The Two Gemstones

You open your eyes and find yourself in a completely white room, or at least you think it's a room, devoid of anything save for a white table and two white chairs. You are sitting in one of them, and in the one across from you sits a man with blonde hair, dark blue eyes, and wearing an impeccable white suit. He gives you a smile that you can't help but find charming and says, "Hello Dylan Birch. Today is your lucky day."

"Who are you?" you ask, "How do you know my name? And where am I?"

"To answer your questions," the man replies, "I go by many names, but you can call me Mr. Light. I have been watching you for a long time. And technically, you are still asleep in your bed. What you are seeing here is a little corner of your subconscious I am borrowing for the moment so I can talk to you face to face."

"So... I'm dreaming right now?" you ask.

"Oh I assure you Dylan, this is very much real," he replies, "Of course, I doubt you'll believe that until you wake up, so I'll just get right to the point. I have selected you to receive a very special gift, one that will change your life forever."

You watch as he takes two necklaces from beneath the table and lay them out on the table in front of you. They are each attached to a silver chain, and look identical save for the one on the left having a red gemstone in the setting and the one on the right having a blue gemstone set in it. Each stone is about half the size of your fist, and set in the middle of a silver medallion that would fit perfectly in the palm of your hand.

Pointing at the red gem first, Mr. Light says, "This is the Ruby of the Body. As long as you wear it, you will be able to alter the body of whomever you choose in whatever way you like. Simply speak aloud the changes you want to happen with intent, and it shall be so."

Pointing to the blue gem, he continues, "And this is the Sapphire of the Mind. As long as you are wearing this, you will have complete control over the minds of other people. Like with the Ruby, all you have to do is speak aloud what you want them to think or do with intent, and it shall be so."

You look over both amulets with some curiosity, "That's a lot of power to give to one person."

"You're quite right," Mr. Light replied, "Which is why I am only giving you one of them. It's up to you which one you get."

For some reason, you just know that what this man was telling you was completely true. And yet, assuming this wasn't really a dream, this seemed too good to be true. After a moment, you ask, "What's the catch?"

"There's no catch," he replies, "Simply put the one you want around your neck, and you will wake up in your bed with it in your possession."

Despite still believing that what Mr. Light was saying was the truth, you are suddenly much more suspicious of his intentions. Warily, you ask, "Why give this kind of thing to me?"

Mr Light leans forward and clasps his hand on the table, his friendly smile being replaced with a more serious expression, "I'll be frank with you, Dylan. I know the kind of things you are into, and by extension how you will most likely use the power of these amulets. In fulfilling your desires, you will be sowing chaos and discord into the world, which is exactly what I want."

He smiles again, and this time you can't help but feel a chill go down your spine, "But you don't need to worry about any of that. I'm not going to tell you how you have to use your chosen gem, or take it away if you don't do something I like, or ask for some kind of favor or payment from you somewhere down the line. As I said before, this is a gift from me to you, with no strings attached."

"...Who are you?" you ask again, even though you're starting to suspect who exactly you're talking to.

"Let's just say I'm someone who enjoys nothing more than seeing people indulge their base desires," Mr. Light replies, leaning back in his chair.

You realize that you probably aren't going to get an answer any more direct than that from him.

Mr. Light opens his arms to gesture to the two amulets. "So, which one do you want? This is a big decision, and you won't get to change your mind after you leave here, so take as long as you want to make a decision. Time moves much slower in here, so don't worry."

You look down at the two amulets. Whether this is a dream or not, this is a chance you do not want to pass up. And you just know that whatever Mr. Light's true intention in doing so is, he was being truthful about this gift having no strings attached. All you need to do is decide which you would rather be able to control: the body or the mind.