Story 723: Veil of Decay

A thick, unnatural mist curled around the Rotting Cathedral, seeping through its cracks like a living thing. Selene Nocturna stood in the heart of her sanctum, her hands lifting the hood of her tattered cloak, veiling her face in shadow.

Tonight, she would not be seen. Only felt.

Before her, a battered mirror reflected a warped, decaying vision of herself. A mocking smile stretched across her lips. Her flesh, still imbued with the alchemical curses she had woven, had begun to shed its human façade. The tendrils of rot clung to her gown, pulsating, shifting as if hungry for more.

Selene let out a breath, watching the mist dance around her.

"They come."

Beyond the cathedral’s walls, a caravan of mercenaries moved cautiously through the cursed lands. Knights. Alchemists. Priests.

Fools.

They had come to cleanse her domain.