Chapter 86: System Upgrade

Chapter 86: System UpgradeBut something was off.

His mirrored image stood just beside him, a slightly distorted version of himself. Yet—just for a split second—it almost looked like there was someone else behind the reflection, having a completely different conversation.

Elias whipped his head back to the Doctor, trying to shake off the eerie sensation.

A sharp crunch met his ears.

The sound of wheels rolling.

The Doctor spun his chair around, revealing himself fully as he casually scribbled onto a sheet of paper, a construction pencil in hand.

Elias’s brows furrowed.

"...How am I just meeting you again?" He managed to get the words out, his voice hoarse. "It’s still midday... right?"

The Doctor, still sketching, gave him a small, knowing smile.

"Well, then—" he said, glancing up, his voice edged with amusement.

"You must have been sleeping for quite some time."



Elias put a hand on his head, rubbing his temple as he tried to recall the last thing he remembered.

"I take this to mean I made it out alive from the fight with Vincent."

His mind flickered back to the explosion, the gas, the sheer force of the impact. His nose twitched slightly—he could still recall the acrid scent of burning chemicals.

"Do you know if he’s dead?" Elias glanced at the Doctor, scanning for any sign of an answer. "I smelled the explosion, so I’m betting Yui managed to land the final hit and lit him up."

The Doctor leaned back, resting a hand under his chin, his eyes closing in thought.

For a split second, Elias saw something—

A faint purple flicker beneath the Doctor’s closed eyelids.

Then, just as quickly, his eyes reopened, the flicker gone.

"No," the Doctor said simply. "He’s still alive. I’m actually holding a conversation with him right now—along with almost everyone else."

Elias’s brow furrowed. "Almost everyone?"

The Doctor continued casually. "Though he can’t walk at the moment, he’s still very much alive. And if nothing else, he’s still burning with the desire to keep going."

Elias tilted his head, still eyeing him suspiciously. "Why did your eyes flicker purple just now when I asked about Vincent?"

The Doctor shrugged, as if the detail was insignificant.

"Just a way energy travels when I’m in more places at once."

Elias let out a long sigh. "You know, that just gives me more questions than answers."

The Doctor smirked slightly. "Good. Questions keep you alive."

Elias exhaled sharply before pressing on. "So what exactly am I doing here? And what did you mean by ’almost everyone’? Last time we spoke, you said you were surprised no one had died yet. Has that changed?"

The Doctor gave a noncommittal shrug. "I can’t say for sure whether someone is dead or not."

Elias’s eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"

The Doctor tapped his construction pencil against his clipboard. "If someone loses their shard, they’re practically out of the running. The sudden loss of the conductor that manages the flow of soul energy in their body—" he made a sharp slicing motion through the air "—usually puts them into shock. And most of the time, they don’t survive."

Elias’s stomach tightened, but before he could ask anything, the Doctor continued.


"But," he added, "sometimes, when someone loses a shard early enough, the effects aren’t always lethal."

Elias raised a brow. "Why?"

The Doctor leaned forward slightly, giving him a measured look. "It depends on a lot of factors. Their natural resilience, how deeply their body has bonded with the shard, and whether or not something—or someone—keeps their soul energy stable after the loss."

The Doctor waved off the conversation with a casual flick of his hand. "Usually, it means they’re dead. It’s kind of hard to rip a shard out of someone who’s still alive and fighting."

He leaned back slightly, his tone shifting to something more upbeat. "But enough of that—I’ve got some exciting news to go over. For you and for everyone else still holding onto their shards."

Before he could continue, Elias cut in.

"Wait, I have another question."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, pausing mid-thought.

"Say my shard was ripped out," Elias continued, "because Vincent won’t shut up about it. If I got it back—or if I got a different shard—what would happen then?"

The Doctor hummed, tilting his head slightly. "Now that’s an intriguing question."

His gaze sharpened, but there was something else behind it—amusement, maybe even curiosity.

"That’s something that almost never happens in any cycle."



Elias’s expression tensed. Cycle?

