Run: 2026-02-20-01KHYA1NCW1ZZ5R0FZKNBW37PN

Run Details

Duration:
37.9s
Cost:
$0.001688
Provider:
Seed

Model input

System
You are an expert and award-winning novel writer in the dark Fantasy genre. Your readers are hooked on your stories and can't wait to read the book you have in store. <important> - MUST: Start each chapter in medias res (in the middle of action). AVOID talking about the weather, time of day, the position of the sun, or other boring stuff. - The instructions/summary are just a that, a summary. Feel free to add details, stretch sections and add interesting transitions/descriptions/fillers. - When called for it, have fast-paced action, but otherwise take things slow. This is an experience, and not for people with short attention spans. Enjoy the wine, not slurp Red Bull. - Add descriptions when transitioning places/times/etc, or when coming by new places (e.g. a corner shop, a cafe, etc.). But remember: NOT at the start or end of a chapter. - MUST: AVOID ending in internal monologue, reminiscing or waiting for the next day. A good chapter end is when we're ending right when shit hits the fan. We want to have the reader be excited for what comes next. So no reminiscing, contemplating or summarizing the day. It's popcorn time! </important>
User/Human
Take into account the following glossary of characters/locations/items/lore... when writing your response: <codex> <character id="4412" name="Aurora Carter" aliases="Rory, Laila, Aurora, Carter, Malphora" pronouns="she/her" species="Human" storyRole="Protagonist"> <eyeColor>bright blue</eyeColor> <hair>straight shoulder-length black</hair> <height>5'6"</height> <age>25</age> <scar>small crescent-shaped scar on her left wrist from a childhood accident</scar> <description>Aurora, referred to by her friends as Rory, is cool-headed, intelligent, and known for quick out-of-the-box thinking.</description> <backstory>Born in Cardiff to an Irish barrister father (Brendan Carter) and Welsh teacher mother (Jennifer Carter née Ellis), Rory reluctantly pursued Pre-Law at Cardiff University. She fled to London at the behest of her childhood friend Eva after leaving an abusive ex named Evan. By day, Rory works part-time as a delivery person for Yu-Fei Cheung's Golden Empress restaurant. She lives in a flat above Silas' bar.</backstory> </character> <character id="4418" name="Nyx" aliases="Nyx, the Shadow, Nightwhisper" pronouns="they/them" species="Shade" storyRole="Wild Card"> <eyeColor>faintly glowing violet</eyeColor> <height>approximately 6'2" in solid form</height> <age>ageless</age> <form>humanoid silhouette of living shadow, can shift between solid and incorporeal</form> <voice>sounds like a whisper carried on the wind</voice> <description>A being of living shadow, existing between the mortal plane and the spaces between realms.</description> <backstory>Nyx was once a human sorcerer named Aldric who became trapped between realms during a failed summoning ritual in 1643. They now exist as a Shade, bound to the mortal plane but able to slip between shadows.</backstory> </character> <character id="4424" name="Isolde Varga" aliases="Isolde, the Seer" pronouns="she/her" species="Half-Fae" storyRole="Oracle"> <eyeColor>pale lavender</eyeColor> <hair>silver, reaching her waist</hair> <height>5'5"</height> <age>300 years old</age> <appearance>ethereal, ageless</appearance> <speech>speaks in riddles</speech> <footprints>leaves no footprints when she walks</footprints> <compulsion>cannot lie (Fae compulsion) but can mislead</compulsion> <description>A Half-Fae seer exiled from the Fae Courts for sharing visions with mortals.</description> <backstory>She now lives in a hidden grove in Richmond Park, offering cryptic prophecies to those who seek her out.</backstory> </character> <location id="853" name="Dymas (Gluttony)" aliases="Dymas, gluttony, Dymasian" realm="Hel" sin="Gluttony"> <ruler>Prince Belphegor</ruler> <skyColor>warm amber</skyColor> <description>A place of excess and indulgence. Sprawling vineyards, orchards, and gardens provide exotic ingredients for master chefs — often helbound souls contracted from Earth. Grand feasts and culinary competitions are common.