The Underworld's Bride

The Story

Aria survives a plague that wipes out her village, but her hunt for a final herb leads her to a lifeless lake that reflects neither moonlight nor her own face. The water serves as a death gate, placing her in the gaze of Nox, King of the Underworld. A single night binds their fates, yet by morning his priestess Hecate forges a prophecy declaring Aria the mother of the realm’s ruin. Nox casts her out immediately. Nine months later, Aria returns with a daughter who withers anything she touches. When her former village gathers to burn the infant, Aria carries the child back through the gate. She confronts the man who rejected her, demanding he save the child he refuses to claim.