As the excitement from the Phantom Crescent Twins began to fade and the next few items rotated through, Damien slouched in his seat. Most of what followed—alchemical reagents, enchanted jewelry, scrolls of rare techniques—was intriguing, but nothing he needed. That was until the lights dimmed subtly, and the next item floated into the display ring.
A short sword.
Slim, elegant, with a faint shimmer in the blade like starlight trapped in obsidian glass. It hovered in its containment field with an unsettling stillness, its presence subtle but wrong in a way that made seasoned warriors sit straighter in their seats.
The auctioneer paused.
"This next item is… unranked. Preliminary analysis labels it B-plus, with mutated death energy. Unknown forging method. Our experts believe it was reforged through anomalous planar fusion—possibly a spatial fracture during its tempering process. We cannot confirm the source. Starting bid: two hundred thousand."