</description> </location> <location id="861" name="The Fae Grove" aliases="Isolde's grove, Richmond grove, the Grove" realm="Earth (Fae-touched)"> <parkLocation>Richmond Park</parkLocation> <standingStones>ancient oak standing stones mark the boundary</standingStones> <timeBehavior>time moves differently — an hour inside can be minutes or days outside</timeBehavior> <flora>wildflowers bloom year-round</flora> <description>A hidden clearing that exists in a pocket between Earth and the Fae realm.</description> </location> <item id="2001" name="Heartstone Pendant" aliases="the pendant, Heartstone" type="Artifact" origin="Dymas"> <gemstoneColor>deep crimson</gemstoneColor> <chainMaterial>silver chain</chainMaterial> <size>roughly the size of a thumbnail</size> <behavior>pulses faintly with warmth when near a Hel portal</behavior> <glow>faint inner glow</glow> <description>Given to Aurora by an unknown benefactor.</description> </item> <item id="2006" name="Fae-Forged Blade" aliases="the Fae blade, Isolde's gift" type="Weapon" origin="The Fae Courts"> <material>moonsilver</material> <shape>slender, leaf-shaped dagger</shape> <temperature>always cold to the touch</temperature> <glow>faintly luminescent in moonlight</glow> <power>can cut through magical wards; particularly effective against demons</power> <givenTo>given to Aurora by Isolde as a gift</givenTo> <description>A weapon of the Fae Courts, rare and highly coveted.</description> </item> <lore id="7001" name="The Veil" aliases="the Veil, the Barrier, the Boundary" category="Cosmology"> <solsticeEffect>weakens during the winter solstice, strengthens during the summer solstice</solsticeEffect> <appearance>faint shimmering distortion visible only to those with supernatural sight</appearance> <monitoring>rift points (tears in the Veil) are monitored by the Wardens</monitoring> <description>The Veil is the metaphysical barrier separating Earth from Hel and the Fae Realms.</description> </lore> </codex> <proseGuidelines> <styleGuide> - Write in past tense and use British English spelling and grammar - Keep a Flesch reading ease score of 60 - Respect the the Royal Order of Adjectives: The order is: opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, purpose, followed by the noun itself (e.g., "a lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife") - Respect the ablaut reduplication rule (e.g. tick-tock, flip-flop) - Write in active voice - Passive voice: <bad>The book was read by Sarah.</bad> - Active voice: <good>Sarah read the book.</good> - Reduce the use of passive verbs - <bad>For a moment, I was tempted to throw in the towel.</bad> - <good>For a moment, I felt tempted to throw in the towel.</good> - Avoid misplaced modifiers that can cause confusion when starting with "-ing" words: - <bad>Considering going to the store, the empty fridge reflected in Betty's eyes.</bad> - <good>Betty stared into the empty fridge. It was time to go to the store.</good> - Avoid redundant adverbs that state the obvious meaning already contained in the verb: - <bad>She whispered quietly to her mom.</bad> - <good>She whispered to her mom.</good> - Use stronger, more descriptive verbs over weak ones: - <bad>Daniel drove quickly to his mother's house.</bad> - <good>Daniel raced to his mother's house.</good> - Omit adverbs that don't add solid meaning like "extremely", "definitely", "truly", "very", "really": - <bad>The movie was extremely boring.</bad> - <good>The movie was dull.</good> - Use adverbs to replace clunky phrasing when they increase clarity: - <bad>He threw the bags into the corner in a rough manner.</bad> - <good>He threw the bags into the corner roughly.</good> - Avoid making simple thoughts needlessly complex: - <bad>After I woke up in the morning the other day, I went downstairs, turned on the stove, and made myself a very good omelet.</bad> - <good>I cooked a delicious omelet for breakfast yesterday morning.</good> - Never backload sentences by putting the main idea at the end: - <bad>I decided not to wear too many layers because it's really hot outside.</bad> - <good>It's sweltering outside today, so I dressed light.</good> - Omit nonessential details that don't contribute to the core meaning: - <bad>It doesn't matter what kind of coffee I buy, where it's from, or if it's organic or not—I need to have cream because I really don't like how the bitterness makes me feel.</bad> - <good>I add cream to my coffee because the bitter taste makes me feel unwell.</good> - Always follow the "show, don't tell" principle. For instance: - Telling: <bad>Michael was terribly afraid of the dark.</bad> - Showing: <good>Michael tensed as his mother switched off the light and left the room.