A low murmur rippled through the audience hall, growing louder until it became a cacophony of excitement and unease. I scanned the faces around me, each one alight with a malevolent hunger that made my skin crawl. Their gazes bore into me, predatory and unrelenting, and I felt my body tremble involuntarily. Panic clawed at my chest, stealing my breath, while their distorted laughter rose and fell, intertwining with the auctioneer's booming voice as he called out bids.

“One million ...