Run: 2026-02-19-01KHTZ2D2QQKNRR07BMXEMVTAK

Aurora Carter's footsteps echoed too loudly in the empty street. The sound bounced off the darkened shopfronts, coming back to her ears as if someone followed just out of sight. She pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders, the night air carrying an unusual chill for late spring. At this hour, even London's ever-present traffic had dwindled to the occasional distant hum. The entrance to Richmond Park loomed ahead, its ornate gates locked for the night as always. Rory paused, checking her phone. No signal. Not surprising this deep in the residential area bordering the park. She slipped through the gap between the gate and the stone pillar, a shortcut she'd discovered months ago. The path ahead wound into darkness, tree branches creating a skeletal canopy against the moonlight. Aurora touched the Heartstone pendant beneath her shirt, its familiar warmth a small comfort against her skin. The reason for her nighttime visit felt foolish now. A dream – vivid and insistent – had showed her standing stones in a grove, flames dancing in a circle. The pendant had burned against her chest that morning, pulsing with unusual intensity. When Eva had mentioned the strange clearing she'd once stumbled upon in Richmond Park, something had clicked into place. A twig snapped somewhere to her left. Aurora froze, straining her ears. Nothing but the rustle of leaves in a breeze that had sprung up from nowhere. She resumed walking, her pace quickening. The park felt different tonight. The usual sounds of nocturnal wildlife were absent. No owls called, no foxes moved through the undergrowth. Even the wind seemed to whisper in patterns that almost formed words, then dissipated before she could grasp them. The pendant grew warmer against her skin. Aurora pulled it out, watching the deep crimson stone catch the moonlight. Its faint inner glow brightened, pulsing in a steady rhythm that seemed to match her heartbeat. Another sound – this time behind her. The distinct crunch of gravel underfoot. Aurora spun around, her hand automatically going to the pepper spray in her pocket. Empty path. Shadows stretched and twisted between the trees, forming shapes that disappeared when she focused on them. "Hello?" Her voice sounded thin in the darkness. No response. She turned back toward the path, her breath coming faster now. The standing stones were supposed to be just beyond this next cluster of trees. Eva's directions had been vague – "follow the main path until you see the old oak, then head left into the woods for about five minutes." The oak tree loomed ahead, its branches gnarled with age. Aurora left the path, pushing through low-hanging branches and thick undergrowth. The air grew heavier, fragrant with wildflowers that shouldn't be blooming at this time of year. Then she saw it. The clearing opened up suddenly, bathed in moonlight. Ancient standing stones – ocks transformed by time into something resembling stone figures – marked a perfect circle. At their center grew wildflowers of every color, their petals shimmering with an unnatural light. The Heartstone Pendant burned against Aurora's palm now, its crimson glow lighting up her fingers. She stepped into the clearing, a sense of rightness warring with the fear that had been building since she entered the park. This was the place from her dream. Exactly as she'd seen it. Aurora approached the nearest standing stone, her fingers tracing weathered grooves that seemed almost like runes. The air hummed with energy, raising the hairs on her arms. Something moved at the edge of her vision. Aurora whirled around, her heart pounding. Nothing. Just the shadows between the trees playing tricks on her mind. The temperature dropped abruptly. Aurora's breath fogged in front of her. The wildflowers at her feet trembled though no wind blew. A voice whispered directly into her ear, cold as grave dust. "You shouldn't have come." Aurora stumbled backward, her hand flying to her mouth. The pendant blazed hot against her skin. She spun around, searching the empty clearing. "Who's there?" Her voice trembled despite her efforts to steady it. The shadows between the standing stones deepened, coalescing into a figure tall and thin, its features obscured by darkness. Aurora's blood ran cold as she realized it hadn't been there a moment ago. The figure took a step forward, its movement impossibly fluid. Aurora's instinct screamed at her to run, but her feet remained rooted to the spot. The Heartstone Pendant pulsed urgently, its crimson light casting a small circle of illumination around her. "We've been waiting for you," the figure whispered, its voice seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "The blood of the traveler flows in your veins." Aurora finally found her voice. "What do you want?" The figure tilted its head, a gesture that seemed almost curious. "To cross over. The veil grows thin here, and you carry the key." Its gaze fixed on the pendant glowing against Aurora's chest. The standing stones began to emit a low hum, vibrating in time with the pendant's pulses. The wildflowers bent toward the figure, their colors deepening to impossible hues. Aurora's mind raced, connecting fragments of information she'd gathered over the past months – the strange dreams, the pendant's behavior, Eva's stories about the grove. This wasn't just a clearing. It was a place between worlds, and she had walked right into it. "I don't understand," she said, taking a cautious step backward. The figure extended a shadowy hand. "You will. The blood remembers what the mind forgets." As the figure moved forward, the moonlight caught its features for the first time. Aurora's breath caught in her throat. The face was unnervingly familiar – a distorted version of her own, with eyes that held no pupils, only endless darkness. The standing stones hummed louder, the air crackling with energy. Aurora clutched the pendant, its heat searing her palm. The grove wasn't just a place between worlds – it was a gateway. And she had just opened it.