Spock and Colby

"Sure," a calm voice chimed, and Elias turned to see the man's Ikona. Spock was a small, fox-like creature with light gray stripes along its stomach and glowing yellow eyes. The tiny creature brought its hands together, pressing them against the shard embedded in the man's shoulder, where it stuck out faintly.

The air around the vortex shifted, condensing into a tangible form. Slowly, it took the shape of a hilt and a short blade, the edges faintly rippling like liquid.

Elias watched intently, his curiosity piqued. "That's… not bad," he said, nodding in approval.

The young man dismissed the blade with a flick of his wrist, the air dispersing harmlessly. "It's handy. Not as flashy as what you pulled earlier, but it works."

Dot floated closer, inspecting Spock with interest. "Pretty cool!" she chirped. "You guys make a good team."

Elias crossed his arms, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Seems like everyone here has their own tricks. Makes me wonder what else I'm going to see."

The young man shrugged, chewing on his gum thoughtfully. "Who knows? Hopefully, we get a chance at fresh air soon. This place is nice and all, but being cooped up like this is draining. I get why they're doing it, but…" He hesitated, looking off into the distance. "It's still stupid."

Elias raised an eyebrow. "Really? You think so?"

"Yeah," the young man replied, his tone more serious. "I mean, imagine this: a bunch of people suddenly start developing superpowers while we're dealing with an alien threat nobody really understands. Sure, the government's keeping things tight-lipped, but what else can they do?" He exhaled sharply. "That said, if this drags on much longer, they'd better understand that I'll do whatever it takes to protect my little sister."

Elias leaned back slightly, digesting the words. "If push came to shove," the young man continued, "where would you stand? I know you just got here, but I imagine there's something—or someone—important to you too."

The sudden shift in tone caught Elias off guard. Dot whispered excitedly near his ear, "Ooh, this is getting interesting!"

Elias thought for a moment, his gaze dropping as he searched for the right words. "Well, I guess I'd lean toward w—"

His breath caught mid-sentence as a sharp pain surged through his chest. His hand shot up instinctively, clutching at the source of the discomfort. The world around him began to dissolve, the sounds and sights of A Block fading into an empty hum.

Before he could comprehend what was happening, he found himself standing in the vast expanse once more. The air seemed to hum faintly, the soft blue glow stretching infinitely in every direction. The space felt familiar—hauntingly so—but Elias couldn't shake the unease that crept into his chest whenever he entered it.

Dot zipped excitedly away from Elias, her tiny form darting around the vast space. As she passed through the Doctor—who didn't even flinch—she twirled and exclaimed, "This place still feels so weird, but I like it!"

Elias crossed his arms, his gaze fixed on the Doctor. "I've been meaning to ask… what's with the red stuff in your beard?"

The Doctor stroked his scraggly, blood-streaked beard, his fingers brushing through the tattered strands. The shard embedded in his chest pulsed faintly, casting fleeting shadows over his face. "Oh, this?" He smirked, glancing down. "That would be blood. Bits of it, anyway. But that doesn't matter right now."

"Of course it doesn't," Elias muttered, exhaustion clear in his tone.

The Doctor continued, either ignoring or indifferent to Elias's annoyance. "It's been almost twenty-four hours since we last spoke," he said, his voice carrying a conversational lilt. "I made sure to time this session so it wouldn't interrupt your sleep—time zones are tricky like that."

Elias watched as the Doctor rambled on, seemingly talking more to himself than anyone else. After a few moments, Elias raised his voice. "Hey, what's going on? Is this just some kind of sick joke to you?"

Dot turned sharply, her glow flickering. "H-Hey!" she stammered. "That's no way to—"

The Doctor raised a hand, silencing her. "No, no, he's right," he said, nodding as though agreeing with Elias's criticism. "I've been wasting his time. I imagine you've had a busy day, judging from the fragments of memories I've glimpsed."

He clapped his hands together, his demeanor shifting. "Let's get down to business. Talking to a hundred of you shard users is quite the task. Even more surprising, no one's died yet—though that usually changes after the early stages."