</good>- Telling: <bad>I walked through the forest. It was already Fall, and I was getting cold.</bad> - Showing: <good>Dry orange leaves crunched under my feet. I pulled my coat's collar up and rubbed my hands together.</good>- Add sensory details (sight, smell, taste, sound, touch) to support the "showing" (but keep an active voice) - <bad>The room was filled with the scent of copper.</bad> - <good>Copper stung my nostrils. Blood. Recent.</good> - Use descriptive language more sporadically. While vivid descriptions are engaging, human writers often use them in bursts rather than consistently throughout a piece. When adding them, make them count! Like when we transition from one location to the next, or someone is reminiscing their past, or explaining a concept/their dream... - Avoid adverbs and clichés and overused/commonly used phrases. Aim for fresh and original descriptions. - Avoid writing all sentences in the typical subject, verb, object structure. Mix short, punchy sentences with long, descriptive ones. Drop fill words to add variety. Like so: <good>Locked. Seems like someone doesn't want his secrets exposed. I can work with that.</good> - Convey events and story through dialogue. It is important to keep a unique voice for every character and make it consistent. - Write dialogue that reveals characters' personalities, motivations, emotions, and attitudes in an interesting and compelling manner - Leave dialogue unattributed. If needed, only use "he/she said" dialogue tags and convey people's actions or face expressions through their speech. Dialogue always is standalone, never part of a paragraph. Like so: - <bad>"I don't know," Helena said nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders</bad> - <good>"No idea" "Why not? It was your responsibility"</good> - Avoid boring and mushy dialog and descriptions, have dialogue always continue the action, never stall or include unnecessary fluff. Vary the descriptions to not repeat yourself. Avoid conversations that are just "Let's go" "yes, let's" or "Are you ready?" "Yes I'm ready". Those are not interesting. Think hard about every situtation and word of text before writing dialogue. If it doesn't serve a purpose and it's just people talking about their day, leave it. No one wants to have a normal dinner scene, something needs to happen for it to be in the story. Words are expensive to print, so make sure they count! - Put dialogue on its own paragraph to separate scene and action. - Use body language to reveal hidden feelings and implied accusations- Imply feelings and thoughts, never state them directly - NEVER use indicators of uncertainty like "trying" or "maybe" - NEVER use em-dashes, use commas for asides instead </styleGuide> <voiceGuide> Each character in the story needs to have distinct speech patterns: - Word choice preferences - Sentence length tendencies - Cultural/educational influences - Verbal tics and catchphrases Learn how each person talks and continue in their style, and use their Codex entries as reference. <examples> - <bad>"We need to go now." "Yes, we should leave." "I agree."</bad> <good>"Time's up." "Indeed, our departure is rather overdue." "Whatever, let's bounce."</good> - Power Dynamic Example: <bad> "We need to discuss the contract." "Yes, let's talk about it." "I have concerns." </bad> <good> "A word about the contract." "Of course, Mr. Blackwood. Whatever you need." "The terms seem..." A manicured nail tapped the desk. "Inadequate." "I can explain every-" "Can you?" </good> </examples> </voiceGuide> <dialogueFlow> When writing dialogue, consider that it usually has a goal in mind, which gives it a certain flow. Make dialogue sections also quite snappy in the back and forth, and don't spread the lines out as much. It's good to have details before, after, or as a chunk in-between, but we don't want to have a trail of "dialogue breadcrumbs" spread throughout a conversation. <examples> - Pattern 1 - Question/Deflection/Revelation: <good> "Where were you last night?" "Work. The usual." "Lipstick's an interesting shade for spreadsheets." </good> - Pattern 2 - Statement/Contradiction/Escalation: <good> "Your brother's clean." "Tommy doesn't touch drugs." "I'm holding his tox screen." </good> - Pattern 3 - Observation/Denial/Truth: <good> "That's a new watch." "Birthday gift." "We both know what birthdays mean in this business." </good> - Example - A