Story 797: The Venom in Her Veins

Selene Nocturna sat upon a throne of bone and rot, her blackened lips curled into a grin. The candlelight flickered in the ruined cathedral, casting jagged shadows against the walls. Before her knelt a wretch—a dying man, barely clinging to life, his breath ragged, his flesh already touched by decay.

She raised her gloved hand, inspecting her nails. A sickly green vial dangled from the silver chains woven into her necklace, glowing with an unnatural pulse.

"You came to kill me," Selene purred, her voice smooth as venom. "How predictable."

The man coughed, blood dribbling from his lips. His body convulsed, veins bulging as the poison took hold.

Selene leaned forward, the eerie glow of her alchemical toxin reflecting in her hollow eyes. She had not simply poisoned him—she had rewritten him. His flesh, his soul, his will... all dissolving under her cruel hand.

"Does it burn?" she asked sweetly.

He tried to speak, but only a wet gurgle escaped.