Chapter 90
The familiar smell of herbs and old books greeted us the moment we entered. Benedict motioned toward the heavy oak table.
"Sit."
I gratefully lowered myself onto one of the wooden chairs, placing the chest carefully on the surface before me. Muffin immediately dropped to the floor, wandering straight over to the old mage.
Benedict let out a warm laugh. "Oh, you're hungry."
He disappeared briefly into the kitchen, returning with an uneven slice of fresh bread. Breaking it into smaller pieces, he placed them on a small wooden plate. Muffin gave a single, tentative sniff before happily beginning to nibble.
Benedict watched the little fox with unmistakable affection. "I've decided. I'm keeping him. This cottage could use a Moon Fox."
"Alright," I said, satisfied that the creature had finally found a home.
Rhaevan cleared his throat. "If the abode for the newly found fox has been decided, we have more pressing matters to attend to."
"Right," I agreed. We narrated the events that happened at the abandoned mine. Benedict's expression grew graver and graver as we explained. He then looked at the box and asked me, "Did you try to open it?"
I shook my head and looked at it, then planted both hands firmly on the chest. I tried lifting the lid. Nothing. I pressed along the edges. Nothing. I ran my fingers over every inch of the wood, searching for a hidden latch or seam. Still nothing.
"Well," I sighed, "I think whoever made this forgot to include a way to open it."
Master Benedict reached out and took the box.
Instead of trying to pry it open himself, he traced the intricate carvings with gentle, deliberate fingers.
His gaze lingered on each symbol, studying the weathered wood with the quiet patience of someone who had spent a lifetime deciphering magical relics.
Several moments passed before he finally withdrew his hand. "No," he said softly. "It isn't locked."
I frowned.
"It's dormant." His eyes lifted to meet mine. "Artifacts like these remain sealed until they've fulfilled the purpose for which they were entrusted."
His expression softened into a faint smile. "Which means you've already found what you were meant to find."
His gaze shifted from the box to the leather case floating quietly beside Rhaevan. "...May I see the other item?"
Rhaevan gave a small nod. With a flick of his fingers, the leather case drifted onto the table. The sealing spells wrapped around it shimmered briefly before dissolving one after another.
Even after everything that had happened, I instinctively leaned back. "...It's not going to scream again, is it?"
"I sincerely hope not," Rhaevan replied, carefully unlatching the lid.
The Solithium weapon rested inside. It looked almost ordinary now; the violent violet glow had faded after the explosion, leaving behind a dull silver metal etched with hundreds of impossibly fine runes. If I hadn't nearly died because of it, I might have called it beautiful.
Benedict didn't touch it immediately. Instead, he leaned closer, adjusting the small spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose. "...Remarkable."
His fingers hovered inches above the runes without making contact. I exchanged a glance with Rhaevan, neither of us daring to interrupt. Benedict reached into a nearby drawer, retrieved a small crystal lens, and held it over the weapon to study the intricate script in total silence.
A full minute passed. Then another.
Finally, the old mage let out a long breath. "It isn't a weapon. Not in the traditional sense."
He tapped one of the engraved markings and pointed toward the core embedded within it. "This device takes magical energy and amplifies it. If this technology were to be perfected, kingdom barriers could be shattered. Entire armies could be wiped out."
His expression had grown unusually grim. I remembered the weapon screaming, and the mountain nearly burying us alive.
"...That explains a lot," I murmured.
"It also explains why you should never have survived touching it."
The room fell dead quiet. Benedict slowly removed his spectacles and looked directly at me.
I opened my mouth, closed it, and stared at the table. "...Honestly? I have absolutely no idea. I grabbed the nearest thing I could find because I panicked. It stuck to my hand, it tried very hard to kill all of us, and then..." I hesitated. "...My magic decided to act, all of a sudden."
Benedict remained completely still for a moment before nodding once. "So... Theo was right."
I frowned. "What?"
He smiled faintly. "He believed you possessed an unusual affinity against Solithium, though I wasn't entirely convinced." His gaze flicked briefly toward the box resting beneath my hands. "It would seem he was correct."
I instinctively tightened my grip around the wooden box as Benedict's attention returned to the case.
"I'll take the amplifier," Benedict said, closing the leather lid and immediately weaving several fresh sealing spells around it to contain its residual energy. "I'd like to study it thoroughly before anyone else learns it survived."
Rhaevan nodded in agreement. "I was hoping you'd say that."
Without another word, the old mage gathered the sealed case, turned, and made his way toward his workshop. The heavy wooden door clicked shut behind him, leaving us in silence once more.
Muffin, having finished every last crumb of bread, ambled over and rested his heavy head against my knee. I absentmindedly scratched behind his ears, staring down at the stubborn wooden chest sitting in front of me.
"...Well," I sighed. "I guess we're back to square one."
I tried prying open the chest again and miserably failed. Defeated, I placed it back on the table. The chest continued to contribute absolutely nothing to the conversation.
"...You're incredibly stubborn."
Well, it was a hell of a day.