My Shard Bearer System - Elias's Legacy
Chapter 92: A Plight of Time

Chapter 92: A Plight of Time

Elias lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling, his thoughts spiraling as he tried to make sense of everything. The past few weeks had been a blur—battle, survival, training, and now, a looming deadline hanging over their heads. It all felt like too much.

Inside the shard, Dot’s sat with her legs crossed, peering out through the strange, hazy connection she shared with Elias’s mind. "Are you okay?"

Elias sighed internally. "I think so... I just feel like I don’t know nearly enough. About this whole situation, about my abilities... about you. But it’s nice having you along for the ride. I imagine everyone else feels the same about their Ikona."

Dot’s hummed. "That is true."

His eyelids grew heavy, the weight of exhaustion finally pulling him under. Just as he drifted off, his mind fumbled for one last thought.

"Dot’s... do you have any idea how old you might be? Or why you were inside the shard?"

A pause.

"No... but I have theories," Dot’s admitted. "Though—oh. You’re already asleep."

She hovered in the space within the shard, her tiny hands pressing against the faintly glowing walls. A warmth pulsed through them—a familiar feeling, yet she couldn’t place where she had felt it before.

Then, in a blink, she was somewhere else.

A long, narrow corridor stretched before her, Elias standing at the center, confusion flickering in his expression. At the far end, the Doctor sat in his rolling chair, spinning lazily before stopping to face them. Above his head, a clock ticked down—13 days remaining.

"Great to see you both doing well again," the Doctor greeted, stretching his arms before snapping his fingers.

A message floated between them:

Elias Kael - Personal Stats

🛠 Strength: 12/100

⚡ Speed: 10/100

🧠 Intelligence: 32/100

🏋 Endurance: 30/100

👀 Perception: 15/100

🔥 Instinct: 50/100

The Doctor clapped his hands together, his expression amused. "Wow! Would you look at that? You’ve made some decent progress in such a short time."

Elias rubbed the back of his neck, scanning the numbers.

"Decent?" he muttered. "I feel like I got run over and barely survived."

The Doctor chuckled, then snapped his fingers again. A new list appeared.

Next Requirements Before Phase One Ends:

🛠 Strength: 25/100 🔴 (Increase Required)

⚡ Speed: 15/100 🔴 (Increase Required)

🧠 Intelligence: 32/100 ✅ (Acceptable)

🏋 Endurance: 30/100 ✅ (Acceptable)

👀 Perception: 20/100 🔴 (Increase Required)

🔥 Instinct: 50/100 ✅ (Acceptable)

The Doctor leaned forward in his chair, resting his chin on his hand. "You have until the 13-day deadline to meet these requirements. Though, of course..." He smiled. "If you lose your shard, none of this will matter."

Elias rubbed the back of his head, glancing down at his chest where the shard remained embedded beneath his skin. "Well, I guess I’m lucky it’s stuck in there," he muttered before shifting his focus back to the Doctor. "Am I allowed to ask any questions, or is that everything for this time?"

The Doctor checked his nonexistent watch, stretching his arms lazily before giving Elias a small nod. "You’ve got a few minutes left of energy. Go ahead—ask anything. If I can’t answer, I’ll just tell you no."

Elias took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders. "Alright then..." He thought carefully before speaking. "Why did the shard even enter this planet?"

"Can’t answer."

Elias frowned. "Hmmm... Are the aliens attacking our world related to the shards?"

The Doctor’s expression shifted slightly. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he responded, tone carefully neutral. "The what...? Uh... no?" He cleared his throat. "What aliens?"

Elias tilted his head, studying the Doctor’s face. "I’m not too sure what they really are. Gross creatures, mostly. Seem pretty mindless when attacking."

The Doctor hummed, tapping his chin, distracted. "Strange."

Elias narrowed his gaze. "Are the shards related to the events of Cradle Planet?"

This time, the Doctor gave a slow nod. "It’s related, but not directly."

Elias opened his mouth for another question, but before he could speak, Dot’s suddenly shouted, her tiny voice cutting through the space.

"Will you ever give me my memories back?!"

The Doctor, now fully focused, met Dot’s gaze. "You will get them all back," he said plainly. "But slowly—to not overwhelm your own heart."

Dot’s crossed her tiny arms, huffing, but she didn’t argue.

