Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 2009: Fifth Anchor is here

Along the way, Adam had learned quite a bit about Aiden Henk, but by no means everything, and he realized that.

But why did Kamora have such an unusual reaction to Aiden’s name?

Adam wanted to find out, but he wasn’t sure he could just go ahead and ask Kamora about it.

He wanted to read more into her expression, and that turned out to be a much more difficult task than he had imagined.

To her, Aiden wasn’t an enemy, he could see that clearly, but he wasn’t a friend either. It was a complex emotion that pointed to a complicated relationship.

But Adam couldn’t figure out anything else.

And… Kamora could clearly see what he was trying to do.

“Hah, Lamor, look at him. He’s trying to analyze me. Do you see that?”

Lamor nodded with a warm smile on his face. Unlike Kamora, he wasn’t on guard.

“Sure, clearly. It looks like our young Phantom has a complicated relationship with Aiden.”

“Do you know him?” Adam asked, realizing his plan had been exposed.

“Pfffft! Do you think there’s anyone who doesn’t know about Aiden Henk?”

Kamora snorted before waving her hand dismissively.

“I mean, if you know about him and even work with him, how could it be that I don’t know about him?”

Adam narrowed his eyes.

“No, that’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it perfectly well.”

He grew wary.

“I’m not asking if you’ve heard of him. I want to know what your relationship with him is. You haven’t just seen him a few times, have you?”

Adam was serious, and Kamora could tell.

She gave him a long look before looking ahead.

“Alright, let’s end this conversation on that note.”

“Agh?”

“Don’t get me wrong, Adam, but it’s obvious you’re trying to find out something about Aiden Henk, and I can’t tell you what you want to know. You’ll have to figure it out yourself.”

Adam was taken aback. He hadn’t expected such a direct answer.

“But why? Why are you defending him, or… are you afraid of him?” he asked.

Kamora was silent for a moment, but eventually decided to answer him.

“I’m not afraid of Aiden Henk, at least not in the way you’re implying. He’s terrifying when he’s angry, but I don’t know what it would take for him to get angry at me. So, yeah, you could say I’m protecting him.”

A moment later, she added:

“I suggest you think carefully about what you’re going to say next. We can keep talking about other things, or we can spend the rest of the trip in silence, which is exactly what will happen if you try to ask me more about Aiden.”

Adam was at a loss.

Still, Kamora’s words were, to some extent, an answer.

‘She defended Aiden, but… Why?’

He continued to ponder.

‘She could have just ignored me, but she decided to give that answer. Did she want me to know that she was on his side?’

Kamora had saved Adam’s life, and he was grateful to her for that, but even though he was working with Aiden, he still had a rather negative attitude toward him.

Partly this was due to his past prejudices about Aiden, but also because he knew that Aiden was hiding a lot and was a mysterious figure.

Adam worried that Aiden’s secrets were far darker and more terrifying than he could have imagined, and that this could ultimately have a detrimental effect on him.

But… Kamora’s reaction changed a lot, at least for now.

“Alright, I get it, and I respect your position. There’s one more thing I’d like to know.”

“Sure. Go on.” Kamora’s voice was calm, but there was a heaviness in her tone that hadn’t been there before.

“When I was in the Tarnished Lands, I went to Varreyn, where I encountered a family of noble monsters. They have a Legacy Artifact.”

“And?” Kamora raised an eyebrow. “Was that the first time you learned about the Legacy Artifacts?”

Adam frowned.

“Actually, yes. But that’s not what I want to ask you about. One of the family members, Amelia von Grad, taught me how to use the Soul Stance and also told me about the Anchors. So, I want to ask you, how many of them are there in total?”

Even though Adam was asking Kamora, it was Lamor who showed interest in the topic.

“Oh, Adam, have you already found a way to damage the Grand Barrier on your first try? Not bad, not bad at all.”

Adam was speechless.

“Agh…? How did you figure that out?”

Lamor smirked before leaning forward, looking straight into Adam’s blue eyes.

