“Flesh and Fruit”

From the limbs of a long-lost realm emerges something both haunting and divine a coiled, serpentine creature, its mouth bristling with teeth, guarding blossoms that seem to see and speak. The fruit it bears glows like polished gems, each one part petal, part gaze beautiful, strange, and full of warning. This is no ordinary tree. It watches. It waits. And it remembers who dares to reach.