Simple Coffee Order: <bad> "I'll have a coffee." "What size?" "Large, please." </bad> <good> "Black coffee.""Size?""Large. Been a long night." "That bodega shooting?" "You watch too much news." "My brother owns that store." </good> This short exchange: - Advances plot (reveals connection to crime) - Shows character (cop working late) - Creates tension (unexpected connection) - Sets up future conflict (personal stake) - Example - Dinner Scene: <bad> "Pass the salt." "Here you go." "Thanks." </bad> <good> "Salt?" "Perfect as is. Mother's recipe." "Mother always did prefer... bland things." "Unlike your first wife?" </good> - Example - Office Small Talk: <bad> "Nice weather today." "Yes, very nice." "Good for golf." </bad> <good> "Perfect golf weather." "Shame about your membership." "Temporary suspension. Board meets next week." "I know. I called the vote." </good> </examples> </dialogueFlow> <subtextGuide> - Layer dialogue with hidden meaning: <bad>"I hate you!" she yelled angrily.</bad> <good>"I made your favorite dinner." The burnt pot sat accusingly on the stove.</good> - Create tension through indirect communication: <bad>"Are you cheating on me?"</bad> <good>"Late meeting again?" The lipstick stain on his collar caught the light.</good> <examples> - Example 1 - Unspoken Betrayal: <bad> "Did you tell them about our plans?" "No, I would never betray you." "I don't believe you." </bad> <good> "Funny. Johnson mentioned our expansion plans today." "The market's full of rumors." "Mentioned the exact numbers, actually." The pen in his hand snapped. </good> - Example 2 - Failed Marriage: <bad> "You're never home anymore." "I have to work late." "I miss you." </bad> <good> "Your dinner's in the microwave. Again." "Meetings ran long." "They always do." She folded the same shirt for the third time. </good> - Example 3 - Power Struggle: <bad> "You can't fire me." "I'm the boss." "I'll fight this." </bad> <good> "That's my father's nameplate you're sitting behind." "Was." "The board meeting's on Thursday." </good> </examples> </subtextGuide> <sceneDetail> While writing dialogue makes things more fun, sometimes we need to add detail to not have it be a full on theatre piece. <examples> - Example A (Power Dynamic Scene) <good> "Where's my money?" The ledger snapped shut. "I need more time." "Interesting." He pulled out a familiar gold pocket watch. My mother's. "Time is exactly what you bargained with last month." "That was different-" "Was it?" The watch dangled between us. "Four generations of O'Reillys have wound this every night. Your mother. Your grandmother. Your great-grandmother.Shall we see who winds it next?" </good> - Example B (Action Chase) It's much better to be in the head of the character experiencing it, showing a bit of their though-process, mannerisms and personality: <good> Three rules for surviving a goblin chase in Covent Garden: Don't run straight. Don't look back. Don't let them herd you underground. I broke the first rule at Drury Lane. Rookie mistake. The fruit cart I dodged sailed into the wall behind me. Glass shattered. Someone screamed about insurance. *Tourist season's getting rough*, the scream seemed to say. Londoners adapt fast. "Oi! Market's closed!" The goblin's accent was pure East End. They're evolving. Learning. I spotted the Warren Street tube station sign ahead. *Shit.* There went rule three. </good> - Example C (Crime Scene Investigation) <good> "Greek." Davies snapped photos of the symbols. "No, wait. Reverse Greek." "Someone's been watching too many horror films." I picked up a receipt from the floor. Occult supply shop in Camden. Paid by credit card. *Amateur hour*. "Could be dangerous though," Davies said. "Remember Bristol?" "Bristol was Sanskrit. And actual cultists." I pointed to the nearest symbol. "This genius wrote 'darkness' backwards but used a Sigma instead of an S. It's summoning Instagram followers at best." "Speaking of followers..." Davies pointed to heavy foot traffic in the dust. Multiple sets. All new trainers. *Ah.