Soft Spot → Sylus

Ever Science's Downfall

It's boring, sitting here amidst the rich and wealthy. Pulling out your phone, you read the broadcast that pops up on top of your notifications.

Skyhaven Falls Apart Due To Government Miscalculations: 300 Million For Nothing!

How long has it been since that incident? A month? Maybe, two? You're not sure, but it feels like a distant memory now, and you decide that it's best to stay that way. It's such an emotionally draining journey to get to this point.

Now, you're sitting in a luxurious dining table, in a room filled with top tier people. The large room is divided into three sections; the front tables specifically for the VIPs with limited table quota, the middle for the rich, and the back for middle-upper class. Not only do the host discriminate the people based on their income, they also set different table cloths out of different materials depending on the people's status. Other than that, the decoration is considerably minimalistic, with only a grand stage on the front of the room and a silky red curtain hanging from the archway, dividing the stage to the backstage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may we present to you our main auction for today," the auctioneer purposely pauses as he waits for one of his men to walk up stage to present a small human heart encased in a small glass box. "Behold, the first ever human heart born with an Aether Core!"

There are soft murmurs among the rich, some find it to be intriguing while the other question the process of harvesting such an important human organ. It's immoral, unethical, and yet it's so intriguing to the point that even those who questions it are considering to buy the heart solely for the Aether Core imbued to it.

"Bid starts at one million. Can I get a one million here?" the auctioneer speaks fast, raising his cane to the crowd sitting in fancy dining tables with their choice of meals presented upon a fancy dish. Someone in the crowd raised their hand, earning a gleeful smile from the auctioneer.

"Two million!"

"Four million!"

"Seven and a half million!"

"Fifteen million!"

"Twenty and a half million!"

It awes you, how people are willing to put their highest bid on some of the most random things. But, this isn't something random — Hell, if you didn't manage to defeat Mona back in Skyhaven, you might be the one putting the highest bid to claim your daughter's heart back.

"Seventy million! Can I get over seventy million?" the auctioneer happily points his cane to the crowd, waiting for an answer. But, only silence greets his quick, cheerful voice.

"Is a faux Aether Core actually worth seventy million?" Sylus's voice breaks the silence of the room. The guests turn their attention to your table, eyeing both you and Sylus with flabbergasted, questioning gaze. But, neither of you bothers with their lingering gaze as you take another bite of the macaroons while Sylus sips the last drop of his wine.

You notice the auctioneer's brow twitching in irritation. "What nonsense! Are you here to sabotage our auction?" the stout man turns his head back to the edge of the stage, where seven guards rush out from the backstage area towards your table. Sitting among the VIPs, just two tables away from the stage, your table is surrounded by the seven guards.

"Sir, I'm afraid you have to leave," one of the guards standing in front of your table speaks, his stature rigid with both his hands on either side of his body.

Sylus was still, his eyes glaring at the middle aged guard in front of the table. "Too bad," a flurry of black and red shot at the guard's chest, forcefully pushing him backwards as he hit the bottom of the stage. "My wife and I were interested in buying."