Chapter 1633: What Happened to the Phantom?

Bam! Bam! Bam!

With each successive attempt, the energy pulse knocked Adam aside. He could have easily shattered the glass cube with a single punch, but according to the training rules, he was only allowed to use his energy — and so far, he hadn’t been very successful.

Tron was using only a small fraction of his energy, but since he was on a different level, it turned out to be a real trial for Adam.

Meanwhile, Tron, Silvana, and Riska were sitting at a table, drinking juice and eating cookies. They had brought this food from home, knowing it would be quite some time before Adam figured out how to get through this part of the training.

"Riska, I have a question." Silvana glanced at her, she knew Riska’s past.

"Hmm?" Riska leaned on her hand. "Sure, I’m listening."

"You were originally a Phantom, right? So... I couldn’t have known this before, but what happened to your power when Tron reached K2, K3, and especially K4 Level?"

These were the power levels at which an Operator ceased to be merely emotional and informational support for a Phantom, but became part of the actual power.

But... Riska had never been an Operator. In fact, she was a unique case. She was a Phantom who decided that this life didn’t suit her and that all she really wanted was a partner she could trust.

"Oh, I see," Riska smiled lightly. "Well, it might seem like a complicated story, but it’s actually simple. My Evolution Tree, my Nexus, and all the abilities I had—they’re gone."

"Agh?"

Riska nodded.

"Tron’s Evolution Tree absorbed everything I had. There could be no other outcome, because sooner or later, everyone in our position must become a true Operator."

"True Operator?" Silvana was confused. "What does that mean?"

Riska smiled, looking at Silvana with a gentle glare.

"Haven’t you ever thought about that?" She glanced at Adam, who was focused on his part of the training. "Before his Evolution Tree gave you your energy, before you became part of his inner space. What’s the difference between you and the hundreds of other female Operators?"

Silvana was caught off guard.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

Riska smirked. "Exactly what I said. What was stopping Adam from replacing you with someone else? As long as that girl and he were compatible in personality and she could do her job as an Operator, she could easily replace you."

A cold sweat broke out on Silvana’s forehead. She wanted to argue, but before the words could escape her lips, she froze.

She realized that Riska was right.

Like most other Operators, she had trained at the academy, where there were hundreds of girls just like her. Silvana wasn’t afraid of criticism, so she understood that some of these girls were prettier, smarter, and more responsible than she was.

"Just statistically... One of them would have suited Adam just as well as I did, and maybe even better."

Then, Silvana realized that at the beginning of their path, unlike Adam, she was just a simple human. She had no energy, no abilities, nothing. Any other girl who could do her job just as well could easily replace her.

"Now, you understand that, right?" Riska said, taking a sip of juice.

She looked at Tron, gently taking his hand.

"Until you received energy from your Phantom’s Evolution Tree, you weren’t a true Operator. You were just an employee of the mission department who was paired up to work with this Phantom. Aside from work and personal relationships, nothing else connects you.

"For ordinary humans, that’s more than enough, but not for us. So, to put it bluntly, you only truly became his Operator when Adam gave you his energy. Until that moment, you were just a human and his assistant, nothing more. But he was a Phantom, full of energy and power."

Silvana gulped. This wasn’t what she’d expected to hear from Riska, but she couldn’t argue with her, because that was exactly how it was.

Riska smiled.

"Still, he chose you, didn’t he?"

"Y-Yes."

Riska nodded and ran her hand over Tron’s chest.

"I went through that, too. And, to be honest? It was the best day of my life. The day I realized that I was now a real Operator and not a failed Phantom, the day I took on the role I wanted. Back then, I realized that my choice wasn’t just a whim. From the very beginning, it was one of the options."

Silvana leaned forward, biting her nails with a pensive look.

"So, despite our beliefs in the early days, in reality, absolutely anyone can become a Phantom or an Operator? For some, it’s just luck, for others, a choice, but still... It’s possible in every instance."

This time, Tron joined the conversation.

"Yes. Ultimately, it all comes down to the fact that a Phantom and an Operator share the same inner space and draw power from the Evolution Tree. Technically, until that moment, the Operators simply don’t exist."

Riska rested her head on Tron’s shoulder.

"So, to answer your question, right now I’m definitely his Operator and nothing else. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to become a Phantom again or regain my powers, but I don’t need to know that. It’s not what I want."

Silvana nodded as she turned to Adam, who was continuing his training. So far, he hadn’t had any success, but she knew that sooner or later, he would find a way to expel Tron’s energy from the glass cube.

’How strange it all turns out... Before we arrived at the Dead Lands, many others and I thought it was all just a matter of luck and talent. But, in reality, it’s much more complicated, isn’t it?’

She sank into her hands, leaving only her eyes visible as she watched Adam.

’Great, I don’t want to know that we’re here because we got lucky. We’re here because we’ve come all this way together, and one day... We’ll reach the First and Last Star together.’