Terror Auction II

Seraphine is thoroughly numb at that point.

She can't bear hearing all the prices that'll soon seal her doomed fate - to think that her value is only measured by those digits. No matter how big they are, she can't help but see herself as a small existence. It's all making her feel so pathetically worthless and pitifully powerless. There's not a single thing she can do - time and again.

'Why am I even born? Why do I exist? Why am I still living?' were the questions that kept filling her mind the whole time.

Perhaps, her whole existence is doomed to begin with.

And she has no choice but to give in.

"A child! There's a child up there!"

Right then, someone from the crowd shouted that all of the sudden.

Seraphine flinched in shock and bafflement at the stirring commotion. Something is happening - something that is making everyone go wild and frantic. She can't see, but she can hear their shrieks of horror and retreating footsteps. All she can do is wonder what gets them running away out of nowhere.

"Y-You..." Seraphine heard Clifford stuttering from the side - disbelief and perplexity in his tone.

"How the hell did you...?! You little brat!"

Through it all, she remains oblivious to the menacing presence of the child who is standing there with them on the stage.

Eric has appeared out of nowhere, covered in blood and a dagger in hand.

When a growl erupts from his throat, she gets to recognize him at last. Still, she is unable to see the current state he is in. Unbeknownst to her, he is standing there with an incandescent glare and ferocious expression - far from that weak and feeble little boy from earlier. It's almost as if he's no longer the same person.

There is strength in his grip on his weapon, and there is power in his feral look, making him appear intimidating despite his small figure.

"T-This boy... W-What's with him?" Clifford stammered out in trepidation.

He could make out the lifeless bodies of the men who were standing on guard at the back of the stage. There is no doubt - this little boy killed them, and all on his own even. His face paled at the realization that he must have underestimated him big time. A look of utmost horror plastered across his bloodless face.

'B-But then again, he's a royal despite being blind. He must have some hidden powers like all the other members of the imperial family...' Clifford came to realize before looking back at where the crowd was once at.

'This is bad. Even the clients were so terrified that they already left.'

"H-Hey, w-what's happening...?!" Seraphine suddenly found the strength and intrepidity to say, unable to bear the unnerving silence that had been layering over them for a while now.

"E-Eric...? Are you there-"

Before she could finish, she was cut off out of nowhere.

A flurry of black towered over her for a moment, and after that, light finally seeped through her eyes. She no longer has the blindfold on, and she can now see what is going on at last. But then, the scene that greets her is nowhere near relieving. In fact, it only shocks her to the core -

The scene is that of Eric and Clifford - with the former having the upper hand and the latter losing in the confrontation.

"You damned bastard!" Eric shouted as he surged right in and shoved Clifford across the room then out of that platform, making Seraphine gasp out loud.

He just threw over someone twice his size.

Clifford groaned in pain and tried to pull himself back together. But before he could do so, Eric already went over to him and hauled him up by the front of his shirt before flinging him back onto the floor. He then crouched over him, grabbed his head, and repeatedly slammed it on the ground with bone-crushing force.

"How dare you..." Eric hissed underneath his breath.

"How dare you do that to her?!"

Clifford, dizzied by the force of the impact, couldn't do much to defend himself.

Seraphine is in a world of immense shock, terror, disbelief and mystification for that entire time. She has no idea how Eric could do this. He was supposed to be at a disadvantage, and he indeed was only a moment ago. But now, he could practically kill Clifford off right there and then.

'W-Why...? H-How could he...? H-He could not even defend himself earlier. S-So, why now?'

Little did Seraphine know that Eric was not really what he seemed.