Senara stumbled back, horrified. Her son, her Auren…One side of his face was completely rotten, flesh shriveled and clinging to the bone like brittle paper while the other side still retained his human features, but even that looked sickly and withered.
A pungent, choking stench filled the air, and Senara cried out, unable to stop herself. Behind her, Halvian stood frozen in terror, his eyes wide, mouth agape, unable to speak.
"What… what happened to you?" Senara stammered, her body trembling in both fear and maternal anguish.
Auren clutched her fingers desperately, crawling toward her like a broken puppet. "Mother... mother, please help me," he sobbed.
Senara felt repulsed by the touch, but she steeled herself. This was still her son, she repeated herself. Swallowing down her horror, she nodded, forcing calm into her voice.
"Tell mother what happened."
