"Are you luckier than the others?" Adam asked.

Silvana nodded as she turned to him.

"I mean, our situation is one of the rarest scenarios that has ever happened. However, that's not the only reason, because any K4-Phantom and his Operator are in the same situation. "

Adam silently drank his coffee, listening to her intently. As a Phantom, he never delved into what was happening in the Operator world. Sure, he knew a lot about them, about what the girls and guys at the academy went through, what decisions they sometimes had to make, and so on. But all of that was preparatory.

His information about what was happening in the offices and military facilities was limited. He knew that at first, the Operators worked in teams with the Phantoms, who were still too weak and inexperienced to be assigned a personal Operator.

Then, when a Phantom proved its importance, it gained the right to choose its partner, just as Adam did when he first arrived at the Citadel after returning from the Dead Lands.

"Adam, you have to understand that when a Phantom and Operator start working together, it's like the beginning of a relationship between two lovers. Sure, in our case, these two things can be combined, but we were also mostly just a Phantom and Operator, not boyfriend and girlfriend," Silvana said.

"Yeah, sure, I understand that, but you want to say something else, don't you?"

She nodded.

"Sometimes, as in romantic relationships, a Phantom and Operator just aren't right for each other. We managed to avoid that, but I think it's a really bad scenario. I mean... imagine if we had broken up halfway through, if we had decided to end our union when you were a K2-Phantom."

Silvana's eyes filled with sadness for a moment as she continued:

"We would have had to start a union with another person somehow, always remembering our failure, and that's not even the worst scenario there is."

"Hmm? What could be worse?"

"Well..." She squeezed Adam's hand. "Because of how much you like to take risks, I've had to think about this more than once. Again, I'm luckier than most, but... what do you think Operators go through when their Phantoms die in battle?"

At that moment, Adam's relaxed expression became more serious.

Silvana bit her lip.

"Not only have you become stronger and gained notoriety in certain circles, but as your Operator, I've been affected too. I've heard many stories, perhaps more than I would have liked, and some were particularly grim.

"You can be with someone for several years, go through dozens of missions and battles together, and then... nothing, everything disappears in an instant. Death awaits a Phantom, and you are left with a void that is almost impossible to fill."

In fact, deep down, Adam understood that this was how things were.

Every day was the last mission for some Phantom. Some Operator was left without their partner, and it was a cruel, bloody process that would never stop, and nothing could influence it.

The Phantoms would continue to fight against monsters, one of them would become stronger and move on to the next level, and someone would die.

Moreover, one Phantom could die on its first mission, while another could die after going through hundreds of battles because this time it met an opponent too strong for it to have a chance against.

"So... I guess we should be grateful for what we have, right? I'm alive, you're alive, and we're both stronger than ever. We have to keep working so that nothing bad happens to either of us. I don't want to leave you alone in the dark."

Adam's words calmed Silvana's growing panic as she grabbed his hand and pulled him close.

"You say that, but then you'll make me worry again when you risk your life fighting a dangerous monster, won't you?" She narrowed her eyes.

Adam shrugged in response.

"You knew who you were choosing as your partner. Maybe the right of first choice belongs to a Phantom, we choose an Operator from the available options, but when it comes to merging energies, you, the Operators, have the final say."

Silvana's lips curved upward as she kissed Adam.

He glanced away for a moment, pondering her words.

"Many actually lose their partners or break up in the first few months, right?"

She nodded deeply.

"Maybe I'm thinking about it too much, but... the number of cases I've heard about really scares me."

"I see. Well, unfortunately, to understand that this is true, we just need to look at the statistics of how many Phantoms make it to the K4-Level. I think we both understand that it will be a small number, and many of them don't retire but die in battle against monsters. It's a cruel statistic, but it reflects how things really are."

Silvana bit her lip, realizing that Adam was right and that they were practically an exception, as they were lucky enough to both reach the K4-Level.

Tap.

Silvana turned as she touched a tablet. The screen flashed brightly, catching Adam's attention.

"So, instead of thinking about the deaths and failures of other Phantoms, maybe we should finally order breakfast? Isn't that what you wanted from the beginning?" He smiled slightly, realizing that this was an important topic for Silvana.

She was an Operator, and everything that happened to other Operators affected her as well. She heard what they said, and many of them turned to her for advice.

However, Adam was right. Now she needed to rest and focus on herself.

"Yeah, let's order breakfast. I think I want something sweet."

"Hah, me too. We have similar tastes!"

...

About half an hour later, they were sitting at the kitchen table with several dishes in front of them. Silvana had pancakes, Adam had eggs and bacon, and they both had lemon cheesecake and vanilla ice cream.

Tap.

Silvana took a bite of her pancake and smiled contentedly.

"I think we should think about a house."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

In response, she pointed to their suite.

"How about something like this? Fortunately, we can afford something like this, right?"

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