Story 720: The Hollowing

The Rotting Cathedral groaned with unseen voices. The air was thick—a miasma of incense, decay, and something far older. The candles burned lower, their wax pooling like blood upon the altar.

Seraphine stood motionless, her breathing shallow. The hunger was growing. It gnawed at her insides, whispering temptations she couldn’t yet decipher.

Selene Nocturna watched her with quiet amusement. Her golden eyes gleamed, reflecting the candlelight like a serpent poised to strike.

"Does it hurt?" Selene’s voice was a dark melody, gentle yet cruel.

Seraphine’s lips parted, but the words failed her. Her body felt… hollow. Stretched. Reshaped.

Selene stepped closer, fingers tracing Seraphine’s wrist. "You were afraid before. Now, there is no need for fear. You have been chosen."

Seraphine’s throat tightened. The mark on her skin—**a dark spiral of veins creeping outward from her collarbone—**throbbed with each slow pulse of her heart.

"What have you done to me?" she whispered.