The night was short. Nix hadn't slept much, but he was used to that. However, the voices weren't as loud as they usually were. When he was around Lyric, they started to sound duller. He sat next to Lyric, who had slept while Nix remained awake. Had looked at his beautiful features and imagined wandering with his fingers over them. But he was not allowed to.

When Lyric woke up, he saw Nix sitting at the window and looking at the bustling people in the streets. It was still relatively early and Lyric could have needed an extra hour or two of sleep, but Nix' silhouette captivated him. He sat there, silently. What could be going on in his head?

Lyric moved to get Nix' attention. He slowly turned to him, but before he could say anything, his body tensed. A bright white covered his eyes. What the...?

Delicate fingertips wandered from his solar plexus, where his oracle mark was located, down to his belly button. He got goosebumps. It was a completely unknown feeling, but it made his skin tingle. Then these fingers moved up the side, circled the nipple, but didn't touch it. They ended at his collarbone.

"My little butterfly, time to make your wings flutter."

As abruptly as the vision had come, it had disappeared again. Nix gasped and had to cling to the chair to avoid falling down. He had seen himself. For the first time in his life, he had seen a vision of himself.

He didn't know who the owner of these fingers had been. The voice had also been distorted, so that he couldn't assign it to anyone. Unbelievable. But what he had seen was more than clear. He had been touched and he had enjoyed it, he hadn't suffered.

A broad grin spread across Nix' face. Lyric was confused. What had that been? He hadn't seen this before. Suddenly, Nix' eyes turned white. Seconds passed. Then he returned.

Had he just had a vision? How often did he have them? All these questions haunted Lyric's head and none of them he said aloud. He just looked spellbound at the oracle who stood up and ran to him.

"Let's go, sleepy head. We have to go to the auction house and find out about when the auction is."

Nix' nature was really erratic. He was the liveliest being he had ever encountered. One moment he was calm and immersed in the surroundings, the next he jumped through the room grinning, and then the next moment he insulted a hell prince with vulgar and sarcastic statements. For such a character there was a separate expression in his culture - kəpək. He had never met a being to whom this expression would have suited better than Nix.

Lyric got up and began to put on his clothes and smooth them a bit with magic – a clear advantage of being a demon, irons were unnecessary.

Together they left the room and made their way to the auction house. Its pompous golden gate was now open and a red silk carpet led the guests to a counter where a nobly dressed sheep demon sat and went through some documents. The walls were made of black rock, very noble, and were decorated with golden circles.

These not only had a decorative function, they were also protective spells that prevented guests from attacking each other. Anyone who broke these rules was literally thrown out of the building. The two had their capes on, which wasn't reprehensible in this place. There were enough buyers who liked to stay incognito, and that was tolerated. Here, everything was paid in cash, who the buyers were wasn't relevant.

"Good afternoon," Nix said in a friendly voice. "We wanted to know when the bird's amulet would be offered for auction."

The sheep demon, wearing a shiny black suit with a red bow, looked up and answered. "Gentlemen, that will take place in three hours. Would you like to reserve a seat in the bidding round?"

Nix nodded and put a diamond on the counter – a pledge and also a sign that they have enough to pay for it. The demon gave a satisfied grunt and took the stone.

"In which name can I book the place?" he asked the two.

"On Kəpək," Lyric replied before Nix could say anything.

The oracle just looked at him in surprise. Kəpək? What is that? The word was very melodic and soft but had a hard core. Something in Nix' chest began to move and he rubbed over the spot, confused. Then he was suddenly pulled along. Outside, he then asked Lyric the question that drilled into him: "What is kəpək?" The rune demon just smiled.

"Something that describes you most aptly."

Dissatisfied, Nix contorted his face. It was clear that this answer didn't satisfy him, but Lyric wouldn't tell him more. It had slipped out of his mind spontaneously.

"Speak, demon," he snorted at Lyric.

And again a new page, this time he's acting like a prima donna. "I'll tell you what it means when you tell me what Tíz means and where it comes from," Lyric replied teasingly.

Nix crossed his arms and remained silent. He wouldn't tell him his real name, because he had dropped it centuries ago. There were too many painful memories associated with it for him to want to conjure them up by saying them out loud.

The rune demon felt that he had probably hit a sore spot. So he decided to distract the oracle a bit. "Do you want to go shopping? Who knows, maybe we'll find something you might like." Nix seemed to get out of the murky thoughts and he nodded happily.

Kordial wasn't known as the City of Treasures for nothing. Everywhere, there were treasures and rarities. They went to a wide variety of shops that offered clothing, jewelry, and artifacts. Nix fell in love with a pair of black metal bracelets studded with rubies. Joyfully, he went to pay for them.

He had fun and was boisterous most of the time. Nix hadn't felt so alive for a long time. Fortunately, there weren't many demons in the shop, so the voices in his head were limited. As long as he didn't get too close to anyone, he could hide them halfway down his mind. He went to the salesman and handed him the jewelry.

