Endless Evolution: Last Star

It was already late at night, so there were no workers or scientists in the Iron Observatory, all of them were already in their homes and sleeping deeply, waiting for the next day to continue their research and experiments for the benefit of the Citadel.

However, just like at Miracle Observatory where Magnus's house was located at the very top, the master of the Iron Observatory was here even at this late hour.

"Father, you mentioned a certain woman several times, is that the head of the Iron Observatory?" Nessa asked with excitement in her voice.

Despite her status and the fact that she was officially Magnus's assistant this was the first time she had come to the Iron Observatory. She had never needed to come here before.

There was nothing strange about that, as Nessa had spent her entire childhood in the closed-off part of the Miracle Observatory, trying to suppress her animal nature. When she became an adult with full control over her powers, she helped Magnus, studied, and trained.

Moreover, the free scientists rarely ever needed to see each other. They were all doing different things, practically unrelated.

"Yeah, she already knows we're here and is watching us. Like I said earlier, keep quiet and pretend you're my shadow." Magnus once again repeated his warnings.

Nessa didn't know what made the head of the Iron Observatory so dangerous, but she knew that it would be difficult to negotiate with her.

Step. Step. Step.

Magnus walked confidently forward, while Nessa followed cautiously behind him. Her footsteps were almost inaudible, neat, and inconspicuous as a cat's, what about Magnus?

Well... He stomped loudly, his strides echoing through the wide passageway that seemed to be part of a museum for unusual designs.

Nessa's gaze was caught by an unusual mechanical arm, no, it was more like a paw with sharp blades that mimicked claws. It was human-sized and mounted on one of the stands.

Magnus obviously knew where to go, but soon he had to stop and a satisfied smirk appeared on his face.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

With a thud, the lamps on the ceiling lit up, throwing waves of light onto the floor as if on a theater stage.

At the same moment, a silhouette came out from around the corner and stood confidently at the end.

Soon, it was time for the last lamp that was directly above the silhouette that was still in the shadows.

Nessa narrowed her eyes trying to see who it was with her sharp beast-like vision. Unlike ordinary humans, darkness was not a problem for her.

Well, she didn't have time to see everything in detail before the bright light revealed who was lurking in the darkness.

Nessa's eyes went wide, what she saw was clearly not what she had expected.

At the end of the aisle, stood a girl of medium height with toxic pink hair, with two ponytails of long braids twisted in a bow.

The girl had unusually bright blue eyes, more like aquamarine, a color not natural to humans.

She was wearing a long white coat, but not the usual one, it was quite thick and covered in barely visible protective plates that mimicked the scales of monsters. On her feet were high boots that added at least five centimeters to her height.

However, she was considerably shorter than Magnus and Nessa, who for women possessed a very tall stature.

Her skin was a little pale and seemed a little artificial for they were too perfect, smooth, and soft, and her face had cute features.

Nessa gulped, confusion filling her eyes.

She had heard Douglas and Magnus talk about this girl, so she imagined that the head of the Iron Observatory must have been a stern middle-aged woman with a sharp mind and iron principles, exuding confidence and discipline.

However... the girl in front of them looked like a student who was preparing for an experiment in tomorrow's chemistry class...

Step. Step. Step.

The girl stepped forward, looking at Magnus with a confident smile.

Then, she stopped, staring intently into his eyes.

Nessa didn't say anything, but she could feel the tension growing between them every second, she seemed to see lightning coming out of their eyes colliding with each other in the middle.

"Magnus!!! My favorite sweet bun!" The girl exclaimed before jumping at Magnus.

Magnus caught her, having no problem letting her arms hang around his neck while she looked up at him with a joyful smile like a fan or rather a lover...?

Nessa's jaw opened wide, if there had been a chance it would have fallen to the ground with a loud crack.

She had expected anything except this. It was completely out of place in her view of this encounter.

"Nessa, meet Refesa Alheim, free scientist and head of the Iron Observatory." Magnus said kindly, beginning to pull Refesa by her cheeks as if she were a soft toy.

"Yes... Nice to meet you." Nessa muttered with her eyes still wide open.

"Hmm?!"

Suddenly, Refesa frowned heavily and her eyes turned cold and hard, directing her stern gaze at Nessa.

"Hey, beastly bitch, haven't you been taught manners on how to address your elders? Now bow down and show respect." Refesa commanded.

Nessa flinched, quickly doing as Refesa said. She felt strange, it seemed that Refesa's voice had magical powers.

"Excuse me!!! It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Refesa!" Nessa bowed low. The last time she had felt such power on her was only from Magnus, her body moving on its own.

"Hey, don't be so hard on my daughter." Magnus said softly, calming Refesa down.

"Fine." Refesa snorted.

Nessa took a deep breath raising her head. Then, she realized she heard something strange.

'Wait... She said to show her respect because she's older? She looks less than 20! Much less!' Nessa inwardly exclaimed.

Magnus smirked.

"Oh, Nessa, I think I know what you're thinking. There was nothing strange about Refesa's words, after all, she's a few years older than me."

Refesa smirked.

Nessa's sweat came out, she couldn't believe how that was possible.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter now. Refesa, will you help us?"

"Sure, sorry but I overheard your conversation with Douglas, I have my ways, you know." Refesa giggled.

Magnus nodded.

"That's good. Now, let's get to work."

Magnus said and headed forward, holding Refesa in his arms while she rested her head on his shoulder with a slight smile on her face.