Tales of Yibixus: The Shard

I promise I'll start working on more popular projects real soon! I really want to get this book finished as I already mentioned~
With this prequal completed, I can finally move onto Pale Pink Packet 2/ My sister ivy2/ Makeup curse 2 & Mittens 2

In this part, Green is torn between becoming a citizen of Yibixus/his duty and his love for Ursula. With Elm's help, it can only lead to ruin

The Shard
The air crackles with static, prickling against the skin. Arcs of rainbow lightning slam into the reinforced glass, each impact sending ripples of distortion through the barrier that separates them from the Orb inside the containment chamber.

Green is once again in the control room and can’t help but notice the Remnant writing within. It's lashing out in a relentless fury. The walls groan under the strain, metal beams shrieking as energy courses through them.

Green takes a step closer to the window, his reflection flickering against the glass as another bolt strikes. “Is that normal?” he asks, voice barely cutting through the hum of overstressed machinery.

Beside him, Fritz doesn’t answer right away. His fingers twitch over the console, eyes locked on the readouts flashing red.

“Seems Elm’s equipment is struggling to keep up,” Green adds, glancing at the trembling structure.

Fritz stares down at his control panel, silent—until a blast of energy slams into the glass right in front of him. The impact rattles the room, and with a sharp inhale, he jerks back, fear flashing across his face.

Green can’t help but chuckle at the young Grimalkin. “You’re instincts not working, Fritz? Surely you saw that coming?”

Furrowing his brow and holding his clipboard tight, Fritz gives Green a sour look. “No,” he whines. “I’m not a product of war like you are.”

Green opens his mouth to reply, but before he can speak, Elm strides up behind them, his gaze fixed on the containment chamber and the Orb’s crackling display of energy.

“Fritz,” Elm says, his tone sharp. “He might have been used by our foolish Royal Family for war, but Green here is a brilliant scientist with a very curious mind. I’ve asked him back here as someone who has the vision to understand progress….”

“But Doctor, Lina is the one designated for this experiment,” Fritz says, resisting the urge to open a portal beneath Green’s feet and send him elsewhere. “I don’t see why we need him.”

“My boy,” Elm chuckles, flicking his tail. “Lina is currently…” He pauses, rolling his lips in thought. “…otherwise engaged in a different project.”

He turns to Green with a broad smile. “Ah, thanks for coming in again. It seems your talents are proving useful to me once more.”

Green stares blankly into the containment chamber, his eyes narrowing as the Remnant burns ever brighter. His instincts scream at him to turn away, to run—but the promise of citizenship in Vastin weighs heavier. Refusal isn’t really an option.

“Last time I was here, you weren’t getting such readings,” Green looks over Fritz’s shoulder at his monitoring panel. Energy readings are off the chart. “What are you doing with all this excess power. Surely, it’s going to overload, and you’re going to lose control.”

Elm steps closer, peering at the panel with an unreadable expression. Not a flicker of concern nor curiosity—just the same calm, calculating gaze.

“It’s astounding, isn’t it?” Elm states, his eyes lighting up with glee.

“Where’s it all going?”

“My boy,” Elm chuckles, striding away with unwavering confidence. Behind him, the Remnant hammers the containment glass once more, sending a tremor through the room. He doesn’t so much as flinch. “No need to fret. All that energy is exactly where it needs to be.”

Elm claps his hands together. “Now, to business gentleman.”

Striding deeper into the control room, Elm stops beside a towering console. His fingers dance across the controls in a rapid sequence before he lifts a paw, beckoning Fritz and Green forward.

The two step forward, standing behind Elm as the machine hums to life, its intricate mechanisms slowly unfolding like the petals of a flower. As it opens, a stunning sight is revealed. Floating serenely in the center is a small, radiant shard of rock, its edges sharp and crystalline, glowing with an almost ethereal brilliance. The colors shift in a mesmerizing dance—deep blues, purples, and vibrant greens that catch the light in ways that seem almost unnatural.

An inviting warmth radiates from the shard, pulling Green’s attention, yet a heavy unease settles within him. His Grimalkin instincts scream a warning, urging him to distrust the beauty before him. Despite its dazzling exterior, he senses a malevolent presence lurking just beneath the surface—something dark, something dangerous, hidden within its brilliance.

“Is that?” Green leans in, and he’s shocked. “Elm!” he gasps. “Did you actually manage to break a part of it off?”

