Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1644 1644: Lost Fragments

This wasn't the first time Tron and Riska had helped Adam achieve his goals and grow stronger, but everything had to come to an end sooner or later, including their training at the Sky Cube.

Tap.

Riska handed Silvana a basket full of various fruits and vegetables. There were many different varieties, one or two of each type.

"Here, I hope you'll find a use for them. I tried to gather the best and most interesting things this farm has to offer." Riska smiled as she handed her a bag of cookies. "These are for you to snack on."

Silvana nodded deeply in respect. It wasn't that these fruits and vegetables were particularly valuable, though they certainly were.

They were all rare and found only on farms, not in supermarkets. She was glad they had a good relationship with such experienced Phantoms and Operators.

"Sure. I'll definitely figure out how to use them." She glanced at Adam, who was standing off to the side. "But, I'm afraid the cookies and everything else will be gone faster than I can blink."

Clap.

Tron clapped his hands as he jerked his head forward. The black government car was parked in front of the gates.

"Alright, we've done everything necessary and then some." Tron turned to Adam. "I don't know when we'll meet again, but I hope I'll still be ahead of you."

"Pfffft!" Adam snorted. "Are you afraid I'll become stronger than you? Although..."

A dangerous gleam flashed across Adam's eyes as a sly smirk formed on his face.

"Maybe one day we'll switch places? I'll be your mentor, and you'll be my student?"

Tron gave a dark smirk. "Hah, you can't even dream of that."

Thus, Adam and Silvana got into the car, disappearing over the horizon of the vast Second Ring.

Riska rested her head on Tron's shoulder.

"I know you don't really like all this, but I think it's been a great ten days. We needed a break after our missions, too."

Tron glanced at her. "Do you think fighting that little demon every day is some kind of vacation for me? I'd rather go on a few simple missions than dodge his black spear again."

"Well... You can say whatever you want, but I can see you're doing much better. What's more..."

Suddenly, Riska's kind, gentle voice dropped to a playful whisper.

Slowly, her hand traced Tron's chest before stopping below his waist.

"Now, after such a long time, we're finally alone. I don't know about you, but a quiet evening on a spacious, beautiful farm sounds more than romantic to me."

Tron turned, a smirk playing on his face. It would be foolish to turn this down.

...

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Back at the First Ring, Adam and Silvana headed to their home, specifically, their luxurious penthouse at the top of their tower.

Adam selected the desired floor on the panel, and the elevator glided smoothly upward.

"You know... We should make this into a tradition of sorts..." Silvana murmured, watching the city move past her through the glass panel.

"Hmm? Do you want me to train with Tron after every dangerous mission? I'm afraid that after a few times, he'll just block our contacts and stop responding."

She smiled foolishly. "No, that's not what I mean. Now, and the last time when you returned from the Tarnished Lands. I feel much calmer knowing that you've rested, that everything is fine between us."

"Well, I won't lie. I see nothing but advantages in this as well." Adam leaned against the wall. "But we mustn't forget that the most we can afford is a few weeks, not months or years."

Silvana nodded. The World Wipe, she dared not forget something so devastating, an event that was bound to happen.

Clsp!

The elevator doors opened as they found themselves in their penthouse. The view from here was, as always, beyond praise, but now Adam and Silvana had other goals.

Just ten minutes later, Silvana had put the fruits and vegetables in the fridge and made coffee. At the same time, Adam was preparing to find out where he needed to go next to obtain the Blood of God or the Bottomless Void.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Sure, there's no point in putting this off any longer."

Adam nodded as he closed his eyes.

Now that he was alone, the Winding Fragments should be significantly more effective than when he'd used this method with Alexia.

That day, the energy had led them to the only place where they could both fulfill their conditions.

'Huh, I should have more choices now, right? But... Even if so, are there really many places in this world where one can obtain the Blood of God?'

Sure, Adam remembered Beth's explanation. The fact that his condition was called that didn't mean it was literally the blood of some god.

Still, he believed that such a name couldn't be given to something simple.

Tremble.

With a slight tremor of his aura, Adam plunged into his inner space.

He slowly opened his eyes as soon as shock washed over his face.

"Agh...?"

Instead of hundreds of fragments, countless paths that could have shown him even the farthest lands, he saw nothing.

The void surrounded him, and that was it.

"What the..."

Wanting to figure out what was happening here, Adam moved forward, running straight into the darkness.

Then, having reached nothing, having seen not a single speck of light, he changed direction.

This repeated over and over until Adam ran out of strength.

"Agh... Agh... Agh..."

He stood alone in the darkness, breathing heavily. He was trying to find something that wasn't there, and he didn't know why.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a single fragment, not even the faintest or most inconspicuous one.

"Did they just disappear?" Adam looked around in disbelief. "But how could that be?"

Twitch.

Adam's eyebrow twitched as he opened his eyes.

Silvana, who had been taking a sip of coffee, froze mid-action, staring at him. From his reaction, she could tell something had happened.

"They're gone."

Adam's deep voice echoed.

"Silvana, the Winding Fragments, they've disappeared, every last one."