Elias jolted awake as a group of doctors entered the room, clipboards in hand, moving swiftly as they checked on the trio. The low murmur of their assessnts filled the space, broken only by the chanical hum of monitoring equipnt.
Before he could fully process what was happening, two guards strode in behind them, their STRs (Standard Tri Rifles – Plasma) slung across their chests.
"Elias Kael."
Elias yawned, stretching his arms behind his head. "Yep, that’s ."
At that mont, Dot’s phased out from his chest, floating lazily in the air with a tiny yawn of her own.
Elias glanced down at her, relief settling into his expression. "Good to see you up—I was starting to worry."
One of the guards stiffened. "Who are you talking to?"
Elias blinked, realizing they couldn’t see Dot’s.
"Oh, right."
Dot’s spun mid-air. "That’s kind of weird."
"Yeah, tell about it." Elias rubbed the back of his neck. "But from what the Doctor said, the system is making it simpler for now—probably won’t stay that way once we hit level two."
The ship rumbled to a stop, the engines cycling down as the exit ramp unsealed with a low hiss.
A final transfer.
The second guard didn’t seem interested in waiting for an explanation. "Please get up and co with us. If you’re walking around, we need to get you back to the facility."
Elias nodded. "Of course. I feel great, actually."
Swinging his legs over the bedside, he stood up without hesitation.
A doctor rushed over imdiately, eyes widening. "Hey, easy, easy! You should be resting—you have cracked ribs and so internal bleeding."
Elias shrugged, lifting the hem of his hospital gown.
The doctor paused.
The expected deep bruising and swelling... wasn’t there.
Instead, only faint yellow bruises remained, the kind soone might have after weeks of healing—not hours.
The doctor poked at his side experintally. "Well, would you look at that?" His gaze turned thoughtful. "I wonder if this is a side effect of having that teacher the new president spoke about?"
Elias tilted his head. "President?"
The doctor, a middle-aged man with dark-tinted glasses, gave a small chuckle. "I an the guy running the military. Warden General Askabar."
Elias tapped a finger against his chin, recalling the na. "Right, he took over when Acting President Gui-Ji stepped down—by force—after it was revealed he was hoarding dical supplies from the poorer regions, right?"
The doctor nodded. "That’s the gist of it, yeah."
He adjusted his glasses. "Askabar gave a press conference after the terrorist attack on the Resort."
One of the guards cut in sharply. "Thank you, Doctor, but that’s enough. We need to move now."
The doctor raised his hands in mock surrender, smirking. "Fine, fine. But if you ever need testing done, you know where to find ."
Elias exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Thanks, Yui. Yusuke. Hope we see each other under better circumstances."
As Elias followed the guards out, the doctor remained where he stood, his hands clasped neatly behind his back.
He turned toward the massive window, watching as the first rays of morning sunlight crept over the horizon.
The glass reflected an odd purple hue, an almost trance-like glow settling over his features.
And for a brief mont—his pupils flickered with the sa shade.
- anwhile -
Elias followed the guards as they exited the hospital, stepping into the early morning air. A sleek, electric transport truck waited just outside, its silent hum the only sign it was running.
As they climbed in, the vehicle smoothly took off, weaving through the cityscape with ease.
One of the guards, a stocky man with graying hair, reached into a pouch at his belt and pulled out a thin red band before handing it to Elias.
"Put this on. Should keep you safe from tracking—for now."
Elias turned it over in his hands, inspecting the material. It was smooth, almost tallic, but flexible like woven fiber. A small pulse of energy rippled beneath his fingertips.
"Interesting tech," he muttered, sliding it onto his wrist.
"Don’t get too attached. It’s not a fashion statent," the other guard, a younger man with a shaved head, quipped. "We’ll have to take it back once you reach the final checkpoint."
"Speaking of statents," the older guard smirked, nudging his partner. "You gonna finally tell your wife about that vacation, or you planning to keep that secret until you’re on the damn ship?"
The younger guard groaned, rubbing his face. "Man, can we not talk about that? You know she’s gonna kill when she finds out I booked it without telling her."
