Run: 2026-02-17-01KHMMDK4W021VCWKTQ56N1BGQ

The standing stones loomed in the moonlight, ancient sentinels guarding the entrance to the Fae Grove. Aurora hesitated at the threshold, one hand resting on the weathered oak. The Heartstone pendant pulsed gently against her chest, its faint red glow staining her fingers crimson. She shouldn't be here. The warning whispered through her mind as she stepped into the clearing, but there was nowhere else to turn. Isolde's cryptic message had been clear - if she wanted to save her mother, this was her only hope. The wildflowers carpeting the grove seemed to shiver in an unfelt breeze. Aurora moved deeper into the clearing, her footsteps muffled on the soft earth. Silvered moonlight washed the grove in monochrome, turning the petals to muted shades of gray. She paused beside a tangle of hawthorn and elder, their gnarled branches twining together like desperate lovers. A shiver raced down her spine, a sudden sense that she was not alone. The sensation of unseen eyes prickled between her shoulder blades. Aurora turned slowly, scanning the treeline. The shadows seemed deeper there, pooling beneath the trees like pools of spilled ink. Something moved at the edge of her vision—a shifting of the darkness, a whisper of motion. Aurora froze, every sense straining. "Hello?" Her voice sounded thin, lost in the vastness of the night. No one answered. She resumed her search, a gnawing anxiety urging her faster. The pendant pulsed more strongly now, its inner light painting the ground beneath her feet in bloody hues. It was close, whatever Isolde had sent her to find. A cold tendril of air wound around her wrist, an icy caress that raised goosebumps on her arms. Aurora whirled to face the new threat, her heart pounding. Nothing. A hollow knock rang through the grove. Aurora pivoted toward the sound, her breath catching. The standing stones stood tall and silent, their oaken shapes unyielding. Another knock, sharp and hollow, as if something sought entrance. Her gaze dropped to the Heartstone pendant. The crimson gem pulsed like a heartbeat, the silver chain warm against her skin. The necklace had never acted this way before, not since it had mysteriously appeared in her apartment two months ago. A flash of movement and a figure stepped from the shadows. Aurora recoiled, a strangled gasp wrenching from her throat. It was her—a perfect mirror image, clad in a gown of raven feathers. The doppelganger smiled and it was like looking into a dark mirror. "Hello, sister," the figure purred. "I've been waiting for you." Fear closed icy fingers around Aurora's throat. She took a stumbling step back. "What are you? What do you want?" The doppelganger laughed, a sound like breaking glass. "What are any of us? Fragile things, barely more than the playthings of the gods. As to what I want?" Her smile sharpened. "Everything. But for now, you'll do nicely." She lunged and Aurora barely threw herself out of the way. The doppelganger's fingers grazed her sleeve, the nails curved into ebony talons. The fabric shredded like tissue paper, fluttering away on an unfelt wind. Aurora ran, dove between the nearest set of standing stones. The world seemed to twist around her, the colors bleeding to sickly shades of green and black. She fell heavily onto the cool grass, the impact jarring up her spine. The doppelganger stalked closer, feathers rustling like dead leaves. "You can't run from me. I am you in all the ways that matter." Aurora staggered to her feet, her heart a trapped bird in her chest. The pendant throbbed against her breastbone, heat spreading from the contact. She gripped the silver chain, the delicate links biting into her palm. "Stay away from me!" Her double lunged again and Aurora swung the pendant like a pendulum. The crimson gem connected with the doppelganger's cheekbone and the creature shattered. Shards of black glass rained down, dissolving into greasy smears of smoke. Aurora gasped for breath, her lungs aching. The world tilted crazily and she crashed to her knees, barely catching herself on her hands. The Heartstone pulsed, settling back into its usual gentle rhythm. The grass beneath her hands was green again, speckled with tiny white flowers. Aurora shoved herself upright, trembling so hard she could barely stand. In the center of the grove stood a hewn stone plinth, a small crystal vial resting on its surface. The liquid inside glowed a soft, gentle gold—the antivenom to save her mother. Aurora palmed the vial with shaking hands and stumbled from the grove, not looking back.