Hello there, ladies and gentlemen, the auction will begin in 1 minute.
Dakota leaned back in his seat and glanced around the room. His fingers drummed lightly on the table. "So, it's finally starting," he muttered under his breath.
"Yeah, it is," Henry replied, adjusting his collar. "Let's hope nothing goes wrong, and we complete our mission smoothly."
Dakota's gaze shifted to the stage where the auctioneer was getting ready. "Yeah, but I doubt things will stay peaceful."
Lucas, who had been standing nearby, raised an eyebrow. "And why do you think that?"
Dakota crossed his arms, eyes narrowing. "Just a feeling," he said cryptically.
Ava, overhearing the conversation, smirked. "Oh, then it must be true."
Amelia, sitting beside Ava, gave her a curious look. "What must be true?"
Ava leaned in with a grin. "Whenever Dakota has some sort of feeling, it always turns out to be true."
Amelia raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Really? He's always right?"
Liam, who was standing at the edge of the group, nodded. "Yes, he is. It's like he's some sort of prophet."
Dakota frowned. "I'm not a prophet."
Mia, who had been quietly observing, chimed in with a teasing smile. "You sure seem like one, though."
Dakota rolled his eyes. "Oh, whatever. Just pay attention to the auction. It's about to begin."
The auctioneer, Lucca, took the stage, and the crowd fell silent. "Once again, hello, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Lucca, and I am your auctioneer for today."
Lucca continued with his announcements. "So, the first item we have today is a magic bracelet that enhances your light magic by 5 percent."
Amelia's eyes immediately lit up. "Oh, I would love to have that bracelet."
Dakota raised an eyebrow, glancing at her. "Don't you already have light armor?"
Amelia shrugged nonchalantly. "So? I can't have any more light magic-related stuff?"
Dakota smirked. "No, you can have more. It just seems like you're getting greedy."
Amelia's eyes widened. "Did you just call me greedy?"
"I'm just saying you look like one," Dakota said with a grin, leaning back in his chair.
Suddenly, an anonymous voice called out. "I'll pay 10K for that bracelet."
Lucca nodded. "Okay, first bid for 10K."
"I'll pay 50K," another voice chimed in.
"Then I'll do 100K," someone else said.
"150K," came a voice from across the room.
"200K," another bidder shouted.
"250K," yet another voice responded.
Lucca raised his hand, signaling the end of the bidding. "Okay, 250K, going once... going twice... sold! The light magic bracelet enhancer is yours!"
The auction continued for a while, and 20 minutes passed without much excitement. The group of friends remained on edge, waiting for the inevitable chaos Dakota had predicted.
Dakota leaned forward in his seat, eyes scanning the room. "Okay, so far, nothing's happening."
Ava, looking a bit concerned, leaned toward him. "Could it be that your feeling is wrong, Dakota?"
Dakota shook his head. "No, it's not wrong. Just wait. Something will happen."
Lucca stood up again. "Okay, ladies and gentlemen, now this is the most valuable item we have today: a white crystal that will grant you any wish you desire, as long as you meet its requirements."
Dakota's eyes widened, and he leaned forward in his seat. "Oh, finally. It's that crystal. The reason I came here."
Amelia raised an eyebrow. "What's so special about this crystal?"
Dakota gave her a cryptic smile. "You'll see."
A voice from across the room piped up. "Oh, I'm definitely getting that crystal."
Another voice called out. "I'll pay 1 million for that crystal."
"Then I'll pay 2 million," another bidder said.
"I'll pay 5 million," came yet another voice.
"10 million," a confident bidder shouted.
"50 million!" someone else yelled.
"100 million!" a final voice joined in.
Suddenly, a loud sound rang through the room, followed by an explosion outside.
"Oh my god, there was an explosion outside!" someone screamed.
Dakota's eyes narrowed as he stood up. "And there we go. It's time for things to go south."