"I’m just saying," the older guard chuckled, "you drop ’Hey babe, we’re going to Lunatera for Starfall Week’ last minute, and she’s either gonna love you or leave you."
"More like ’leave then love ’ once we’re there," the younger guard muttered. "And Starfall Week isn’t cheap, by the way."
Elias raised a brow. "Starfall Week?"
"Biggest celebration on Lunatera. Happens once every four years when the cot clusters pass through the system. Whole sky lights up—teor showers, festivals, gravity-surfing competitions. Absolute chaos. Best ti to visit."
"And you’re dropping this trip on your wife last minute?" Elias smirked.
The younger guard threw his hands up. "Look, it was a limited-ti deal! You don’t not book it when the price drops!"
The older guard snickered, shaking his head as the transport pulled up to the next checkpoint.
Waiting for them were two more guards, dressed in reinforced flight suits.
One of them, a broad-shouldered woman with short, spiked hair, stepped forward. "We’ll take Elias Kael from here."
The stocky guard sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine. Just rember this face, kid. If we ever run into each other again, you owe a drink."
The younger guard grinned as he clapped Elias on the shoulder. "And if I survive my wife’s wrath, maybe I’ll see you at Starfall Week."
Elias chuckled, stepping off the truck. "I’ll hold you to it."
- Aboard the Transport -
The new guards led Elias onto a waiting aircraft, a compact but well-equipped VTOL cruiser. Within minutes, they were soaring over Veryion, the sprawling city beneath them a glittering grid of neon and steel.
The interior was spacious, with a row of secured seating, a command console, and a small refreshnt station.
Elias grabbed a pre-packed al from the unit—a sealed tray of protein, rice, and stead vegetables—and tore it open, taking a bite.
As he chewed, his mind drifted to everything that had happened—the battle, Colby, the system, the Doctor’s cryptic words.
His eyes flicked up to the guards. "So... how did the rescue for Dr. Anders go?"
The woman glanced at him, then exchanged a brief look with her partner.
"He was saved," she finally said, her tone neutral. "But a lot was lost for him."
Elias stilled mid-bite.
He swallowed, setting the tray down. "I see..."
His thoughts imdiately jumped to Colby.
Lost.
He exhaled slowly, looking out the window.
The craft had now moved past the city, the vast blue ocean stretching below them.
Minutes passed in silence, the hum of the aircraft filling the space.
Eventually, the landscape changed—from water to endless dunes of shifting sand.
Nestled within the isolated expanse of the desert, a large transport ship sat waiting.
- Arrival -
As the aircraft touched down, the landing thrusters kicking up dust and loose sand, Elias let out a short breath.
"What, another exchange of hands?"
The guard smirked, unbuckling his harness. "Pretty much. Once the higher-ups realized shard users could be tracked by terrorist groups, they knew we had a serious problem. Moving the holding facility beca a priority—so now we’re doing this in layers. Multiple transfers, multiple routes. Just to make sure no one can pinpoint where you’re going."
Elias nodded slowly. "I guess that makes sense. What about the others? You ntioned they were attacked. Kikaru, Colby, and... Paul, I think?"
The guard shrugged, stepping toward the exit ramp. "Far as I know, they made it to the new location."
Elias sighed. "That’s vague."
"Get used to it." The guard chuckled.
Elias rolled his shoulders. "Base Alpha—are we still near it? And how does one even move sothing as massive as the Cube X Facility?"
The guard snorted. "Most of what you’re asking, I can’t answer. You’ll just have to sit tight and wait."
Elias crossed his arms, annoyed. "At least tell it’s still in Sindria."
"Yeah, yeah. No need to worry about that."
Dot’s hovered just above Elias’s head, her tiny voice chiming in. "Hey, what are all these words?"
Elias glanced up. "Words?"
Dot’s bobbed slightly. "Oh! You an the Tree?"
Elias sat back against the seat, stretching. "We unlocked it after the fight with Vincent. Technically, I didn’t deal the final blow, but the system still counted it as a win."
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