Three nights passed quickly.
During that time Elias Vale spent nearly every waking hour preparing.
The hidden world he had begun glimpsing was clearly filled with dangers beyond ordinary understanding.
If he stepped into it carelessly, he would die.
Simple as that.
So Elias prepared the only way he knew how.
By studying.
The library of the Vale Estate had become his sanctuary. Ancient journals, occult notes, and fragmented research documents filled the large desk where he worked late into the night.
Most of the texts were incomplete.
Some were written in coded language.
Others were deliberately misleading.
Yet patterns began forming.
Hidden gatherings.
Secret markets.
Artifact trades.
For centuries, powerful individuals had exchanged forbidden relics in places hidden from the ordinary world.
Tonight Elias would attend one of them.
He stood before the desk where the black envelope rested.
The silver seal had changed.
When he picked up the invitation earlier that evening, new writing had appeared across its surface.
The ink shimmered faintly like moonlight.
A message.
Midnight.The Hollow Opera House.Entrance through the southern stage door.Masks required.
Simple instructions.
But Elias understood their meaning.
This gathering valued secrecy above all else.
Which suited him perfectly.
Elias reached into a nearby drawer and removed a small black mask.
It covered the upper half of his face and was designed with simple elegant lines.
Nothing flashy.
Nothing memorable.
Perfect anonymity.
He put it on.
Then he activated his ability.
The power granted by The Lucid One stirred gently within his mind.
Reality around him rippled slightly.
The technique he had been practicing was simple.
Veil of Distortion.
It did not create dramatic illusions.
Instead it subtly altered how others perceived him.
His height seemed slightly different.
His voice sounded unfamiliar.
His presence felt… difficult to focus on.
Anyone trying to remember his face would struggle.
A useful tool.
Elias examined himself in the mirror.
The figure staring back looked like a stranger.
Good.
He grabbed his coat and extinguished the library candles.
It was time.
The Hollow Opera House stood near the older part of the city.
Decades ago it had been one of Gravenhurst's most famous theaters.
But after a mysterious fire destroyed part of the structure, the building had been abandoned.
Or at least that was the official story.
Elias arrived shortly before midnight.
The streets surrounding the theater were quiet.
But he was not alone.
Other figures approached from different directions.
Each of them wore masks.
Some simple.
Some elaborate.
None spoke.
They simply walked toward the same side entrance near the rear of the building.
Two men stood beside the door.
They wore dark suits and expressionless masks.
Guards.
One of them held out a hand as Elias approached.
"Invitation."
Elias handed him the black envelope.
The guard inspected the silver seal carefully.
Then he stepped aside.
"Proceed."
Elias entered without a word.
The interior hallway was dimly lit.
Faint music echoed somewhere deeper within the structure.
He followed the corridor downward.
A hidden staircase led beneath the opera house.
And then Elias reached the main hall.
He stopped walking.
The underground chamber was enormous.
Rows of seats surrounded a large stage at the center of the room.
Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling casting soft golden light across the gathering.
Nearly fifty masked individuals had already arrived.
Some stood in small groups discussing quietly.
Others examined glass display cases arranged around the stage.
Inside those cases rested artifacts.
Dozens of them.
Some looked harmless.
Others radiated an unsettling presence.
Elias felt the dream threads around several objects vibrating faintly.
Residual power.
Dangerous power.
He moved through the room calmly, observing everything.
A tall man wearing a crimson mask examined a small dagger displayed inside one case.
The blade was covered in strange runic carvings.
Nearby, a woman in a silver mask studied a collection of ancient books.
Elias sensed faint traces of fear around several guests.
This was not merely a marketplace.
It was a gathering of predators.
Then he noticed something else.
One of the guests wore dark ceremonial robes beneath their cloak.
A priest.
The symbol embroidered across the fabric caught Elias's attention immediately.
A veil covering an eye.
The Veiled Church.
The cult searching for the relics of the Vale family.
Interesting.
Elias continued walking.
Near the far end of the hall he noticed another figure.
This one remained completely still.
Watching.
A plain white mask covered their face.
Their presence felt… strange.
Like a shadow pretending to be human.
Elias filed the observation away for later.
Then the lights dimmed slightly.
A man stepped onto the stage.
He wore an elegant black suit and a golden half-mask.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the host announced.
"Welcome once again to our humble gathering."
Polite applause echoed through the chamber.
"Tonight we present several items of… historical interest."
He gestured toward the display cases.
"Shall we begin?"
The first artifact was brought onto the stage.
A small bronze amulet.
"Item one," the host announced.
"A charm recovered from the ruins of a pre-imperial temple."
"A protective relic… allegedly capable of warding hostile spirits."
Bidding began immediately.
Numbers were spoken quietly.
Several collectors competed for the item.
Elias watched carefully.
He had no intention of spending large amounts tonight.
His goal was information.
But eventually something caught his attention.
A small velvet box was placed on the stage.
The host opened it.
Inside rested a simple silver ring.
"This artifact," the host said, "is known as the Dream Anchor."
Elias felt the dream threads surrounding the object vibrating faintly.
"A useful tool for those who practice dream-based occult techniques."
His interest sharpened.
The ring would stabilize the mind during dream excursions.
Exactly what he needed.
The bidding began.
Elias waited patiently.
Then he spoke.
"Three hundred."
Another bidder countered.
"Three fifty."
Elias calmly increased his offer.
"Five hundred."
Silence followed.
The host smiled.
"Sold."
The ring was delivered to Elias shortly afterward.
He examined it briefly before slipping it onto his finger.
A faint sense of calm settled across his thoughts.
Useful indeed.
The auction continued.
Several dangerous relics changed hands.
Then the host returned to the stage holding a small sealed container.
His voice lowered.
"For our final item tonight…"
The container opened.
Inside rested a fragment of black crystal.
The moment Elias saw it—
His mind reacted instantly.
The dream threads around the artifact twisted violently.
A familiar presence radiated from the crystal.
The aura of The Lucid One.
Elias's eyes narrowed slightly behind his mask.
This was not coincidence.
Someone had found a fragment connected to his patron.
And now it was being sold.
The room grew quiet.
Several guests leaned forward.
Powerful individuals recognized the significance of the relic.
Bidding began slowly.
But Elias was no longer paying attention to the numbers.
Instead he sensed something else.
Someone watching him.
Carefully.
He turned his head slightly.
Across the hall, the figure wearing the plain white mask was observing him.
Not the artifact.
Him.
The masked stranger tilted their head slightly.
As if studying something interesting.
Then they whispered quietly.
"Fascinating."
Elias smiled faintly behind his mask.
It seemed the game had begun.