After the Golden Knives left the scene, Rana Ghon turned to Sharyah with a welcoming smile. "Lady Sharyah, I should thank you. I don't know what you did to piss my brother off, but I always enjoy beating up that giant pile of shit."

"My pleasure, vice-captain Ghon." She smiled back nonchalantly.

"You can call me Rana! Anyway, Mister Fantino has asked me to come and get you. He says you have something for him."

"Yes, let's not make him wait. Little Rall, you can come out."

The boy heard the order, and after a bit of hesitation, he came out of the luxurious carriage - with the Obsidian Warriors around, there was no way of sneaking out.

A small crowd had formed around the earlier commotion and had slowly started dissipating after the anticlimactic end to the fight. Just then, those still around saw something incredible.

A little boy with pale blond hair and beautiful emerald eyes stepped out of the carriage. Behind him, an orb of light five centimeters in diameter floated in the air undisturbed.

Not only was that Fairylight too big for such a young child, but it was also pure white! Weren't Fairylights golden? They all instinctively understood that the boy's value was hard to fathom.

Rall walked in small steps, annoyed by the sound of his chains scraping the ground. Seeing this, Lady Sharyah flicked her fingers, and the chains and cuffs around his body fell at once. Only the collar remained, and a short piece of chain that the lady used as a leash. She did not like doing that, but she had to show who the owner was to the avid eyes all around.

"That's an interesting boy you have there," Rana mused, scanning Rall from top to bottom to Fairylight, "let's go."

Following behind Rana, Lady Sharyah led Rall through a side entrance in the largest villa of the Opal Palace. The palace dazzled with gold and precious gems, the brilliance reflected on the marble pavement and the crystal ceiling in a spectacle of light that must have cost billions of gold to achieve. Colorful hues of magic radiated from several eccentric artifacts, which were put on display in perfectly carved crystal cases along the corridors. Each time they turned a corner, the boy would see something that took his breath. They walked for a while, going up two floors through shiny marble stairs, then finally stopped in front of a rather ordinary-looking wooden door.

"Rana Ghon, bringing Lady Sharyah and her slave!" Rana shouted, followed by the door creaking open. She got out of the way and signaled the two to go in.

Sharyah didn't even blink, and immediately she led Rall inside.

Like the door, the room they entered was simple, inconspicuous, almost humble. Wooden shelves lined the walls with all kinds of dusty old books and tomes sitting on them. In the corner stood a dusty sphere of dark purple glass leaning into an intricately weaved wooden support. In the middle of the room was a heavy wooden desk, on top of which rested piles of documents, a small ink bottle, and a golden quill.

A plain-looking man was leaning on the desk, waiting to receive his guests. He had short black hair, stubble on his chin, and a roughly groomed mustache. His small pair of eyes shone with exceptional intelligence and inscrutable purposes. He had an average height, average weight, average everything. Rall was sure that he would never notice the man in a crowd, and somehow that made him all the more terrifying. When the man's eyes landed on him, the boy trembled and felt the urge to run away. He was Thomas Fantino, current head of the Fantino family and owner of the Opal Palace.

"Welcome, Lady Sharyah," the man said, taking the woman's hand for a light kiss, "the Opal Palace is once again humbled by your beauty."

"Not at all, Mister Fantino. This place becomes shinier every year." She responded politely.

"And who is this bright boy?" He asked curiously, the pun intended. Once again, Rall trembled after receiving the man's attention.

"I found him on my way here. His name is Rall."

"Rall, you say? Do you have a family name, boy?" Thomas asked him directly.

For some reason, Rall felt compelled to answer truthfully. He tried resisting the urge to speak, but it was just too strong.

"L-Lightson, sir." He got the sense that it was better to give these people as little information as possible. Nevertheless, against that man's words, he was powerless.

"And tell me, boy. Why is your Fairylight white?" Rall finally noticed that, before his arrival, there wasn't any source of light in the room, no windows of any kind.

"I-I don't know. It became like this after I entered the Fog." He answered honestly, unable to stop himself.

"I see... a boy so young, surviving the Fog. A Fairylight that mysteriously changed color. Sharyah, I offer you one billion gold coins for this boy." The man said, casually mentioning an amount of money so large that most people on the Continent could not even imagine it.

Sharyah remained inexpressive under her mask. "Come on, Thomas. We both know that's a ridiculous price! I'm almost offended."

The expression on Mister Fantino's face went from neutral to smiling at her declaration. "You got me there. If you had accepted, I would have barred you from ever stepping into the Opal Palace. Well then, I guess you want him in the midnight auction?"

She nodded.

"Very well. I will register the boy under your name. Rana, escort these guests to their accommodations and put more guards around them."

Sharyah gave a slight bow of courtesy, then led Rall out of the room. Thomas' eyes remained locked on the white floating orb behind the boy. 'This year's auction will be interesting.'

***

The midnight auction was the most exclusive public event happening at the Opal Palace. To participate, interested parties had to pay a ticket of one million gold coins or any other form of payment of equal value.

The event usually lasted three to four hours, featuring every kind of item, from rare alchemical potions to exotic slaves of rare talents.

