The small creature on his shoulder groaned, covering her face with a tiny paw. "Fear of heights? That's awful," she mumbled softly.
Elias ignored her comnt, his voice sharpening. "But what does any of this have to do with tonight? Why I almost got shot again? And why hasn't the robber even been caught? Though, I guess that's none of your concern."
Geras's expression remained neutral as he continued. "It's connected to this: I'm offering you a choice. You can agree to turn yourself in for testing. I'll personally ensure you aren't treated like the others who have shards, the ones taken away. You'll be given the sa level of treatnt as the few shard hosts within the military."
Elias blinked, stunned. "W-why... why would you do that? And then what? After the tests, I just go back to work?"
Geras's gaze softened slightly. "It's an old promise—one I made to ensure you were taken care of. I'll leave it at that for now. But I won't lie to you, Elias. I can't promise what cos next. A normal life? That depends entirely on how the shard within you reacts."
Elias stared at the screen, the weight of the offer settling on him like a heavy fog.
"I'll give you until tomorrow to decide," Geras said, his tone firm again. "I hope you understand what's at stake."
Elias took a deep breath, his voice steady but weary. "I do. Thanks..."
The screen flickered off, leaving the vehicle in silence. A mont later, the tal door hissed open, and two PCA officers stood waiting. One of them gestured stiffly. "You can co out now."
Elias stepped off the tal platform, rolling his shoulders before glancing back at the officers. "So... are you aware of who I just spoke to?"
The officer nodded without hesitation. "Of course. That was PCA Senior Officer Rodrigo, conducting a standard statent interview."
Elias frowned, his thoughts spinning as he tried to make sense of it all. "I don't know what to believe," he muttered under his breath. After a pause, he added, "I guess I'll just assu the old man has good intentions for now."
The officer gave a curt nod. "Understood. Are you ready to return to your apartnt?"
"Yeah, I guess," Elias replied. "Am I clear to head back up?"
"Yes," the officer confird. "A representative will co by in the morning to assess any damages and provide a quote to the local land agency. Other than that, everything should return to normal for you."
Elias offered a polite bow of his head. "Thanks." He turned and walked back toward his apartnt, stepping inside and shutting the door firmly behind him. The silence settled over him as he leaned back against the door, exhaling heavily. "If this is so bad dream, I'd really like to wake up now," he muttered aloud.
"A bad dream?" The small creature's voice chirped from above, drawing his attention. It floated upside down, its antennae twitching. "What's that like?"
Elias blinked, staring at the creature. "I forgot you could do that floating thing for a second. Honestly, I mistook you for an oversized ladybug." He rubbed the back of his neck, his tone softening. "What even are you?"
The creature placed a tiny finger under its chin, still hanging upside down. "What am I?" It repeated the question thoughtfully. "Well... for so reason, I don't have many mories. But I do rember a man with a beard saying, 'Please find the one, my Ikonas.' So, I guess I'm an Ikona? Whatever that is."
Elias raised an eyebrow, watching as the creature flipped upright and hovered closer. "That doesn't clear up much."
The creature gave a small shrug. "Yeah, I figured as much. Everything's a bit of a blur. It might have sothing to do with the old man—or no, wait, the doctor. Yeah, he called himself the doctor. He infused us into so kind of tal thing and said we needed to find a host. After that... nothing. Just blank. Until I found you."
Elias let out another sigh and slumped onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling. His mind churned as he tried to piece together the fragnts of information. But the more he thought about it, the more questions piled up. The answers, it seed, were still far out of reach.
Elias sank deeper into the couch, his gaze fixed on the cracks in the ceiling as if the answers to his questions might be etched there. His thoughts churned, circling the one thing he couldn't make sense of. Why don't I have a shard sticking out of ? He'd checked every inch of his body—no strange marks, no glowing crystals, nothing.
Elara's shard was visible, embedded in her chest like a permanent badge of her connection to whatever was happening. But him? He felt normal... almost too normal. "Ikona," he said aloud, his voice quiet, "why don't I have one? Elara did, but ? Nothing. It's like I got skipped or sothing."
Ikona floated closer, flipping upside down again as it lazily drifted above him. "Maybe it's because we fused to keep you alive? I don't really know." Its tiny arms gestured vaguely, as if trying to grasp an explanation out of thin air. "I'm figuring this out just like you are. The whole bonding thing wasn't exactly planned. I woke up, saw you dying, and... well, here we are. Maybe that's why your shard is inside instead of sticking out."
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