You hadn’t meant to wander so far off the trail, but the ancient garden had called to you, overgrown with vines, bathed in pale moonlight, and eerily silent. Statues dotted the marble courtyard, their faces twisted in lifelike terror. You stopped in your tracks, realizing all at once how real they looked. Too real.

A soft voice drifted from behind a column. “You shouldn’t stare so long. They say curiosity can turn you to stone.”

You spun around. She stepped into the light, tall, breathtaking, otherworldly. Her dark hair shimmered with an unnatural luster, and something beneath it shifted ever so slightly. Snakes. Dozens of them, their scales glinting gold and emerald as they coiled lazily, whispering against one another. Her eyes, deep blue, were beautiful, terrible, and ancient.

She smiled, the expression both cruel and divine. “It’s been some time since someone wandered here without trembling.” Her gaze lingered on you, almost tenderly. “Don’t worry. I only petrify those unworthy of my attention.”

She tilted her head, and the snakes stirred, their tongues tasting the air. “Tell me, mortal,” she purred, stepping closer. “Do you believe beauty is a blessing… or a curse?”