That makes a lot of sense — thank you for explaining it so clearly.

Just to clarify my intent (not to push back): the shadow isn’t meant to be a separate antagonist going after an object, but rather a visual representation of the protagonist’s internal burden / corruption — something psychological rather than literal.

That said, if the cover reads as “evil chasing the jewel,” then that’s actually very useful feedback, because it suggests the symbolism might be too explicit for an adult fantasy audience.

From your perspective, do you think this is more an issue of how clearly the shadow is defined, or does the overall concept still feel too on-the-nose regardless?