The word stuck in his mind like a splinter. A dozen thoughts surfaced, pieces of a puzzle that didn’t quite fit together yet.

But he stayed quiet. He wanted to see what the Doctor would say next.

"Simply put," the Doctor continued, "if you got a new shard, it would be useless—unless the Ikona stayed with it."

Elias frowned. "What do you mean ’stayed with it’?"

**"When a shard is ripped out, it’s up to the Ikona to decide whether to remain connected to it."**The Doctor shrugged. "If they stay attached, the bond isn’t broken. If they leave, the shard becomes nothing but a pretty rock."

Elias’s fingers curled slightly.

"But none of that matters for you right now."

The Doctor’s tone turned light again, brushing past the question like it was insignificant.

"What does matter is this—you’re officially finished with Phase Zero."

Elias’s brow furrowed. "Phase Zero?"

"Mmhm." The Doctor twirled the construction pencil in his fingers. "You’ve passed both your penalty quest and your emergency quest. Fun fact—there were five emergency quests given worldwide."

He leaned forward, giving Elias a knowing smirk.

"And you were one of only two people to pass theirs."

Elias’s breath hitched slightly, but before he could react, the Doctor waved him off again.

"But to keep things interesting, that’s all I’m going to say on the matter."

Elias’s fingers curled slightly as he exhaled through his nose. "Then what was Phase 0, and what’s next?"

The Doctor rested his elbow on the chair’s armrest, propping his chin on one hand. "You’ve all been tested and passed the shard’s initial evaluation. Phase 0 ensured you met the most basic requirement—being capable of wielding soul energy." He gestured lazily. "The ability you have, the same for everyone, is tied to your soul. It makes you... you."

Elias’s jaw tightened. "And Phase 1?"

The Doctor spun his chair slightly, tapping his construction pencil against his knee. "Over the next few weeks, you’ll learn to manifest and refine that power. At the end of Phase 1, the total number of shard users will be reduced to ninety."

A pit formed in Elias’s stomach. "How does that happen? Are you saying people will just die?"

The Doctor gave a half-smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. "Elias Kael, I am not The System. I can’t tell you exactly how it will happen." He leaned forward, lacing his fingers together. "But yes. Some of you will die."

Elias’s hands balled into fists.

"For your success in making it this far," the Doctor continued, "you’ve earned one question. I’ll answer it to the best of my ability."

Elias’s mind raced. Dot’s hadn’t spoken in a while. No sarcastic remarks, no complaints, no input at all.

Maybe she was still asleep.

His fingers twitched at his side, trying to shake the unease as he refocused.

One question.

It had to count.

His eyes flicked up as a thought struck him. "And everyone is getting this... question to ask, right?"

The moment the words left his mouth, his hand shot up, covering his mouth.

The Doctor’s expression twitched slightly, tilting his head. "Are you okay?"

Elias swallowed, his heart thudding in his chest. "I almost used my question to ask about the others who are talking to you... or a version of you."

The Doctor let out a quiet chuckle, amused. "That would have counted as your one question. Good catch."



Elias exhaled through his nose. That was close.

The Doctor stretched slightly, the movement slow and deliberate. "But you should hurry. The energy keeping this connection active is starting to run out. If your question is too long, it might cut off before I finish answering."

Elias nodded, shifting his stance. Most people were probably asking common things—how to get stronger, what the next test was, who their enemies were.

That wasn’t what he needed to know.

He pressed a hand over his chest, fingers curling slightly. His own shard.

That was the one thing that had never made sense.

His voice came out steady. "My question will cover a few things."

He inhaled, grounding himself. "Why is it that my shard isn’t visible like everyone else’s?"

The Doctor’s expression didn’t change.

Elias’s eyes narrowed. "Vincent tried to rip it out of me. He was sure it was there, but he couldn’t find it. Was it some accident? Or is there a reason I can’t see it?"

The Doctor exhaled, tapping his fingers against his knee once. And closed his eyes for a moment as the same flicker of purple around across his closed eyes

Elias swallowed a bit standing tall as he just watched him with the same appearance as the first time he had met him before he opened his eyes and stated