The Rotting Cathedral stood eerily silent. The battle outside had ended, and the corpses of the fallen lay in twisted repose beneath the pale moonlight. The once-proud warriors of the Silver Order and the warlocks of the Crimson Pact had met the fate they feared most—not death, but undeath.
Selene Nocturna stood in the grand hall, humming softly. A haunting tune from a forgotten age.
The candlelight flickered, casting long shadows as she moved between the broken bodies of her enemies. But tonight, she was not a warrior, not a conqueror.
Tonight, she was a hostess.
She turned, her golden eyes gleaming. Kruger stood frozen at the doorway, sword still in hand. He had not fled. He had not struck her down.
"Why so tense, dear hunter?" she cooed, spreading her arms as if welcoming an old friend. Her dress, dark and tattered, clung to her like a second skin, adorned with decayed trinkets and bones.
"You stand in my home. You should be honored."
Kruger's jaw clenched. "This is a tomb."
Selene let out a soft laugh. "All homes are, eventually."
She moved toward a lavish, dust-ridden banquet table, where golden plates sat untouched, remnants of a feast that had long rotted away. A single goblet remained clean, filled with a dark, shimmering liquid.
"Come, sit. Drink." She patted the chair beside her. "I insist."
Selene tilted her head, lips curving into something between amusement and menace.
She waved a hand, and the corpses twitched. The knights and warlocks that had once fought against her rose from their graves, hollow eyes fixed upon Kruger.
He lifted his sword instinctively.
Selene sighed. "Must we always dance this way?"
She stepped closer, reaching out. Her gloved fingers barely grazed his wrist, and his pulse pounded beneath her touch.
"You chase me across kingdoms. You curse my name. And yet…" she leaned in, her breath cold against his ear. "You never strike the killing blow."
Kruger exhaled sharply.
"You hesitate because you know the truth. You are like me, hunter."
The undead around them began to laugh, a dry, rattling chorus.
"You have spent so long hunting the monster…" she whispered, tilting his chin up with one delicate finger. "That you have become one yourself."
Kruger yanked away, breath unsteady.
Selene only chuckled, turning back to the table.
"When you finally accept what you are, my dear hunter, you'll take your place beside me."
She lifted the goblet in a silent toast, watching him with knowing eyes.
"And oh… what a glorious night that will be."