Endless Evolution: Last Star-Chapter 1055: Kenward, Rider of Darkness (Part 1)

Amidst the dark earth, there was only one dew tree for hundreds of meters, next to which there were now two creatures from completely different sides.

Their strength differed greatly as well as their status, they should be enemies, but some circumstances made the situation as it was at the moment.

"Kenward..." Adam muttered, looking at the man who stood next to the dew tree. "Why didn’t you kill me? The other monsters were ready to tear me apart at first sight, just like you... The dark route... that fact alone made you stop."

Reluctantly, Kenward turned around, his horse like a shadow passing behind him.

"Because it’s not part of the worldview to which I adhere. However, that kind of answer you can only hear from monsters like me, who at least have a name and intelligence."

With a slight wave of his hand, Kenward continued.

"The thing is, young Phantom, in some ways, you are very lucky to be right here. Another part of the monsters, even owning a name and title, would have killed you without a moment’s hesitation. It wouldn’t be an obstacle for them that the First Star is calling you. They would kill you simply because you are a human."

Again.

Kenward mentioned the First Star, and this time it was heard not only by Adam but also by Silvana, who finally managed to regain contact with him.

"The First Star...? What is that? I’ve only heard of the Last Star. Do they both actually exist?"

Strangely enough, Kenward proved to be a surprisingly cooperative talker, as a middle-aged man who didn’t mind sharing his experience and knowledge with the younger generation.

"Sure. You don’t know about this yet, and you weren’t supposed to find out until at least K4-Level. You humans are good at keeping secrets. I must admit that your authorities use it well so that the young Phantoms’ minds don’t get burned out from all the flood of information.

"But, you’re almost at that level, and you would have found out sooner or later. You weren’t supposed to be here at all, but it happened."

Adam was silent for a while, processing the information. He tried to keep a balance so as not to anger Kenward, not to appear too cocky but still learn as much as he could.

Adam gulped. "Mr. Kenward, you sound like you know why I ended up here... at the Dark Shore."

This only caused Kenward to give a short chuckle.

"Hah, Adam, just call me by my first name... You’re not my subordinate. And, yes, I know why you’re here. I think you’ve already figured out that this doesn’t happen to every K3-Phantom who’s willing to create a last key."

Adam nodded weakly.

If every K3-Phantom had to go through the same thing he did, the government would have informed them, at least their Operators.

The government hid many things, gradually revealing secrets as the Phantom’s power grew, but if the secret could threaten the Phantom’s life, it quickly ceased to be one.

Apparently, traveling through the Dark Shore through the black flash was a deadly threat. If it was a common thing then he would be warned about it when he went to the K3-Level.

"Well, given the flames in your eyes... I understand what roughly happened, since the conditions, well... They’re pretty specific."

Kenward stroked the mane of his great steed.

"For starters, Phantom should be at the edge of its evolution as a K3-Level one, when you’ve collected both essences and received the key spark. Then, a third condition hidden until then is revealed, and... it’s hidden for a reason."

Adam’s eyes grew wider as he listened intently. Somewhere deep inside, he was surprised that Kenward knew so much, but... wasn’t it logical?

’It would be strange if someone of his status didn’t know about it. I’m sure, aside from great power, he’s lived far longer than I have in this world...’ Adam muttered inwardly.

Kenward continued.

"Normally, you would have simply returned to the Citadel, and as a K3-Phantom on the edge of evolution, you would get the resource you needed. However, you were swallowed up by the dark flash, preventing that from happening. This was because you were in the black zone when the third condition was revealed, and you also killed a carrier of the dark trail."

Adam wished he understood what Kenward’s words meant. He heard too many new things.

"The black zone? The dark trail? What does it all mean?"

Kenward smiled weakly. "Well, in simple terms, you were in the place where the black flash happened recently, and you also killed a Hollow Wave monster. Hah, looking at your aura... Anyone with a keen eye would see that this monster was your second one, not your first."

Pensive, Adam looked down.

"Hmm..." he hummed. "So the black flash brought me here because I was going to evolve by being at the black zone while defeating a Hollow Wave monster?"

Kenward nodded deeply.

"Consider that you have enough dark energy built up in you for the First Star to notice you. If even one of those conditions were not met, the black flash simply would not show up. You would have returned to the Citadel and gotten the Midnight Crystal saved for such cases to evolve to K4-Level. You can count yourself lucky or not... It depends on what happens in the future."

Again, news that Adam hadn’t even realized struck him like a thunderbolt.

"The Midnight Crystal...? What does it have to do with it?" Adam stammered.

Kenward lifted his chin as his purple eyes flashed with an evil light.

"Hah, so you don’t even know that? Oh, right, why on earth would you know that?"

Hahaha.

"Adam, doesn’t the missing part at the Third Key remind you of anything?"

In a heartbeat, Adam’s eyes went wide in disbelief.

"But..." Kenward lingered. "That option is no longer available to you. The Midnight Crystal just won’t fit your key, now."

Kenward smirked. A short but interesting journey awaited him. In his long, quiet life, this was what he needed.