Run: 2026-02-19-01KHTR6KXRWQ3JFVQZ98EZQ3BJ

Aurora Carter stepped out of the mist-shrouded darkness of Richmond Park and into the faint, ethereal glow of the Fae Grove. The ancient oak standing stones, like sentinels of the hidden clearing, loomed before her, their bark twisted with age. She shivered, the chill of the autumn evening seeping into her bones, despite the warmth of her worn leather jacket. The wildflowers, a vibrant splash of color in the daytime, now seemed eerie, their blooms swaying in the faint, unnatural breeze like skeletal fingers. "Stupid, Rory, stupid," she muttered to herself, the sound swallowed by the oppressive stillness. She had come to the Grove for a reason - to understand the strange, pulsating behavior of the Heartstone Pendant, given to her by an unknown benefactor. The silver chain felt heavy against her skin, the deep crimson gemstone seeming to throb in time with her heartbeat. According to her research, the Fae Grove was one of the few places on Earth where the veil between realms was thin, possibly explaining the pendant's anomalies. As she ventured deeper, the silence began to unnerve her. No crickets chirped, no distant cars hummed, just an unsettling, heavy quiet. Aurora halted, her bright blue eyes scanning the perimeter, the trees seeming to close in around her. She quickened her pace, the soft earth muffling her footsteps. A soft snap, like a twig breaking, echoed through the clearing. She spun, but there was nothing. The sound could have come from anywhere - or nowhere. "Richmond Park's full of wildlife," she told herself firmly, though her voice barely made it past her lips. "Just a stray fox or owl." Yet, the explanation felt hollow. The snap had sounded too... deliberate. Aurora continued toward the center of the clearing, the pendant's pulsing growing stronger, as if in response to her proximity to... something. The air vibrated with an otherworldly energy, raising the fine hairs on her arms. She reached into her jacket pocket for her phone, only to remember she'd left it in her flat, above Silas' bar, to avoid distractions. A faint rustle, like silk against leaves, whispered through the wildflowers to her left. Aurora's head jerked toward the sound, her eyes straining to penetrate the gloom. "Hello?" The word hung in the air, unanswered. The rustling ceased, plunging the clearing back into its oppressive silence. Her heart rate quickened, the pendant's warmth spreading, a comforting presence against her skin. She took another step forward, and another, each movement feeling like a betrayal, as if she was being herded toward some unknown fate. A soft creak, like the gentle swaying of a door on hinges, seemed to emanate from the standing stones themselves. Aurora's vision darted toward the sound, but there was no movement, no discernible source. "A game, that's all," she whispered, trying to inject a note of bravery into her voice. "I'm just spooking myself." But the words felt like a lie. The creaking stopped, replaced by an expectant hush, as if the very clearing was waiting for her next move. With a deep breath, Aurora reached for the pendant, her fingers closing around its reassuring warmth. The pulsing quickened, a rhythm that seemed to match the pounding of her heart. In the stillness, she began to sense a presence, not quite seen, but felt - a weight that pressed upon her skin, making each breath a battle. Suddenly, the pendant's glow flared, casting flickering shadows across the ancient stones. Aurora's gasp was lost in the sudden, screaming chaos that erupted within her mind - visions of twisted, nightmarish landscapes, of eyes that watched from the darkness, and a terrible, inescapable truth: she was not alone in the Fae Grove. The world around her dissolved into a maddening blur, the only anchor the pendant's fierce, crimson glow. Aurora's voice, a bare whisper, barely audible over the terror clawing its way up her throat, spoke a single, despairing word: "Run." The darkness closed in, an abyss waiting to swallow her whole. And then, everything went black.