Resonance

Telling anyone anything felt like a risk. It was best if it stayed a secret, but given that Victor might have come into contact with it, he deemed it fine. Revealing parts of it was fine, but he would not tell him everything just yet.

Míngzé hummed in confirmation, nodding a few times as he did. “She did.” With how Míngzé reacted before, Victor might already have an idea that there was some item there. What it was still remained a mystery even to him. His fingers softly tapped his arm. “Some kind of stone, no idea what exactly it is. She talked about the strong power it possesses, one that can not simply be wielded by anyone.” So far, that was basically all he knew.

It’s fine

Míngzé kept repeating the same few words while he talked. Telling anyone about this was a risk, but in a way Victor was already involved. If he told him more bits and pieces, perhaps he would remember something. A detail that seemed otherwise unimportant.

It piqued Victor’s interest right away and Míngzé drew a sharp breath. “I assume so, yes. As far as I’m aware, there was something there.” What he himself experienced, was not what he would call darkness, as the ghost had been too overpowering. Míngzé was glad he no longer had to deal with them.

“She did, which is a good thing if you ask me. If one person can make it, others can too and until we know what it does, it's best if they don’t fall in the wrong hands,” he explained calmly. That she had lost it immediately, was a detail he would not share. It was not important to the conversation.

Míngzé was careful with how much he revealed each time he opened his mouth. Not only was he telling someone else’s story, he was giving away information that might be crucial. Victor had told him he could be trusted, but you never knew how people would react when presented with great power. “I have no idea, it might as well have been the same power that came after you.” It was difficult to say, given he had not been there on either occasions.

His frown deepened when Victor asked an important question. Given everything that had been going on, the trip to the hospital, the fight before, he had never asked her. Also because she no longer had it anyway. “Again I don’t know. For now I don’t think it matters, given that she only has one part.” Not even. For now he knew the location of three of those artifacts, at least, he could be certain about two, the third one remained a guess. He could feel the pulsating darkness radiating from the one he owned. Almost beckoning him to come closer. It spoke to his soul, at least that is how he would describe it. Something he ignored.

“What do you think it does?” Míngzé asked curiously.

A sigh rolled over his lips. He did not trust Lucina enough to believe she would not do anything wrong with the artifact. Even after their trip to the hospital she never told him what her goal with them was. But it no longer mattered as she did not have the artifact. “Positive,” Míngzé replied. Even if that was only because she lost it.

For now it was still a guessing game what these artifacts might be able to do. Míngzé had no idea, although there was a promise made that involved affinities. That was all he knew and for now he was not planning on figuring out their real power. If he could, he would keep them out of anybody’s hands. That was the only way to avoid disaster. It seemed Victor was also clueless.

“Makes me wonder if it is as simple als light and dark, good and evil,” Míngzé said thoughtfully. It might as well be more complicated than that.

Victor seemed convinced that these artifacts were something to be careful of, and perhaps he is right to assume so. The silent song it whispered to him however did not feel all bad. That did not change the fact that he did not exactly trust those pieces either. If the same pull worked on others too, even those with a different affinity, it might cause some problems.

“Perhaps,” Míngzé said thoughtfully. “For now it is only guessing what they may or may not do,” he added with a short shrug. There was no way of knowing for now.

“Thank you, for coming here and telling me, Victor.” He brought a small smile to his lips. He appreciated the information, even when the other first tried to keep certain things from him, but with a good reason. It had given him a new lead. The question remained if he should go looking, or let it be for now.

While he had not learned that much during this conversation, it was enough to give him a lead, a next point to start looking. It was more than he had before, so he welcomed it with open arms. “No problem,” he told Victor with a soft waving gesture. The other did not know why he really listened to the whole story and he wanted things to stay like that. The less Victor knew, the better.

“Yeah, me too. I’ll promise I’ll stay far away from any of it,” Míngzé said, although there was a sting in his chest, knowing he’d just lied to the man. He’d already faced it once, and would probably do so again in the future.

Míngzé got up from his seat so he could open the door for his friends. “Stay safe Victor and I’ll see you next time.” If everything went well in his life.