Eldric Vanton stood in the center of the grand hall before dawn broke over the marble towers of Vanton Auction House. The sky outside still carried a muted violet hue and the mana lamps inside cast a warm glow across the hall. Rows of crystal seats curved around the circular platform where relics were shown to the audience. Everything was silent for now but Eldric knew silence never lasted long in a place like this. In a few hours nobles scholars mercenaries collectors and masked bidders from underground circles would fill the seats and each of them would carry an agenda that could shift the politics of entire nations.

He moved past the central showcase where the first relic of the season was sealed inside a transparent ward chamber. The relic was a silver tablet covered in ancient script etched in spirals and broken lines as if the text itself had been carved by a shaking hand. Even with the seal active Eldric felt a faint pulse coming from it. Not a heartbeat but something close enough to feel alive. The tablet had been recovered yesterday from the ruins of Kareth Hollow where an adventuring team had nearly lost two members to collapsing magic traps. Eldric had personally traveled there to confirm the relic’s authenticity. Now he studied it again as the runes shimmered in irregular patterns like breath held too long.

He whispered to himself as he checked the ward’s stability. The protective field responded to his touch like rippling water. Behind him footsteps approached and Lyra the shadowscout walked in with slow steps her cloak fluttering behind her. She carried the sharp alertness of someone who slept lightly and trusted few. She lowered her voice as she stood beside the relic chamber.

It moved again didnt it

Eldric nodded. The script is unstable It reacts to sound and mana fluctuations Maybe even intent

Lyra frowned. So it is more than a tablet

Everything ancient is more than what it looks like Eldric said. That is what makes it valuable and dangerous

They exchanged a look that carried years of cooperation. Lyra had been part of his recovery team since before the auction house became world famous. She understood that relics could be unpredictable and that some bidders believed relics should not be contained at all.

Footsteps echoed again as Garron the heavy knight entered the hall. He carried his shield across his back but even without his armor he was intimidating. He nodded to Eldric.

The guards are ready Outside lines already forming Nobles want to make sure their seats remain theirs

They always do Eldric replied. No one wants to miss the first auction of the year This one sets the tone for everything that follows

Garron glanced at the relic. That thing gives me chills

Good Eldric said. It should

He approached the ward a final time and placed his hand on the stabilizer crystal. The silver tablet pulsed lightly in response as if acknowledging his presence. Eldric’s gift often allowed him to perceive hints of a relic’s nature. Sometimes he sensed memories or echoes or traces of former wielders. This time he sensed tension like a rope pulled taut and frayed at the edges. Something sealed Something waiting

He whispered again not as an appraiser but almost as a priest. I hope youre not waking up at the wrong moment

The hall doors opened again and a soft chime signaled the arrival of morning. Outside the first lines of nobles stood in formal attire waiting for the auction to begin. The staff prepared the floating name sigils that marked each bidder. The atmosphere grew dense with anticipation and ambition.

Eldric turned to his team. Today is going to be loud chaotic and full of lies You all know how to read the room Keep an eye out for anyone trying to alter bids or tamper with wards

Lyra smirked. So the usual

Garron cracked his knuckles. If someone tries to rush the stage this time Im not being gentle

Eldric gave a faint smile and walked toward the backstage corridor. With each step the pressure in the air intensified as if the auction house itself sensed the importance of today’s relic. The world had grown more unstable lately. Artifacts awakened more easily. Ruins reacted more violently. And the old stories whispered of a return of something large something that had been buried with the ancient civilizations.

Whether he was ready or not his auction house was becoming the center of it.

And the first ripple of the new era would begin today.