The next day, they arrived at the bustling town of Hance, a place teeming with merchants hawking their wares and travelers passing through. This time, Kitana had no choice but to accompany Lucian—this information was too important to leave in his hands alone.
Her presence made the villagers uneasy. Though they were less wary than the last town's people, they still avoided her gaze, as if looking at her too long might bring misfortune. She tried to disappear into the crowd, just another cloaked figure moving through the market, but it was impossible.
A young boy stared at her, his wide eyes filled with curiosity and fear. Before she could react, his mother yanked him away, whispering harshly.
"Is she a demon?"
Kitana stiffened. The word clung to her skin like a curse. Before the sting could settle, Lucian caught her wrist, pulling her toward a nearby stall.
He handed a few gold coins to the vendor, who quickly offered him a long, dark cloak with a heavy hood.
"Put it on," Lucian said, his voice quiet but firm. "You'll be safer that way."
Kitana hesitated before draping the cloak over her shoulders, the fabric thick and comforting. She pulled the hood low over her face, obscuring her features.
"Better?" she murmured from beneath the layers.
Lucian gave a curt nod before continuing his search. Kitana remained still, watching as the villagers moved around her, only daring to glance at her when they thought she wasn't looking.
That night, they followed the trail of information they had gathered. On the outskirts of town, they came across a small roadside stall. Sitting beside it was an old woman, her frail form draped in a tattered cloak. Her cart was filled with bundles of herbs and peculiar trinkets. As they approached, she lifted a crooked finger, beckoning them forward. Her hood shadowed most of her face, but her eyes gleamed like diamonds in the dark.
"You seek the high demon, don't you?" she rasped.
Kitana exchanged a glance with Lucian, but he only nodded. "We do."
The old woman leaned in, her hands clasped as if in prayer. "Then be prepared for what you will find. The demon you hunt is not like the others. He is powerful, and he knows you are coming."
Lucian's gaze sharpened. "How do you know this?"
A faint smile curled her lips. "I know many things. And I know the price of vengeance. But there is another way. The demon's weakness lies in the blood of an angel."
Kitana frowned. "An angel?"
"Yes," the woman crooned. "A fallen one. Imprisoned. Her wings torn. But her power remains."
A chill ran down Kitana's spine. A caged angel? Could such a thing be real?
Lucian's voice was edged with urgency. "Where do we find this angel?"
The old woman's grin widened. "At an auction. A place where the damned are bought and sold. The angel is there, waiting for someone to claim her."
Kitana recoiled. "You expect us to buy her?"
The woman shrugged, as if it were a trivial matter. "You will do what you must to get what you desire."
Days later, after crossing forests and towns, they arrived at the hidden auction. It wasn't difficult to get inside—one glare from Lucian was enough to make the man at the entrance step aside. Of course, it helped that, with her cloak, Kitana looked like a noblewoman here to buy slaves. . The auction was buried beneath an old tavern, a sanctuary for those who trafficked in darkness.
The air was thick with smoke, murmurs blending into a low hum of depravity. The auctioneer, a gaudy man in extravagant clothing, stood at the front, his voice rising in showmanship.
Kitana's stomach churned as creatures—humans and beasts alike—were paraded before the eager bidders. This place reeked of misery, a marketplace for suffering.
"This place is a cesspit," Kitana muttered, voice low.
Lucian didn't respond. His attention was fixed on the stage, scanning the crowd with sharp precision.
"Perhaps," he finally murmured. "But we might find what we need."
After hours of waiting and watching countless creatures being sold, their patience was wearing thin. The endless parade of transactions, the clinking of coins, and the indifferent faces of buyers and sellers only added to their growing frustration
But just as they were about to leave, a commanding voice silenced the room.
"And now, the final item of the night!" the auctioneer declared. "A being of divine blood, a fallen jewel from the heavens. Presenting—Moira, the caged angel!"
Kitana's heart pounded.
Two guards dragged a frail figure onto the stage, her body bound in iron. Gasps rippled through the audience.
The angel's silver hair was matted with dirt, her once-radiant skin marred by bruises and grime. But what stole Kitana's breath were her eyes—
Or rather, the absence of them.
Hollow sockets, seared at the edges, stared out at the crowd. And yet, Kitana felt their weight as if the angel could see straight into her soul.
A shudder wracked Kitana's body. Her vision blurred, her knees buckling. Lucian's arm shot out, steadying her.
Then, everything shifted.
A pulse of energy crackled through the air, like a storm breaking loose. The auction hall melted away, swallowed by blinding light.
Kitana blinked.
She was no longer in the auction.
She was somewhere else.