A few months had passed. Winter had come at last, and with it, December's cold embrace. Snow blanketed the kingdom, settling upon rooftops and stone roads alike. Despite the chill, the people went about their daily lives, breath misting in the air.
In the castle garden, Aurelia sat beneath a tall oak, her back resting against its trunk. A book lay open upon her lap as her quill moved steadily across the page. She hummed softly, listening to distant birds braving the cold.
Then—
"Aurelia!"
The shout broke the calm.
She looked up just as several knights hurried toward her, their faces pale with worry.
Knight 1: "Lady Aurelia—at once. The western south wall."
Aurelia rose to her feet at once, reading the fear in his eyes.
Aurelia: "Speak plainly."
Knight 2: exhales "There is… something growing within the walls. Some manner of foul growth. The villagers say sickness follows where it spreads."
Aurelia: brow furrowed"A spreading disease?"
She closed her book. "Show me."
The knights led her through the snow-covered paths until they reached the outer wall. There, embedded deep within the stone, was something unnatural—veins of flesh-like matter creeping along the cracks.
Knight 3: "Lady Aurelia—thank the heavens you came."
Aurelia: stepped closer, eyes narrowing. "Strange… What is this thing?"
Knight 1: "We know not. It appeared without warning. Some believe it came from the beasts we faced last night—some kind of corruption."
Aurelia: sighed softly "I have studied many illnesses… curses as well. But this—this is unlike anything I have seen. It resembles flesh, yet it is not."
Knight 2: "It spreads swiftly. Only last night, it was no larger than a hand."
Aurelia considered this, then nodded.
Aurelia: "Return to your posts. I shall look into this further."
The knights bowed and departed, leaving Aurelia alone with the wall. She examined the growth more closely and reached out—
"Ouch!"
She recoiled, clutching her finger. "Hot…?"
She frowned, licking the burn.
Aurelia: "Fire? Yet there are no volcanoes near these lands…"
Her eyes sharpened. "This matter must be brought before Theron at once."
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(((Within the Castle: Theron's Study)))
Theron leaned back in his chair, troubled.
Theron: "Flesh… growing from stone?"
Aurelia: nodded "My grandmother once spoke of such things—growths born of the underworld. Yet I cannot say for certain if this is what she meant."
Theron: folded his hands "If it spreads further, my people will suffer."
Aurelia: "Aye. We must find a cure—or a means to stop it—before it takes root throughout the kingdom."
Theron: looked to her gravely "Then we must act swiftly. Whatever this is… it is no common disease."
The room fell silent, the weight of the threat settling heavily between them.
For several days, Aurelia devoted herself to research. Scrolls lay scattered across tables, books stacked high beside flickering candles. She scarcely slept, scarcely ate. Yet no matter how deep she searched, no cure revealed itself.
Worse still—the strange growth did not wait.
What once clung only to the stone walls now crept downward, spreading across the ground like living rot. The air grew foul. Crops spoiled overnight, meat blackened within hours, and sickness spread among the people. Headaches, nausea, fevers—none were spared.
The kingdom began to reek of decay.
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((LOCATION: SOUTH WEST WALL))
Aurelia pressed a cloth to her mouth, her breath shallow.
Aurelia: "This is… bad. Far worse than before. It spreads faster than I can study it."
Mavie stood beside her, armor dull beneath the gray sky.
Mavie: "Aye. The stench alone could fell a grown man."
Aurelia: winced "It makes my head pound. And you? Dost thou feel unwell?"
Mavie: shook her head slowly "Strangely… no. I feel nothing at all."
Aurelia glanced at her—then at the necklace resting against Mavie's chest—before looking away.
Aurelia: "Curious… very curious."
Mavie narrowed her eyes at the wall. Mavie: "Look there. It spreads beyond the stones—toward the rear."
Aurelia: "How canst thou be certain?"
Mavie: "I see it. Come—quickly."
They passed beyond the wall—and froze.
The corruption stretched far and wide. Grass lay blackened and dead, the earth cracked and oozing with the same flesh-like growth.
Aurelia: gagged "Gods—! The smell is worse—" She turned aside, retching.
Mavie took a step forward. Mavie: "Hm… what is this?"
Aurelia, pale: "What do you see?"
Mavie approached cautiously.
Mavie: "A hole."
The opening was narrow, yet impossibly deep—vanishing into darkness beneath the earth, heat faintly rising from within.
Mavie: "An open passage… leading far below."
Aurelia: swallowed "Is there… something inside?"
Mavie: "Aye. Something stirs beneath. I cannot name it—but it is there."
Aurelia shook her head weakly. Aurelia: "We must leave. Now. I feel faint."
Mavie nodded at once. Mavie: "Come. We shall inform Theron."
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((LOCATION: MEETING ROOM, CASTLE))
Theron paced the chamber, hands clenched.
Theron: "This grows worse by the hour. The people cry out for answers—and you tell me there is no cure?"
Aurelia: lowered her gaze "None that I have found. Yet… Mavie discovered a hole. Deep. Far beneath the walls."
Mavie: "Heat rises from it. As though it leads somewhere aflame."
Aurelia: eyes widen "The underworld…"
Theron: halted "The underworld?"
Aurelia: nodded slowly "My grandmother spoke of such corruption. Growths born below—flesh that crawls through stone. I thought them stories… but now…"
Aurelia: She hesitated "She warned that only one being could spread such disease upon the surface."
Theron: "And who would that be?"
Aurelia: "The Underworld Emperor."
Mavie stiffened.
Aurelia: "His name was Корумпиран—Corrupt. Yet he was also called… Azer."
Mavie: "Azer… that name…"
Aurelia: "You know it?"
Mavie: "It feels… familiar. Though I know not why."
Theron: folded his arms "Speak plainly, Aurelia."
Aurelia: takes a deep breath "Azer once walked the overworld. He spread disease—headaches, rot, death itself. Within three years, nearly all humanity perished. Only a few survived."
Mavie: "How was he stopped?"
Aurelia: "A princess—brave beyond measure—fought him and sealed him back into the underworld. The corruption faded… and the world healed."
Theron: "Then why now?"
Aurelia's voice lowered. Aurelia: "Because Azer is patient. And vengeful. These growths—Dawson worms—are merely the first stage. They prepare the land."
Mavie: "Prepare… for what?"
Aurelia: "For his rule. When the second stage begins, creatures of the underworld will rise, devouring all life. Azer seeks to remake our world in his image."
Silence fell.
Theron exhaled sharply. Theron: "Then we must find him—before it is too late."
Aurelia: "Aye. Before he finishes what he began."
Theron turned away. Theron: "This meeting is adjourned."
Aurelia bowed and departed first. Mavie rose soon after.
Theron: "Mavie."
Mavie: She turned"Hm?"
Theron reached for her wrist—
"Agh!"
He recoiled instantly, clutching his hand.
Theron: "It burns—!"
Mavie: stared "Are you hurt? What happened?"
Theron steadied himself, eyes fixed upon her necklace.
Theron: "That pendant… what is it made of?"
Mavie . Mavie: frowned "Why does that matter?"
Theron: looked away "It is nothing. Yet… we must speak again."
The air between them grew heavy—as though something unseen had just awakened.
(TO BE CONTINUED)