Endless Evolution: Last Star

Oddly enough, Red Feast was held deep underground, at the bottom of a museum that closed as soon as the sun went below the horizon. In the morning, people came here to see interesting things, most of which involved monsters, the rare and most unusual of them.

Sure, the truly unique monsters, their bones and parts, were kept in the research department or by scientists, but that was more than enough for ordinary people.

However, Adam and Silvana drove not directly to the museum, but to a restaurant a few streets away. There was an underground parking lot under the restaurant's control, and that's where they started.

Cazimir was also going to come to the Red Feast today, but he was running a little late. For him, it had become something of a routine, so missing part of the Red Feast to finish his work was normal for him.

The Red Feast wasn't an event that happened once a year only when seven stars stood in a row, after all, selling monster meat was a vast business. Many places had similar events to Red Feast from time to time, but not as large and magnificent.

Nevertheless, Red Feast was not to be underestimated. As Adam and Silvana had managed to find out, it was necessary to go through many things before reaching the massive crimson door they were now standing in front of.

There were many paths leading to the Red Feast site, underneath the museum, so Adam and Silvana weren't the only ones to reach the door, it was just that the other guests were in other passageways.

Crackle.

The door opened, and right behind it, a girl was waiting for them, dressed in a dark red suit, something like a waiter's outfit, but it was a higher level, like a butler who had some authority, but was still someone's servant and subordinate.

The girl also had a mask - red with two black crystals in the forehead area. It seemed that there were other masks like this, and the number of crystals could vary.

"Hello. From the looks of it, you are new here. May I see your invitation card?" The girl asked with a slight smile on her face.

Adam and Silvana didn't know what role this girl played because she wasn't a guest, but she was - a Guardian. One of her jobs was to check on the guests.

"Sure." Adam nodded and handed the girl a simple red card that looked as if it was soaked in blood. It didn't have any initials or signature on it, because it didn't matter who gave the card, everyone had their aliases. However, there was a broken hourglass sign on the card.

The girl's eyes went wide.

"Oh, the red one. Not bad, not bad at all. Looks like you were brought here by someone of significance. Well, it's none of my business, please come in. You can take any available table." The girl said politely, but before she handed over the card, she remembered something.

"I'm sorry when I saw your card, I completely forgot it was your first time here. Please state your aliases." The girl picked up a simple solid book as well as a pen in her hands. No electronics seemed to be in every corner of the Citadel.

Adam and Silvana looked at each other.

Silvana spoke first:

"Black Widow."

"Ughum." The girl nodded, quickly writing down her alias before looking at Adam, "And you...?"

"Dark Weaver." Adam said confidently before stepping forward without waiting for the girl's reaction.

He didn't know who the girl was, neither did she, as everyone hid their auras, information, faces, and names, so figuring out who was a Phantom and who was a mere human was impossible. Moreover, Adam took off his NEP, which he was not allowed to wear at the Red Feast.

Still, the military could tell each other's gait, or recognize who was a mere human. The Phantoms were in the same position. If they looked closely, they would recognize whether it was a Phantom or a commoner standing across from them.

Even if they covered themselves with black veils, one could tell from small details like the tone of voice, the words they chose when speaking, and their movement.

As soon as Adam and Silvana stepped into the main hall, a sound came from the walls, through the speakers, but someone was voicing it.

"Meet Black Widow and Dark Weaver! Give our newcomers a proper welcome!"

Everyone heard it.

From time to time, new people came to Red Feast, and newcomers always showed up, but it wasn't a frequent occurrence, more like something rare and curious.

Adam and Silvana looked around. They were looking for somewhere to go, but everything had already been decided beforehand.

Step. Step. Step.

A girl in a black dress and a white mask covering her entire face approached them.

"You...?" Adam muttered, he already realized who was standing in front of them.

"I'm Double Contrast." The girl said calmly, placing her palm to her chest, "Please follow me and become our guests. We've just taken a table for four."

"Dual Contrast, right? Well, as you wish. I wonder what his alias is." Adam smirked as he stepped forward.

Apparently, Dual Contrast was Nessa. Adam realized it almost instantly by her stride and the sharp facial features that were visible from beneath the mask.

As they approached the table that was quite close to the center, they saw a man in a long crimson coat. It was Magnus, as was clear from his hair and manners. At that moment, he was drinking wine and snacking on grapes.

Yeah, there were already food and drinks on the tables, but the main course, the monster meat, was not here yet. The most important thing was left for the end because for now, the guests were only gathering.

Magnus turned toward them, grinning broadly. His face was hidden by a dark red mask with strange gray cracked edges, as if from old age. In his hand was a long staff with a sharp end that curled around a dark sphere. Clearly, it is a decorative element of his persona.

"Well, well, let me guess, something to do with blood?" Adam suggested sitting down across from Magnus.

"Nah." Magnus smirked, "Nice to welcome you, Dark Weaver, I'm Time Apostle. Delighted to know you."

Adam rolled his eyes.

"Come on. I don't mind this masquerade, rules are necessary to follow and all, but can we at least communicate normally without pretending we don't know each other?"

Magnus chuckled evilly as he gripped his staff tightly, pointing the sharp tip at Adam.

"Dark Weaver, we only met today, so considering I've known you for less than a day, you're still a stranger to me." Magnus narrowed his eyes.

Adam didn't answer anything.

Silvana sat down next to him, and Nessa next to Magnus.

"By the way." Magnus acted with his staff on the table, "While you were at the tailor's I watched your fight against Thunder Demon."

"Hmm? And...?" Adam raised an eyebrow.

"You did well, but I want to praise you not for your battle, it's practically a masterpiece, and everyone agrees, I'd rather say about her." Magnus slowly pointed his staff at Silvana.

"Agh?" Silvana was puzzled.

Magnus smiled slyly.

"The audio of your argument has been deleted, but from the other recordings, it's clear from the look on your face. She wanted to talk you out of it, which was logical and right from a pragmatic point of view, but... you're a fucking psycho who reminded her of her place and defeated the Top-2 monster. Good Job."

Adam wanted to say something, but Magnus beat him to it.

"Don't forget your Operator isn't on the battlefield. I've seen too many Phantoms who've died because their Operators were overly worried. However..." Magnus paused for a long moment.

He looked intently at Adam:

"The Phantoms that died at the risk of defeating a powerful monster were ten times as many, that's for sure."

Tap.

At the same moment, the hall center began to illuminate with spotlights, it was empty, and there were no tables.

It seemed that soon the tables of the guests would be filled with the food they had come for.