Lucien Balmore stared down at the chain in his hand... his mother's chain... He could tell that he was forgetting something but he couldn't really tell what it was.
He pushed it to the back of his mind as he stared at the stone... the once dull stone was now glowing white.
He turned his head up and observed his surroundings... he stood in a blindingly white room... silent, empty, surreal.
Before he could shout or call for help, another figure blinked into existence. Lucien froze.
The man was dressed in a weird way like he was from another era entirely.
Lucien Balmore narrowed his eyes and asked. "Who are you? Where are we?"
The other man opened his mouth to respond but suddenly, both of them collapsed to their knees as a tidal wave of knowledge flooded their minds.
Explanation. Truth.
The stone on the chains they wore around their necks... his sentimental heirloom from his mother and the other guy's antique collection... were fragments of a once-unified artifact, ancient and powerful beyond their understanding.
When shattered, it split into two and both halves were sent in opposite direction in the resulting explosion.
Though separated, they remained partially connected, waiting… until now when both piece gathered enough energy to connect with each other.
But now there was another problem.
Both halves had bonded with different masters and as it was said in the bible... Matthew 6, 'One cannot serve two masters.'
And it is the same for the artifact, it cannot serve two masters.
And now the artifact faced a dilemma, since it could only have one master, the two of them had to make a choice on who would give up and the best solution it provided for them to settle it was for them to fight to the death.
It had brought them here not to judge them but to watch. Both Luciens were, by bond, its rightful wielders. But only one could claim dominion.
(A.N: For clarity, Lucien Ashvale will just be Ashvale and Lucien Balmore will just be Balmore.)
Ashvale and Balmore stood in silence, the stillness between them stretching long and awkward. Their eyes locked, each trying to assess the other.
Finally, Ashvale broke the silence, offering a small smile.
"So… we were both named Lucien, huh?"
Balmore gave him a long, unreadable look before replying flatly, "I guess."
Without another word, Balmore closed his eyes. A flash of energy shimmered beside him, and with a subtle hum, a weapon rack materialized out of the void.
He reached for a longsword, testing its weight as though it were an old companion.
Ashvale blinked. "Alright, that's… mildly concerning."
Not wanting to be outdone, he shut his eyes and attempted to summon something more modern... preferably a rack of guns.
Nothing happened.
"Shit."
He tried again. Still nothing.
Before he could voice his confusion, the artifact whispered directly into his mind.
"This domain functions according to the law of physics in the real world and the world you are currently in functions under different physical laws. Firearms are incompatible. Only cold weapons may be manifested."
Ashvale's heart sank.
'Can't you change it to accommodate the use of firearm?' Ashvale asked.
'Unfortunately I can't, I haven't recovered yet and I need to solve the issue we are currently facing before I can even begin recovering and even if I could I wouldn't for the sake of fairness.'
'Well, that was unfortunate,' Ashvale lamented.
He might've taken Krav Maga classes till he was sure he could handle himself, but he doubted that would help against someone wielding a sword and the guy looks like he actually knew how to use it.
His real skill lay in using firearms from a comfortable distance. Not whatever this was going to be.
Thinking quickly, he pivoted. Literally and figuratively.
He closed his eyes once more... this time he tried to summon something far less threatening.
With a flicker, two high-backed armchairs appeared in the middle of the blank, white expanse, accompanied by a modest coffee table topped with a steaming carafe, cups, and a plate of assorted snacks.
He gestured toward one of the chairs.
"Please. Take a seat," Ashvale said with a diplomatic smile. "Let's settle this a little less… violently."
Balmore looked at him suspiciously, and Ashvale said, "Please relax. Unlike you, I am not a warrior. I am merely a scholar from another world."
Balmore scanned him again, assessing his clothing.
'Indeed, he doesn't look like a warrior… and I've never seen this type of dress before.'
"Mister Artifact, is he lying?"
"No, he is telling the truth."
Balmore nodded, releasing his sword from his grasp. It vanished before it could hit the ground.
"Thank you very much for cooperating…" Ashvale began, but Balmore interrupted.
"Before we begin our discussion, I want us to agree that we will both tell the absolute truth... no lies, no cheating. If either of us does, Mister Artifact will inform the other. Whatever competition we decide on must be something we both have experience with," Balmore said firmly as he took his sit.