“Yes,” Elm replies without emotion.

The building groans once more, its foundation shaking as the Remnant’s power intensifies. Arcs of energy crash against the walls, rattling the very structure. Small, hairline cracks spiderweb across the walls surrounding the glass, each one sending a shiver of concern through Fritz. His eyes widen in alarm as he rushes to the glass, pressing his hands against it in a futile attempt to steady himself. He peers through, watching the Remnant thrash violently within the chamber, its energy surging in unpredictable bursts.

“Elm!” Fritz shouts over the sound of clattering waves of energy. “Should I do a vent?”

Elm, mentally distant from the chaos unfolding around him, remains completely indifferent to the damage being inflicted on his facility.

“As you must, dear boy,” Elm replies with a dismissive wave of his paw and a flick of his tail. “But, please! Don’t interrupt me again.”

Standing beside Elm, Green watches, wide-eyed, as Fritz stretches his body, exposing his claws, and begins tracing circles in the air. Portals crackle to life inside the chamber, and Green can't help but be reminded of how mesmerizing a Grimalkin's natural abilities are. The effortless display of power feels almost god-like, and as Fritz works, Green’s jaw drops in amazement.

First one portal, then two, then three, and finally six—each appearing in quick succession. Fritz lets out a soft moan as if in pain, but soon the building settles. The vibrations cease, and the electric buzz in the air fades away, leaving an eerie silence in its wake.

"Good, good," Elm murmurs, nodding in satisfaction as the silence fills the room. He steps forward, reaches into the machine he just unlocked, and carefully retrieves the shard. Cradling it in his hand, he holds it up and presents it to Green with a sly grin. "Now that Fritz has calmed the Remnant, I’d like to show you my latest discovery."

Green's gaze lingers on the shard in Elm's hand. The soft, radiant glow pulses like a beacon, drawing him in. An almost irresistible pull tugs at his senses, a longing to reach out and touch it, to feel its warmth against his skin. He fights the urge, but the allure is undeniable.

Elm closes his paw over the top, shutting off Green’s view and almost snapping him out of a longing gaze. He has to shake his head to regain his senses.

“I want you to take this,” Green reaches for a small cage-like necklace to his side and encloses the shard tight. Dropping the necklace to let it dangle from the chain, Elm grins at Green. “I’ve made three of these so far. And I’m very pleased with our progress so far, but more data is required.”

“But why?” Green asks, once again mesmerized by the shard’s warmth and luminescent glow. “For what purpose? I thought the Remnant provides enough power for everyone.”

Still holding the shard out, Elm’s grins wide. “Green,” he says with a smug tone of voice. “How many Formadors have you met in your time on Yibixus?”

Green forces his eyes away from the shard, but its glow still lingers in the edges of his vision. He turns to Elm, locking eyes with the scientist's almost sinister smirk. “I’ve…” Green pauses, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his mind. “…I—I don’t think I’ve actually met one.”

“That you know of,” Elm interjects smoothly, his voice laced with a dark amusement. “That’s because they hide from me. Cowering in fear for their meaningless lives when they should be offering their power to the betterment of our entire species.”

“They have the right to their lives,” Green responds his tone firm with disagreement.

Elm lets out a long sigh and looks away. “Well, yes, indeed.” He then refocused on Green and shoves the necklace containing the shard into his hands. “And now you understand why our people need these.”

As he holds the necklace, the warmth intensifies, flooding through him like a forgotten embrace. It’s as though the shard is calling to him, like a long-lost friend beckoning him home. He gazes into its jewel-like depths, and a surge of energy pulses through him, coursing from his feet to the tips of his feline ears.

"Speed, strength, cunning," Elm throws his arms wide and to the sky. "And now, enhanced with the power of the Remnant. With soldiers like you, Green, capable of vanquishing our foes and securing endless resources, we will become the true masters of this universe."

“Masters of the universe?” Green asks in mild bemusement, looking past the shard shining bright.

“Yes.”

“I see.” Green shakes his head, a look of disapproval crossing his face.

“You seem disappointed, my dear boy.”

Green lowers the Orb from his sight, letting it dangle by his side. Despite its magnetic pull, urging him to hold it close, he knows the thoughts swirling around Elm’s words are pure madness. He’s just about to extend the shard back toward Elm when the Doctor lets out a light chuckle.

