Chapter 86: Butterflies

The capital city was cloaked in an eerie silence. A silence which was broken by raspy coughs and muffled groans of its people. Death loomed over the capital. What started as a normal illness slowly started to spread.

It spared no one, from rich to poor, from the lowliest street vendors who worked every day just to scrape by, to the noblest households who believed they were beyond the reach of common woes. No one could escape

People struggled to keep up with their daily routines. Those who could afford to remain home to recover did so, but the majority, the commoners who lived paycheck to paycheck had to go and work though they were sick.

Ignoring the fatigue that pierced deep into their bones, they kept pushing hoping to get through the day. They went to markets, workplaces, and public gatherings, unknowingly carrying the sickness with them wherever they went.