White Death Origins

"Doc, I need to know more about it. Is there really no cure for the White Death?" Luna asked, her voice steady with determination, yet laced with a quiet desperation to understand.

Mr. Aux paused. His gaze drifted toward the window, lost in some distant place. The silence stretched between them—deep, heavy, and telling.

"My lady," he said finally, drawing in a breath, "the illness… it originated from a place called the Northern Rode—a stretch of land that borders the northern ocean."

He leaned back slightly, collecting his thoughts.

"It’s a frozen island. Covered in millennia-old ice. The kind of place no man was meant to walk."

Luna listened intently, her small hands clenched in her lap.

"It was over three centuries ago," Mr. Aux continued. "A group of explorers from the Duchy of Arcanis set sail into uncharted waters. Brave men—or foolish, depending on how you see it. They stumbled upon the Rode during their voyage."

He paused again. His brow furrowed.

"The island was wild. Dense forests frozen solid, ancient and quiet. And in the heart of that stillness, they found… something."

Luna’s eyes flickered.

"A creature. Dead. Like nothing we’ve seen before," he said quietly. "Later, we’d come to call it the Lavriv."

"The Lavriv…" Luna echoed, almost whispering.

"They brought its corpse aboard their ship. Curiosity, you know. They thought it might be valuable—scientifically, magically, politically." He shook his head. "But then, something began to change."

Luna leaned forward, her breath catching.

"The body… bloomed."

"B-bloomed?"

Mr. Aux nodded solemnly. "From its chest, a flower emerged. A white lily. Delicate. Beautiful. Completely unnatural."

The room felt colder somehow, as though the memory itself carried frost.

"They picked it. Started studying the body. But soon after, things went wrong. One by one, the crew began to fall ill."

He turned to her then, his expression shadowed by old horror.

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"It started with black goo. Seeping from their pores. Then the flowers—those same white lilies—began to bloom across their skin."

Luna’s breath hitched. "That's…"

"No one understood it. Not the healers, the alchemists, the magicians—nothing helped." His voice lowered, thick with memory. "And the worst part? It wasn’t contagious. There was no pattern. No touch. No blood passed it on."

"Then… how—?"

"We still don’t know."

He looked away, the weight of it heavy on his shoulders.

"But the disease did something far worse than spread. It decayed them. Slowly. Their muscles gave out. Their senses dulled—sight, taste, smell, touch—all slipping away."

Luna's lips parted in disbelief. “So they were…”

"Trapped," Mr. Aux said, voice hoarse. "Locked inside their own bodies. Fully aware. Feeling everything. But unable to move. Or scream."

Silence.

A long one.

"They were in agony," he finished softly. "For years. Some lasted months. Others, longer. The last of them died after ten years… still waiting for a cure that never came."

Luna sat frozen, the weight of his words pressing down on her chest.

"Is that all you know, Doc?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

He lowered his gaze. "To my knowledge… yes. That’s all we’ve uncovered. The rest is still a mystery."

The doctor quietly began packing his instruments. The clinks of metal against leather felt strangely loud.

"Where are you going?" Luna asked, her worry bleeding into the question.

Mr. Aux looked up, sorrow softening his features. "I’m going to meet with colleagues. There’s a chance—just a chance—they’ve uncovered more. And then…" He hesitated. "Then I’ll go to the Northern Rode. Search for answers at the source."

Her eyes lit up, just a flicker. "Can I come, Doc? I want to help."

The question hung in the air.

Mr. Aux gave her a small, sad smile. "No, my lady. It’s far too dangerous. Your father would never allow it."

Luna's face fell, but she didn’t argue. That quiet spark of disappointment stayed in her chest, quietly glowing.

"You must stay here, Luna," he said gently. "I’ll do everything I can. But for now, that journey is mine alone. I promise—I’ll return with answers. As soon as I have them."

At last, Mr. Aux closed his case with a quiet snap and rose to his feet, the weight of unspoken thoughts lingering in the air around him.

“So, my lady, I must take my leave now,” Mr. Aux said, fastening his coat. The dark fabric swished with each movement, and his black hat sat neatly atop his head. He gave a respectful nod, tipping it in farewell.

“I’ll see you off, Doc!” Luna replied, forcing a smile. The weight of his story still lingered, wrapping itself around her like a second cloak.

Mr. Aux smiled gently. “Then let us go, my lady.”

They walked in silence, their steps soft against the crimson carpets that lined the mansion’s vast corridors. Gilded frames adorned the high walls, tall columns standing like silent sentinels. The ceilings stretched endlessly upward, their chandeliers glittering like faraway stars, casting the hall in an otherworldly glow.

In the grand hall, the heavy oak doors loomed ahead. With a groan of old hinges, they opened, revealing the sprawling courtyard beyond.

A stately carriage waited beneath the stone archway, its wheels gleaming in the golden light of evening. The horses shifted restlessly, their coats glistening as the last rays of sun kissed the earth.

“I’m off, my lady. I promise—I’ll find something to help you,” Mr. Aux called over his shoulder, voice full of sincerity and quiet concern.

“Goodbye, Doc,” Luna said. Her smile was gentle, but the unease in her chest hadn’t faded. “Don’t worry about me. Have a safe journey—I believe in you.”

She waved until the carriage rolled away and disappeared from sight.

Even then, her gaze lingered.

The dread still sat in her heart, cold and unmoving.

But she held onto that fragile spark of hope.