Run: 2026-02-19-01KHTRF2Y7P2XC6M5N9PE8GEVN

Aurora stepped out of the mist-shrouded evening and into the faint, flickering glow of Richmond Park's entrance. The ancient oak standing stones, sentinels of the Fae Grove, loomed before her, their bark twisted and gnarled with age. The air clung to her skin, heavy with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves. As she passed between the stones, the sounds of the outside world receded, muffled by the silence of the grove. Rory shivered, despite the thickness of her jacket. The cold seeped into her bones, echoing the unease that had been growing since she'd received the mysterious message. The words, scrawled on a piece of paper in hasty handwriting, had been brief: "Meet me at the Grove. I know what happened to your mother." The paper had been slipped under her door, with no indication of who might have written it. Rory's mind had been racing ever since. What could they possibly know about her mother's disappearance? The not knowing had driven her to come to this place, despite the trepidation that had been building all day. As she walked deeper into the grove, the trees seemed to close in around her, their branches tangling above her head like skeletal fingers. The rustle of leaves, the snapping of twigs, made her spin around, but there was never anything there. Rory quickened her pace, the pulse in her wrist – just above the small, crescent-shaped scar – beating faster. A faint, ethereal glow began to emanate from the wildflowers that bloomed year-round in the grove. The light was soft, but it cast eerie shadows on the trees, making them seem to twist and writhe. Rory felt a presence watching her, the sensation growing stronger with every step. She spun around again, but the trees stood silent and still, their branches unmoving. The silence was oppressive, a physical weight that pressed down on her. Rory's breath came in short, sharp gasps. She'd been so sure she was alone in the grove, but now she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being stalked. The pendant around her neck, the Heartstone given to her by an unknown benefactor, pulsed faintly with warmth, as if sensing her unease. As she turned a corner, a figure resolved out of the darkness. Rory's heart leapt into her throat. The figure didn't move, didn't seem to be watching her, but she could sense its presence, a cold, dark mass that filled the air. The figure's face was obscured, hidden behind a tangle of branches and leaves. Rory's voice caught in her throat. She tried to speak, to call out, but her words were frozen in her mouth. The figure didn't respond, didn't move. It simply stood, a presence that filled the grove, making the trees seem to lean in, as if they were trying to listen. A faint whispering began to filter through the air, the words indistinguishable, but the malevolent intent clear. Rory's skin crawled. She tried to step back, but her feet seemed rooted to the spot. The whispering grew louder, the words becoming clearer: "You shouldn't be here." Rory's breath came in short, ragged gasps. She tried to raise her hands, to defend herself, but they felt heavy, unresponsive. The figure began to move towards her, its presence filling the grove, making the trees seem to twist and writhe. The whispering stopped, the silence that followed more oppressive than the words had been. Rory felt the presence closing in around her, suffocating her. She tried to scream, but her voice was frozen in her throat. The figure loomed before her, its face still hidden. Rory felt its cold breath on her skin, making her shiver. The pendant around her neck pulsed with warmth, a faint, comforting glow in the darkness. "You're not alone," a low, rasping voice whispered, the words echoing off the trees. Rory's heart leapt into her throat. The figure's face was still hidden, but she could sense its eyes on her, boring into her skin. The voice seemed to come from all around her, echoing off the trees. The figure's presence closed in around her, making it hard to breathe. Rory felt herself being pulled towards it, towards the darkness that lurked beneath the surface of the grove. And then, everything went black.