted inwardly. ’I don’t want to admit it, but there’s some sense to what he says. Who knows who’s on that list? It’ll be better for me and Adam to focus on the tasks ahead. Once we reach the Second Circle, we’ll be able to find out everything for ourselves.’

Click.

Gladius snapped his fingers, drawing their attention.

”Hehehe, you didn’t think that was the end of it, did you?”

Adam and Silvana’s eyes lit up. There were advantages to talking to a sly fox like Gladius.

”Of all the people on the list, there is at least one person Adam has fought and worked with before. Maybe there are more, maybe fewer. That’s all I’m willing to tell you. After all, you would have come to that conclusion yourselves sooner or later.”

Hearing this, Adam’s eyes grew deeper as a multitude of names filled his mind.

The first ones he thought of were Alexia and Fromund. He had recently been on a mission with each of them, but they weren’t the only ones Adam remembered.

’Katrin and... maybe even Nessa? She can reach the Second Circle, too, right? She isn’t a Phantom, but because of that, she has an even better chance than any of us. What about Osana? Maybe it’s someone from the noble families?’

Tap.

A sudden flick across his forehead snapped Adam out of his thoughts.

”Agh?” Adam gasped.

Gladius met his surprised gaze.

”Stop thinking about that. We have another task ahead of us now. Soon we’ll all be heading to the Morton Observatory together.”

He smirked.

”Unless, of course, you mind, Adam.”