Story 786:- The Black Hymn

Kruger gasped, his lungs burning as the plague clawed deeper into his flesh. Each breath felt like swallowing embers, his veins pulsing with sickly black rot. The cathedral walls blurred around him, the torchlight smearing into grotesque shadows that danced mockingly.

Selene Nocturna towered above him, her wound already sealing, black ichor hardening into something unnatural. She held her wrist up to the dim light, watching the last remnants of the cut disappear.

"You surprise me, Kruger." Her voice dripped with venom, though amusement lingered beneath. "Most men crumble by now. You? You still cling to this… righteous defiance."

Kruger spat dark blood onto the cold stone. His fingers trembled, but he forced himself upright, sword dragging behind him.

"You talk too much," he rasped, his body shaking under the weight of the affliction.

Selene’s lips twisted into a grin.

"Then allow me to sing instead."