My Shard Bearer System - Elias's Legacy-Chapter 50: Vincent’s Goal

Elias let out a laugh. "You know," he began, his tone shifting, "I’ve been thinking about what the Doctor said. Other than failing strength and speed, I also failed perception. He mentioned it’s probably because I’m too trusting and can’t tell when I’m being lied to."

As he spoke, Elara’s posture stiffened, though she kept her gaze fixed on the trays of food. She said nothing, her silence heavy in the air.

Elias’s voice softened, but his words carried weight. "C-can I trust you, Elara?"

Elara froze for a moment, then turned to face him. "O-of course," she said quickly, her voice wavering slightly. "Why even ask that?"

Elias’s expression hardened, his gaze unwavering. "Well, I had a lot of time to think while I was pinned to the ground. And... I hadn’t heard from you in years. YEARS. Then, suddenly, when I’m on what I thought was my deathbed, you show up. Was it because you really wanted to see me? Or was it because the military knew I came into contact with the shard?"

Nearby, Dot’s floated around with Elara’s Ikona, the two creatures chatting animatedly about the trays of food.

Elara exhaled deeply, rubbing her hands together as if the motion steadied her. "Honestly? It’s... a lot," she began. Her voice dropped, tinged with a weariness Elias hadn’t heard before. "Climbing so high, trying to make a difference—it took everything. The missions I went on, the people I’ve killed..."

Her voice faltered for a moment before she continued. "Then the aliens’ first attack came. We lost so many lives. The entire structure of society changed—corrupt political systems crumbled, replaced by a militarized regime that took control of everything."

She trailed off, folding her arms tightly across her chest. Her gaze shifted downward, the weight of her words settling heavily between them.

Elias took a deep breath, his tone softer. "So... can I trust you? I can’t imagine what your life has been like these past ten years. And all things considered, I’m the one who failed. I dropped out. I couldn’t even live up to the promise we made—to make the world better."

Elara’s expression remained unreadable as she replied, her voice quieter now. "Most people who’ve trusted me usually ended up dead. So, I’ll leave it up to you if you want to trust me or not. All I can do is try to make up for my past mistakes."

Elias sighed, his lips twitching into a faint smile. "I was kind of hoping for a simple ’yes’ or ’no,’ you know? Maybe even a pinky swear while we’re at it."

Elara’s lips quirked at the corner, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of regret. "Cold humor, as always, Elias. But in reality... I don’t know who to trust sometimes either."

He shrugged, his voice light but edged with something sharper. "Well, at least you’re consistent. I mean, that’s a start, right?"

For a moment, the room felt quieter, the tension shifting into something slightly easier to bear. Elara let out a soft breath, not quite a laugh but close enough.

"Maybe," she said finally. "But consistent doesn’t always mean reliable."

Elias gave her a sidelong glance, then turned his attention to the trays of food still sitting on the table. "Well, as long as I don’t end up one of the ’dead’ statistics you mentioned, I think we’ll call that progress."

------------------------Meanwhile-----------------------

The sound of hot iron echoed throughout the massive factory warehouse. Sparks flew as hammers slammed down on glowing steel, the rhythmic pounding mixing with the steady rumble of rolling barrels filled with molten magma. Lines of men worked tirelessly, forging blades, their faces grim and focused under the orange glow of the molten metal.

Vincent walked down the line, his boots clinking against the grated floor as he made his way into another room. Inside, a woman with long red hair stood by a monitor. She spun around as he entered, her lips curving into a sly smile.

"Welcome back, cutie," she said, her tone playful. "How did the attack on that guy’s house go? Did you find the father’s keepsake?"

Vincent sighed, running a hand through his hair. "No," he replied flatly. "Just ran into the idiot’s mother. You know, the one I fought a few days ago."

"The idiot?" The woman tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. "You mean Elias, right?"

"Y-yeah," Vincent admitted, his tone wary. "How do you know his name?"

"Oh, I looked into him," she said with a shrug. "After he ’saved’ me from those robbers. More like stole my test subjects, but close enough. Did you kidnap or kill the mother?"

Vincent hesitated, his expression darkening. "...No," he said finally. "I cut her cheek to get her to talk, to tell me where the keepsakes were, but she swore she didn’t know. So, I left."

The woman let out a disappointed sigh. "Bummer. I’ve been needing new test subjects. But we did manage to snag that scientist who knows a lot about the cube. Getting him to talk, though? That’s been a little tough."

"You mean Warden Dr. Anders, right?" Vincent asked, leaning against the wall.

"Yep," she said with a grin. "Snatching him while he was traveling? Gutsy move, to say the least."

Vincent crossed his arms, his tone low. "Silas has gotten aggressive lately. It’s only a matter of time before a strike team comes to rescue him. Though from what I hear, Anders isn’t exactly a high-ranking Warden."

The woman chuckled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Speaking of, these bracelets are genius," she said, raising her wrist to show a sleek metallic band. "They throw off detection so well. But back to your ’quest,’ big guy. What’s next on the list?"

Vincent glanced upward at a glowing marker on the window. The text read:

"Collect 1 Shard. Reward: 100 Soul Energy."

"I want to get stronger," he muttered, unwrapping a lollipop and sticking it into his mouth. "But I can’t do that if all the shards are hiding out on some military base, doing who knows what."

The woman laughed softly. "Calm down, big man," she teased. "We’ll work on your ’quest,’ but for now, we need to bring in more shard users. Silas is counting on it while he’s busy working on Dr. Anders."

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