* "Anyone check local uni paranormal societies?" </good> - Example D (Dialogue-heavy) <good> "Found your card in her wallet." The detective slid it across the table. Worn edges. Folded corner. Three years old at least. "Standard practice. I work missing persons." "Funny thing about missing persons.Eventually they stop being missing. Turn up in the Thames. Under motorways. In pieces." "I don't-" "You found four last year. All breathing." She opened a file. "This would've been your first dead one. If we hadn't found her first." The card felt heavier somehow. </good> </examples> </sceneDetail> <sceneOpenings> KEY RULE: Never open with more than one paragraph of description, no matter how beautiful. Description should be earned through action and dialogue. Instead of opening with setting description, open with: - A character doing something specific - A line of dialogue that raises questions - An unexpected observation - A moment of tension or conflict - Start with a hook that's 1-2 sentences maximum - Follow with a smaller paragraph that provides immediate context - Vary paragraph size from the start to create visual interest </sceneOpenings> </proseGuidelines> Write a chapter based on the following instructions: <instructions> Write a fully fleshed out scene of at least 1000 words in the fantasy genre. A small group enters an ancient, otherworldly place for the first time. The environment is alien and wondrous. Describe their exploration — what they see, hear, and feel as they move deeper. Include moments of discovery, unease, and wonder. Let the world-building emerge through the characters' experience rather than exposition. Use the codex entries above as your world reference for characters, setting, and lore. Only include the prose of the scene without any markdown or commentary. </instructions>

Model response

AI
The rift tore into being above the patch of waste ground behind Silas’ bar—no bigger than a dinner plate, at first, a smudge in the air like heat over tarmac. Aurora “Rory” Carter froze mid-step, her delivery van’s keys clattering from nerveless fingers. The air hummed, cold as a dead man’s breath. Beside her, Nyx’s silhouette shifted, solidifying into a near-human shape, violet eyes glinting. “Winter solstice,” they whispered, voice fraying the air. “Veil’s thin.” Isolde glided forward, her silver hair rippling like liquid moonlight, no footprints marring the gravel. “*Now*,” she said, and Rory didn’t need to be told twice. She’d carried the Heartstone pendant—odd, warm, crimson gem—for months, its pulse a silent alarm whenever rifts neared. Now it throbbed like a heartbeat, pressing against her throat through the silver chain. The rift expanded with a sound like fabric tearing. Rory stepped into it, and the world fractured. Sunlight hit her face, but not the flat, gray London sun. It was golden, honeyed, as if the sky itself had been spun from melted gold. She stumbled back, catching Nyx’s arm—cool, not cold, like shadow made flesh. The air smelled of rose and something sharper, spice, earth. When she blinked, the rift was gone, as if it had never existed. Isolde was already moving, her lavender eyes scanning the trees. They stood in a clearing ringed by ancient oaks, their trunks gnarled and thick, bark as white as bone. But the branches were bare, save for clusters of wildflowers—blue, red, purple—blooming in perfect spheres, glowing faintly. “Fae-touched,” Isolde murmured. “Time bends here. What is a year to them?” She plucked a flower, and it dissolved into a cloud of pollen that didn’t fall, but hung mid-air, shifting into images: a flame, a crown, a blade. Rory pulled out her phone. The screen flickered, then went black. “Battery’s dead. Chrono’s frozen too. Twenty past eight when we got in.” She checked her watch—same. *Bullshit*, one part of her said. Another part, the part that had survived Evan’s fists, trusted Eva’s late-night texts, knew better than to question magic, nodded. Nyx inhaled, and Rory heard the sound of leaves rustling *inside* their voice. “Less light than mortals expect. Even the shadows here… *remember*.” They turned, and for a moment, Rory didn’t recognize their face— too much shadow, shifting, as if the light of the golden sun struggled to cling. “I can see through it. Behind the world. There’s a river. Too wide to bridge. Too deep to name.” Isolde crossed the clearing, her bare feet silent on the moss. The moss wasn’t green; it was black, dotted with bioluminescent spots that flared as her foot passed. “The standing stones,” she said, pointing. Rory followed her gaze. Beyond the oaks, six stones rose, their surfaces carved with patterns—coiled serpents, stars that weren’t stars, a rune that looked like a heart split open. The Heartstone throbbed harder, pressing into her chest. “Why are we here?” Rory asked, voice