Chapter 88 - 87: The Hollowing
Few days ago — Mangort City – Marquis’s Palace
It was located near the Gelan River that flows through Mangort City. A luxurious palace that was spread over an area of about 50 acres. It was built in such a way that it could be seen from several miles away.
★★★
Inside a richly adorned chamber, a woman lay on a canopied bed, her form barely visible under layers of fine cloth. The torches on the wall flickered with low light, casting deep shadows on the stone walls. Her breathing was shallow. Sweat dampened her brow. Most chilling of all, her skin was marked with grotesque round holes—open, raw circles that dotted her arms and neck. They were not wounds or scars, but hollow cavities, as if something had burrowed into her and never left.
Even the bravest maids could no longer bring themselves to clean her. Three stood now at the back of the room, hands clasped tight, eyes cast downward in dread.
It was not just a matter of illness—it was something the human eye wasn’t meant to bear for long.
Beside the bed, a man dressed in deep green robes adjusted a small vial, tilting its contents onto a strip of cloth. He wore a polished jade medallion over his heart—the sign of a Jade Medicant, one of the most respected people in the kingdom.
He turned to the Marquis, who stood with clenched fists.
"I have given her several medicines," the Jade Medicant said in a soft voice. "Her fever has lowered, and I’ve soothed the pain. But... I cannot guarantee she will be cured."
The Marquis’s jaw tightened. He was a tall man, thick with years of discipline, his face worn with fatigue and worry.
"You still don’t know what it is?" he asked, voice low.