"I know you love her," Elm says flatly, locking eyes with Green.

Green blinks rapidly, caught off guard. "W-What?"

“Ursula,” Elm replies, twirling his whiskers with a look of curiosity. “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? You believe that by working for me and, by extension, the royal family—you’ll earn citizenship. And with that, you think you and that failing Captain of the Royal Guard can finally be together.”

“How do you—”

“Green,” Elm interrupts sharply, raising a paw. “I don’t have time to debate the ethics of conquest. You either help with this experiment, or I make my influence on the narcissistic queen known. I can speak of you favorably, or I can make you an enemy of the crown.”

With his heart in his throat, Green glares down at the smug Doctor. “Where does this end, Elm?” he asks his voice tight with frustration.

“End?”                                           

“At what point is enough enough?”

“You’re testing my patience, boy,” Elm growls, baring his fangs. “You are an alien here. If it weren’t for the kindness of our people, you’d be dead. If it weren’t for me, you’d be a freak show in Vastin Central Zoo. Now, show some gratitude!”

Elm throws up a paw, silencing Green before he can speak. “Everyone on this planet will agree with me. Even your precious Ursula—a woman of war. She would agree with this if it means ensuring our species survives and prospers!”

“Take this shard and report to Interstellar G09F,” Elm commands, handing Green a small, handwritten document. “I want you to take this shard to that planet. Slaughter every living thing you find. Show the universe the power of a Grimalkin wielding Selee energy!

Torn between his duty and his love and repulsed by such senseless and unscientific methods, Green can barely choke out a response. “Why?” he demands, his voice trembling. “That’s not scientific!”

“I want to study its effect on you,” Elm replies with a cold smile. Green pauses, his mind racing as he processes the implication.

“I want to see just how much this shard can enhance your natural speed. This is for the greater good, scientifically speaking,” Elm continues, his tone matter-of-fact. “Only after testing them thoroughly, ensures that we have full control. Wouldn’t be much use if it converted you into Selee energy and absorbed you, now would it?”

“Are the life forms on G09F hostile?” Green asks reluctantly, looking at the shard in his hand like it’s a bomb ticking.

“Hostile?”

“Yes, I’m not going to mindlessly kill. I’ve already seen enough of that,” Green responds, his voice steady but tinged with frustration.

Elm laughs a cold, manic sound that fills the room. “Green, my friend…” he chuckles, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement. “In this unforgiving universe, only the strong survive. Now, get out of my sight and bring me back results. I want to see your abilities increased tenfold—at the very least.”

Green bares his teeth, his frustration barely contained. “This is the last time I help you,” he growls. “Do I have your word that you’ll help with my citizenship once this is over?”

Elm turns away, his voice cold and final. “You don’t have a choice, Green. Even if you wanted to, you won’t be able to return home... not after all this.” He spreads his arms wide, a sinister grin playing on his lips. “What a crazy thought,” he adds, almost amused. “As if you'd ever give up being part of something greater than your fragile little home planet…”

Green bares his fangs, his body tensing so violently that the floor beneath his feet cracks with a thunderous crack. His voice drops to a low growl, every word dripping with threat. “What... does that mean?”

“Nothing, child,” Elm responds with a chilling calm, his eyes distant as he walks away, completely unfazed by Green’s display of power. His voice carries an eerie, almost detached amusement. “No one and nothing can stand in the way of progress... not even you.”

Elm glances back over his shoulder, his smile creeping into something darker, almost predatory. “I thought, as a fellow scientist and a male on this planet, you’d understand my actions,” he says, his voice low and cold. “Nothing can stand in the way of progress.”

“Fritz,” Elm claps.

Fritz, still gazing at the containment chamber, turns slowly. His face is weary, fur matted and disheveled, his tail hanging crooked and limp. The weight of exhaustion is clear in his posture, as if the strain of what’s happening is starting to take a physical toll on him.

"Help the Hybrid and portal him outside the facility," Elm commands, his voice cool and final as he turns to leave the room.

In an instant, a portal engulfs Green, hurling him to the ground outside, where the cool grass brushes against his palms. As he rises to his feet, the shard still clutched tightly in his hand, its warmth floods through him—but an unsettling chill snakes down his spine, right to the tip of his tail.

“Do it for her,” Green mutters under his breath, forcing himself to walk forward in the name of scientific progress and the desperate longing to be with the one person he loves more than anything in this universe.