Run: 2026-02-17-01KHMMF3HGWGZYGCSZ32NGNP3R

Rory pulled her jacket tighter as she walked through Richmond Park, the night's chill seeping into her bones despite the summer season. She checked her watch again — 11:45 pm, right on time according to the cryptic instructions left for her at Silas' bar. Keep walking until you reach the ancient oaks, the note had said, and then wait. The Fae Grove isn't easy to find, but it'll find you. She scowled at the memory of the ominous message scrawled on torn parchment. Absurd mysticism, she thought, yet here you are. Her crescent-shaped scar throbbed faintly as it often did when she was anxious. A rustle of leaves made her heart rate spike, and she whirled to face the sound. "Hello?" Her voice echoed back, thin and reedy. The sprawling park remained silent, save for the distant hoot of an owl. Rory continued forward, her boots crunching against gravel. She soon reached a circle of towering oak trees, their gnarled branches extending like arms grasping for air. Rory hesitated before stepping between two gnarled trunks, her pearl-white teeth worrying her lower lip. A warm, resinous scent enveloped her — a stark contrast to the earlier cold. She looked around wildly, taking in the explosion of wildflowers in vibrant hues of sapphire, amethyst, and ruby. They bloomed underfoot and waist-high, Manuel's cradle, and Dame's violet — a year-round display that would be impossible in the mortal world. Rory had crossed into the Fae Grove. The standing stones pulsed with a faint inner light that illuminated the verdant clearing. Rory's hand strayed to the Heartstone pendant resting against her collarbone — a twin to the light emanating from the oaks. She wasn't alone. A crackle of energy arced between the stones, and she felt the fine hairs on her arms rise. The sky darkened above her, stars winking out one by one until only the gibbous moon remained, its pallid glow washing over the overgrown thicket. Rory's heart pounded in her chest like a rapid timpani as she whirled to face the loamy soil, wanting — no, needing — to flee. But it was too late now. The elaborate dance had begun, and she was ensnared in it. I wonder if I have the will to ask you, she thought, her fingers brushing the engraved writing at her neck. Every person has a price, and every heart has something to offer — even if that heart belonged to a thief. She was a larcenist after knowledge, not objects. A sultry voice purred from the shadows, "Oh, dearest dearest... what have we here?" Rory's shoulders relaxed infinitesimally but not her guard. "I require aid," she replied, her voice far steadier than she felt. "Mine and yours both." "A human woman walks into the Night of the Moons seeking help from the Lady of Death herself..." The Lady of Shadows materialized from behind an oak, her gown shimmering with motes of darkness and moonlight. Her black hair cascaded in intricate braids over her shoulders like rivers carved from ebony. Rory curtsied deeply, the soft grass cushioning her knees. "Indeed." "Well then, let us begin." The goddess waved one pale hand, and the standing stones ignited with scintillating heliotrope flames. "You'll find naught but truth in this grove." And so, Rory did. For hours, she knelt on the dewy earth, reciting incantations under her breath as the Fae and her kind listened. The words tasted of honey and cloves, numbing her tongue and lips. Energy hummed through her, guided by the all-powerful sorceress who employed scent and shadows to navigate the realm. Spells more convoluted than any eldritch equation wove themselves into a tapestry of magic. A protection against deceit. "Remember well your creation," the Lady whispered, her voice like silk brushing against Rory's skin, "For once you depart this hallowed ground, the incantation's fire shall flee from your grasp." Rory nodded, her throat tight with suppressed emotion. She had no place here amongst the wild and mystical inhabitants of the grove; she was Aurora Carter, born to the human realm. With that realization heavy on her heart, she stood on shaky limbs and glanced around the illuminated clearing one last time. And then she left, knowing she'd never return.