The headline for every publication and news report read, 'Catastrophe at the Grand Auction of the Seventh Ruikha Empire!'
This was the talk of the town, and that took place immediately after the bloodshed; noblemen were trampled; guards were killed; priceless goods were destroyed.
Witnesses gave testimony that one outsider, who was rumoured to be from Sixty-Fourth, was responsible for much of the destruction, and this same person was responsible for creating havoc in the Empire.
The authorities were able to capture this individual, and he would be facing very serious charges very soon.
As panic and rural areas circulated about this calamity, influential citizens were privately sceptical how such a worthless person could destroy an empire by one individual act of a single night.
There were many more reports of a mysterious figure who was killing every single noble in the house.
"I saw him! He just came out of nowhere! The bloody bodies were everywhere!"
"It happened so fast, it was all over before I even knew who had done it!"
"The guards were no match for him! It was like he was a demon!"
Panic and curiosity swept the city quicker than fire. Those with power were now privately wondering how someone of such apparent insignificance could bring down an entire empire in just one night.
The Imperial Palace released a press release shortly after the media was made aware of the incident. The Emperor Shim Ju-Won made a statement.
"People of the Empire, the Seventh Ruikha Empire Grand Auction was attacked with a loss of many lives last night. There were also many ancient artifacts destroyed and the entire peace of the capital was compromised by one person from another country who has an unknown background and is reported to have been associated with the Sixty-Fourth."
"The violence of this attack will not be tolerated, and the message is sent by me that the culprits who did this, or those that assisted them or supported them will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of Imperial justice. Our Empire has taken thousands of years to build, it will prosper for thousands of years after this night. The peace of our land will be restored and the guilty will be punished."
"Furthermore, this occurrence has shown that we have vulnerabilities in our security and they will never go unaddressed. We will not allow fear to control our people. Therefore, those who would attempt to disturb the order in the Empire will suffer the full scope of penalties this country imposes for the crimes they will commit."
Assad's slowly coming to his senses after being placed inside what appears to be a prison. He attempts to move out of the position he finds himself restricted in, however he hears chains and can feel that he is restrained by chains.
He focuses on his surroundings, seeing that he is in front of steel bars, while also noticing two large metal balls that are chained down to his feet. He also sees that there are chains that extend from his arms to the wall, explaining why his arms are held up over his head.
He wonders how he ended up here and why all of the above has happened, none of it makes sense. His memories are not clear, but he does remember a massacre occurring at an auction house and then being apprehended for no reason by the bodyguards.
One bodyguard had previously let him know that he was an outsider, but how did that bodyguard know that?
"The only people that know are The Sweepers and Ms..."
He suddenly experiences a painful headache.
The pain was unbearable and the feeling of wanting to die was there. Eventually after a grueling minute the pain subsided.
"What was that? Why would I randomly get a splitting headache?" He said to himself.
None of this mattered. He still had a lot of unanswered questions and wanted answers quickly, he needed those answers. The only issue was how he was going to get them.
Assad's mind raced as he searched for ways to escape. He remembered the body's original owner a man arrested for multiple charges, notorious for trying to dominate this place through sheer strength
Right as his mind raced he could feel his body going 'out-of-body', again like before. His vision faded again and once again he found himself unconscious. When he next opened his eyes he was in an entirely white environment (which was empty) and could see absolutely nothing.
'Is soothing the correct word for this place?'
As soon as he set one foot down, the 'white area' came to life around him. Assad sensed there was something about to happen, that he needed to brace himself for impact. It felt as if something or somebody were approaching from behind him and they were taking their sweet time getting there like torturers do with their victims.
Assad began surveying his surroundings to locate this 'thing.' There was nothing. Was Assad paranoid? Or just freaked out?
Assad was relieved to find that whatever had been coming had not come.
"Ah look. You've finally shown up. You fuckin' imposter."
Assad froze, every nerve screaming as he searched for the source of the voice. The person who spoke approached him while red flowers grew on the ground with every step the body snatcher took.
Assad was at a loss for who this person could possibly be.
"Looks like the body snatcher is real and here."