Before there was mass panic, Shim Ju-Won moved into position. His eyes were now squared to the front of the auction hall as his presence had ceased to be a comfortable one. He had become a capable threat to those in the room.
"Please everyone, there is no reason to panic."
As Shim Ju-Won had finished delivering his message, Shim Ma Shin stepped forward in unison with him and planted a foot firmly on the floor with a lowered center of gravity.
"Anyone who is doing any of this, you have to reveal yourself."
While everything happened, Shim Cha Eun collapsed onto the floor.
"Ahh!" Her body collapsed to the ground, gasping for air under the pressure that was crushing her.
"Cha Eun!"
Wen Yu sprinted over, immediately pulling her daughter into her arms.
"Please stay with me… do not try to fight this!"
Zaire did not budge an inch. She just kept smiling. A slow, knowing smile.
Her gaze shifted from Vonessia to Zaire, where Vonessia was sitting with her back to the wall, unaffected, yet she was smiling. The two women stared at one another with just a knowing look between them as if they understood something the rest of the world did not.
Assad rolled his eyes and sighed very quietly.
"Man, what a bummer," he muttered.
Assad looked down at his hands. He had a smirk on his face, but with an irritated look.
"I was trying to keep it under control, but obviously that's impossible," he said.
Assad chuckled softly.
"Well, I still have no control."
Assad took a long, deep breath. He blinked his eyes about halfway open.
"Tch, I better let this jerk take over so things get better."
Assad took a big breath. He closed his eyes. For a minute...everything stopped, and all of a sudden his eyes snapped open and all of the pressure disappeared.
"...What?" he said.
Assad looked around the room as confusion crossed his face.
"What the heck just happened!?"
Assad's heart rate slowed down, and he took his breath under control by looking around at himself. Assessing how he looked and noticed that his arms and fingers all appeared to be functioning correctly.
"The last thing I recall…I was attempting to evade capture from that guard…"
As he fixed his gaze on the guard lying on the ground, he was coughing and blood coming out of his mouth; Assad could not move for several moments after seeing the guard.
"What the hell?"
He peered at the guard again as if trying to remember him better, even more tightly gripped by confusion.
"What happened to him?"
The mysterious man slunk into a chair with no interest in the auction being conducted before him.
Slumped, he tapped his finger on the seat armrest. He had no desire to be at this event and could have cared less about the Emperor's recent bid of twenty-three million Ciza for the statuette.
Suddenly, there was a massive compression wave that pulsated across the auction area. For the briefest of moments, he opened his eyes wide at the sudden increase in temperature, then almost imperceptibly, a huge smile crossed his face; indicating renewed interest in the auction.
"That pressure…It feels… demonic," the man quietly said to himself.
He grinned even wider.
"It looks like your boy Zyrikyss will finally get to have some fun."
Letting the feeling sink in he rotated gently forward, then relaxed again as he moved his head sideways to look at the guy sitting next to him, who was a very stiff nobleman....totally oblivious to what was going on.
Zyrikyss turned his head sideways, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
"You've been looking at me the whole time...what is it that you have never seen someone better than you before?" he asked casually.
The nobleman frowned, "Watch your mouth..."
"Oh, come on mayne!...you aren't going to use your uselessness to worship like the rest of the useless people do, right?" Zyrikyss cut him off with a smirk.
The nobleman's face twisted into a furious look and then he lost total control.
"You arrogant, insolent little!"
The grin on Zyrikyss' face widened.
"Thanks for the boost."
*SLAP*
The sound of the slap could be heard all the way down the hall. The force from the slap lifted the noble off of his feet, and like a rag doll that had been thrown through the air, he flew through the hall and slammed violently against the far side stage wall. He slid down the wall...and was lifeless. Dead upon contact with the wall. Zyrikyss did not even look back to see what was going on. He simply curled his fingers at his side and flexed them, as if testing for feelings.
"Interesting..." he said softly.
Arnid gasped for breath, clutching his chest as he struggled to bring air back into his lungs. His eyesight was blurred as he turned and saw the body lying limp against the stage wall.
"Where the hell did that come from?" he wheezed.
A piercing scream rang throughout the auditorium.
"AHHHHH!"
Pain was radiating from a woman who fell backwards, eyes transfixed on the corpse in front of her, her body trembling from fear, until Zyrikyss stood up. He rolled his head slowly, the crack echoing softly throughout the now still period of silence in the auditorium. A grin appeared on his face.
"Well, let's get things started and cause some trouble," he said under his breath.
His attention turned to the frightened woman as he strolled casually towards her, hands jammed in his pockets, his face almost soft and relaxed.
"Hey, hey, relax. You're alright." he said gently.
She flinched at first, but there was something calming about his voice.
"I—I…" she was stammering and her breathing was fierce.
Zyrikyss moved to her, bending down slightly to be at her eye level.
"Ain't nothing gonna happen to you, not while I'm standing here." he said with a slight grin.
Her breathing had settled down. The fear leaving her eyes was now replaced by something softer, perhaps trust or even admiration.He was viewed by her to be reasonable and he believed in her.
"Thanks." she muttered to him.
Zyrikyss smiled.
"Yup, good to go". He stated dullfully.
The woman blinked, still somewhat dazed.
"What did you say...?"
She got no answer as, in less than a heartbeat, his hand had made an accurate, precise movement and she fell. Flat on the ground. Zyrikyss could only look at her until he finally spoke and said:
"Much better."