Endless Evolution: Last Star

Silvana, drinking tea while reading an old book, was in an ancient library that seemed to have no end. Bookcases surrounded the entire space, going so far into the darkness.

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

Suddenly, a loud cracking sound like breaking glass snapped Silvana out of her thoughts, forcing her to stop reading and look around.

Cracks appeared in the massive glass dome covering the library, emitting golden light. They spread rapidly until the dome broke, and a cold torrent of wind rained down on Silvana.

"Agh...?" Silvana drowsily opened her eyes, looked at the long ago cooled coffee, and directed her gaze to the monitors.

The crackling wasn't going anywhere, on the contrary, the sound became clearer, the more she drifted off from sleep. Then, she finally realized what the cause was, and her eyes went wide, and shame filled her mind.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Adam smashed his fists into blood, bringing them down on the Prismatic Elemental. The monster tried to protect its head using hands with long sharp fingers, but then Adam simply shifted his aim to the monster's chest.

Although the crystals on the Prismatic Elemental's body were rough and harsh, scratching off the skin on Adam's knuckles, there was hardly any blood. More accurately, it was too cold for blood to actively flow.

It was worth noting that Adam had followed Beth's advice, and hadn't used his abilities as much as Nexus. Gloves hung on his belt - for a critical situation.

'Fuck... What an idiot I am... Why didn't I wake up sooner?' Silvana internally uttered nervously, biting her finger.

The Ice Prismatic Elemental was a Blue Threat Level, White Book, monster. Normally, Adam would have dealt with such an opponent with a single swing of a needle. However, when his only weapon was his fists, the process became more difficult.

"Agh... Stop defending yourself. I'm sure it hurts me a lot more than you right now, though... The cold helps." Adam muttered, looking at his fists.

At the very beginning of the battle, Adam noticed something strange - the feeling of pain had changed.

He didn't know if it was from the cold or because of Elemental Sprout, but it was present. The pain was no longer as vivid as before, but it had become more distinct. It allowed Adam to react faster, and not be so distracted by the painful sensations.

Whoooooooooooooosh.

The Prismatic Elemental, as if it had heard Adam's complaint, spread its arms open and thrust them forward. Sharp fingers aimed for Adam's eyes, about to pierce them and end his life.

Electric shocks flashed through Adam's pupils as he grabbed the monster's hands by the wrists and clenched his teeth tightly.

Then, he brought his forehead down on the monster's head with all his might, causing it to crack just as the ice beneath them did.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Adam continued. He was in pain too, but the Prismatic Elemental was even worse. Its head literally shattered like glass, releasing imprisoned cold vapor.

"Damn... This is the way I've never fought monsters before..." Adam muttered before summoning Revolve.

[Received Ice Prismatic Elemental Gene - x1, Blue Threat Level.]

'Good morning...' Silvana said quietly in a guilty voice. She could sleep, but shouldn't have to do so at such important points.

"Oh, just in time." Adam smirked, looking at the ice crystals that he no longer needed.

"Where to next? Fire? That would be nice, though I'm used to the cold, I can't say it's a pleasant sensation."

'No. Water, I sent you the coordinates...' Silvana uttered with obvious guilt in her voice.

Adam already knew Silvana well enough and how the relationship between Phantom and Operator worked to understand what Silvana wanted from him.

"Alright, alright, I get it. You made a mistake like you think you did, and you want to be punished. In that case, for the next six days, you will cook for me, no cafes or restaurants." Adam said sternly.

'Sure! I'll do my best!' Silvana responded vigorously, going to regain some of the trust she believed she had just lost.

Adam glanced at the coordinates and turned off the earbud.

Then, after a few seconds, Silvana's eyes went wide as she realized that for the next six days, Adam would be going through Elemental Circle.

'Hah, he tricked me. Honestly, I didn't expect that... Well, I'll do it later then. Right now, I need to get back to work!'

...

Twenty-four hours later.

Adam surfaced from the water, taking a calm, long breath as his blue eyes became deeper, like the bottom of the ocean, vast and powerful.

[You have received your second Elemental Sprout!]

Now, at the roots of his Evolution Tree, there were two sprouts, one azure and one blue, with single leaves. They differed from each other in structure as they represented different elements.

"Five more, right? Well, it's not as easy as I thought it would be, but I'll manage." Adam said, remembering how he had spent the last 24 hours.

He had plunged into the lake below the waterfalls time after time, trying to hold his breath as long as possible. However, it was only at the very end that he realized that wasn't his goal, for the water wasn't an enemy.

The water did not try to drown him, though he made active attempts. For fishes, water was home, and for humans, it was a source of solace when it came to morality.

A few minutes of meditating under the waterfall, completely immersed in his thoughts was enough to make Water Sprout appear - potentially the most easily accessible of all.

"How strange... I found it so easy to breathe. Not that it was hard to do before, but it feels that way now." Adam muttered again, experiencing a new, strange but pleasant sensation.

'Adam, you're doing great. At this rate, you will successfully complete Elemental Circle. Next up is wind.'

Adam's eyes went wide. For some reason, he remembered how Damien had fought in Desolate Forest.

'Looks like it won't be as easy as water and ice. Those two elements are calm, trying to pacify you, but wind obviously isn't, right?' Adam asked with a slight smile on his face.

Silvana nodded.

'Correct. That's the point. I think you've already figured out what the elements will be at the end, though... I might surprise you.'

Adam shrugged.

"The important thing is that I get through all of them. I need five more, it's doable." Adam pronounced, looking at an area with powerful storms in the distance.

Amongst the rocky terrain, walked a few tall silhouettes for whom this place was home.

Adam smirked and headed forward. After some hardening of his body, he was ready to face the wind currents head-on.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

As Adam stepped away from the lake, several Prismatic Elementals emerged from the water. They were about to follow him and attack, but something stopped them - Adam's stride.

The Water Prismatic Elementals were the least warlike of all, so Adam's apparent power and lack of hostility were enough for the Water Elementals to abandon their plans.

They looked at each other, nodded slightly, and disappeared into the watery surface.

'Hah, after a few hours already, I started to notice you. If you were aggressive, I'd have a problem, though... I doubt they'd be the same.' Adam chuckled inwardly as he stared intently at the Wind Prismatic Elementals.

The distance between them was great, but they had already spotted him, waiting for the intruder to invade their home.