My Shard Bearer System - Elias's Legacy
Chapter 68: Splitting Up

Chapter 68: Splitting Up

Elias shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck as he studied the diagram again. "So, uh, I haven’t really made much of anything like this before," he admitted with a sheepish grin. "But you know what? Screw it. Let’s give it a go. What do you say, Dots?"

The small figure perched on his shoulder nodded enthusiastically, its tiny voice chiming with determination. "Sure, let’s give it a go!"

Elias glanced at Dots, who hovered momentarily before focusing intently on the paper. Its tiny hands pressed together as a faint shimmer of light began to pulse around it. The energy coalesced, forming a glowing outline in midair. Elias leaned in, his breath hitching as the outline thickened, becoming more defined—a boxy object with faint grooves and ridges matching the image on the diagram.

The glossy surface began to solidify, giving it an almost polished sheen. For a fleeting moment, Elias felt a swell of pride as the object hovered between them, nearly complete.

But then the surface flickered—first subtle, then violently.

Tiny screws began rattling loose, dropping noiselessly to the floor, while the screen fizzled with static, displaying nothing but a frozen demo image that bore no resemblance to a functioning device.

Elias’ excitement deflated. "Oh, come on," he muttered, stepping back as the object began to quiver unnaturally. The once-sturdy construct shimmered, its edges softening as if it were melting away. Within seconds, the entire creation fizzled into nothing, evaporating in a faint shimmer of light.

Elara caught the object mid-air just as it solidified briefly before its ultimate failure. She turned it over in her hands, studying it carefully. "Hmmm," she mused, placing a finger under her chin. "This is strange."

Elias raised an eyebrow. "What’s strange? It looks fine to me. Well... almost."

Elara held it up, pointing to the incomplete insides. "It’s got the shape and even the surface detail. But inside? Practically empty, aside from a couple of loose screws. And this screen," she added, tapping it, "is just displaying the demo image from the diagram."

She hadn’t even finished her sentence before the device began to fade entirely, its faint shimmer disappearing like dust blown in the wind.

Yui rolled his eyes, leaning back with an exaggerated sigh. "This is a waste of time. We should’ve just gone about this the normal way."

Elara nodded, her expression calm yet contemplative. "I actually expected as much," she admitted, her hand dipping into the sleek black leather bag at her side.

The bag, paired with the subtle elegance of her black swimsuit and wrap, reflected her usual preparedness.

With a flick of her wrist, she pulled out a device identical to the one from the diagram.

"But," she continued, holding it up for the others to see, "I wanted to test his Ikona for my own knowledge."

Kimi chuckled, leaning forward, elbows resting casually on her knees. "Of course you did, Elara. You can’t help yourself." She tilted her head toward Elias, smirking. "Guess she wasn’t putting all her eggs in one basket. You’re lucky she’s always two steps ahead."

Yui scoffed, crossing his arms and looking away. "Lucky isn’t the word I’d use. More like babysat."

Elara’s brow arched slightly, and though she didn’t comment, the faintest flicker of annoyance crossed her face before she turned to inspect the device in her hand. She murmured quietly, as though to herself, "Dots did fine for a first attempt, given the complexity..."

Elias finally chimed in, his voice a mix of frustration and curiosity. "Wait... you had one this whole time? Then what was the point of that little experiment again?"

Elara met his gaze evenly, her tone practical. "Dots is still developing. I wanted to see how far the Ikona could push itself. Even small failures like this are important for progress."

Elias nodded and thought for a moment as he ran a hand through his hair, letting out a slow breath. "Dots, what happened back there? Why did it go wrong?"

Dots’ small voice replied quietly, heard only by Elara. "I—I didn’t understand all the parts. Some of the internal components... I couldn’t picture them clearly enough. If I had more time to study it, I think I could do it."

Elias crossed his arms, nodding slightly as he processed the new information. "I see... so you just need to study and know how whatever you’re creating works? That explains why you were able to make very basic structures, like a slab of metal?"

Dots bobbed in agreement.

Elara sighed, adjusting the strap of her bag as she turned her attention back to the scanner. "Sadly, we don’t have the time to focus on that right now. Let’s go ahead and pull a scan for the shards’ locations."

She pressed a series of commands into the device, its glossy surface flickering as a rhythmic pulse rolled outward. A faint hum resonated, growing steadier until—two blue dots materialized on the screen, blinking softly.

Elara examined the readings. "About 3 clicks to the east." She exhaled sharply. "Perfect. At least they’re still showing up within the resort."

Elara then snapped it into two pieces; right down the middle as a soft click played as she tossed it to Yui

She turned toward the rest, her voice firm. "I’ll take Kimi to look for one of them. Elias, you’ll go with Yui to track the other. Yusuke, you’re staying back and monitoring any and all parties entering the resort. The ship’s scanner will log everyone coming in—if anyone shows up on the threat register, or if their ID simply doesn’t appear, write their name down and flag it."

Yusuke gave a single nod. "Understood."

Yui scoffed, shifting his weight onto one leg. "Hold on. Yusuke’s actually capable of fighting. He’s a third-degree in belt classes. You should be keeping Elias back, not him."

Elara’s eyes remained steady as she replied. "We’re tracking two shard users. We have no idea what they might do, and in the heat of battle, Elias could conjure something up that solves whatever’s needed."

She shot a glance toward Elias before adding, "That said, depending on how long this mission takes, he needs to start hitting the books on general electronics so Dots can actually understand how to build more complex things."

She looked back to Yui. "So while you’re out, stop by any bookstores and grab some general tech manuals."

Yui let out an exaggerated sigh, muttering under his breath. "I’m waiting for you to tell me this is some kind of joke." He shook his head as he adjusted his sunglasses. "Dots, Cubes, and all these other names—but we can’t even see them? It’s ridiculous."

Elara rubbed the back of her head looking at cubes icy features and smile; "sometimes I wish it was... but not much else we can do about it but adapt.."

"We will surround the target and watch from a distance together and collect information; once we’ve determined who it is; we will regroup and draft a plan to extract them without making a scene." She finished