The room erupted into chaos. People began to panic as a group of masked individuals rushed into the auction room. The security guards scrambled to respond, but one of them was knocked out before he could react. A figure darted toward the crystal, attempting to steal it, but the security swiftly intervened and unmasked the thief.
The thief turned out to be a Djinn, an otherworldly being with immense power.
"Djinn!" someone screamed. "There's a Djinn here!"
The room went into a state of utter panic. People scrambled to get to safety, while masked individuals removed their disguises and began attacking everyone in sight.
Henry cursed under his breath. "Holy shit, this is insane. What the actual fuck is happening?"
Dakota, ever the calm one in the storm, glanced around at his friends. "Well, it looks like some crazy shit is going down. And since we're in security, we should go stop those Djinns."
Without hesitation, the group of friends stood up, drawing their weapons and preparing to defend themselves. They moved through the room, striking down Djinns and anyone else attempting to steal the crystal.
Dakota's eyes remained focused on the crystal, but his mind was elsewhere. "Hmm... I wonder how I can steal this crystal."
He smirked, coming up with a plan. "I've got to think of something... an idea."
He turned to the auctioneer. "Hey, Lucca."
Lucca looked at him, eyes widening in recognition. "Oh, you're the top student at the American Academy. What do you want?"
Dakota didn't hesitate. "I think I should take this crystal. You know, to keep it safe."
Lucca shook his head. "Sorry, but this crystal is too valuable to give to you."
Dakota's gaze hardened. "I know, but somebody will steal it without you even realizing it."
Lucca hesitated, glancing around at the chaos. "Still, I can't give it to you."
Before Dakota could argue further, a Djinn made a quick dash for the crystal, and in an instant, Dakota lunged, slaying the Djinn before it could even get close.
Dakota glared at Lucca. "Look at the chaos happening. Are you sure the crystal will be safe?"
Lucca stood firm. "Yes, because we'll be taking it back to our secret safe."
Dakota raised an eyebrow. "Then, would you mind if I took it to the safe myself?"
Lucca, still hesitant, shook his head. "No, I'll have someone else take it."
Dakota gave him an unimpressed look. "Okay then, I'll follow that person to make sure it's safe."
Lucca's eyes narrowed. "Why do you want to protect the crystal so badly?"
Dakota smiled. "Because I was planning on buying it."
Lucca paused, then nodded. "Hm, I guess that's a good reason. Fine, follow that man and make sure the crystal is okay."
Dakota nodded in acknowledgment. "Okay."
He followed the man toward the safe, but when they arrived, they found a Djinn waiting for them.
"Oh, a Djinn, huh?" Dakota said, eyeing the creature warily. "What are you doing here?"
The Djinn grinned. "Oh, I just want to steal that crystal."
Dakota didn't flinch. "Sorry, but I'm protecting this crystal. I can't give it to you."
The Djinn's grin widened. "Then I'll have to forcefully take it."
"You think a low-ranked Djinn like you can kill me?" Dakota said, narrowing his eyes.
The Djinn charged at him, but Dakota let him get close. At the last moment, Dakota feigned being too slow and allowed the Djinn to knock out the man with him.
With the crystal now in the Djinn's possession, the creature laughed. "Okay, I've got the crystal. Now all I have to do is kill you—"
Before the Djinn could finish, Dakota swiftly unsheathed his sword, cutting the Djinn's head off in one clean strike. He caught the crystal mid-air, a victorious smile spreading across his face.
"Yes, I managed to get the crystal."
Dakota quickly placed the crystal in an invisible bag that couldn't be detected by magic. "And now, to make sure I don't get caught stealing it."
He took a deep breath and smirked. "I'm pretty sure the cameras are off because of this chaos, so I don't have to worry about that."
Dakota turned and made his way back to the auction area. As expected, the chaos was still ongoing.
Lucca noticed him entering the room. "Hey, Dakota, what happened to the crystal and the guy who was with you?"
Dakota smiled, holding the crystal hidden within the bag. "Oh, yeah, about that..."