The Doctor clapped his hands together, standing from his chair. "That’s about all the time we have today. I’ve gathered plenty of good data so far. The last thing I’ll do before sending you back..." He raised his fingers, snapping them once.

"I’m changing the frequency that shards give off. This way, people can grow naturally without being hunted down like dogs too soon."

A deep vibration rolled through the space, a barely perceptible shift that Elias could feel down to his bones. Before he could process the change, a loud ringing noise pierced through the void.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Elias jolted awake. His body stiffened as his eyes flew open, staring at the ceiling of his room.

The alarm read 5:00 AM.

The morning passed quickly, the group moving through the routine under Kikaru and Paul’s instruction. Though their bodies ached, none of them complained—Colby’s absence was a sharp enough reminder that slacking off wasn’t an option.

Before they wrapped up, they all stood in a circle, taking a moment to acknowledge him and his sister. Each spoke briefly, offering hopes for his recovery and a quiet determination to grow stronger in his absence.

Once the cooldown ended, they regrouped inside the common area, everyone finding a seat as Kikaru stepped forward, crossing her arms. "Alright, let’s start with the new guy," she said, nodding toward Junjio. "Introduce yourself and tell us about your Ikona."

Junjio gave a small nod, taking a step forward. "Thanks for welcoming me," he started, his voice steady but unsure. "I’ll keep it simple—I can create portals. One entry, one exit, limited range. It’s useful for quick movement and repositioning, but in a straight fight..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Not sure how much it helps on its own."

Kikaru tapped her chin, considering. "Does your Ikona give you any kind of offensive balance?"

No; but it’s really friendly; Also I should mention that my real name is Ānbè Rinkān I just go by Junjio as my alias; just incase you hear anything confusing down the line; then his Ikona—a small, multi-colored creature perched on his shoulder—puffed up its tiny chest and pointed a stubby finger toward Kikaru.

A second later, her golden hair darkened, shifting into a swirling blend of purple and orange—the same pattern as Junjio’s Ikona.

Kikaru blinked, startled, reaching up to touch her hair. "I see... So full defense and stealth, huh?" She exhaled, watching the colors reflect in the light. "This could be more useful than you think once your skill tree upgrades."

"Yeah, maybe..." Junjio muttered.

"Change it back."

"It’s time-based." It said

Kikaru sighed, folding her arms. "Fine, whatever. Next." She turned to Tidwell. "Give everyone a refresher."

Kikaru gave Paul a sharp nod, motioning for him to speak.

Paul cleared his throat, rolling his shoulders back. "Simply put, I can summon a glass-like structure, and my Ikona generates pure energy. On its own, the energy is weak—feels like a mild sunburn at best. But after bouncing it off my mirrors?" He smirked slightly. "It can melt steel."

A murmur passed through the group, but Paul wasn’t done.

"Also, if my glass touches someone’s skin, it temporarily changes their body into the same material. It wears off after a while, but let me tell you—most people panic when they suddenly see their hand turn into glass."

Kikaru tapped a finger against her arm, considering the implications. "That’s... actually pretty useful. We’ll test how long that effect lasts later."

She shifted her gaze, landing next on Faye.

Faye waved at the group. "So, my Ikona absorbs sound waves and rearranges them into physical objects. Weird, I know. But I need an existing object to house the sound first."

Elias furrowed his brow. "Wait, so... the sound becomes tangible?"

Faye nodded. "Pretty much. But my actual ability is different. When I sing, my lyrics turn into commands. If I sing ’go to sleep’ with the right intent, guess what? You’re out like a light."

Junjio raised a hand. "So... if you sing about someone exploding, would they actually blow up?"

The group fell silent, eyes shifting toward Faye.

She hesitated. "That’s... a really good question. And, um, maybe not the best thing to test?"

Kikaru sighed. "We’ll figure out the limitations later." She turned to the last person in the lineup—Bui.

The bespectacled young man pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, adjusting the sleeves of his slightly oversized jacket. "Alright, mine’s pretty simple. My ability converts my body fat into energy. The more I sweat, the stronger I get... and, well, the skinnier I get."

Elias raised an eyebrow. "That sounds... like a blessing and a curse."

Bui shrugged. "It has its ups and downs. If I burn too much too fast, I can get dangerously weak." He motioned to his Ikona, a small, leafy creature perched on his shoulder. "But my Ikona compensates by growing vegetation at super speed. So, technically, I can use it to grow extra food and replenish what I lose."