Endless Evolution: Last Star

Step. Step. Step.

Adam and Silvana left the Miracle Observatory, hurrying to the tailor to whom Magnus had sent them. Adam had passed all the tests and accepted Magnus's offer, so they had to prepare for the feast.

"So only 5% for a full-fledged success? Honestly, I was expecting something more." Adam muttered, looking at the evening sky where the stars were slowly beginning to appear, the brightest at first, but soon the fainter ones would show themselves.

Silvana nodded:

"Don't forget that 30% were able to speed up regeneration, and 50% just couldn't get the process started. So we have 35% who benefited from this method to some extent and 15% who died. Thus, the chances of success are 2.3 times greater." Silvana said calmly.

She knew that Adam would not refuse treatment if the chance of success was far greater than failure. Perhaps, earlier, she would have worried about that, but now, seeing his confident look, she did not doubt that his choice was the right one.

"Yeah... but, I need to get into that 5%. However, accelerated regeneration isn't a bad thing at all, but it's for emergencies."

Silvana nodded.

"Don't forget what Magnus said, a lot depends on the Phantom itself and the regenerative monster chosen. Each time, the strength of the Phantom and the monster was different, thus these data are distorted. They would be accurate if the Phantom and monster were of the same difficulty each time, with the same wounds."

Adam sighed heavily.

"Damn, I wish this would be over sooner. Living with one arm is not comfortable at all. It feels like I've lost half of my abilities. What's more, Thunder Demon took my main arm, I'm not left-handed..." Adam frowned, looking at his remaining hand.

Silvana smiled bitterly.

"If this works out, you'll have your hand back as soon as tomorrow. That's a lot better than waiting three to six months, isn't it?"

"Hah, that's for sure." Adam grinned, about to open the ancient wooden door. They had already approached the right building.

Step.

Silvana stepped forward, opening the door for him. They looked at each other, smiled slightly, and Adam stepped forward. He would not refuse the help of someone important to him because of childish embarrassment and awkwardness.

Once inside, they saw the dim light that only slightly illuminated the exquisite outfits, as well as a few visitors choosing a suitable suit for themselves.

"Hello! I'm sorry, but it's 8:55 PM, we're no longer accepting visitors." A girl appeared in front of them, wearing formal clothes, but with designer additions, making her outfit not too strict and moderately cute.

Then, the girl noticed that Adam didn't have his right hand, and her face changed to become more serious.

"What's your name, Mr...?" The girl narrowed her eyes.

"Adam Vinter. Come on, you know why we are here and why we came so late. There's no time to waste, we still need to get ready."

"Sure. Follow me." The girl nodded, heading to the far side of the store.

...

The wooden door opened, letting three shadows into a room where ordinary visitors were not allowed to enter. It was the private workshop of the head tailor - Cazimir Vigenet.

Cazimir, a middle-aged man, was examining a tall suit on one of the stands, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as if looking for what he could improve on in his creation.

"Mr. Cazimir, Adam Vinter and Silvana Desio are here." The girl said before returning to the main hall.

Cazimir had short brown hair, shrewd green eyes, and a sparse beard. He had special glasses with a retractable lens to closely examine even the tiniest of details.

Then, Cazimir nodded and turned to Adam & Silvana.

"Good evening. I didn't expect to be asked so harshly, but who am I to refuse Magnus?" Cazimir smiled kindly as he waved his hand, heading towards the desk.

"Have a seat and tell me what you would like. What are your preferences? We don't have too much time left before the Red Feast begins." Cazimir adjusted his glasses.

Adam and Silvana nodded, sitting down on the small wooden chairs as if they were not in a luxurious atelier but in the workshop of an old tailor doing his favorite work for the heart.

"Preferences?" Silvana asked puzzled. Even she didn't quite understand what Cazimir was talking about, "Weren't you just supposed to pick out outfits for us?"

Cazimir raised an eyebrow, then he chuckled until he was actively laughing.

"Hahaha, so you don't even know why you came here in the first place?" Cazimir patted his legs with his palms unable to contain his emotions, "Magnus is in his repertoire as always. Well, it's not a problem. It's something we can work with."

Then, Cazimir's face grew serious as he waved his hand toward the many costumes, standing in his workshop.

"Red Feast is by invitation only to special members who have been attending Red Feast for at least one year. Apparently, Magnus is one of those people. However, no matter who you are, whether you are a newcomer or one of the veteran gourmets, you must have a suit, but not an ordinary one from an elite atelier, but a special one." Cazimir proceeded to explain with a serious, yet kind tone.

