The God of Endless Revenge

5

The Grand Auction Hall was packed with hundreds of rich lords, merchants, and clan elders sipping wine under bright glass lamps.

High above the floor, on the golden balcony, sat Damien Blackwood and Celeste.

Damien leaned back in clean white armor trimmed with gold, while Celeste rested against his chest in a green dress, feeding him sweet fruit with soft giggles.

Down in the back row, Lucas stood openly in the crowd, not caring to hide his face.

He was not going to sneak around like a rat; he was here to take his little sister back in front of the whole world.

Beside his boots rested five heavy bags packed full of the gold coins he had taken from Malakai’s vault.

Looking up toward the balcony, Lucas saw Damien and Celeste staring straight down at him.

There was no fear on Damien’s handsome face, and no shock at seeing Lucas alive after the cellar fire.

Instead, Damien pointed down at Lucas with his wine cup, whispering into Celeste’s ear.

Celeste burst into loud, mocking laughter, looking at Lucas as if he were a dog doing tricks for food.

A cold knot twisted in Lucas’s gut as he stared back at them.

'They are not surprised at all,' Lucas thought, his jaw clenching hard. 'They were waiting for me to walk in here.'

He did not know what evil game they were playing, but he did not care. Today, only Lily mattered.

A deep brass gong boomed through the hall, cutting off all the noise.

The hanging glass lights dimmed, casting bright beams onto the wide wooden stage in the center of the room.

The chief auctioneer stepped into the light, wearing silver robes and a wide, fake smile.

"Welcome, noble lords and masters of the realm," the man called out, bowing low to the crowd. "Tonight, we bring out our greatest prize."

Two armored guards pushed a heavy wooden cart onto the middle of the stage.

Sitting on the cart was a tall iron cage, completely covered in a thick black cloth from top to bottom.

Not a single hole was left open to show who was trapped inside.

"The rules say we must see the slave's face before bidding," an old merchant shouted from the third row. "Why is the cage covered?"

The auctioneer let out a smooth laugh, patting the dark cloth.

"Because the prize inside is far too special for common eyes," the man announced loudly. "A pure young girl carrying an ancient, sacred life force!"

Greedy whispers broke out across the hall as rich lords sat up in their seats.

Lucas’s hands balled into tight fists, his nails cutting into his skin as fury boiled in his veins.

They were talking about his little sister like a farm animal to be sold.

The auctioneer raised his wooden hammer high into the air.

"The opening bid for this rare prize starts at fifty thousand gold coins!"

"Fifty thousand!" a fat merchant near the front shouted right away.

Lucas raised his hand from the back, his voice rough and steady: "Sixty thousand."

He needed to bid in small steps, keeping as much coin as possible in case things went bad.

Before the auctioneer could even look at him, a tall man in purple silk stood up on the right side of the room.

"One hundred and fifty thousand!" the man yelled.

Gasps broke out across the room as the bid jumped ninety thousand gold in a single breath.

Lucas’s eyes narrowed into sharp slits as he locked onto the man.

"One hundred and sixty thousand," Lucas called out, his voice turning ice-cold.

Across the front row, a second man in a wide silk coat threw his head back and laughed.

"Three hundred thousand gold coins!"

The entire hall went dead silent. Even the richest lords shook their heads, shocked by such wild spending.

Lucas looked closely at the two men driving up the bids, his eyes cutting straight through their silk clothes.

Both men had wide shoulders, straight military backs, and thick sword scars across their palms.

These were not merchants; they were Damien's personal soldiers in disguise.

Up on the balcony, Damien swirled his wine with a cruel smirk, watching Lucas struggle like a trapped animal.

'They planned this whole thing,' Lucas realized, cold rage flooding his chest. 'They want to squeeze every last coin out of my hands.'

"Three hundred and twenty thousand!" Lucas yelled, his voice echoing off the stone walls.

The first soldier in purple silk did not pause for a second: "Four hundred and fifty thousand!"

The crowd gasped in shock, people whispering in disbelief at the crazy price.

"Four hundred and fifty thousand gold coins!" the auctioneer shouted, waving his hammer. "Do we have four hundred and sixty thousand from the man in the back?!"

Lucas stood with his chest heaving, his fingers digging into the wooden railing until the wood groaned.

Four hundred and fifty thousand was almost everything he had.

If he kept bidding in small steps, these two guards would just shout six hundred thousand and take Lily away forever.

If they won, they would drag his blind, helpless sister into the southern desert, and he would never see her face again.

The memory of Lily’s scarred face and her crying voice burned in his mind: 'Brother... I am so scared.'

Lucas slammed his fist onto the wooden railing, snapping the heavy post clean in half.

"Five hundred thousand gold coins!" Lucas roared, his voice shaking the entire hall like thunder.

The roar silenced every single breath in the room.

Five hundred thousand gold coins was a mountain of wealth, enough to buy an entire town.

Lucas stood tall, glaring straight at the two soldiers, waiting for their next move.

Yet the moment the words left Lucas's mouth, both soldiers lowered their hands.

A wide, sickening smile spread across their faces at the exact same second.

Neither of them said another word.

The auctioneer did not even look around the room for more bids. He did not count to two, and he did not count to three.

He slammed his wooden hammer down with a sharp, loud crack.

"Sold!" the auctioneer shouted at once, his face full of mocking joy. "Sold to the man in the back for five hundred thousand gold coins!"

The two soldiers turned toward Lucas, snickering under their breath before sitting back down.

Up on the balcony, Celeste giggled behind her hand, leaning against Damien as if watching a funny show.

Lucas’s teeth ground together with pure fury as he looked at the laughing faces around him.

'Laugh while you can,' Lucas swore in his heart. 'Once Lily is safe in my arms, I will slaughter every last one of you.'

He threw the five heavy bags of gold over his shoulders, the thick cloth straining under the massive weight.

Lucas marched down the long center aisle, his heavy boots thudding against the floor as rich lords backed away in fear.

He walked straight up the wooden stairs of the stage and slammed the five massive bags onto the counter.

The heavy crash shook the whole platform, gold coins bursting from the seams and shining bright under the lamps.

"Five hundred thousand gold coins," Lucas growled, his voice deep and deadly as he glared at the auctioneer. "The gold is here."

The auctioneer smiled, not even bothering to open the bags to count the money.

"Indeed it is, brave hero," the man said smoothly, bowing with fake respect. "The sale is complete."

Lucas took a step toward the heavy iron cage, his heart hammering against his ribs.

"I paid your dirty price," Lucas commanded, his voice cold enough to freeze bone. "Now take off that cloth and give me my sister!"

The auctioneer chuckled, taking three steps back toward the curtains behind the cart.

"As you wish," the man said, grabbing the golden rope tied to the black cloth.

With a hard, violent yank, the auctioneer pulled the rope, tearing the heavy black sheet straight off the iron bars.

The dark cloth fell to the wooden floor in a pile.

Lucas looked into the cage, and the breath died completely in his throat.