AI The Heartstone Pendant burned against Aurora's skin as she pushed through the dense tangle of wild rose brambles. Not warm, but cold —so cold it scorched. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, not wanting to draw attention. Behind her, a rustling in the undergrowth marked Nyx's progress, though the Shade moved with far more grace than she managed.
"This is madness," Aurora muttered, wincing as thorns caught her sleeve. "We're following directions from a half-mad Fae who speaks exclusively in riddles, guided by a pendant that's trying to give me frostbite."
The pendant pulsed again, stronger this time. Aurora hissed through clenched teeth.
"Your discomfort suggests we approach the threshold," came Nyx's whispered voice, seeming to emanate from the shadows themselves. "The Veil grows thin here."
Aurora paused, brushing leaves from her hair. "Thin enough to tear?"
"That remains to be seen."
The Richmond Park forest had grown increasingly strange over the past hour. Ordinary oaks gave way to trees with bark that spiraled in impossible patterns. Mushrooms glowed with faint blue phosphorescence. The ground beneath their feet had transformed from packed earth to something that felt almost spongey, as though they walked on living tissue.
"Should we wait for Isolde?" Aurora asked, tugging the pendant free from her shirt to examine it. The crimson stone gleamed with an inner light that pulsated like a heart.
"The Seer indicated we must proceed without her," Nyx replied. Their form shimmered, edges blurring as they moved through a patch of moonlight. "She was quite specific. 'Enter the grove when the stone calls, or not at all.'"
"Right. Because that's not ominous at all." Aurora pressed forward . The trees thinned suddenly, revealing a perfect circle of ancient standing stones. Not stones—trees. Oak trees twisted and petrified into sentinels that ringed a clearing.
The pendant yanked itself forward with such force that Aurora stumbled. "Bloody hell!"
"We have arrived," Nyx said, their voice hushed with something approaching reverence.
Aurora straightened, rubbing her neck where the silver chain had dug into her skin. The clearing before them seemed to shimmer, as though viewed through heat rising from summer pavement. But the air was cool, carrying scents of honeysuckle and something else—something ancient and strange, like metal and lightning.
"Well," she said, fingers closing around the Fae-Forged Blade tucked inside her jacket. "Only one way forward."
She stepped between two of the oak sentinels and into the Fae Grove.
The world shifted.
Colors intensified, sounds deepened. Aurora gasped as her senses overwhelmed her. The pendant quieted against her chest, its work done.
Wildflowers carpeted the ground in riotous color—blooms that should never grow together, spring daffodils alongside autumn asters, summer roses intertwined with winter hellebores. Above, the sky looked wrong—deeper, vaster, scattered with stars despite the afternoon hour.
"Bloody hell," Aurora whispered. "It's beautiful."
Nyx materialized beside her, their shadowy form more defined within the grove's boundaries. Their violet eyes glowed brighter here.
"The flow of time alters within this place," they warned. "We must be cautious. What feels like moments could be hours outside."
Aurora nodded, taking a tentative step forward. The ground beneath her feet responded—grass blades turning to follow her movement like sunflowers tracking light. She froze.
"The grove is aware," Nyx said simply.
Aurora swallowed hard. "Aware as in sentient? Or aware as in reactive?"
"The distinction matters little in places such as this."
A sound like distant bells drifted through the air—no, not bells. It was laughter, high and tinkling, gone before Aurora could pinpoint its source.
"We're not alone," she whispered.
"We never were." Nyx moved forward, their form gliding across the responsive grass. "The Fae rarely abandon what is theirs entirely."
At the center of the clearing stood a pool of water so still it mirrored the impossible sky perfectly . Its edges were lined with smooth stones that glowed with faint runes. Aurora approached cautiously , crouching to examine them.
"These markings," she said. "They're similar to the ones in Silas' grimoire."
"Older," Nyx corrected. "These predate human writing. The language of the First Court."
Aurora reached toward one stone, then hesitated. "Should I—?"
"I would advise against touching anything unnecessarily."
The water in the pool began to ripple, though no wind disturbed the clearing. Aurora scrambled backward, hand flying to the blade at her side.
"Welcome, daughter of two worlds," came a voice like silk sliding over stone.
A figure emerged from between two distant standing stones—not Isolde, but someone taller, more angular . Female in form but distinctly inhuman, with skin that shimmered like mother-of-pearl and eyes that contained no pupils, only swirling mists.
"I am Nimue, Guardian of this Grove." The figure inclined her head slightly . "You bear Isolde's mark upon you."
Aurora glanced at Nyx, who gave an almost imperceptible nod.
"Isolde sent us here," Aurora confirmed. "She said the Grove would show us what we need to see."
Nimue smiled, revealing teeth that came to delicate points. "The Grove shows what it wishes, not what mortals demand."
The Fae moved with liquid grace to the pool's edge. "You seek knowledge of the Veil and its thinning."
It wasn't a question.
"Yes," Aurora admitted. "And of Dymas. The Heartstone Pendant—"
"Comes from that realm, yes." Nimue's expression hardened. "A dangerous trinket to carry so openly."
The pendant grew cold again against Aurora's skin.
"I didn't exactly have a choice," Aurora said. "It was a gift."
"A gift," Nimue echoed , her laugh like breaking glass. "How quaint. Tell me, child, do you know the price of gifts in the realms beyond your own?"
Before Aurora could respond, the ground beneath them trembled . Around the clearing, the ancient oak sentinels groaned, wood creaking like ships in a storm.
Nimue's eyes widened . "The boundary weakens. We have unexpected guests."
