"The Connected Heart," Adam muttered, watching as the Path Construct absorbed the energy of the Dark Heart. "Its energy was absorbed while I was recovering from the battle against Ureyn, right?"
[Yes. The same thing will happen now... Last time, the situation was more complicated because of your wounds and the Energy Axis, so I donât think it will take more than a few days.]
The Silver Weaver stood nearby, glancing at Adam from time to time and waiting for his reaction.
Strangely enough, Adam nodded with a slight smile.
"Great. Thatâs even better."
"Hmm?" The Silver Weaver was puzzled. "What does that mean? I know you better than anyone else. I know you always want to get stronger as quickly as possible so you can get back into the fight and not waste any time."
After a few seconds, Adam sighed and looked up, wishing he could see the moon even through the darkness of his inner space.
"Well, youâre my ally, part of my strength, but youâre not me. Weâre different, and that goes for you and Lone Blaze as well as Silvana."
The Silver Weaver said nothing, he just continued to listen. Adam wasnât like himself.
"I still have seven years ahead of me... Thatâs a lot of time, isnât it?"
Tremble.
Suddenly, Silvana appeared beside them. She had heard everything thanks to her connection with Adam, but after his last words, she wanted to be present for their conversation.
"You know, you didnât talk like that before. You almost fell into depression because of the whole World Wipe situation," Silvana said sternly.
Then, her expression softened.
"However, I donât blame you. It was stressful for me as well."
Adamâs lips curved upward.
"After defeating Ureyn and the long recovery, as well as because of the Energy Axis, I began to worry that I wouldnât have enough time. But now, Iâve started to look at the situation differently."
Silvana and the Silver Weaver exchanged glances. They were Adamâs closest allies, but they didnât understand what he was trying to say.
"W-Why?" Silvanaâs voice trembled. "I mean, Iâm glad youâre no longer rushing around as if death were constantly chasing you, but what happened today that made you change your mind?"
Adam smirked.
"Canât you see? Anelez and Erada are the Hybrids, monsters who have lived for over a hundred years. They lost to me. Whatâs more, theyâre not the first, and they wonât be the last. If I were able to get to this position in just a year and a half, then in the next seven years Iâll be able to achieve much more."
For a moment, a light appeared deep in his dark pupils, as if he could see a peaceful future.
"Maybe, no... Iâm sure of it. Even the First Star and Last Star wonât be able to stop me."
Silvana didnât know what to say, but the Silver Weaver had a few words that perfectly described the situation:
"Hah, you arrogant bastard. Do you think itâs that simple? Just because you reached the K4-Level in a year and a half doesnât mean that in the next five years youâll be on par with the Second Rank Phantoms, let alone someone like Wilfred or Damien."
Silvana nodded. "Yes, I agree with him... If you know how to swim, and even a large lake is no longer an obstacle for you, that doesnât mean you can swim across even part of the ocean. The closer you get to the real summit, the more you realize how high it really is."
Strangely enough, their answers didnât upset Adam. He completely agreed with them.
He just thought about it from a different perspective.
"Thatâs what Iâm talking about." Adam smiled as he looked at the light above. "Now Iâm no longer worried that I wonât be able to swim across the ocean or climb the highest mountain. Now, I know that sooner or later it will happen because I keep moving forward. Iâm not looking at where I am now, but at the trend."
Silvana glanced at the Silver Weaver.
"Do you have anything to add?"
In response, he just turned around and waved his hand as he walked away.
"Nah. Heâs already made his bet. Either Adam stops the World Wipe, or itâs all over. Itâs pretty simple, isnât it? In that case, all you can do is keep going until you die."
Silvana wanted to add something, but the Silver Weaverâs frame dissolved into darkness as he returned to the Evolution Tree.
Tap.
Adam appeared in front of Silvana, gently touching her cheek.
"You know, I havenât been to the Citadel in a long time. I miss you. Iâm sure that between the endless battles and attempts to stop the World Wipe, there will be many moments over the next seven years when we can be together."
He ran his hand over her shoulder as he glanced to the side.
"Iâm afraid Iâll be staying in Izardo for a while longer. Itâs an interesting city, and I need to find out what awaits me after the Second Grand Star, what trials lie ahead."
While Silvana was here in the inner space or in her spectral form, she felt all physical contact, both a simple touch and...
Suddenly, Adam stepped forward and kissed her, running his hand down her back and pulling her close.
Lone Blaze, who was watching the scene from afar, blushed, and the Silver Weaver rolled his eyes.
Silvana, in turn, blushed, but did not pull away. She had been craving the same thing for quite some time.
After all, the last time they had seen each other in the real world was several months ago.
"This..." Silvana murmured. "This is the right decision. The Tarnished Lands and Izardo have given you far more opportunities than we originally thought. But I would be lying if I said I didnât want you to return to the Citadel as soon as possible."
Adam nodded. "I donât know if Iâll ever have to leave the Citadel for such a long time again, but I can promise that when I return, weâll have plenty of time alone together."
He leaned close to her ear and whispered something.
In a heartbeat, Silvanaâs face turned red as a tomato as she looked down with wide eyes.
"Yeah, that would be nice, very nice..."
Adam smiled broadly as he returned to the real world.
He glanced at Erada, who was still lying on the ground, thinking about her defeat.
Their fight was over, but he still had one more thing to do â the winnerâs wish to the loser. That was the main condition of the Rule of Blood.