Back in the auction room, the Gaia Disciples initiated their plan, with Elara taking the stand. Several barriers appeared, blocking the exits and trapping everyone inside of the building, even down to each individual room. Elara retrieved the flask and stepped to the front of the stage, watching the trapped auction goers with fury in her eyes.

  "How could you?!" she began, her grip on the flask tight yet protective. "Are you humans really so cold that you would treat another being's dismembered body parts as a souvenir to keep around the house to look at?! Times truly haven't changed one bit!”

  Shocked gasps and whispers erupted throughout the room. The auctioneer's face had gone pale, while the other bidders stared in disbelief. Elara's expression was steely, unwavering.

  "You call yourself civilized, living your luxurious lives, ignorant of the suffering of others!"

  She looked around scornfully. "You are all ignorant. You call us monsters, yet you are heartless creatures yourself. It's high time someone taught you a lesson!”

  The auctioneer stepped forward, visibly shaking with anger. "This is unacceptable! You can't just barge onto the stage and ruin a public auction, let alone bring out a stolen item!"

  Ignoring the auctioneer's words, a Gaia Disciples member unfurled a flag and plastered it on the wall, the people trapped in the room shocked beyond belief at recognizing it. It is the flag that became synonymous with the Gaia Disciples, the flag that's tied to the cruel, largest genocide in the world's history that nearly wiped out the human species...the Black Star flag. An eight-pointed black star with a vortex design in its center, against a dark red background.

  The Black Star flag fluttered in the air, a stark reminder of the atrocities committed by the organization during the Gaia War. At the sight of it, panic and shock rippled across the faces of the trapped auction goers. Many stared at it in terror, others went completely pale. All eyes were fixated on the flag.

  Elara smirked, pleased by the chaos unfolding before her. "That's right," she sneered. "You recognize this flag, don't you? Do you know what this flag stands for...?”

  "The flag of the Gaia Disciples!" someone yelled, terror in their voice.

  Elara smirked, clearly enjoying the fear in the room. "Correct," she confirmed, her gaze sweeping around the room. "This flag represents the Gaia Disciples, a group that once fought for equality and respect! But the world took us as a joke; we were mocked, attacked, and even killed just for challenging the inequality that kept its foot on our necks! But then we realized that peace never gets people to listen, but violence, and ESPECIALLY war! We were right!”

  The audience listened in tense silence, their eyes wide with shock. Some looked like they were about to faint, while others clutched the armrests of their chairs tightly, unable to believe what was unfolding before them.

  Elara continued, her voice filled with conviction. "You don't care about equality. All you humans care about is luxury, entertainment, and power. You have ignored our cries for help, our pleas for respect. But no more!”

  Her voice echoed through the room, resonating with every word. The audience was completely still, like a spell of silence had been cast over the people.

  The auctioneer was the first to break the silence. "You...you can't do this! Stealing a public auction, blocking exits with magic barriers... Do you have any idea how serious the consequences of this will be?!”

  The auctioneer's words fell on deaf ears as Elara smirked in response. "The consequences? You think I care about the consequences?! You think anything will change if I just sit back and watch as my people's remains are used as decorative objects?!"

  She held up the flask, her gaze filled with indignation. "Do you know what this flask is made of?”

  The auctioneer gulped, knowing full well what Elara would say next. But he kept up his facade of confidence, trying to act composed.

  "It's a rare artifact," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "It's made with gemstone carvings and holds a great deal of value to the highest bidders."

  Elara scoffed, shaking her head in disgust. "Yeah, gemstones. But not just ANY gemstones, they are the bones of once-living, once-breathing gem sprites! You dare lie to me?!”

  The room fell silent again. The auctioneer, his face pale, couldn't find the words to respond.

  As for the audience, they sat frozen in shock, staring in horror at the flask that was revealed to be made of actual bones. It was clear everyone was in denial.

  Elara's eyes narrowed as she continued, her grip on the flask tightening. "You see this item as a thing of luxury, a rare and valuable object. But for me...this is the remains of my people!”

  "Our bones are the gemstones," she continued, her voice filled with fury. "Our lives were stolen from us, used as nothing more than decorative objects, and when our lives were deemed no longer useful, our bones were harvested and turned into these so-called 'rare gems'!"

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  The room was pin-drop quiet, the only sound audible was the auctioneer's heavy breathing. No one dared to interrupt or speak up, the realization of the truth slowly and cruelly sinking in.

  Elara continued, her voice echoing through the silent room. "You thought you could just keep using our bones as trophies, as decorations, without even acknowledging the pain and suffering of my people! You thought it was all just fine because we were too powerless to fight back! Well, here's a little lesson for you, you heartless humans! Here's a taste of what it feels like to be belittled and used like nothing more than a prized possession!”

  The room remained silent. The atmosphere was heavy with tension and disbelief. The audience sat frozen in their seats, unsure of how to respond.

  Elara's gaze swept over the room, taking in the shocked and dazed expressions. She let out a scoff, the disgust in her eyes evident.

