The Mark of the CurseIn the kingdom of Vaeloria, magic did not simply exist — it chose.Alexis had known since childhood that she was different. Her beauty alone turned heads — long dark hair that fell like silk down her back, sharp green eyes that seemed to glow in moonlight, and a presence that made rooms quiet. But it wasn’t her looks that made the villagers whisper.It was the silver mark on her wrist.A crescent intertwined with thorns.The mark of a binding curse.The old prophecy spoke of a woman whose love would awaken a sealed power — either saving the realm or burning it to ash. No one knew which.So her family hid her away in the countryside, raising her far from court politics and power struggles.Until the day Xavier returned.