"What's happening?" Aurora demanded, drawing the Fae-Forged Blade. The weapon hummed in her grip, its moonsilver length glowing with soft luminescence.
"The Veil," Nyx said, their form becoming more substantial, darker . "It tears."
The air in the center of the clearing distorted, stretching like taffy pulled too thin. A scent wafted through—rich, decadent, like caramelized sugar and roasted meat and fine wine all at once. Aurora's mouth watered involuntarily.
"Dymas," Nimue hissed. "The realm of gluttony breaches our sanctuary ."
The tear widened, revealing a glimpse of another world—a landscape bathed in warm amber light, rolling hills covered in sprawling vineyards, and in the distance, elegant spires that reached toward a honey-colored sky.
"It's... gorgeous," Aurora whispered, taking an unconscious step forward.
"Do not be deceived by beauty," Nimue warned sharply . "The realms of Hel offer pleasures that enslave. One taste, and you may never wish to leave."
From the widening portal, a sound emerged—melodic laughter and the clink of glasses, the sizzle of food on flame. The scents intensified, making Aurora's stomach clench with sudden, desperate hunger.
"This is wrong," Nyx said, moving between Aurora and the portal. "The boundaries between realms should not breach so easily, even in a Fae-touched place."
"Unless someone wants them to," Aurora replied, gripping the blade tighter.
Nimue raised her hands, fingers tracing complex patterns in the air. Silvery light followed her movements, weaving a net of energy. "The Grove has protected the boundary for centuries. Something empowers this breach from the other side."
Through the portal, figures moved in the amber light—humanoid but not quite human, with fluid grace and eyes that caught the light strangely .
"Servants of Prince Belphegor," Nimue said grimly. "They sense us watching."
One figure turned toward the portal, revealing features both beautiful and unsettling—too symmetrical, too perfect . It smiled, beckoning with long, elegant fingers.
"Come," it called, voice like honey poured over velvet . "Join our feast. All are welcome at the tables of Dymas."
The hunger in Aurora's belly sharpened to pain. She swayed slightly .
"Aurora," Nyx warned, their shadow-form expanding to block her view . "Remember why we came."
The Fae-Forged Blade grew colder in her grip, its chill spreading up her arm, cutting through the hunger-haze. Aurora blinked, shaking her head.
"Right," she muttered. "Not here for the buffet."
Nimue's weaving grew more complex , silver light forming barriers around the portal's edges. "I cannot seal it entirely," she said, strain evident in her voice. "The breach comes from within Dymas itself, powered by significant magic."
"Meaning someone wants a door open between Earth and Hel," Aurora said.
"A door or an invasion route," Nyx added darkly.
The figure beyond the portal frowned, seeing Nimue's magical barriers forming. It raised its own hand, palm forward. The amber light intensified, pushing against the silver weave.
"It's fighting back," Aurora said, raising the blade. "What can I do?"
"The Fae-Forged Blade," Nimue said through gritted teeth. "It severs magical connections. Use it on the portal's edge, but do not—I repeat, do not touch the opening itself."
Aurora nodded, stepping forward cautiously . The blade hummed louder in her grip as she approached the tear, its moonsilver edge glinting with cold fire.
"Cut along the perimeter, where our realm meets theirs," Nimue instructed. "Like separating dough from a baking tin."
The figures beyond the portal grew agitated, more gathering to watch. Their beautiful faces twisted with something between hunger and rage . The beckoning figure shouted something in a language Aurora didn't understand, but the malevolence came through clearly.
"Do it now," Nyx urged. "Their reinforcements arrive."
Aurora raised the blade and brought it down against the edge of the tear, where distorted air met the normal atmosphere of the grove. The weapon connected with what felt like resistance—not solid, but like cutting through thick gelatin .
A screech pierced the air—whether from the portal itself or the creatures beyond, Aurora couldn't tell. The tear shuddered, edges beginning to pucker inward.
"Again!" Nimue commanded.
Aurora slashed the blade through the air, tracing the portal's circumference. The Heartstone Pendant on her chest burned with cold fire, seeming to fight against her actions. She gritted her teeth, completing the circuit.
The portal contracted violently, the amber light flickering. Beyond, the figures scrambled backward, their perfect faces contorted with fury. The beckoning figure lunged forward at the last moment, arm stretching through the narrowing gap.
"This is not over, mortal," it hissed in perfect English . "The Prince has marked you now."
The portal collapsed with a sound like thunder, sending Aurora stumbling backward. The arm that had breached their side dissolved into golden motes of light that scattered across the grove floor like fallen stars.
Silence fell over the clearing. The wildflowers, which had bent away from the portal, slowly straightened. The grove seemed to exhale.
"Well," Aurora said finally, lowering the blade. "That was... educational."
Nimue's silver barriers dissipated as she lowered her hands. Her pearlescent skin had dulled, lines of exhaustion evident around her eyes. "You have been noticed by powers beyond your understanding, Aurora Carter."
"Story of my life lately," Aurora muttered.
"The servants of Belphegor rarely give up once they've selected a target," Nyx said, their form settling back into its usual shadowy silhouette .
"Target?" Aurora looked between them. "For what?"
Nimue turned to the pool, which had begun to ripple again, images forming on its surface. "For that, you must look."
Aurora approached cautiously , peering into the water's depths . The reflection showed not her face, but a grand feast hall filled with revelry , and at its center, seated on a throne of what appeared to be polished bone, a figure of terrible beauty raised a goblet in toast.
"Prince Belphegor," Nimue said softly . "Ruler of Dymas, the realm of gluttony."
The Prince's eyes in the reflection locked with Aurora's. He smiled.
The pool erupted in flames.