Run: 2026-02-17-01KHMMH3C0APZMW69QHMGHB3E1

Rory's boots crunched on the gravel path as she entered the moonlit grove. The ancient standing stones cast long shadows across the clearing, the air heavy with the scent of wildflowers blooming out of season. She glanced down at the Heartstone pendant pulsing against her chest, its deep crimson glow and faint warmth guiding her steps. A chill breeze whispered through the oaks, sending a shiver down her spine. Something felt off, an unnatural stillness hanging over the grove. Rory paused, straining her ears for any sound beyond her own quickening breaths. She thought she heard a soft rustling, like footsteps treading carefully over dead leaves, but saw no movement in the darkness. "You're imagining things," Rory muttered to herself. "No one else knows about this place." She pressed on, following the path deeper into the dense woods. The Heartstone pulsed faster, its inner light growing brighter. It had led her to a Hel portal before, in the underground Fae nightclub beneath Silas' bar. Rory needed to find out who sent it to her and why. The shadows seemed to writhe and twist at the edges of her vision. A sudden snapping of twigs made Rory spin around, heart pounding. She half-expected to see Evan, her abusive ex, lurking behind a tree with that cruel smirk. But the grove remained still and silent. Rory shook her head. "Get it together. Evan's not here. He can't hurt you anymore." She took a deep breath and continued on, the path narrowing as the woods grew more dense. Thorns snagged at her jeans and the branches overhead wove together, blotting out the moonlight. Rory had to slow her pace, carefully picking her way through the thick undergrowth in near darkness. A sharp crack echoed through the night, followed by a low growl that made the hairs on Rory's neck stand on end. She whirled around, a strangled gasp escaping her throat. Glowing eyes gleamed in the shadows, too high off the ground to belong to any normal forest creature. Rory's hand flew to the Heartstone, its pulsing heat searing against her skin. This was wrong, all wrong. She shouldn't be here. Blind panic took over and she stumbled backwards, her hip slamming into the edge of a crumbling standing stone. Pain shot down her leg but Rory ignored it, her only thought to get away from the terrible eyes tracking her in the dark. She ran, heedless of direction, crashing through the undergrowth. Brittle branches whipped at her face, stinging tears from her eyes. Rory barely noticed as something sliced open her cheek, rivulets of warm blood mixing with cold sweat. Her lungs burned and muscles screamed but she didn't dare stop, too afraid of what might be on her heels. After what felt like hours but could have only been minutes, Rory burst out of the tree line onto a paved footpath. She collapsed to her knees, chest heaving as she struggled to catch her breath. Her stomach roiled and she retched into a patch of overgrown grass, vomiting up the half-digested remains of her Golden Empress takeout from earlier that evening. When the heaves subsided, Rory wiped a shaky hand across her mouth and looked around blearily. She recognized the park bench and decorative street lamp from her earlier walks. Somehow, she had made it back to the edge of Richmond Park, miles from the grove. Rory's fingers went to her pendant and found it cool to the touch, its crimson glow faded. The rustling on the wind could have been mistaken for laughter - or a mocking warning. Either way, she had gotten the message. Some secrets of the Fae wilds refused to be tamed.