on her back. It was a tattoo, an intricate and haunting design that seemed to twist and writhe as if alive. His heart skipped a beat, not because he was repulsed, but because he recognized it from a distant, unsettling memory.
Years ago, during his travels abroad, he had encountered a similar mark etched onto the skin of a woman in a small, remote village. It was said to be a symbol of an ancient curse, a dark omen that brought misfortune to those who bore it and to those who dared to love them. He remembered the hushed whispers of the villagers and the pained expression of the woman who bore the tattoo. She had lost everything dear to her, they said.
