The Domain air tasted wrong. Not bad. Just wrong. Like breathing through cloth made of light. Each inhale brought particles that glowed faintly. They floated everywhere. Painted the atmosphere in shades Lucid had no names for.
Birds hung suspended mid-flight. Their wings frozen at angles that should have meant falling. But they stayed. Locked in position. Part of the landscape now instead of passing through it.
Buildings showed their age differently here. Cracks glowed. Weathering became luminescent. Everything that was broken or worn shone brighter than what remained whole. Like the Domain valued decay over preservation.
Lucid noticed these things because noticing kept his mind occupied. Kept him from thinking about how his chest ached. How using any significant fate essence would cause internal bleeding. How he was walking through a divine dimension with half a plan and a suspicious ally.
'Mesmerizing. It would be mesmerizing if our lives were not at stake.'
Fenwick walked beside him. The confident fraud expert was gone. Replaced by someone who kept glancing around. Whose hands trembled slightly. Whose breathing had gone shallow.
'What happened to the composed noble overnight? Where is the person who explained creative accounting like teaching a class?'
But it did not matter. Fenwick was a tool. A means to an end. If things went wrong Lucid would abandon him without hesitation.
'First. I got inside the Domain because of Fenwick's wealth fraud. The paperwork created enough appearance of assets that I could enter without freezing.'
'Second. I could have entered on my own. My vast reserves of fate essence from Alice qualify me as Illuminated. But using it causes internal bleeding. Another visit to Jing Xiu explaining why I am coughing up blood seems unwise.'
'Third. I am here for the auction. The relic. Everyone wants it. House Maren. The Congregation. Celeste. All of them competing for the same prize.'
The auction would be expensive. Impossibly expensive. The fake transactions Fenwick had filed would never be enough. Not for something every major power in Port Vexis wanted.
But there was always the option. Unlimited fate essence. Unlimited wealth in Domain terms. Illuminated status bypassing normal economic rules.
'Would it kill me? Probably. But how many times have I died now? I just have to pray Alice brings me back. Or that I can withstand the drawback this time.'
Everyone gets one. One free resurrection. One miracle. After that you paid full price.
But Lucid have already experienced enough miracles by now.
Part of Lucid wondered what would happen if Fenwick tried to claim the relic for himself. If this whole thing was elaborate setup to use Lucid as muscle while Fenwick profited.
'If that happens I just steal it back. Unless there is some binding between the relic and user's soul. That would be problematic.'
He had read about such things. Been reading more lately. This world had mechanics. Rules. Systems that governed power and exchange. Understanding them meant survival.
Fenwick had his hand on his head. Muttering. A prayer. Lucid could not help but hear the name Alisia repeated. Mother Alisia. The blessing Celeste had mocked him with before leaving him to die.
'Religious. Or desperate. Hard to tell the difference sometimes.'
Something moved ahead. Lucid stopped. Fenwick stopped. They both took two steps back. Instinctive. Synchronized.
"Ohhh! Fresh meat!"
A young man appeared from behind a building that had not been there moments before. Aristocrat. Everything about him screamed wealth and cruelty. His clothes were expensive. His posture was entitled. His smile was wrong.
He carried a whip in one hand. Leather. Well used. Stained with things Lucid did not want to identify.
In his other hand he held leashes. Two of them. Attached to collars. Attached to people.
Two figures crawled on hands and knees. Following the leashes. Moving like animals. Their eyes were empty. Not dead. Just absent. Like personhood had been removed and replaced with obedience.
"What the hell?" Lucid muttered.
The aristocrat's face was ugly in ways that transcended physical features. It was the expression. The enjoyment. The particular satisfaction of someone who owned other people and delighted in it.
Fenwick screamed. Slight. Caught himself. Covered his mouth. His eyes were wide. Terrified.
'Is this guy going insane? It is horrifying but screaming helps nothing.'
The aristocrat stepped closer. His pets crawled behind him. Their hands scraped against golden ground that should have hurt but they showed no reaction.