  Another member of the Gaia Disciples, a rather handsome tall young man with a tawny skin tone, slim physique, and long, curly white hair. His cedar-colored eyes told a long, grueling tale with a single glance. Fixing the tie on his suit, he walked up next to Elara before softly clearing his throat and speaking into the microphone.

  "I wasn't always a misanthrope. In fact, I've questioned anyone who said they detest ALL of humanity. But in the world's...current political landscape, the casual racism, colorism, misogyny, and injustice ever prevalent in both society and the media we consume...I fully understand one who would become misanthropic. Society is regressing back to a time where minorities were seen as subhuman, not worth the same love and respect as those who directly benefit from the system in one way or another. From humanity refusing to believe systemic racism against minorities still exists to this very day, to even being called racist for calling out racism and injustice, humanity is reaching a point of no return, and we don't see it getting any better with time. So now we as an organization are back to right these wrongs with all we've got, just as we tried to long ago.”

  As the young man delivered his speech, every word hit like a ton of bricks, and it was evident in the audience's faces. Elara merely remained silent, watching the young man intently.

  The auctioneer, though, pale and shaken, managed to recover enough composure to speak up. "Y-you...you can't just barge in here and proclaim such things! Claiming society is collapsing... You can't—”

  But before the auctioneer could finish his sentence, Elara interrupted him, a condescending smirk playing on his face as she stood proudly beside the handsome man. "Oh, but we can. We've decided that enough is enough. We tried being reasonable, we tried pleading, and we even tried protesting peacefully. But what did we get in return? Nothing. So now, we've resorted to this." He paused, his gaze sweeping across the stunned faces in the room. "Let this be a lesson, humans, for ignoring us all those years.”

  After Elara's final line, a new group of Gaia Disciples members came out from behind the stage curtains, all armed to the teeth with weaponry made of their aura. Without uttering not even a single syllable, the armed Disciples showered the auction room with a hail of magical projectiles.

  A chorus of gasps filled the air as a flurry of destructive magic bombarded the room's interior. Several of the spectators ducked their heads and covered their heads to avoid the onslaught of projectiles. The auctioneer and the auction staff members who were still on the stage dove for cover, terrified out of their minds.

  The projectiles crashed against the walls, the ceiling, and some of the tables in the room, sending splinters and dust flying everywhere. The once-luxurious area was now scarred with the marks of the Disciples' magical onslaught.

  The audience was in a frenzy as the magical onslaught continued. People were running about, desperately trying to get away from the dangerous projectiles. The auctioneer and the auction staff members were huddled into a corner, visibly trembling in fear.

  Amongst the chaos, several Disciples took strategic positions, ensuring that no one would escape without a confrontation. The atmosphere was charged with dread as the audience desperately tried to find an escape route. But with the barriers still in place, it seemed like there was no way out.

  "There's no escape, my fellow humans," Elara yelled, her voice ringing through the room as she stood beside the handsome man. "Every exit is sealed off. You are trapped, like rats in a cage.”

  The audience's panic heightened as Elara's words took hold. The reality of the situation hit them like a ton of bricks. They were trapped, and there was no escape route in sight.

  Some people collapsed to the ground, their eyes wide with fear and despair. Others clutched each other, tears streaming down their faces.

  One of the audience members tried to reason with Elara, her voice trembling with desperation. "Please, you have to let us go! We didn't do anything wrong!”

  Elara smirked, her eyes filled with cold indifference. "Didn't do anything wrong, huh? You may not have directly harmed us, but you're still part of the problem. Your silence, your ignorance, your complacency with the status quo... You've supported the system that's been oppressing us for years simply by turning a blind eye!”

  The audience stared at Elara, stunned. The words struck a nerve - they knew deep down that what Elara said held some truth. Their ignorance, their silence, their complacency - they all played a part in allowing injustice to persist.

  "I...I don't support the current political narrative, I promise!”

  Elara rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. "You may not support it consciously, but you still benefit from it every single day. You walk down the streets without having to endure constant stares and whispers. You don't have to face the systemic racism and discrimination that we've been fighting against for centuries. Not to mention the huge spike in white supremacists walking around, don't get me started on that.”

  "And you, the so-called 'minority allies'," Elara sneered, her gaze sweeping across the audience. "You pat yourselves on the back for sharing a few hashtags on social media, for attending a protest or two - but what have you actually done to make a tangible, lasting change?”

  The audience, already feeling guilty, flinched even more. They knew deep down that their support had mostly been performative, limited to sharing hashtags on social media or attending a few protests with minimal impact. They had given themselves a false sense of accomplishment without making any real change.

  The handsome man beside Elara observed the audience's discomfort. He had noticed the way their eyes averted when confronted with their complacency. Elara's words were hitting deep, making them uncomfortable in their own skin. As the bodies kept on dropping during the assault, he took his leave from the room, passing through the magical barrier trapping the others. Little did he know, two pairs of eyes were trained on him all the while, the eyes stealthily moving along the darkness as they followed him…