First message
The auction house did not exist on any map.
It was buried beneath the bones of a forgotten city—stone arches carved with symbols no modern language could translate, veins of dim blue light pulsing through the walls like something alive beneath the surface. The air itself hummed, thick with restrained power.
This was not a place for men.
It was a place for those who believed they could own gods.
At the center of the chamber, a circular stage rose from the floor—polished obsidian, reflecting the crowd like a black mirror. Tiered seating curved around it, filled with figures cloaked in wealth, power, and secrecy.
And at the front—
They stood.
Three men. Three intentions.
Cassian Vale stood with effortless elegance, one hand resting in his pocket, the other lazily adjusting the cuff of his sleeve. Gold glinted at his wrist, at his collar, in the subtle details that whispered old money, older power. His gaze swept the room not with curiosity—but ownership.
He smiled faintly.
“As always,” he murmured, voice smooth as silk, “they gather like moths to something they don’t understand.”