32.- Return of The plague

The dungeon's main chamber hummed with restless energy, the central orb – a crimson sphere suspended above black roots – pulsing like an enraged heart. Its light bathed the stone walls, covered in phosphorescent moss, while a green-black vapor rose from cracks in the floor, filling the air with a stench of ozone and decay. The black flowers sprouting from the corners trembled, their petals flashing with a dark sheen, as if drinking from the chaos that the trumpets had unleashed days before – an echo that resonated from the red sky, from the fall of a god, and that now throbbed in the bowels of this forgotten place.

Aurora sat beside the orb, her fingers tracing a black root with instinctive curiosity. Her pale skin glowed with a more intense golden hue, a reflection of the power growing within her, and her green hair, slightly longer and wavier, fell over her shoulders like a living veil. Her horns, small but defined, shimmered with a pearly sheen, and her emerald eyes – with golden flecks – regarded the orb with a mixture of fascination and possessiveness. Wrapped in a tunic of moss and vines, her curvy figure rose with a still-awkward grace, a nascent queen who felt the broken chains of Thal'Korath as a heat burning in her chest.

Sebastian was beside her, squatting as he examined a black flower with pulsing red veins. "These things are extra alive," he said, his voice calm but with a hint of practical interest, scratching the back of his neck with a dirt-stained hand. His messy brown hair fell over his warm eyes, and his dusty boots crunched against the floor. He didn't remember how he got here – his mind was a blur of blood and screams that the dungeon had sealed away – but taking care of Aurora and the plants was his anchor. "We could use them for something useful, you know? Traps, maybe."

Aurora turned to him, her face lighting up with a warm smile. "Yes," she said, her voice soft but clear, an improvement from the mute days. She took his hand and squeezed it, a gesture of affection that saw him as a protective father, her refuge in this strange place. He returned the smile, a paternal glow in his eyes. "Sure, Aurora. We'll figure it out together."

A flash of dark energy cut through the air, a black portal opening like a wound that bled living shadows. The stench of ozone intensified, and the black flowers withered into ashes. From the portal emerged Kaili, Harbinger of the Plague, her figure dominating the chamber with a presence that warped space. Her purple skin glowed with an inner light, and her black armor – fitted like liquid obsidian – clung to her voluptuous curves, splattered with golden blood that dripped to the floor, burning it with a hiss. Golden, silver, and red runes pulsed on her body, and her horns, crowned with glittering gems, rose like a throne of terror. Six membranous wings unfolded, black, purple, and scarlet, casting liquid shadows while a green-black miasma erupted from her hands.

Sebastian looked up, his eyes tracing Kaili's curves – the neckline that revealed the pulsating runes, the hips that the armor hugged like a second skin. Damn, now that's a sight, he thought, a cold sweat running down his back at the magnitude of her presence, though his face maintained a practiced calm. "Quite an entrance," he said, his tone casual as he returned to the flower, secretly enjoying the contrast between her power and her sexy figure.

Kaili noticed him, her eyes – dark pits with red sparks – narrowing with annoyance. "I am Kaili, Plaguebringer Throne," she announced, her voice resonating like an ancestral echo that made the orb tremble. "I serve my Queen." She bowed her head to Aurora with a theatrical reverence, but turned to Sebastian, her lips curling in a sneer. "And what is this? A mortal playing in your court, my Queen?"

She advanced towards him with feline grace, her hips swaying deliberately, her wings brushing his shoulder with an icy touch. She leaned in, her face inches from his, her warm breath grazing his skin. "You have no power, human," she whispered, her tone dripping with venom and seduction, her fingers tracing the air near his jaw. "You are weak… fragile… What are you doing here, looking so stupid?" Her fangs flashed, her body so close he could feel the heat of her runes.

Sebastian felt an internal shiver, a cold sweat under his calm façade, but his eyes flickered to her cleavage for an instant before he shrugged. "I was thinking those runes look like poisonous roots," he said, his voice steady, turning the flower in his hand. And watching you get annoyed is almost as good as watching you walk, he thought, a flicker of amusement in his mind as he kept his expression neutral.

Kaili frowned, her wing flapping with a snap that shook the walls. "Insolent!" she hissed, raising a hand, the miasma erupting like a living whip. "I'll rip out that tongue!" Her fury grew, fueled by his defiance, and he only smiled slightly, secretly enjoying her reaction.

"No," Aurora cut in, standing up with a coldness that resonated in the chamber, her horns shimmering pearly. She took Sebastian's hand and placed it on her chest, her gaze locking onto Kaili with an awkward but firm authority. "He is mine." The orb hummed louder, the vines trembling as if obeying. Kaili laughed – a cold sound. "Yours, my Queen?" she said mockingly, taking a step back. "What… adorable affection for a sack of meat."

Aurora frowned, annoyed, and pointed to the central hologram. With quick gestures, she showed images of the black flowers that Sebastian had cultivated, the traps reinforced with their roots. "He does this," she said, her voice sharp, pointing to the plants and then to Sebastian. "He's useful."

Kaili observed the images, her wings folding, but her gaze returned to Sebastian with a flash of irritation. "Useful, you say?" she growled, approaching again, her body brushing against his as she leaned in, her voice low and dangerous. "Keep looking at me like that, mortal, and I'll make you scream before I'm done with you." Her fingers squeezed his shoulder for an instant, a sensual threat that made Sebastian's cold sweat intensify, though his face maintained a faint smile.

"I'm just looking at what's there," he said, winking at Aurora, who clapped happily. Kaili snorted, turning to Aurora with a theatrical sigh. "My Queen," she said, hardening her tone, "I have shattered the Guardian – Thal'Korath is dust, his laws broken. The first echo has sounded, and the second is coming. My duty is to prepare your ascension." She spread her wings, her shadow covering the chamber, the orb humming in response.

Sebastian looked at Aurora, his voice warm but firm. "You decide here, Aurora." Kaili turned to him, her eyes glowing red. "I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart!" she roared, but Aurora raised a hand. "Enough," she ordered, cold and imperious, and Kaili yielded with a tense bow, retreating to a side chamber, her gaze promising revenge.

Aurora squeezed Sebastian's hand, her smile returning. "Together," she whispered, and he nodded, protective, hiding the cold sweat that still ran down his back. The orb hummed, an omen of the chaos to come.