Neither Kenward nor Adam knew that at least two other powerful beings wanted to get to Adam.
One, in a black pulse like an unstoppable force of nature tearing down everything in his path, while the other was gathering people and plotting a plan to get rid of the potential threat that Adam represented.
Kenward and Adam hardly had to worry about that, though. Right now, they were both immersed in conversation, the former out of curiosity and the latter wanting to learn more secrets.
"I see... If you think about it that way, it all falls into place. I recently killed a Hollow Wave monster and fought in the black zone. Apparently, thatâs not a very common occurrence, right?" Adam smiled nervously.
Kenward shrugged, sitting at the base of the tree.
"Who knows? I think you realize that most K3-Phantoms that get to the Dark Shore this way die too quickly for anyone to know about them. If you didnât decide to disturb the dew tree, I wouldnât have shown up, and you would be killed by the monsters around you. It would happen sooner or later."
With a stream of cold wind, Adam nodded slightly. He had a lot of questions and hoped Kenward would answer them.
But, as soon as his mouth was ajar, Kenward was at his side, lightly squeezing his shoulder.
"Come on. Letâs not waste any time, young Phantom. You can ask your questions along the road and Iâll try to answer them, at least most of them." Kenward smirked.
Adam looked up, baffled. "What, the road? Where are we going?"
"Hah, isnât that obvious?" Kenward chuckled, jumping on his horse and patting the seat behind him. "We will follow the dark route until we reach the shard of the First Star that awaits you - a young Phantom!"
Something in Kenwardâs voice made Adam flinch. His voice was not just curious, but full of excitement, a feeling forgotten to him.
Realizing there was no other choice, Adam nodded and carefully climbed onto Kenwardâs horse, afraid to anger this great beast.
Once Kenward made sure Adam had a firm grip on his shoulders, he leaned forward as his horse tore forward.
In a dark flash, they swept swiftly through the Sorrowful Dew Expanse, fearing no one. Not a single monster in the vicinity could even scratch Kenward.
From time to time, Adam would suggest where the dark route led, so that Kenward could change direction. He did so without any difficulty.
"Kenward... Why? Why are you not only not killing me, but helping me follow the dark route?" Adam asked his first question of many.
Kenwardâs corners of his mouth went upward. "As I said earlier, youâre lucky it was me you ran into. You see... At the Dark Shore, monsters like me have two main worldviews. One of them is followed by monsters like me. The one we follow is the so-called Free End."
"Hmm?" The Free End? Is that... Some sort of organization or faction like humans have?"
"No. Not in the case of the Free End, exactly. The Free End doesnât have a single leader or groups that rule any territories. Everyone decides whether to follow the Free End or not. However, about the second force at the Dark Shore, you guessed right."
Adam gave him a thoughtful face.
"The Befallen Crown. Now thatâs a faction. The most powerful and influential of all at the Dark Shore. If you were on the lands they control, youâd be dead by now. Thatâs not my guess, itâs a fact that would have happened."
Adam gulped. He realized that Kenward was not joking.
Moreover, even though the Free End and the Befallen Crown were supposed to be different in their worldviews, there was no malice or hatred in Kenwardâs tone towards the Befallen Crown.
This was not good news for Adam.
That meant that the Free End and the Befallen Crown were not enemies. They just might not agree on some issues.
âWell, to expect otherwise would be naive, right? After all, theyâre all monsters and very powerful,â Adam thought. âKenward said there are other factions, but they seem to be insignificant before these two.â
With the next surge, Kenward continued.
"The Free End followers, such as myself, feel it is essential to follow the will of the First Star. That is why I am going to lead you to the shard of the First Star, for it is waiting for you. However, the Befallen Crown members believe that all humans are enemies and must be destroyed, regardless of the will of the First Star."
Adam narrowed his eyes.
"What about me? Am I an enemy to you?"
The answer was expected.
"You are too weak to be my enemy, Adam, but yes. If you had come here of your own free will and not by the arrival of the First Star, I would surely kill you. My hand would not tremble, and my spear would not stop."
"So... If after all this, I survive, get out of the Dark Shore, and come back, are we enemies?"
Oddly enough, Kenward didnât give a quick answer as it wasnât an easy question.
"Itâs not that simple, Adam. It depends on many factors... You know too little about the First Star and the Last Star. You should have only touched those mysteries at the K4-Level. Thatâs... Too much for a young and weak mind like you."
Adam frowned but didnât reply.
In some ways, Kenward reminded him of Arnoth. Obviously, Kenward was much stronger, but at points, they said similar things.
"I see... So, when we get to the shard of the First Star, I can finally become a K4-Phantom?"
Kenward nodded.
"Yes."
"But... You said that if it wasnât for the black flash, Iâd need the Midnight Crystal. How does that work? I got the Midnight Crystal once, it was at the K1-Level. Isnât that too low-level a resource?"
"Hah, the Midnight Crystals come in many forms, but you donât need to think about that, because youâll need another crystal."
Adam looked up. He didnât know that the Midnight Crystal had an alternative.
"The Twilight Crystal is your target."