Endless Evolution: Last Star

Two massive doors, over five meters high, began to slowly open with a loud creak, as if in an ancient castle filled with ghosts. These doors were the only ones that guests didn\'t pass through, they were meant for something else.

However, no one had left the doors yet, it would take some time for that to happen. Nevertheless, among the guests, a number of Guardians had visibly appeared - people in red robes, each with two dark crystals in their masks.

They didn\'t say or do anything, but powerful auras emanated from them, showing that any wrongful action would be stopped. Considering that many of the guests were ordinary people, the presence of the Guardians was enough to prevent any conflicts, most of the time.

"Oh, there\'s quite a few of them... I thought it would only be guests here." Adam muttered, looking around.

Magnus smirked, as he waved his hand, calling over a young man who looked like a waiter, or rather he was doing the waiter\'s job.

"Those with two dark crystals are called Guardians, but they are not the only ones." Magnus began to speak when a young man approached them with a bottle of wine on a tray.

"Mr. Time Apostle, it looks like your glass is already empty." The young man smiled slightly as he was about to pour the wine for Magnus, but he stopped the youth with a wave of his hand.

"It\'s not for me. Fill my new friend\'s glasses, and don\'t forget the ladies."

The young man nodded.

"Sure."

Soon, the crimson liquid filled the glasses exactly a third full, causing the wine to ripple slightly, coating the walls of the clear glass.

"People like him are called Soldiers. As you can see, he only has one dark crystal on his mask. Almost all of them are ordinary people, but familiar with the rules and know what can happen in Red Feast." Magnus explained.

Then, Adam glanced at one Guardian, it seemed to be the girl who was taking their card and writing down aliases.

"Soldiers and Guardians..." Adam muttered thoughtfully.

"It\'s unknown exactly who is among the Guardians, but I think you\'ve already realized that a small portion of them are Phantoms. However, there are also Knights, who have three dark crystals on their masks, but they only appear in exceptional cases. Only if the Guardians are unable to solve the problems. That happens extremely rarely." Magnus explained.

Unlike Adam, who was here for the first time, Magnus knew exactly how the Red Feast was organized. It was much more complicated than Adam had originally thought, for this was not just a gathering of gourmets wanting to taste the flesh of a monster.

"Wait... Soldiers, Guardians, and Knights... What\'s more, there\'s something else lurking behind those doors. There\'s both maintenance and defense. Thus, someone has to organize and control it all. This isn\'t a community, it\'s a business." Adam delivered his verdict in a low voice.

For a moment, Magnus grinned widely, so much so that it seemed his face was ready to tear, but he soon came to normal, tapping his fingers slowly on the table.

"Say, do you know who\'s in charge here? Who all the Soldiers, Guardians, and Knights report to? Who is above all of this?" Adam asked, as seriously as possible.

Magnus\'s corners of his mouth lifted upward.

"Rumor has it that it\'s someone from Crimson Path, maybe it\'s their leader, or maybe some secret puppeteer. Who knows?" Magnus shrugged, pretending that this information wasn\'t available to him.

Adam narrowed his eyes. He couldn\'t tell if Magnus was lying or not. There was hardly a single person in this world who could easily uncover Magnus\'s lies.

Step. Step. Step.

At the same moment, several shadows headed towards the center of the hall, out of the massive doors. They were not only people but also some objects hidden by a black veil.

"It\'s finally starting. I wonder what\'s on the menu tonight." Magnus uttered with slight delight, licking his lips predatorily.

The first veil fell, revealing two men and a middle-aged woman. They all wore white chef\'s robes, but only the woman had a cap on her head, revealing that she was the head chef.

The fallen veil also revealed various cooking equipment, be it grills, ovens, stoves, pans, or knives. The list was long, but any chef would be jealous of such an assortment, where in addition to the standard equipment, there was something unusual.

For example - a huge knife, more like a saw, with sharp teeth, seemed to be a weapon for bloody murder, not for cooking. Or the special chamber with the cold inside.

"Oh, we\'re lucky. Zakira is one of the best cooks. We can count on a real masterpiece this night." Magnus smirked, rubbing his palms together.

"Zakira...? Wait... she\'s no ordinary person." Adam muttered, clearly surprised.

Magnus nodded.

"These two." Magnus pointed to the male chefs, "Commoners and her assistants. Their skills are enough to work as chefs in the finest restaurants of the First Ring. However, Zakira is a Phantom, but not only that, before becoming a Phantom she was one of the best cooks in the entire Citadel."

Magnus continued, "However, she is unknown to the larger public, for she helped black market cooks prepare monster meat before becoming one of the best."

Adam tilted his head in confusion.

"Wait... I don\'t understand something. Zakira is definitely a Phantom, but you say that before becoming a Phantom she already had excellent cooking skills. But, is it possible to achieve such skill by the age of 16 or 18?" Adam asked, with a slight wave of his hand.

"Hahaha." Magnus chuckled evilly, "Good question. However, you\'re forgetting something. Yeah, you can only become a Phantom if you have a Spark awakening, usually, that happens between the ages of 16 and 18. However... Everyone at this table knows that you can become a Phantom at any age."

Adam\'s eyes went wide as he realized something about Zakira. She wasn\'t just a Phantom, she was a Naturalborn One! Sure, he was a Naturalborn Phantom too, but unlike him, Zakira had a very different situation.

She was a successful chef and could provide a great, rich life for herself, but she still decided to go to Dead Lands with an incredible chance of just dying.

"I see... So, by deciding to fight a monster in Dead Lands, she was able to become a Phantom at a rather mature age. So, her cooking skills have been honed by her instincts, and with her new strength and speed, she has no problem working with monster bones or claws that cannot be damaged by ordinary people, be they military or Harvesters." Adam muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Magnus nodded contentedly. He liked Adam\'s reasoning.

"Yeah, Zakira is 35 years old and a K2-Phantom. For your information, she\'s achieved that in just a few years, spending a lot of time as a chef."

Adam glanced at him.

"Sounds like you\'re a fan of hers. Maybe you should get her autograph."

"Hahaha, good one. Well, I won\'t hide it. I love her food. You know, she\'s just the perfect candidate - a talented chef who originally worked with monster meat and later became the Phantom. It\'s like all the stars have aligned." Magnus chuckled.

Step. Step. Step.

Zakira stepped in front, glanced at the audience, and waved her hand, hiding the black veil that still concealed something valuable.

Strangely enough, it wasn\'t monster meat.

Underneath the veil were three huge eggs. If given time, they would give birth to creatures capable of killing thousands of people.