“Let me guess, you used the Dark Energy to do that, right?”

Adam nodded.

“Yes. Is it really that obvious?”

“No.” Lamor shook his head. “But I figured that’s exactly what you’d decide to do, given the kind of person you are. Most Phantoms approach the study of the Grand Barrier with caution, afraid of doing something wrong or even damaging this complex mechanism.”

A glint flashed across Lamor’s eyes.

“You, however, I’m sure you didn’t even think about such things. You must have been pounding the Grand Barrier with all your might in the hope of breaking it, and gradually you came to the conclusion that you needed to try using the Dark Energy. Am I right?” Lamor asked, though he already knew the answer.

Adam gulped.

On the one hand, he was impressed by Lamor’s analysis. On the other, he was frightened.

Everything was exactly as Lamor had said. Adam hadn’t even considered that the Grand Barrier could be damaged, all he wanted back then was to break through that wall and become a Second Rank Phantom.

“Yes… You’re right… for the most part,” Adam admitted reluctantly.

Lamor shrugged.

“Don’t be surprised, it’s my job.”

“Wait… But you said earlier that everyone has their own way of breaking through the Grand Barrier! How do you know that Dark Energy is needed to damage it?”

Lamor waved his hand.

“Sure, everyone has their own way, but there are also common elements, and Dark Energy is one of them. Either way, let’s get back to your question. What Anchors do you already have?”

True, Kamora and Lamor could sense it from Adam’s aura, but they wanted him to name them himself. After all, this was his path to overcoming the Grand Barrier.

Adam nodded.

“I have the Ancient Energy, the Dark Energy, the Soul Stance, and also the Frenzied Flame. I’m confident about everything except the last one.”

Lamor’s gaze darted to Adam’s aura.

“Yeah, I’ll agree with you there. You’ll have to head back to the Hollow Lands again, though it seems you’ve already figured that out yourself.”

“My Frenzied Flame, is there something wrong with it?” Adam asked cautiously.

Fortunately for him, Lamor shook his head.

“No, nothing serious. It’s a common occurrence for those who obtain the Frenzied Flame early on or under unusual circumstances. From what I’ve heard, you didn’t plan to go to the Hollow Lands and ended up there against your will.”

Adam narrowed his eyes.

“You… How do you know that?”

“Huh, Adam, that’s my job. Do you think that just because Kamora is a Second-Rank Phantom, I’m no longer an Operator? I’ve been doing my job for many years, and I’ll keep doing it because I enjoy it.”

For a moment, a sly smirk flashed across his face.

“Especially with the capabilities and resources I have. So yeah, you’re all set with three out of four Anchors, you can be sure of that. But there’s one thing.”

Adam listened to him intently.

Lamor nodded.

“Your assumption turned out to be correct. There are not four, but five Anchors.”

Before Lamor could say anything else, Silvana appeared beside Adam.

“The Fifth Anchor is connected to the Last Star, isn’t it?” she said quickly.

Lamor smiled.

“Good job. When did you figure that out?”

Silvana shyly touched the back of her neck.

“Not too long ago, though it’s not entirely my doing, someone helped me. Still, I’m sure it must be connected to the Last Star because it’s the only global power left!”

“Hmm? What makes you so sure?” Kamora’s voice rang out. “Maybe there are actually seven or even eight Anchors?”

Silvana looked flustered as her eyes darted from side to side.

“Kha!” Kamora chuckled. “Come on, I’m just kidding. Yeah, there are only five Anchors. The Last Star is connected to the last one.”

Adam looked at Kamora.

“And? Where am I supposed to find this last Anchor? Do I need to find some especially large Midnight Crystal or something like that?”

Strangely enough, Kamora shook her head.

She didn’t say anything else, and there was a reason for that, they had already approached the Citadel.

Its enormous silhouette appeared many kilometers away, and in a few minutes they would be there.

“Here. You’ll be able to find the Fifth Anchor here – almost here.”

Kamora smirked.

“Want to do this right now, Adam Vinter?”