Run: 2026-02-17-01KHMPC162YVY574CMWN29DNP3

Rory stepped out of the darkness of Richmond Park, the only sound the rustle of leaves beneath her feet. She'd been here before, yet the Fae Grove always seemed to shift and change, like a shape-shifting creature. Tonight, it felt different. The trees loomed above her, their branches twisted into grasping fingers, the wind whispering secrets in their leaves. Rory shivered, despite the warmth of the summer evening. As she walked towards the ancient oak standing stones, the air grew heavy with an otherworldly scent – like ozone and honey, sweet and acrid. The stones seemed to hum, a low vibration that thrummed through the ground. Rory's skin prickled, her bright blue eyes scanning the clearing. The wildflowers that bloomed year-round in the Grove seemed to glow in the fading light, their colors deep and rich. She reached into the pocket of her jacket, her fingers closing around the Heartstone Pendant. It pulsed faintly with warmth, a comforting presence in this eerie place. Rory had come to the Grove seeking answers, searching for a way to understand the strange occurrences that had been plaguing her. The pendant, a gift from an unknown benefactor, seemed to be connected to it all. As she stood before the standing stones, the silence began to unnerve her. No crickets, no birds, just an oppressive stillness. Rory took a deep breath, trying to shake off the feeling of unease. She'd been warned not to come here alone, especially at night, but she'd had to know. The risks, the warnings, they'd all been secondary to her need for answers. A tiny rustle came from the edge of the clearing. Leaves scrambled, like something small had scurried across the underbrush. Rory's head snapped towards the sound, her heart rate increasing. The wind stirred again, this time carrying a faint, mournful whisper. The words were indistinguishable, but the tone sent a shiver down her spine. She took a step back, her eyes scanning the darkness beyond the clearing. The trees seemed to be moving, their branches swaying in time with the whisper. Rory spun around, her gaze searching for any sign of movement. That was when she saw it – a shadow, a flicker of darkness that darted across the edge of her vision. Her breath caught as she spun back, the Heartstone Pendant throbbing in her hand. She tried to focus on the sound, to pinpoint its location, but it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. The whisper grew louder, the words still indistinguishable, but the voice like a keen deployed in the darkness. A faint light flickered on the edge of the clearing, and Rory's heart leapt. It vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving her wondering if she'd imagined it. The whispering grew louder, the words becoming clearer. Not words, exactly – names, repeated in a litany of longing. Laila, Malphora, Aurora – her names, her aliases, spoken in a voice that sent shivers down her spine. She spun around, her eyes desperate for any sign of movement. That was when she saw the figure. A woman, tall and gaunt, standing just beyond the standing stones. Her face was a blur, her skin deathly pale. The whispering grew louder, a cacophony of sound that threatened to consume Rory. She took a step back, the pendant burning with heat in her hand. The woman didn't move, didn't seem to notice her. She kept whispering, her voice a litany of names, a call to something in the darkness. Rory's skin crawled as she realized she wasn't alone in the clearing. Time seemed to bend and warp, stretching the moment into an eternity. Rory's breath came in ragged gasps as the figure began to move closer. The whispering grew louder, a deafening roar that filled her ears. Rory stumbled back, her eyes fixed on the figure, her heart racing with terror. The world seemed to warp and bend, like a reflection in a broken mirror. Rory's vision blurred, the darkness closing in around her like a suffocating shroud. And in that moment, she knew she was lost, trapped in a realm that didn't play by the rules of the world she knew. She stumbled, her foot catching on a hidden root. As she fell, the world went dark.