The auction took place in a large theater. Hundreds of wealthy criminals sat on comfortable numbered chairs, each armed with a unique paddle meant for bidding. Around the hall stood forty of the strongest fighters from the Obsidian Warriors, ready to stop any disturbance and see it out of the room, or out of their life. Those who wanted to remain anonymous could pay another ten million gold coins to sit in one of the many private darkrooms that surrounded the theater - a staff member in the main hall would act as their proxy for bidding.

In one of those private darkrooms, a restless old man sat on a soft couch - his body leaned forward towards the one-way mirror that looked over the theater. Behind him stood a tall, dignified man dressed as a butler.

"Hopp, are you sure you heard it right?" Admiral Conrad Delaux asked, obvious excitement in his voice.

"Yes. The rumors are that a young light mage with a white Fairylight will be up for auction tonight." The butler answered for the tenth time.

"Finally! How long have I waited!? I just have to get him, and my dreams will come true!"

Back in the main hall, the lights dimmed, and the curtains opened. A fat auctioneer stepped up the stage with a wide, confident smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Opal Palace's midnight auction! I swear this will be a night you will never forget! But before we start, why don't we give a warm round of applause for Mister Fantino and his Family for uniting so many respectable folks for this incredible event!" Light applause sounded, but the auctioneer's enthusiasm mostly landed flat on the cynical crowd. Thomas Fantino, who was sitting in the first row, shook his head.

Still, the auctioneer remained confident. "Tough crowd tonight, but do not worry. The collection we have for you this year has so many special pieces that I am sure you will applaud at the end!"

"So without further ado, please prepare your paddles, and let's get rolling! The first item in auction tonight is..."

Like that, the auction started. Sharyah sat in the middle of the row that was furthest from the stage. She wasn't actually interested in the event, bidding here and there for some pieces of jewelry that caught her eye. In truth, she was waiting for Rall to come out. Of course, she wanted to know how much money he would make her, but deeper down, she also wanted to learn where he would end up, who would buy him.

***

The auction had gone on for three hours, and some billions had already been exchanged.

'Three... two... one... sold" The auctioneer slammed his hammer on his lectern to seal the transaction. "The tooth of a young ice dragon goes to the gentleman in chair thirty-four for four-hundred million gold coins. Congratulations."

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, a moment you've been waiting for since the start of this event. Tonight we have for you three light mages! The first is a thirteen-year-old girl from the Karam Desert, Aisha Sahar!" A beautiful woman from the Opal Palace's staff brought on stage a short girl with olive skin and dark curly hair. A small golden Fairylight followed behind her, its frantic movements showed that she did not have much control over it yet.

"Not only does she have the talents of a light mage, but this girl's purity is still intact. The bidding will start at a base of fifty million gold coins."

Soon, those interested in getting a light mage showed themselves. They had stayed silent during the whole event, only bidding small sums here and there when they saw a good bargain.

A bidding war started between three anonymous buyers and an emissary from the Sultanate of Karam. In the end, the emissary rose on top, but he had had to spend all his budget on just that one girl. Still, that had been his mission, so he was satisfied and hurriedly left the theater.

The booming voice of the auctioneer resumed. "The second light mage we have for you today is a fifty-five years old expert. He is an escapee of the Alcian Inquisition torture chambers, wanted for propagating 'taboo knowledge' to his students. He is Friedrick Baston." The same beautiful staff member held a chain connected to a lanky middle-aged man. His Fairylight was a golden light orb twenty centimeters in diameter. To avoid him casting any spell, he was gagged and heavily drugged. Because of this, he stumbled on the chains and fell on the stage. The woman helped him up and remained there to sustain the mage. No one in the audience thought a thing about him falling - they were used to powerful slave mages and sorcerers being drugged for safety purposes.

"For Friedrick, the bidding price will start at two hundred million gold coins."

The bidding price was higher than Aisha's for three reasons. First, he was already strong enough to protect a small village from the Fog with Lighthouse.

Second, he knew other spells, so he would not need training, and could hold his weight in dangerous situations.

Thirds, he was a man, so he could still be used for breeding.

The same three anonymous bidders fought to get him. In the Admiral's room, the pressure was palpable. "You are sure that the next one is what we are looking for?" Conrad anxiously asked his butler. He was listening to the bids for Friedrick getting higher and higher, and he couldn't stop sweating.

"I am sure, Mister Delaux." The butler answered patiently.

"I just hope I have enough..." the former Borian Admiral whispered to himself, gulping down as he heard the auctioneer end the bidding for the middle-aged light mage at one billion and a half gold coins, which was very close to his maximum budget of two billion.

"And finally." Proclaimed the auctioneer, carefully pronouncing each sound to raise the tension in the theater. "The last item in tonight's auction. An eight-year-old from the Alcian countryside with a peculiar kind of Fairylight. Rall Lightson!" The same beautiful woman once again came on stage, bringing with her a small blonde boy. Soon, murmurs rose from the seats as many saw Rall's Fairylight for the first time. Though he was younger than Aisha, the orb of light that followed behind him was much bigger, making it clear that his potential was exponentially higher. And then there was the color, pale and pearly like moonlight. Something they had never see before. Moreover, the kid was a boy, seemed in good health, and was easy on the eyes.

And then, the auctioneer announced the auction base, leaving the theater gasping for air. "Bidding will start at ten billion gold coins!"

From his room, Conrad fell on his knees banging his fists on the floor in desperation. He didn't even have enough to participate.

Meanwhile, Lady Sharyah's expression morphed into a satisfied grin.