AI The air shifted as they stepped through the standing stones, and Aurora felt it like a physical thing against her skin—cool and electric , raising the fine hairs on her arms. The grove opened before them in a burst of color that made her breath catch. Wildflowers bloomed in impossible profusion, their petals shimmering with an inner light that shifted from gold to violet to pale blue as she watched. The scent was overwhelming—honeysuckle and jasmine and something else, something ancient and green that made her think of forests that had never known an axe.
Nyx moved ahead of them, their shadow-form flowing across the ground like spilled ink. "The boundaries are thin here," they murmured, voice barely louder than the wind through the trees. "Between Earth and the Fae realm. Between now and then."
Aurora glanced at the Heartstone pendant beneath her shirt. It pulsed with a steady warmth , answering some unseen call. The silver chain felt heavier than it should, weighted with purpose she didn't yet understand.
Eva had insisted on coming along, her curiosity outweighing any sense of self-preservation. She moved with careful steps, eyes wide as she took in the impossible beauty around them. "It's like something out of a dream," she whispered, reaching out to touch a cluster of flowers that glowed like captured starlight. Her fingers passed through them, and the blossoms shivered as if laughing at her attempt .
The grove stretched in all directions, bounded by ancient oaks that rose like sentinels . Their bark was silver-gray, smooth as polished stone, and their branches wove together overhead to form a living ceiling. Through gaps in the canopy, Aurora could see a sky that wasn't quite right—too purple, too close, scattered with stars that moved in patterns that made her head ache if she tried to follow them.
Isolde appeared from behind one of the oaks, moving without sound. Her silver hair caught the strange light, and her lavender eyes held depths that made Aurora think of winter oceans. "You've come," she said, and it wasn't a question.
"We need answers," Aurora said, squaring her shoulders . The Fae blade at her hip felt cold even through her jacket, a constant reminder of the power she now carried. "About the Heartstone. About why it brought me here."
The seer smiled, a slow curve of her lips that didn't reach her eyes. "Answers are easy to give. Understanding is harder." She gestured with one elegant hand, and the flowers around them seemed to lean closer, as if listening . "Walk with me. The grove has much to show those who know how to look."
They followed her along a path that hadn't been there moments before, winding between trees that whispered secrets in languages Aurora didn't know. The ground beneath their feet was soft, layered with moss that glowed faintly green, lighting their way. Time felt slippery here, the way it did in dreams where minutes could be hours or hours could be seconds.
"Tell me," Isolde said as they walked, "what do you see when you look at the Heartstone?"
Aurora hesitated, then pulled the pendant from beneath her shirt. The crimson gem caught the strange light, its facets seeming to shift and change as she turned it. "I see a doorway," she said slowly . "A way to somewhere else. But I don't know where, or why it chose me."
The seer's eyes narrowed slightly . "It didn't choose you, child. It recognized you." She stopped beside a pool of water so clear it might have been air. "The Heartstone is drawn to those who carry the blood of the old ways. Those who can walk between worlds without breaking."
Eva made a small sound, drawing their attention. She stood at the pool's edge, staring down at her reflection. But it wasn't her reflection—not quite . The water showed her as she might have been in another life, with longer hair and different eyes, wearing clothes that belonged to a time long past. "What is this place?" she asked, voice trembling .
"A mirror," Isolde said simply. "The waters here show truth, or sometimes possibility. They show what was, what is, and what might yet be." She knelt beside the pool, her own reflection rippling as she touched the surface. "But water is only one of the grove's gifts."
Nyx drifted closer to the pool, their shadow-form causing the water to darken where they passed. "The grove is a place of power," they said, more to themselves than to the others. "A convergence point. That's why the Heartstone brought you here—it needed you to understand what you are."
Aurora frowned, looking from the pendant to the Fae blade at her hip. "What I am? I'm just a delivery driver from Cardiff who got caught up in something I don't understand."
Isolde laughed, a sound like wind chimes. "Oh, sweet child. You are so much more than that." She rose gracefully and continued along the path. "Come. There is something you must see."
The path led them deeper into the grove, where the trees grew closer together and the air grew thick with magic. Aurora could feel it pressing against her skin, tingling in her fingertips. The Heartstone pulsed faster now, warming against her chest until she thought it might burn.