It was obvious that unlike Magnus, whose mind was not clear on what was going on, Cazimir was clearly a more friendly and straightforward person.

"Do they only make costumes like this here?" Adam asked, glancing around.

"Well, technically, any reasonably skilled tailor can do it, but it's best to go to someone who knows about Red Feast, obviously there aren't very many tailors like that." Cazimir said with a slight pride in his voice.

He was a simple man, but he had connections with the military and blacksmiths, Phantoms, and scientists alike, not to mention various businessmen and politicians of different caliber. Not everyone was destined to achieve such a thing.

"In any case, you must tell me your preferred colors, and the format of your costume whether it is something austere and tight or a wide dress like a princess. Then, the shape of your masks as well as your alias." Cazimir waved his hand.

Silvana looked thoughtfully at the table as she muttered, "So we need a unique costume, a mask, an alias, and an invitation from one of the old members. All this just to get into Red Feast... It's severe restrictions."

Cazimir smirked, "Don't forget one more detail."

Adam glanced at him, puzzled.

Cazimir poked a thumb at his chest with a satisfied look:

"You need an excellent tailor."

"Agh... I see. Well, in that case, let's get started. I'd like a suit with a long coat as the main part, but keeping a classic style, while still being comfortable and stretchy enough. The main colors are black and silver, black being the priority.

The mask should cover the upper part of the face, everything except the mouth, for obvious reasons." Adam said confidently as if he were a regular customer of the tailors.

Silvana smiled contentedly, fixing her hair. After Fall Hill Prison, Adam had taken a bit of an interest in clothes. Then and now along the way, Silvana brought him up to speed, so Adam knew what he wanted and how to explain it.

"Good. I think I can work something out." Cazimir nodded, rubbing his chin. A blueprint and plan of action was already forming in his head.

Then, he looked at Silvana, waiting for her inquiry.

"I'd like a long, narrow dress, with closed necklines but ample open shoulders, long sleeves woven with many threads. The main colors are black and red. I would like the style to be aggressive, moderately sexy, but still strict. The mask should leave the mouth open, but only slightly, covering the head and even part of the hair." Silvana gave out her exact requirements.

Cazimir nodded, "Looks like I have a lot of work ahead of me, but that's good. Better to fulfill interesting orders than easy and boring ones."

Adam narrowed his eyes.

"Are we going to make it in time? Red Feast is only a few hours away."

"Hey, I may seem kind, but don't you dare question my professional skills." Cazimir said menacingly, "Dead Lands is your battlefield, and the thread and needle are mine!"

"Oh... In a way, we are alike. After all, I combine everything you said." Adam said calmly, but for some reason, Cazimir sensed a threat in Adam's voice.

Cazimir sighed.

"In any case, you must tell me one last detail before you start work." Cazimir put his hands together, looking intently at Adam and Silvana, "What aliases have you chosen?"

Adam and Silvana looked over at each other.

...

Two hours later, Adam and Silvana stood in front of the mirrors, looking at their costumes that had come out of Cazir's needle just minutes before.

Adam's body was covered by a long black coat, with metallic edges that held a dangerous glint, the high collar able to hide the lower part of his face.

Oddly enough, Adam had decided to keep the two sleeves, even though he had one arm, for now. The right sleeve was sewn to the coat with silver threads that could be easily torn.

Underneath the coat was a tight vest, with three buttons. Underneath were dark pants with a snow-white belt and confidently fitting shoes.

The mask was silver, the right side lacked any detail, it was completely faded and devoid of uniqueness, but... the left side was in the form of four claws extending further beyond Adam's face to his ear.

'Looks like Cazimir is aware of my progress on Dead Lands.' Adam inwardly muttered, touching the mask.

Then, he turned to Silvana.

The tight black dress emphasized all her curves, but only her shoulders were exposed. Cazimir had tried to add a lot of detail to make the dress look more opulent than it actually was.

Wide red lines of fabric showed up on her sleeves and closer to her legs, creating a scarlet flowing effect.

Her face was hidden by a black mask with red splashes of paint. Five metal rods went backwards, like the paws of a spider holding its prey tightly.

"We should get going now, shouldn't we?" Adam grinned, impressed with Cazimir's work and Silvana's transformation.

"Yes."