The theater performance was the main event of the evening, but not the only one. One floor up was a spacious hall with many tables set up with food and various drinks.
For so people, this was the most important part rather than the show itself, as it was easy to make connections, get to know new people, or agree on sothing during the banquet.
Well, not everyone had ulterior motives, soone just wanted to have a glass of wine or eat so delicious appetizers after a rather long spectacle.
But... so were looking forward to the end of this show much more than others.
"Uncle Max!" Lona exclaid, running down the hallway, holding up her white puffy dress, she hadn't yet changed after the show and was still in her role as a princess.
Max, standing against the wall, smiled and stepped forward.
Lona, full of joy, jumped right into his arms. Max deftly caught her, to him, she seed as light as a feather.
"Hello, young actress. Your performance turned out to be rather long, didn't it?" Max smiled, looking into Lona's large, azure eyes.
"Yep!" Lona nodded vigorously several tis, hugging Max tightly.
Step. Step. Step.
At the sa ti, footsteps sounded from the end of the hallway. It was the staff passage leading to the banquet hall, Lona and Max lingered so no one would co this way, but...
"Damn, this is such an expensive building, but they couldn't make enough aisles? Did you see that line? People were crowding in like if they didn't get out of the hall, the world would end!" A young yet disgruntled voice ca from the far end of the aisle.
"It's always like that, it's a good thing we decided to take our ti and look for another way in." In response, a calm female voice rang out.
As the echo of their footsteps reached Max and Lona, causing them to turn their heads to the sound, two silhouettes appeared from the corner.
Max's eyes grew wider for a mont.
"Adam, Silvana...?"
Max muttered, he hadn't expected to see them here.
Well, they were in the sa situation as the confused Max.
"Wow, it looks like choosing this passage turned out to be an even better decision than we originally thought." Adam uttered with a wide grin on his face.
He quickened his step, approaching Lona and Max, waving to them.
Silvana was walking slightly behind him with a kind expression on her face. If Adam was looking at Max, Silvana turned to Lona, eting her gaze.
"Well, well, I didn't expect to ever see you in a classic suit, especially such a strict version." Max smirked, looking at Adam, who didn't look like soone who dressed that way often.
In response, Adam only shrugged and pointed a thumb at Silvana.
"It's all her fault, though for herself, as you can see, she chose to dress loosely." Adam said nonchalantly.
Silvana only chuckled contentedly at his words.
Lona glanced at Adam's hand wrist, noticing that there was a NEP on his wrist.
"Wait... Are you Phantom?!" Lona exclaid in disbelief, her eyes were wide open and shining brightly as if she saw a celebrity.
Adam felt strange at this reaction. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, not knowing what to say.
Struck.
Silvana's elbow crashed into his ribs, making him wince with a sharp jolt and bringing him to his senses.
"Yes." Silvana said calmly with a slight nod, "Adam is a Phantom and I am his Operator, my na is Silvana. We are pleased to et you, Lona."
Adam smiled, trying to make ands for the situation.
"Your uncle and I are good acquaintances. It's good that we t. Your performance was amazing, I couldn't look away for a second!"
When Silvana heard this, she couldn't help but let out a short laugh.
'Damn, he says it so confidently that I would definitely believe him if I didn't know that for almost half of it, he slept leaning on my shoulder... Hah, it was the right decision on his part.'
Adam was confused by Lona's reaction, but, of the two of them, he was the one acting strangely.
Lona was Max's niece, but that didn't affect the fact that she was just an ordinary person, an actress student.
Max had no reason or desire to take Lona to his workplace where she could et the Phantoms, so like any ordinary person, for her, eting a Phantom was a rarity.
"Uncle, is it true? I know you work with Phantoms, but... It's still amazing. I've only talked to Phantoms a few tis, that's thanks to you."
Silvana glanced at Max, who just shrugged, he didn't want to mix work and life, but sotis it happened.
"Lona, you seem to be interested in Phantoms, your eyes are straight up shining with excitent, I must say."
Lona nodded vigorously several tis as she clenched her fists tightly, holding them in front of her.
"Yes! I often watch the popular Phantoms fights! It's so cool! Phantoms are so strong and special, I wish I had abilities like them!"
"Hahaha."
Adam laughed embarrassedly, he hadn't heard so many complints about the Phantoms in a long ti.
"Well, pretty soon, your Uncle Max will too..." Adam uttered, but he didn't have ti to finish his sentence.
Sothing stopped him.
He felt like he had been pierced by a sharp dagger, raising his eyes, Adam t Max's gaze, nacing and hard, letting Adam know clearly that he shouldn't have said that.
"Hmm? My uncle what?" Lona tilted her head in confusion.
Adam smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to say to him.
"Your uncle will beco strong too, even stronger due to the training he's undergone. We all progress, inside and out." Silvana said confidently as she took a step forward.
Lona's eyes shone like a child's as she turned to Max.
"Wow! This is so cool! Special training in the Dark Order!"
Tap.
Max's palm fell on her head, caressing her blue hair, with a slight smile on his face.
"Yeah, but let's talk about that later. We should go to the banquet, we're already way late."
"Uhum!"
Adam looked at Silvana and nodded in acknowledgnt.
"Thanks, I almost said too much." Adam scratched the back of his head, looking at Lona and Max, who already moved forward.
Silvana shook her head.
"It's alright. It only beca obvious to after I saw how fascinated Lona was with the Phantoms. In that case, you shouldn't reveal secrets ahead of ti and say what's going on."
Adam nodded silently before quickly following Lona and Max.
'Well...' Silvana inwardly muttered, looking at Max intently, 'Lona doesn't even realize that pretty soon he'll be a Phantom and not just a simple one... The Natural Phantom, who will quickly get through the first two levels, that's for sure.'
Silvana's eyes reflected the recent fights between Adam and Max.
'I wonder... Which monster will he decide to kill?'
...
Step. Step. Step.
Less than a minute later, Adam, Silvana, Lona, and Max entered the banquet hall, with tables of food and people in expensive suits around.
So people cast glances at Adam, but among them all, he failed to notice only one, the most intense one.
A man with long purple hair was staring at him intently as if he'd noticed it long ago but only now had the chance to connect.
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