Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1644 1644: Lost Fragments

While Tron and Riska had supported Adam in his path to power before, every training regimen at the Sky Cube eventually had to conclude.

Tap.

Riska handed Silvana a basket containing an assortment of fruits and vegetables, featuring one or two samples of several distinct kinds.

"Take these, I thought you might find them useful. I picked the finest and most intriguing produce from the farm." Riska offered a smile as she passed over a bag of snacks. "And these are for you to enjoy."

Silvana bowed deeply in gratitude. Although these fruits and vegetables were certainly of high quality, their true value lay in their scarcity.

Because they couldn't be sourced from regular shops, she felt fortunate to maintain such a positive rapport with skilled Phantoms and Operators.

"Thank you. I will certainly make good use of them." She glanced toward Adam standing nearby. "But I suspect the cookies and everything else will vanish before I even have a moment to savor them."

Clap.

Tron clapped his hands sharply and tilted his head toward the black official vehicle waiting by the entrance.

"Alright, we have fulfilled our obligations and then some." Tron addressed Adam. "I am unsure when we shall cross paths again, but I intend to stay a step ahead of you."

"Pfffft!" Adam let out a scoff. "Are you worried I might surpass you? Although..."

A dangerous glint entered Adam's eyes as a cunning grin spread across his features.

"Perhaps one day our roles will reverse? I will become your mentor, while you serve as the student?"

Tron offered a dark, mocking smirk. "Hah, keep dreaming."

With that, Adam and Silvana stepped into the car, soon vanishing past the horizon of the vast Second Ring.

Riska leaned her head against Tron's shoulder.

"I realize this isn't your preference, but I think these past ten days were wonderful. We deserved a reprieve after our recent missions as well."

Tron looked at her. "Do you honestly think sparring with that little demon daily counts as a vacation for me? I would choose simple missions over dodging his black spear any day."

"Regardless of what you say, I can see you have improved significantly. Furthermore..."

Riska’s gentle voice softened into a playful whisper.

She moved her hand slowly across Tron's chest, letting it linger just below his waist.

"Now that we finally have some privacy after all this time, I don't know about you, but a quiet night on this beautiful, secluded farm sounds incredibly romantic."

Tron turned to her, a smirk appearing on his face; rejecting such an offer would be absurd.

...

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Back in the First Ring, Adam and Silvana returned to their residence, a lavish penthouse atop their residential tower.

Adam pressed the button for their floor, and the elevator rose smoothly through the structure.

"You know... we should make this a regular thing..." Silvana murmured, gazing at the cityscape sliding by through the window.

"Hmm? You want me to keep training with Tron after every dangerous assignment? I suspect if I do that too often, he will simply block our communications and ghost us."

She gave a light, silly smile. "No, that is not what I mean. Coming here now, just like after you returned from the Tarnished Lands, makes me feel much more peaceful knowing you have rested and everything is well between us."

"I cannot argue with that, as I see clear benefits as well." Adam leaned against the wall. "However, we must remember that we can only spare weeks, not months or years."

Silvana nodded, mindful of the impending World Wipe, a catastrophe she could never truly shove from her mind.

Clap!

The elevator doors parted to reveal their penthouse. The view was as spectacular as ever, but Adam and Silvana had moved on to more pressing matters.

Within ten minutes, the produce was stored, and coffee was brewing. Simultaneously, Adam prepared to discern his next destination to track down the Blood of God or the Bottomless Void.

"Are you ready?" she inquired.

"Naturally, putting this off is pointless."

Adam nodded, closing his eyes.

Operating alone meant the Winding Fragments should prove far more potent than they were during his previous session with Alexia.

Back then, the energy had guided them to the singular location where they both could satisfy their requirements.

'Wait, I should have more options now, right? But... even so, are there really many places in this world to find the Blood of God?'

He recalled Beth’s explanation; just because the condition carried that title did not mean it was literal divine substance.

Nevertheless, he remained convinced that such a name implied something of great significance.

Tremble.

With a faint vibration in his aura, Adam dove into his internal space.

He opened his eyes instantly, hit by a sudden wave of shock.

"Agh...?"

Instead of the hundreds of fragments or the countless paths he had expected, he encountered absolutely nothing.

Only an empty void remained.

"What is this..."

Determined to understand, Adam darted straight into the darkness.

Finding nothing and seeing not a single spark of light, he shifted his path repeatedly.

He continued until his energy was completely exhausted.

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

He stood alone in the abyss, breathing heavily, baffled by his inability to find a single trace of those fragments.

"Did they simply cease to exist?" Adam looked around, bewildered. "But how is that even possible?"

Twitch.

Adam’s eye twitched as he snapped back to reality.

Silvana, who had been lifting her coffee, froze instantly, noticing his troubled expression.

"They are gone."

Adam’s deep voice resonated in the room.

"Silvana, the Winding Fragments—they have vanished, every single one of them."