"Well," he said after a pause, his voice tinged with humor, "if you were going to tell me you'd show up , I wouldn't have dressed like a grease monkey."
Elara offered a faint smile. "I'd hoped to catch you after your shift. Can we talk?"
Elias opened his mouth to respond, but a sudden, sharp burn flared in his chest. He winced, reaching for his pocket to pull out a small bottle of painkillers. He shook a couple into his hand and downed them dry, waving off her concern. "Sure," he said after a beat. "It's been years since we talked regularly. What's going on, Elara?"
She hesitated, glancing toward the restaurant's bustling interior. "So much," she said finally. "It's always something new. Things have been spiraling since the event, and they've only gotten worse. They've captured over a dozen people showing symptoms like mine. But I have no idea where they've been taken."
Elias crossed his arms, leaning against the counter. "And why are you telling me this? Sounds like the kind of thing that should stay behind a locked door with six or seven padlocks."
Elara's gaze shifted, the confidence in her eyes faltering. "I've been trying to ignore the voices for weeks," she admitted. "But they just keep getting louder. Eventually... they told me to find you."
Elias's brow furrowed. "It? Voices?"
"The shard," she said, her voice quieter now. "It's connected to me. Somehow it communicates with my brain, sends me instructions. Even changes how I see the world." She studied his face, her tone steady but searching. "I was hoping you'd had a similar experience."
Elias shook his head, letting out a dry laugh. "Why would that happen? Didn't we already establish I don't have a glowing crystal sticking out of my chest?"
Elara nodded slowly. "You did say that. But... I wonder." She stepped closer and placed her hand lightly on his chest.
"H-hey," Elias stammered, his cheeks flushing. "What are you doing? PDA? We're in public here."
Elara ignored his protest, her focus unwavering. "I can feel something," she murmured. "It's faint, but it's there."
She stepped back, removing her hand and meeting his gaze. "I personally believe you came into contact with the shard. But for some reason, it's not affecting you like it has others."
Elias exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, if I do end up with a glowing crystal sticking out of my chest, you'll be the first to know."
She nodded and stood, adjusting the hem of her dress. "It was nice talking with you."
Elias leaned back slightly, his gaze narrowing. "So, if you're so sure I have this shard in me, why am I not being dragged away like some criminal?"
Elara paused, her expression unreadable. "Because I'm just here to scout and verify information. If I'm right, though, and after I submit my report, more people will be coming around. There's a growing risk of people with shards becoming dangerous. Only a few have been rounded up so far."
With that, she turned and walked out, the faint shimmer of her dress catching the dim restaurant light. Elias watched her leave, tension building in his chest. He slumped back into his chair, running a hand through his hair as his thoughts churned. The possibilities seemed endless, but none led to anything resembling clarity.
Then, like a crack splitting through his mind, a voice rang out.
"Well, after being shot and stabbed, the only direction to go is up!"
Elias jolted upright, his eyes darting around. "What the—who said that?" His voice trembled as his hands gripped the edges of the table.
"Relax, you're fine!" the voice chimed, high-pitched and oddly cheerful. "For now, anyway."
Elias blinked, the edges of his vision blurring as the world around him vanished into a swirl of shifting colors. When the haze lifted, he found himself standing in a vast, quiet space lit by a soft glow that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. His gaze dropped, and he froze.
Hovering at chest height was a tiny figure, no larger than the palm of his hand. Its crimson body glowed faintly, its smooth, rounded shape almost delicate. Large, vivid blue eyes blinked back at him, framed by long lashes that made it look almost childlike. A small black spot marked the top of its head, its glossy surface catching the faint light. Its antennae twitched slightly, swaying in time with its tiny, fluttering movements. Its small arms were clasped neatly in front of its chest, like it was trying to appear polite—or unsure.
"What the—what are you?" Elias managed, his voice shaky as he instinctively took a step back. He had to squint to fully take in its size, and part of him wondered if he was still unconscious. "Are you even real?"
The creature tilted its head, its antennae bobbing lightly. "What am I?" it repeated, its voice soft and high-pitched, like a small chime. "Good question. Honestly, I don't really know." It floated a bit closer, making Elias instinctively lean away. "I just... came back, I guess. Whatever I was before? That's a blank."
"Came back?" Elias's hands curled into fists at his sides. "You're not making any sense."
The creature lifted its tiny hands, palms out, as if to calm him. "Easy there, big guy. I'm just as confused as you are. I woke up when we bonded."
"Bonded?" Elias repeated, his voice cracking as he stared at the tiny figure. "What are you talking about? What even are you?"
The creature's antennae twitched again, its expression twisting in thought. "Honestly... I don't know what I was before. I think... I lost all my memories when the bond happened." It hesitated, its tiny face scrunching as though frustrated. "Everything before that is just... blank. Gone. But when I saw you dying, something kicked in. I used all my energy to keep you alive."