Atmospheric book illustration, dark muted palette. A large grey granite boulder half-sunk in a dark swamp, only the top visible. On the top, a worn carved symbol: a circle with a cross inside. A young man stands twenty paces away, looking back over his shoulder. Beside the stone stands a dark, dense shadow — taller than the grass, not a person, not a tree, something between. The shadow seems to be watching the man. Fog, autumn bog, birch trees, dark standing water with film and bubbles. Ominous, tense, primal fear. Realistic painterly style, cinematic lighting, Slavic folklore horror mood. No text.
