The Ghost at the Auction Party | Part 1 of 6 [a nightbb story]

The auction of Evony Goldmoon's curious invention for the detection of ghosts was one of the most compelling events in recent history. For a city as plagued by spirits as this one was, the fuss and flurry over new methods for dealing with the restless dead was always a spectacle worth engaging in. Add to the mix the uncanny rumours that surrounded Evony and the announcement that the Crescent company would not only develop the product, but also offer a prototype to be won at an invite-only auction…Well, it was hard to remember a more anticipated night. Lore, novelty, and the promise of profits for enterprising guests was a powerful lure. 

The affair was well-staged. The doors opened to visitors at twilight, a time infamous for sightings and whispers. Guests were ushered into a large front room and they spoke in hushed, excited tones. Most were already caught up in whatever threads of gossip they could scavenge from social channels about Evony before they’d stepped into the house. The story they’d woven swelled in the staged flickering light that cast countless shadows; and the quiet efficiency of the Crescent company hosts, who received them with mysterious smiles and little in the way of conversation. It was a beautiful home, artfully staged, with a warmth in the light that became luxury by evening as the sun slipped away from view. The hosts wove through the gathering, offering conversation and refreshments, the dusky violet tones of their attire obviously chosen to augment the mystery of the evening. 

Rumours had spun through the city for months that a researcher named Evony, one of those poor souls sensitive to the ghosts, had been plagued by a wandering spirit to the point that they had committed themself feverishly to the development of some manner of detecting them. Gossips and supernatural hobbyists had gleefully exchanged news of visitations, erratic behaviours, and finally, the heroic support of the Crescent company, business arm of the powerful Goldmoon family, which had adopted the poor scientist into their fold, assumedly for Evony's protection and backed the research with considerable resources. Of all the Four Moon Families, the Goldmoon pride had the keenest interest in the ghosts and had amassed a certain amount of their influence in the city through offering protection from the more vengeful of the lost souls.

This had delighted and scandalized the city to no end and when the announcement had gone out weeks before that the scientist had achieved their goal and cracked the mystery of detecting ghosts through science and technology, it was met with considerable excitement and even some skepticism.

In the not so distant past, the power to definitively detect ghosts would have been a commonplace thing. Magicians were often born with uncanny talents and if one was not born into the gold, one could easily craft a spell or charm to do the work for you. Since The Ruin and the tragedies that followed, however, practicing the gift of magic - which at one time had been as natural as breathing - was far too deadly for most to dare. Not only did the disease still persist - airborne and waiting - but its victims haunted the between places and twilight and had at their disposal unknown gifts that the living were no longer equipped to defend themselves against. Lucky for the living, most of the spirits were listless floating things that could barely form a sense of self let alone violent tendencies for vengeance.

In the days following The Ruin, societies built on magic and the spiritual strength of its leaders crumbled, having no backbone to support them. The disease fed on and felled the strongest magicians first, attacking the very foundation of what society had evolved to depend upon. Chaos reigned until science and the fledgling art of technology filled the vacuum and a new world took shape. It was a rebirth marred only be the ghastly echoes of the dead, an unsettling reminder of what still lingered.

But here once again, science had delivered where magic could no longer be considered or depended on.

Hey! My name is Ciel Sainte-Marie (aka So Nefarious). I'm a writer and artist hanging out on Steem, writing stories, and studying games. My dream is to be a game designer so follow @renegadegaming to see how that develops or read more stories!