Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1885: The Will of Winter

"Young man, I wanted to talk to you earlier, but it seems you’ve already spoken with one of the other artifacts. What’s more, you just saw a memory of our birth, right?" The man asked, staring intently at Adam.

The man didn’t look hostile, but he carried himself with more sternness and seriousness than Amelia’s artifact.

Adam nodded deeply as he got up from the ground.

"Yes. Consider it a sort of reward."

The man sighed.

"I see. To be honest, I wouldn’t want anyone to find out about this. The birth of every Legacy Artifact is classified information. It would be bad if too many people found out about it."

"Sure. You don’t need to worry about that. What’s more, I got far more out of this memory than I originally expected. I saw not only how you were born, but also the secrets of a dangerous Phantom."

"Good, but there’s one problem." The man’s expression grew more serious.

"Hmm?"

Tremble!

The man’s aura grew stronger as a chill ran down Adam’s spine.

"For what you’ve done for Vador and the entire Grad Family, you deserve much more than just a memory. If you don’t mind, I’d like to reward you personally from me."

Adam was confused. This wasn’t what he’d expected, but the mention of yet another reward brought a smile to his face.

"Sure. But won’t this hurt Vador? I mean, even though I freed you from the ice pillar, you still haven’t fully recovered, right?"

The man shrugged.

"It’s a lengthy process. Now that I’m here, I’ll be able to restore the core since I was the last and most important part. That will take a few days. After that, it will take at least a month for Vador’s energy reserves to fully recover and for his Evolution Tree to return to its peak form."

Adam looked down.

"Still, even that won’t be enough."

"Indeed," the man confirmed. "However, once Vador has a complete Evolution Tree and Legacy Artifact, all he’ll need is a few weeks of training. He’s a powerful monster. He knows how to quickly regain his power."

Adam looked at the man.

"So, what about the reward? What do you want to give me?"

For the first time, some emotion other than his usual frown appeared on the man’s face as he smirked.

"Something special. You’re planning to go to a dangerous place, aren’t you? I can tell by the look in your eyes."

"Yes. The Gray Sea." Adam waved his hand. "In fact, I should already be there, but because of Amelia’s request, I had to stay here, though I don’t regret it. I’ve grown stronger and learned a lot."

"Glad to hear it." The man nodded as he stepped forward. "In that case, my reward will suit you perfectly."

The man looked into Adam’s eyes before placing his palm on Adam’s chest.

"Let’s say this will give you the right to make one mistake. Fierce young men like you often take risks, so this will be useful for you."

Energy surged along the man’s arm as the frost essence gathered beneath his palm.

Flash!

A bright flash spread as the ice seal imprinted itself on Adam’s chest. It pulsed several times, sending waves of cold through Adam’s body before disappearing.

The man took a step back as Adam touched his chest.

He couldn’t see the ice seal, but it was definitely there. He could feel its energy, which was the same as that of the Spirit of Eternal Winter.

"It’s done. Now, you’re ready to go."

The core fragments hovered above the man, trembling vigorously. They were waiting to become one again. This was essential for restoring Vador’s Legacy Artifact.

Adam looked around, taking in the lake and the snow-capped mountains with forests nearby.

"It’s not a bad place, but I couldn’t stay here too long."

The man smiled bitterly.

"Because you’re a human, and a very young one at that. We’re different. Still, both you and I can appreciate the beauty of this place."

"Yeah, I guess you’re right."

Adam closed his eyes as his body began to tremble.

After that, Adam shattered into countless bright fragments, vanishing before the man.

...

The next time Adam opened his eyes, he had finally returned to the real world.

Romara, Nukra, and Amelia were looking at him with anxious expressions, waiting for good news.

As soon as Adam smiled and nodded silently, their eyes lit up with joy.

"Yes!" Nukra exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air. "I knew you could do it!"

"Oh... I’m so glad it’s over..." Amelia exhaled, touching her chest. "That took you quite a while."

Step.

Romara stepped forward as she looked Adam up and down.

"Did something happen inside? Your aura... It’s slightly different."

"Yes. Vador’s artifact rewarded me for my help. Something like that."

Nukra and Amelia exchanged glances as Amelia looked at Adam.

"So, what happens now? Is my father okay?"

Adam nodded.

"He’ll need time to recover, but his Evolution Tree and Legacy Artifact are now intact. In his current state, he’s just an exhausted monster, but he’s no longer dying."

Ripple!

At that very moment, a slight tremor rippled through the air as all eyes turned to Vador.

His aura had grown slightly stronger, and it seemed as though even his gray skin had warmed up a bit, though he still had a long way to go before a full recovery.

Twitch.

With great effort, Vador opened his eyes, causing Amelia and Romara to gasp.

Before this, he could barely utter a few words a day, but now he had even lifted his head off the pillow.

However, he didn’t have enough strength to get out of bed. A monster of his caliber lacked the strength to do so, which once again showed just how bad his condition was.

Vador looked at Nukra, Amelia, and Romara before turning his gaze to Adam.

"Thank... thank you... Phantom... Now I’m too weak to even speak... but... If you ever find yourself in Varreyn again... you’ll always be a welcome guest in our family..."

Adam smiled.

"Glad to hear it."

"And..." Vador’s hoarse voice rang out. "There’s one more thing."

"Hmm?" Adam raised an eyebrow.

"Your journey to the Gray Sea... Good luck to you..."

Adam’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Yeah, I’ll definitely need it. Glad you’re okay, old man."