"New arrivals! How delightful! I was just discussing with my companions here how boring the Domain has become. Everyone freezing. Nobody playing anymore." He gestured with the whip. "But you two look fresh. Still mobile. Still capable of making deals."
"We are not interested," Lucid said. His voice came out flat. Controlled. Showing nothing.
"Oh but you should be! I have such wonderful things to offer! Contracts that could make you wealthy beyond imagination! Transactions that could secure your futures!"
The aristocrat's smile widened. Showed too many teeth.
"Of course, we would need to establish stakes first. Collateral. Something of value you are willing to risk."
Fenwick grabbed Lucid's arm. "We should go. We should leave now."
"Cannot leave. Not until the auction. We push through."
"Sensible!" The aristocrat clapped. The sound echoed wrong. "I like people who understand commitment! Let us make this interesting then. A simple transaction. You both participate. If you win, I provide information about the auction. Location. Participants. What is truly being offered."
"And if we lose?" Lucid asked.
"You surrender equivalent value. Assets. Property. Future earnings. The usual stakes." The aristocrat paused. Considered. "Or if you prefer, one of you could join my companions here. They are quite happy in their new roles. No more worries. No more decisions. Just simple obedience."
The crawling figures showed no reaction. Just waited. Patient as furniture.
"We decline," Lucid said.
"Oh I do not think you do." The aristocrat gestured. Reality shifted. Golden chains materialized. Wrapped around both Lucid and Fenwick. Not restraining. Just present. Binding them to what came next.
A voice spoke. The same voice from before. Everywhere and nowhere.
"Binding contract initiated. Stakes proposed. Participants bound. Accept or freeze."
Fenwick whimpered. "No. No no no. This is not how it works. You cannot force contracts. The Domain prohibits coercion."
"I am not forcing anything. I am offering opportunity. You entered my territory. You triggered my claim. Now you either play or you freeze where you stand." The aristocrat's smile became genuine. "Those are the rules. Welcome to Mercyros."
Lucid felt the chains tighten. Not physical pressure. Conceptual. The weight of obligation forming. Of transaction becoming inevitable.
'He is right. We triggered something. Some claim he established. Now we are bound to play.'
"What are the terms?" Lucid asked.
"Simple exchange. We each offer stakes of equal perceived value. Make claims about future worth. Argue for why our stake is superior. The Domain judges. Winner takes both stakes. Loser surrenders what was offered."
"That is subjective. How does the Domain measure perceived value?"
"Through belief. Through conviction. Through your ability to make others see worth where none exists." The aristocrat gestured to his pets. "I have won many such exchanges. Built quite the collection."
Fenwick was shaking now. His hands clenched into fists. "I will go first. I will handle this."
'Why? Why volunteer? Unless he thinks he can win. Unless he actually knows how to play this game.'
The aristocrat looked pleased. "Excellent! A volunteer! What do you offer as stake?"
Fenwick straightened. His expression changed. The fear was still there but something else joined it. Calculation. The same sharpness Lucid had seen glimpses of before.
"I offer property holdings. Three buildings in the eastern district. Currently undervalued due to market perception but positioned for significant appreciation once development pressures increase."
"Describe them."
Fenwick launched into details. Addresses. Dimensions. Structural condition. Proximity to shipping routes. Potential rental income. Future value projections.
He spoke with confidence. With knowledge. With the particular fluency of someone who had done this before.
'He is good. This is not improvisation. This is practiced technique. Who is Fenwick really?'
The aristocrat listened. Nodded. Smiled that wrong smile.
"Interesting. I counter with this." He held up a small object. A token. Carved stone. "Access to the Twilight Markets. Venues where goods are traded that cannot exist in normal reality. One-time entry. Worth more than any physical property."
"That is speculation. Cannot verify value."
"Can you verify your buildings will appreciate? Can you guarantee development? You offer potential. I offer access. The Domain weighs both equally."