Lyric continued to look through the numerous showcases with further jewelry. Then he heard a soft whisper. He turned around and looked in the direction from which it had come. Step by step, he followed the sound and stopped in front of a shelf with mirrors. A small mirror with blue glass, slightly larger than his hand, caught his eye. Something about it was strange. Carefully he drove over the simple wooden frame and the glass. It was a bit uneven and yet it attracted him.

"Lyric?" Nix' voice tore him out of his fascination and he left. When they were outside, however, he stopped.

"I'll be right back, wait a minute," said the rune demon and Nix nodded – busy putting on the black bangles.

Shortly after, Lyric was back and they went to a food stall. They still had about thirty minutes, so it made sense to eat something before the auction. They opted for a spiced soup with a variety of vegetables and fruits, which was the local highlight of the city. Hundreds of aromas exploded on her tongue, just delicious. Joy and contentment adorned Nix' face, which Lyric found incredibly sweet. The oracle was so easy to inspire, it hadn't yet lost its zest for life.

In time, they returned to the auction house, where the sheep demon was already waiting for their arrival.

"Along here, gentlemen," he said, pointing his hand in the direction of a long dark corridor that had not been there before. They just nodded and walked along it the red silk carpet. Numerous paintings adorned the corridor which was rounded off by yellow light stones.

They stopped in front of a large wooden door covered with a black pattern that pulsated as they touched it. It only grants admission to those who were actually able to participate in the auction, i.e. those who can make the payment.

With a squeak, the door opened and let them in. It was a bizarre scene. There were roughly three areas where you could take a seat. One was in the front in bright light, one in the middle with medium brightness and the rearmost with dimmed light.

It was perfectly clear that the first was for those who wanted to show who they were and what they could afford. It was a kind of display of one's own wealth and also an advertisement for oneself. The middle one was for the normal demons, who didn't attach much importance to it, but also didn't have to hide. The dark one was for the anonymous bidders who wanted to remain unrecognized.

Smart, so they didn't scare off any kind of potential buyers and everyone felt comfortable. They took a seat in the second to last row in the dimmed area. There were three chairs free between them and the next buyer. It would now take some time until the auction started, as they always waited a while out of decency to give slightly late buyers the chance to participate.

However, if this deadline was exceeded, the door wouldn't open and you were unlucky. The bidding system was quite simple. If you were interested, you activated a light stone in front of you if you wanted to have an object. At some point, the price exceeded a limit and then it went out automatically. This happened automatically because a spell was triggered when you were no longer solvent. So no one could swindle something they couldn't afford. If you lost interest or didn't want to offer so much, you could deactivate it at any time. But a bid was mandatory.

With the first three items, Nix and Lyric remained calm, because they weren't what they had come from. Rich traders bid and Lyric just thought, now they have less for the item we want. Hopefully Nix wasn't wrong either, otherwise they would have wasted two days here.

The demon three chairs to the left of Lyric began to move a little restlessly.

He was briefly distracted, but then one voice praised the next item. "My dear buyers, here is a piece from Mammon's personal collection – the bird's collar. It is a gold-forged collar consisting of a chain provided with the pendant of a bird. The eyes are small sapphires and in the middle of the trunk sits an orange fire opal, very rare and elegant."

He held up the bracelet so that the opal shone brightly. At that moment they felt it, it was a quiet vibration. They knew it was the item they were looking for. To their chagrin, it was part of Mammon's collection and thus the most sought-after object in the room. Loud murmurs broke loose.

"We start with the first commandment."

There were about fifty bidders in this room and with the beginning of this auction fifty lights suddenly went on. Excellent, this will be fun. Nix, on the other hand, did not seem to be worried. I hope he has enough with him, because otherwise they looked old.

Gradually, the lights went out, but four remained dogged, Lyric and Nix among them. When the third and fourth lights went out, there were only two left. Their light began to flicker. Not good, were they at their limit? Then Nix raised his arm and a shadow wafted down from his arm. This crawled across the ground to the last bidder. It covered his light stone so that his light was swallowed.

"We have a buyer! Please pick up the jewel as soon as you are done with the purchase."

A horrified wheezing escaped the deceived bidder. All light stones have been reset. "This is an impudence, my commandment has been manipulated!"

The whispering began around him, but he couldn't prove anything. With hateful eyes, he stared at the two covered bidders who had stolen the jewel from him.

Lyric became restless, because the demon to his left had slipped towards him. He opened his mouth and a hoarse voice began to speak: "My piece of jewelry, how much do I have to offer for you?"

Lyric contorted his face.

Nix had watched it. So that's the curse? It was clear that the demons in Lyric's environment had looked at him lustfully. They had been consuming glances, but no one had dared to take a step until this demon broke through the dam.

Lyric got up hastily and ran out of the room. It had begun, his curse began to lure the demons. When he had brought enough distance between himself and the room, he breathed deeply. He turned around and saw yawning emptiness. Damn, where is Nix? Why didn't he follow me?

_________________________

They now have the first item in their possession.

But where is Nix? Why didn't he follow Lyric?

What could be going on in the room right now?

Your Mouse Goddess