Run: 2026-02-19-01KHTR1YGRCD9ZBCPV238N1EE2

Aurora stared at the Fae-Forged Blade in her palm, its moonsilver surface catching what little light filtered through the ancient oaks surrounding them. The dagger felt impossibly light yet somehow substantial, as if it contained something more than mere metal. "Are you certain this is the place?" she asked, glancing at Isolde. The half-Fae woman stood motionless, her silver hair drifting around her shoulders though no breeze touched them. Her pale lavender eyes reflected nothing as she gazed into the middle distance. "The veil parts where old stones whisper," Isolde murmured, her voice like leaves rustling. "Winter's grip loosens boundaries." Nyx materialized more fully beside them, their shadowy form solidifying just enough to appear as a tall, humanoid silhouette with faintly glowing violet eyes. The temperature around them dropped several degrees. "She means yes," they translated, their voice a whisper that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. "The winter solstice weakens the Veil. If there's ever a time to cross, it's tonight." Aurora nodded, slipping the blade into her jacket. The Heartstone Pendant against her chest had grown increasingly warm as they'd ventured deeper into Richmond Park, following Isolde's cryptic directions until they'd reached this hidden clearing ringed by ancient oak standing stones. "Alright," she breathed, watching her breath mist in the cold air. "How do we—" Isolde stepped forward, placing her hand on the nearest standing stone. The air around her palm rippled like heat haze, spreading outward until the entire clearing seemed to waver and distort. "Walk through the oldest memory," Isolde instructed, already stepping forward into the shimmering air. Aurora exchanged glances with Nyx, whose shadowy form wavered with what might have been anxiety. "After you," the shade offered. "Coward," Aurora muttered, but squared her shoulders and followed Isolde into the shimmer. The world turned inside out. Colors inverted, sound muffled, and for one terrible moment Aurora felt as though her body had been pulled in every direction at once. Then reality snapped back into focus, and she stumbled forward onto soft grass that definitely wasn't the frosty ground of Richmond Park in December. The air smelled of wildflowers and honey. The temperature had risen from bitter winter to pleasant spring. Most shocking of all was the sky visible through the canopy of trees—a deep, impossible violet streaked with ribbons of silver. "Bloody hell," Aurora whispered. The pendant against her chest pulsed with warmth. Nyx materialized beside her, their form more substantial than Aurora had ever seen it—less a collection of shadows and more a person-shaped darkness with distinct features. "The Grove between worlds," Nyx said, their whisper-voice stronger here. "I didn't think it was real." Isolde stood several paces ahead, waiting patiently. Around her, flowers bloomed with each footfall, only to fade moments later. The ground beneath her feet remained unmarked. "The Fae-touched land remembers what was forgotten," she said, gesturing to a path that hadn't been visible a moment before. "Come." The path wound between trees that seemed to shift position when Aurora wasn't looking directly at them. Flowers in colors she had never seen before—hues that seemed to exist somewhere between purple and green, blue and orange—bloomed along the edges of the trail. Some closed as they approached; others turned to follow their movement like curious onlookers. "Don't touch anything," Nyx warned as Aurora reached toward a particularly beautiful bloom. "Fae-touched plants can be... temperamental." The flower in question snapped its petals shut with audible teeth. Aurora jerked her hand back. "Noted." They continued deeper into the Grove. The trees grew taller, their trunks wider and more gnarled. Roots rose from the ground like sleeping serpents, forcing them to step carefully. Occasionally, Aurora thought she glimpsed movement in the spaces between trees—flickers of light, darting shapes, watching eyes. "Are we alone here?" she asked quietly. Isolde's laugh was like distant wind chimes. "One is never truly alone in the Grove. The trees listen. The stones remember. The air carries secrets." "That's not comforting," Aurora muttered. "She means there are likely minor Fae watching us," Nyx translated. "Pixies, sprites, possibly a brownie or two. Nothing dangerous unless provoked." As they walked, the Grove revealed more wonders. A stream crossed their path, its water flowing uphill rather than down. Mushrooms grew in perfect circles, glowing with soft bioluminescence though it wasn't yet dark. Butterflies with wings like stained glass flitted between flowers, leaving trails of sparkling dust in their wake. The path widened, eventually opening into a clearing dominated by a massive oak tree. Its trunk was wide enough that all three of them together couldn't have circled it with outstretched arms. Its branches created a canopy that somehow both blocked and magnified the strange violet sky above. Beneath the tree sat a pool of water so still it looked like polished obsidian. "The Seeing Pool," Isolde said, approaching it with reverence. "The heart of my exile, the eye through which I glimpse what might be." Aurora felt the Heartstone Pendant grow warmer against her skin. She pulled it out, and the crimson gem pulsed with light that reflected across the pool's surface. "It knows you," Isolde observed, her head tilting in that uncanny way that made her seem more fae than human. "The stone from Dymas recognizes its kin." "What does that mean?" Aurora asked, unease creeping up her spine. Before Isolde could answer, the surface of the pool rippled. The reflection of the pendant distorted, stretched, and suddenly the water showed not their faces but another place entirely—a landscape of amber skies and lush vineyards stretching to the horizon. "Dymas," Nyx breathed, their shadowy form retreating slightly. "The realm of Gluttony." The vision shifted, showing lavish feasts laid out on tables that stretched for miles. Beautiful people with hungry eyes ate and drank without cease, their faces twisted in ecstasy and pain. In the distance loomed a palace of white marble veined with gold. "Belphegor's domain," Nyx explained, their voice tighter than before. "Prince of Gluttony." The image rippled again, focusing on a particular figure moving through the palace halls—tall, elegant, with the bearing of authority. "He searches," Isolde murmured, her lavender eyes reflecting the vision. "The prince seeks what was taken." Aurora clutched the pendant. "This? He's looking for this?" The pool darkened suddenly, the vision disappearing as though a stone had been dropped into it. When it cleared, it showed only their reflections once more. Isolde's expression remained serene, but a new tension had entered her shoulders. "The Grove keeps its secrets, even from me. But it showed you this for a reason, Aurora Carter." The trees around the clearing seemed to lean in, their branches creaking. The air grew heavy with anticipation. Even the minor fae Aurora had glimpsed earlier emerged partially from hiding—tiny faces peering from behind leaves, glowing eyes watching from the shadows. "What does it mean?" Aurora asked, tucking the pendant back under her shirt. "It means," Nyx said gravely, "that your pendant isn't just from Dymas—it's important to Dymas. To its prince. And sooner or later, he'll realize it's here on Earth." The Fae-Forged Blade at Aurora's hip seemed to grow colder, as if responding to the mention of demons. The wildflowers that had bloomed consistently since their arrival began to close, one by one. "The time between times grows short," Isolde said, gazing up at the violet sky, which had begun to darken at its edges. "The Grove will not hold us much longer." As if in response, the standing stones at the edge of the clearing began to glow with an inner light, creating a rough circle around them. "The doorway reopens," Isolde explained. "The journey shown, the warning given. What comes next is yours to forge, Aurora Carter." Aurora looked between Nyx and Isolde, then back at the now-placid pool. The Heartstone Pendant had cooled against her skin, but she could still feel it there—a weight far greater than its physical presence. "Right," she said finally. "Back to London, then. I think we have research to do."