They emerged into a clearing where a single tree stood, its trunk twisted and ancient. Its leaves were silver, catching the strange light and throwing it back in a thousand different directions. At its base lay a stone altar, covered in symbols that made Aurora's eyes water if she tried to focus on them too long.
"This is a gateway," Isolde said, gesturing to the tree. "One of many that connect the realms. But this one is special—it was planted by the first of the Fae, when the worlds were young and the Veil was thin."
Nyx moved to examine the altar, their shadow-form stretching across the symbols. "There's old magic here. Very old. And something else..." They paused, head tilting as if listening to a sound only they could hear. "Something that doesn't belong."
Aurora stepped closer to the altar, drawn by a compulsion she couldn't name. The Heartstone flared against her chest, so bright she could see its glow through her shirt. As she reached out to touch the stone, a vision slammed into her with the force of a physical blow.
She saw Dymas as it had been centuries ago, before it became what it was now. She saw a Fae prince standing in this very spot, his silver hair falling to his waist, his lavender eyes holding the weight of ages. He held a crimson gem in his hand—the Heartstone, she realized with a jolt. And he was speaking to someone she couldn't quite see, his words carrying the weight of prophecy .
"The stone will find its way to the one who can heal what has been broken," the prince said, his voice echoing across time . "The one who carries both Fae blood and human heart. When the Veil grows thin and the realms bleed together, she will come. And with her, the chance to set things right."
The vision faded, leaving Aurora gasping. She stumbled back from the altar, her hand flying to the pendant. "I don't understand," she whispered. "What does it mean? What's been broken?"
Isolde's expression was unreadable . "The balance between the realms. The natural order that keeps the worlds separate but connected." She moved to stand beside Aurora, her presence both comforting and unsettling. "For centuries, the Fae have watched as the Veil weakened, as the boundaries between Earth and Hel and the Fae realms grew thin. We knew something would have to change, but we didn't know what form that change would take."
"Or who it would take," Nyx added, their voice soft . "The Heartstone didn't just find you, Aurora. It was waiting for you."
Eva had moved to stand beside them, her face pale. "This is insane. I mean, I've always believed there was more to the world than what we can see, but this..." She gestured at the clearing, at the ancient tree, at the symbols on the altar. "This is beyond anything I could have imagined."
The grove seemed to pulse around them, as if responding to their presence, to their understanding . The flowers swayed without wind, the trees whispered without voice, and the Heartstone burned against Aurora's chest like a brand.
Isolde placed a hand on Aurora's shoulder, her touch cool and electric . "You have been chosen for a purpose greater than you can imagine. The Heartstone has marked you as the bridge between worlds, the one who can walk where others cannot." Her lavender eyes held Aurora's, and in their depths she saw the same vision of the Fae prince, the same sense of destiny. "But being chosen is only the beginning. Now you must choose to accept what you are."
Aurora looked down at the pendant, at the crimson gem that had changed her life. She thought of the visions, of the worlds bleeding together, of the balance that needed to be restored. She thought of the Fae blade at her hip, of the power it represented, of the responsibility.
"I don't know if I'm ready for this," she said quietly. "But I know I can't ignore it. Not anymore."
The grove seemed to sigh around them, a sound of approval or perhaps anticipation . The Heartstone pulsed once, a final flare of warmth , then settled into a steady, comforting glow.
"Then we begin," Isolde said, and there was something like hope in her voice . "The journey ahead will not be easy, and there will be those who seek to stop you, to use you for their own purposes." She gestured to the altar, to the symbols that still made Aurora's eyes ache. "But you will not walk this path alone. The grove will guide you, as will those who have been drawn to your side."
Nyx drifted closer, their shadow-form merging with the darkness beneath the ancient tree. "And remember," they said, their whisper carrying the weight of centuries, "the Heartstone chose you because you have the strength to bear its burden. Trust in that strength, and in the friends who stand with you."
Aurora looked at Eva, at her childhood friend who had followed her into this impossible world. She looked at Nyx, at the being of shadow who had become an unexpected ally. And she looked at Isolde, at the seer who held the keys to understanding.
She took a deep breath, feeling the magic of the grove settle into her bones. "Then let's begin," she said, and her voice was steady . "Tell me what I need to know."
The ancient tree seemed to lean toward her, its silver leaves whispering secrets in a language older than time. And somewhere in the distance, a door between worlds creaked open, waiting for her to step through.