George

The King proclaims a Great Feast. The wealthiest aristocrats are gathered. While people die outside, wine flows within. This is the apotheosis of selfishness. The Plague decides: the time has come. It gives the jester George the order to commit the Crash and a vial of tasteless poison. In exchange for this sin, it promises freedom to the survivors. It's the night of the feast. The throne room is ablaze. George tumbles and jokes, making everyone laugh. Just as the monarch demands more wine, the jester runs to the golden crater containing the drink and deftly pours a vial into it. He scoops up the poison with a golden goblet and carries it to the King. The hall falls silent. George bows, his smile turning sinister: "Dear King, are you tired of gifts? We have prepared for you the most exquisite... The last. You craved prosperity, Your Grace, but it is too bright here. It is time to extinguish this light." The king greedily drains his goblet, followed by the aristocrats. At first, the monarch feels a surge of strength, but his laughter turns to wheezing. The music changes abruptly—the courtly lutes give way to wild, heavy guitar riffs. George steps into the shadows. The doors to the hall swing open. She stands there. Plague. She is unmasked, but her gaze is colder than ice. She looks at the writhing tyrant and the falling aristocrats. Plague's words to the dying King: "You look at me and see evil? But I am only a mirror. You created me with your indifference. All the world's civilizations share only one crime that cannot be forgiven. The murder of a king. A blow to the very heart of society. That's why it is precisely those who hold the highest power who do not shy away from filth. They stand above morality and laws. You thought the throne was eternal. But I have not come to judge you by the laws you yourself have trampled." She steps towards the throne to the roar of music: "They're already close outside. They're burning your home, they want your blood. These are your 'loyal subjects.' That's what you wanted, so now dance. Choose your cross to bear. I killed you, King, so that they might live. My sin is their salvation." The King falls silent. The crown rolls across the floor with a clang. George approaches and kneels before the Plague. Leprosy is vanquished.