In that world, many worshiped the Goddess of beauty, asking for her blessings or poking her, but what many did not know was that part of the beauty was not hers. The most beautiful children were born cursed by them, having their skin corroded over the years, thus passing beauty to the goddess, who used human suffering for her own good.

Astrid was one of those children, born of the moon, kissed by the stars. She was beautiful as a lily. But like the others, her skin was deteriorating, rotting and wrinkling with each passing year. She couldn't remember the last time she had looked in the mirror, covering half her face with a cloth mask.

There were rumors that the curse could be undone, all one had to do was defeat the Goddess in her own castle, but no one had ever discovered where that place was. Astrid set out on this mission, she could die along the way, but she would die fighting.

In the middle of the journey, the warrior saved a peasant woman, who, helpless, asked to stay together. She was against it at first, thinking about leaving the other woman in a nearby village, but later, she got used to the company – especially to carry her things.

Little by little, Astrid managed to open up more, but she never thought she would be able to show her face to someone she had only known for a few months. But there she was, her fingers tightened around her mask, waiting for the other's reaction.

She knew it was disgusting. She looked away to the entrance of the cave they were camping in, listening to the sound of the wind outside and the crackling fire. Her free hand went to her whitened eye, feeling the wrinkled skin over her fingers, a melancholy look on her face.