Run: 2026-02-19-01KHTQV4CM962V29V43PH1TTM7

The Fae Grove: Aurora awoke with a start, heart pounding. She sat up in the bed, still disoriented from the dream. The shadows danced in the moonlight filtering through the window, casting an eerie glow over the bedroom. Something was off, but she couldn't put her finger on it. A cold dread crept down her spine, and she fought off the urge to pull the covers back over her head. No, she needed to investigate, to see what was happening out there beyond her safe haven above Silas' bar. She slid out of bed, her feet cold against the hardwood floor. Cursing under her breath, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a worn sweater. Grabbing her bicycle keys, she descended the narrow stairs and emerged into the cool London night. The street was uncomfortably empty, with only an occasional car rounding the corner to disturb the absolute silence. Aurora mounted her bicycle and pedalled towards the source of her unease: the Fae Grove, buried deep within the shadows of Richmond Park. As she approached the edge of the wooded area, the trees seemed to close in around her, skeletal fingers reaching for her, begging her to turn back. But Aurora would not shirk from her destiny, not when it called this strongly. She dismounted and pushed her bike on foot through the underbrush until the ancient oak standing stones came into view. The boundary between realms stood before her, pulsing with a faint red glow from the Heartstone pendant tucked beneath her sweater. Summoning her courage, Aurora pressed forward, passing through into the hidden clearing. Stepping off the tree-lined path, she was struck by the eerie stillness of the grove at night. An unnatural stillness, as if the normally vibrant flora held its breath, waiting for some mysterious emergence. Crickets chirped in the distance, the sound carrying on the gentle breeze. Aurora took tentative steps forward, rubbing her bare arms, suddenly feeling exposed in the open space. The crimson glow of her pendant brightened slightly as she walked deeper into the grove, the Heartstone responding to some unifying force in the air. She fingered the small gemstone, feeling its warmth pulse against her skin. Suddenly, the whisper of a breeze caressed her ear. "Rory..." a ghostly voice breathed through the night. Aurora froze. Logic told her to turn around and run, but an unhinged part of her sensed that this Fae grove had called to her for a reason. She needed to unravel the mystery, to understand her holistic connection to this place. The voice flickered again, incongruous forms shimmering in the shadows. Aurora swallowed, stepping further into the heart of the grove. Tangled roots and wildflowers pushed up from the forest floor, illuminating her path forward. Shadows darted at the edge of her vision, and she whirled to face her assault. But she saw only darkness, as if reality itself broke like shattering glass around her. Unaware, she pressed on, heart throbbing with each step. The whispers reached a crescendo as the Heartstone pulsed with growing radiance. A feeling of awful anticipation built as Aurora pushed on, hand trembling up to clutch the pendant. Then everything stopped. Even the air felt heavy and stale. Swallowing her fear, Aurora pressed forward into the void-like stillness. Whispers of voices echoed around her, beckoning. Curses, wails and pleas commingled into an unintelligible inventions. She stumbled forward, shutting her eyes, trying to focus on the path forward without getting caught by the eerie flickers and whispers. But as she thrust out from one of the stabbing-sharp shadows, she lost her footing, tumbling face-first into theprincipalTMElethmE defendented shifferC potspilla what she *