Endless Evolution: Last Star

Tap.

Gladius set a cup of coffee down in front of Silvana, her second one already. He had wanted to help her pick out a suitable outfit for Radiant Branch, but she preferred to have another cup of coffee, and Gladius wasn’t about to deny her that.

"Gladius..." Silvana’s quiet voice rang out as she gazed at her reflection in the coffee cup.

"Hmm?"

Gladius glanced at her.

"Is something bothering you?"

Silvana shook her head.

"No, just... If Relana is testing Adam’s strength, what about me?"

"What do you mean?" Gladius tilted his head, though a clear look of interest appeared in his blue eyes.

"Am I ready?" Silvana looked intently at him. "I realize that Relana isn’t fighting him just to find him a suitable outfit. I’m not as stupid as you think."

Gladius fell silent for a moment, then let out a short chuckle.

"Ha-haha. No, darling, I don’t think you’re stupid. You’re a pretty smart young lady, especially considering your age. I mean, to me, anyone under 50 is basically a baby."

Silvana rolled her eyes.

"It doesn’t work that way. No matter how long you’ve lived, you have to be able to tell the difference between adults and children, don’t you?"

Gladius smirked.

"Who knows?"

Silvana’s expression grew more serious.

"Either way, I want you to do for me exactly what Relana is doing for Adam right now."

"Hmm?"

Silvana was determined.

"Test me. See what I’m capable of. If you and Relana have decided to test Adam for whatever reason, I want to be part of it too. I’m his Operator, and when he becomes a Second-Rank Phantom, I’ll be a part of his powers as well!"

Gladius was silent for a moment. He just tapped slowly on the counter, thinking.

"Well, well... I didn’t expect to hear that from you. Though, such determination is commendable. Aiden trained you, and he doesn’t waste time on those he doesn’t consider worthy of it - believe me, I know."

Silvana gulped.

Deep down, she was grateful to Aiden for what he’d done, but his methods weren’t gentle. And if anyone knew all of Aiden’s secrets, as well as what he was like as a person, it was definitely Gladius.

"I don’t know what you’re preparing Adam for, but he and I are together, and always will be! I want to be just as strong as he is! I want to be like Arika, like Lamor, and... like Xyrea to you!"

As soon as she mentioned Xyrea’s name, Gladius’s eyes darted toward her. She was his Operator - an unusual one.

Xyrea had once been a monster. Then she became Gladius’s Nexus, and much later, when Gladius became a Second-Rank Phantom, Xyrea regained her body to become a Manifest Nexus for him.

This was a unique case even among other Second-Rank Phantoms. Then again, it wasn’t surprising, since even back then there weren’t very many Monster Nexuses, and now they were practically nonexistent.

"Oh..."

Gladius sighed as realization struck him.

"So Adam figured it out? He realized who Xyrea really is. I see..."

Gladius didn’t need confirmation from Silvana. He could tell everything from her gaze and emotions.

"So you want to become stronger and be useful to Adam? No, you want to take the same test Adam is taking right now. There’s no point in hiding this from you anymore."

Silvana merely nodded silently, her fists clenched tightly.

"Good. But, as you understand, we can’t do this here, at Relana’s atelier. We’ll have to go somewhere else for this."

"I’m ready. Just tell me what I have to do and what’s going to happen. That’ll be enough for me."

Gladius smirked as he stood in front of Silvana, holding a cup of coffee in one hand.

Sip.

He took a sip as a wisp of hot steam wafted past his face.

"You know, Silvana, when Aiden first found out that Adam had survived, his eyes were ablaze with curiosity. You can’t even imagine how rare that is."

Gladius’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Silvana, as if he wanted to peer into her soul.

"But then... that light faded from his eyes. I wanted to know what had happened. At first, I thought Adam had died, or that his abilities were boring, or that his victories weren’t interesting. Well, I quickly found the answer."

Tap.

He poked Silvana in the chest.

"It was all because of you."

"Ah?" Silvana’s heart began to race with excitement. "What...? What do you mean by that? What does that mean?"

"Isn’t it obvious?"

Gladius gave her a devious smirk.

"Aiden saw potential in Adam to reach the very top. He hoped that one day Adam could become a Second-Rank Phantom, and as you can see, he was right. Adam got pretty close to that goal. But when he saw you, he realized it wasn’t meant to be."

Gladius leaned forward, their eyes level.

"Aiden didn’t see any potential in you. He thought you were trash who was just corrupting Adam. What’s more, Aiden thought you should be gotten rid of, that without you, Adam would be able to realize his potential."

Silvana gulped as her face turned pale.

"But Aiden is a patient person, very patient. He kept watching, and gradually, you began to change. Or... Was it Adam who turned out to be strong enough to mold you in his image?"

Gladius shrugged.

"Either way, you’ve changed enough for Aiden to regain his faith, not only in Adam, but in the two of you as a pair as well. That’s thanks to you, Silvana."

She clenched her fists tighter.

"B-But?" She knew this wasn’t the end.

Gladius sighed heavily.

"Even after your training, he’s not sure you’re worthy of being Adam’s Operator when he reaches the Second Circle. You see, it’s not too late to change a lot, and as I said, Aiden is very patient."

Tap.

Gladius grabbed Silvana by the wrist. His grip was strong, stronger than usual, which made Silvana wince in pain.

"I disagree with him. Adam is simply progressing too quickly, and you can’t keep up with him. That’s why I’ll grant your request and help you, Silvana. I have a lot of experience working with unusual Operators."

Gladius smirked and set his coffee cup aside.

The next moment, a burst of purple light erupted as dark energy enveloped the two of them, transporting them to another location far from Relana’s atelier.