The palace doors burst open, their golden inlays now stained black with decay. Selene Nocturna stepped through the threshold, her presence an unholy plague unto the once-majestic halls of Vareth's royal keep.
Her hollow laughter echoed, sharp and twisted, a symphony of suffering woven into every note. It slithered through the corridors, gnawing at the edges of sanity, a dreadful sound that made even the ghosts of this place shudder.
The throne room was a sight of desperation. King Aldric, draped in his once-proud regalia, clutched the armrests of his throne with white-knuckled defiance. The remaining nobles cowered behind him, some grasping rusted weapons, others frozen in fear, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"You should not be here, witch," Aldric growled, his voice wavering despite the steel in his words.
Selene grinned, blood and bile coating her lips.
"And yet, here I stand."
She raised a single hand, her fingers curling as if grasping something unseen. A black mist seeped from her palm, twisting and writhing like a living thing. The moment it touched the air, the nobles began to cough.
One of them—a woman draped in sapphire silks—staggered forward, clutching her throat. Her lips peeled back in an unnatural smile, her eyes bulging as veins darkened beneath her skin.
Then, the laughter began.
The noblewoman giggled, then chuckled, then let out a full, maddened laugh. Her ribs cracked outward, her jaw unhinged, and her skin peeled in jagged strips, yet the laughter never ceased.
She fell to her knees, convulsing, her body splitting apart in unnatural ways, her organs slithering free like living tendrils. But she never stopped laughing.
The nobles shrieked and stumbled backward, horror overtaking them. The king's sword trembled in his grip.
Selene tilted her head, bemused.
"Ah… the beauty of my craft. A sickness that devours, yet it never robs you of joy. Isn't that merciful?"
Aldric roared, lunging forward with his blade. In a single, fluid motion, Selene caught it between her fingers. The steel sizzled and rusted away in seconds, crumbling like dust in the wind.
The king gasped, his once-mighty weapon now nothing but decay.
Selene leaned in close, her breath cold as the grave.
"Your kingdom is mine now, Aldric."
He tried to reply, but his lips curled into an unwilling grin. His teeth chattered as his body began to convulse, that same cursed laughter spilling from his throat.
One by one, they all joined the chorus.
By the time the sun rose, Vareth was nothing but echoes of hysterical, agonized mirth.
Selene Nocturna stood upon the throne, smiling.