Run: 2026-02-19-01KHTR947QJXBFB6YQVBXTT14W

Aurora Carter pulled her jacket closer as she stood on the outskirts of Richmond Park. The chill of the night had seeped deep into her bones, but the cold quietude of the park felt too inviting, almost persuasive. The Heartstone Pendant pulsed gently against her collarbone, the crimson gem casting a faint glow through the thin fabric of her shirt. She fingered it for reassurance, wishing Eva had been able to accompany her. But this was something she had to do alone. She stepped past the signs, the light from the streetlamps rapidly fading behind her as she moved deeper into the dense underbrush. The ancient oak standing stones appeared, shrouded in an otherworldly silver mist. Aurora hesitated as she approached the stones, knowing that crossing into The Fae Grove meant stepping into a place where time itself twisted and shifted, conforming to its own rules. Every step she took seemed to echo louder than it should have, the rustling of leaves underfoot a discordant symphony in the otherwise silent night. The Heartstone’s glow brightened. It wasn’t a Hel portal she was approaching, though she had often wondered if this artifact could lead her to one. An unknown benefactor had entrusted it to her, but it seemed to weld more questions than answers. Tonight, her father appeared in a dream, telling her to come to the Grove. She pushed the anxiety aside, focusing on why she came. Aurora paused when she reached the heart of the clearing. Wildflowers spread in vivid colors under the soft light of the crescent moon, but even this natural beauty did little to calm her nerves. Something felt off. The breeze moving through the trees carried a scent that wasn’t just floral but laced with something sharper and foreign. She turned her head sharply, convinced she'd seen movement at the edges of her vision, among the dark trunks of trees. But when she looked directly, there was nothing but shadows playing tricks. Her mother's voice echoed in her mind, recalling nights in Cardiff when she’d been too scared to sleep, warriors’ tales of deceitful Fae whispering behind trees. Aurora’s fingers clutched the pendant tighter as the first sound reached her ears: a low, almost imperceptible hum, like the droning of distant cicadas. With each pulse of the Heartstone, the sound seemed to amplify, forming an unsettling background noise that refused to be ignored. "I know you're here," Aurora called out, her voice trembling in the stillness. "I came as you asked." A gust of wind whipped through the clearing, uncharacteristically cold and harsh. The wildflowers seemed to bend away, as if recoiling from an unseen presence. As the breeze died, the hum returned, louder, more intense, an erratic heartbeat in her ears. Shadows in the grove seemed to stretch, dark fingers reaching towards her. Her father's voice reverberated in her mind again, an unsettling blend of tenderness and urgency. "Find the truth, Rory. Find it before it's too late." "Too late for what?" she whispered, not expecting an answer. Her question was met with silence, though the droning sound persisted. Aurora moved further into the grove, each step feeling heavier than the last. A soft laugh, barely more than a breath, sounded from behind her. She spun around, her bright blue eyes scanning the darkness. No one was there. Nothing but the whispering leaves and the silent standing stones. Moments later, she almost tripped over a root that hadn't been there before. Cursing softly, she steadied herself. Her heart pounded as the disconcerting laughter echoed again, this time closer, almost brushing her ear. She whipped around once more. "Laila..." The whisper of her name made her breath catch. She hadn’t heard that alias since she'd fled to London. Only two people knew her by that name — her father and Evan. Her father's voice had changed to something more sinister. She forced herself to keep walking, searching for some sign, some indication of why she felt so drawn, yet so repelled. Unseen eyes seemed to track her every move. She could feel them, cold and distant, like the twinkling stars above. What if she was wrong? What if this was a trap, not an invitation? Her whole body tensed as she reached for the hidden knife strapped beneath her jacket—an old habit from darker days. Fingers wrapped around the familiar hilt, her pulse steadied, if only marginally. A slight movement caught her eye. There, barely illuminated by the pendant's glow, a figure. Shadows wrapped around it, obscure and shifting. Aurora took a cautious step forward, her grip firm on the knife. "Rory..." the figure intoned, the voice impossibly hers — a childlike echo of her own. The figure moved closer, and Aurora could make out more details: the same black hair, the same bright blue eyes. A reflection twisted and wrong. "Who are you?" she demanded, her voice gaining strength despite the fear gnawing at her insides. "Don't you remember?" the doppelgänger replied, lips curving into a cold smile. Its breath mirrored hers in the chill air, dissipating into the mist. "You left us here. We waited, but you never came back." Aurora shook her head, taking a step back. "That's not true. I don't even know who you are." "It doesn't matter," the figure whispered, its form glitching, cracking like fragile glass. "You came, that's what counts. Time here... is different." Aurora’s mind raced. Her mother’s tales, the stories of those who got lost in the Fae-touched realms, their souls forever twisted by time's cruelty. "What do you want?" A chilling laugh, void of warmth, reverberated through the grove. "To remember," it said. "Remember when we were whole." The Heartstone flared, its inner glow intensifying. Aurora's grip tightened, the warmth from the gem spreading through her hand, up her arm. The doppelgänger's features contorted, flickering between familiar and monstrous. "We can be whole again," it crooned, stepping closer. The edges of its form blurred, indistinguishable from the darkness that surrounded them. "Just come closer." She hesitated, the compulsion to obey almost overwhelming. "No," she said finally, taking a decisive step back. "I won't be fooled." In an instant, the figure's calm demeanor shattered. It lunged, face transforming into a snarling visage, eyes hollow and accusing. Aurora sidestepped, her knife slashing through the air. The ghostly form shrieked, an otherworldly sound that pierced the night, sending shivers down her spine. Anger and fear collided within her, propelling her into a frenzied run towards the clearing's edge. The shadows seemed to close around her, spectral hands grasping at her limbs, but she forced her way through, the knife slashing at anything that moved. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she neared the ancient oaks marking the boundary. She dared not look back, her only focus on escaping the grove's malevolent grasp. Just as she reached the standing stones, the Heartstone Pendant glowed fiercely, a burst of warmth enveloping her as she crossed the threshold. The oppressive atmosphere lifted instantly. She collapsed against one of the stones, breathless, the warmth from the pendant gradually subsiding. The droning hum faded, replaced by the distant sounds of the city. London was there, just beyond the park's edge, but it felt like a world away. Aurora stayed there for a long moment, eyes scanning the dark treeline. The whispers had ceased, the laughter gone. Yet the memory of that place, and the figure wearing her face, lingered. Gathering what strength she had left, she pushed herself up and walked back to the path leading to the city lights, the Heartstone now a soft, reassuring pulse against her chest. She didn't know what awaited her — answers, more questions, or perhaps nothing at all. Only one certainty remained: she would not tread into The Fae Grove again unprepared.