Ronan's vision stabilized.
He was standing in front of a massive cave.
And inside it was an entire ecosystem of trade. Hundreds of people were walking down the streets of the market, all wearing similar masks.
Ronan touched his face.
He was wearing the same mask everyone else was. It had attached itself to him when the teleportation was activated.
Ronan stepped into the market.
The low hum of voices, footsteps, and quiet transactions filled Ronan's ears as he walked down the busy marketway.
And when he glanced at the others, he noticed the way their faces blurred, voices altered.
This was the work of the masks everyone in the market wore, which were embedded with illusion magic.
However, Ronan didn't pay much attention to his surroundings.
There wasn't infinite time, and he had to find the slave market.
And it didn't take long. After only around 10 minutes of walking, Ronan saw the scene he was looking for.
Inside each cage were people, chained.
Men, women, children.
Some were standing, some were sitting, some were sleeping through the noise of the chatter. However, if needed, they were instantly woken up and forced to interact with their buyers.
Ronan heard the murmurs in the air.
"This one has decent muscle density…"
"Look at her tits… they're massive hehehe."
"Check the mana core for me. I don't want broken goods."
The different men and women in masks analyzed the goods.
The masks didn't cover much, but there was something off about them. When Ronan tried to glance at their faces, there was an unnatural blur.
Illusion magic. His mask was the same.
"Oh? Is it another buyer? We don't usually get buyers as young as you. May I show you around?"
Ronan was approached by a tall man in a green mask. He had a smile on his face, and unlike the others, there was no blur when Ronan looked at him.
Ronan nodded.
"Take me to the back."
The man didn't question, nor did he waste any time.
"Right this way, sir."
He turned, already walking down the corridor before Ronan could respond, clearly expecting him to follow.
Ronan did.
Their footsteps echoed softly against the chamber floor. The further the two walked, the quieter the chatter of the buyers became.
And the inventory changed.
The few slaves here glared at Ronan with pure hate in their eyes. They bit at the cages and thrashed violently.
They were unstable.
That is where he would find her.
Aura.
Aura was a character introduced far later into the story.
There was an attack on Luminara Academy, which led to a lot of student deaths. Luca blamed himself for not being able to save everyone, and along with his friends, he infiltrated the black market.
That was where he had found Aura.
A slave that no one wanted.
Not because she wasn't valuable.
She was just too much trouble.
Ronan's gaze shifted to the guide as he introduced him to the different slaves present.
In the original story, Aura had been placed far away from the other slaves. Not because she was weak, but because she refused to submit.
She would attack the buyers, reject the handlers, and she made herself far more trouble than she was worth.
So they put mana cuffs on her and put her in the far back.
She was a defective product.
But Ronan knew better.
"She should be here…" Ronan muttered.
"Pardon?" The guide asked.
"It's nothing. I don't think I will find what I want here. Take me even further back."
The man hesitated.
"Sir, are you sure?"
"Yes."
The tall man nodded and brought Ronan even further back. The number of cages had been reduced drastically.
They turned a corner.
Ronan saw them. Two guards in front of a metal door.
"He is a buyer," the guide said.
The guards hesitated, but only for a second, before they nodded and stepped aside.
The air instantly felt heavier as Ronan passed through.
➜➜➜➜➜
This area was quieter.
There was no shouting, no sales pitches.
Only the occasional sound of chains clanking could be heard.
Ronan's eyes swept across the cages.
3 of them.
A young boy with a snarl on his face and two older ones who were sleeping.
Not who he was looking for.
And then Ronan felt it.
A presence.
It was subtle – deeply suppressed – but Ronan felt it.
Ronan stopped walking.
The guide in the green mask stepped forward.
"Something catch your eye, sir?"
Ronan didn't answer. Instead, his gaze darted around the room – searching.
Then he found what he was looking for.
In the far corner of the room, almost not visible, was a single cage. It was separated from the rest deliberately.
Ronan walked closer.
And there he saw it.
A girl sat in the corner of the cage.
Black hair was draped over her face, and she sat there, hugging her knees.
She sat still, unmoving. If someone told Ronan she was a statue, he would have believed it.
Ronan's lips curved.
He pointed.
"There."
The guide frowned.
"Ah, that one? Not a popular choice, sir."
Ronan stepped closer and took a closer look at the girl, who hadn't reacted to anything that was happening.
The guide kicked the cage violently.
"Wake up!"
The faint sound of chains shifting could be heard.
For the first time, the black-haired girl lifted her head and looked at the two men.
Her eyes locked onto Ronan's.
There was no fear in there.
No confusion.
No obedience.
Only pure, unadulterated hostility.
If her appearance didn't confirm it, this did.
He had found her.
Aura.