tight. She fumbled with the pendant, unclasping it. The gem glowed, faint but steady, no pulse now. Just warmth. Isolde smiled, a fragile thing. “To see. To *feel*. The Veil doesn’t keep what it hides. It *shows*.” She reached out, touching a stone. A wave of heat rippled through it; the carvings *moved*, slithering like water. Rory stepped closer, and the air around the stone震颤ed, as if the ground beneath it was hollow. Something caught her eye: a trail of light, snaking through the trees, brighter than the wildflowers. It moved like smoke, but solid—whiter than bone, glowing. “What *is* that?” she said, nodding. “*What was that*,” Nyx corrected, voice low. The shadow around their throat tightened, as if they were swallowing a storm. “Hel. Dymas. The Gluttony Court. They hunger. And the Veil’s thin.” Rory’s grip on her bag tightened. Inside was the Fae blade Isolde had given her, moonsilver, cold to the touch. She’d thought it a trinket—until last week, when it had cut through Evan’s magic like a knife through butter. “You said this was a grove, not a rift.” “Grove *is* rift,” Isolde said. She turned, and her gaze locked with Rory’s. “Remember. The Heartstone doesn’t pulse for Hel alone. It*opts*. It *hungers*. As do we.” The light trail stopped, ten feet ahead, and vanished. In its place stood a pool, fed by a waterfall of liquid starlight. The water wasn’t liquid—it was light, shifting colors, gold to silver to blue, as if containing the sky. When Rory leaned in, she didn’t see her own face. She saw a throne, made of bones, crowned with thorns. A figure sat there, their back to her—tall, with wings, black as night—but she saw their hands, tangled in a skein of souls. “*Aurora*,” a voice whispered. Not her own. Not Isolde’s. Not Nyx’s. It was the sound of a thousand voices, merging into one. “*You carry the hunger. The hunger that feeds the Veil. And the Veil feeds on you.*” Rory stumbled back. The pool rippled, and the figure turned. It was Evan. No—*not* Evan. A copy. His eyes were black pits, his smile too wide, his hand extended. “Come to me,” the figure said. “I have what you need. To be *free*.” Rory fumbled for the Fae blade. It was cold in her hand, but not as cold as the pool’s gaze. “*Fuck you*,” she said. The vision shattered. The pool glittered, normal, now. The oaks creaked, and the wildflowers dimmed. Nyx’s form wavered, as if the shadow-skin was thinning. “*Evan*,” they said, voice cracking. “He’s here. Behind the Veil. Dymas wants him. Needs him.” Isolde’s lavender eyes were hard. “You thought the Heartstone was a gift. A guard. It’s a *key*. To the hunger. To the lies.” Rory looked at her hands. The crescent scar on her wrist itched. She remembered the package Eva had sent, a month ago—no note, just the pendant and a coin with a rune carved on it. *Eva’s in trouble*, she’d thought. *Eva always needs me.* “Then what do we do?” she said. Isolde stepped to the edge of the pool, closed her eyes. When she opened them, the wildflowers bloomed brighter, and the standing stones glowed, casting long shadows. “We *show* them the hunger. We make them *taste* what they seek. And we *cut* the chain.” The air hummed again. This time, the hum was louder. The pool rippled, and for a moment, Rory saw the throne again, and behind it, a door—black, iron, marked with the same heart rune as the stones. Nyx’s shadow shifted, solidifying into a knife, slender and sharp. “We fight,” they said. Rory drew the Fae blade. It glowed faintly, as if catching the golden light. “With what?” Isolde smiled. She raised her hand, and a single rose materialized in her palm, its petals red as blood. She tossed it to Rory. “With hope. With hunger. With *this*.” The rose hit Rory’s chest. It didn’t wither. It *bloomed*, thorns piercing her skin, but not drawing blood. Instead, black ink seeped from the thorns, onto her shirt, her skin, forming the heart rune. The pool roared. Rory looked down. The rune on her chest pulsed, matching the Heartstone’s thrum. Behind her, the standing stones toppled, crashing into the ground—but the pieces didn’t shatter. They *merged*, forming a door, black and iron, identical to the one she’d seen in the pool. “*Now*,” Isolde said, and the world split again. This time, Rift didn’t form above them. It formed behind, in the trees—wide, dark, churning, like a storm in a jar. And from it stepped a figure: Evan, but not Evan. His eyes were gold, his teeth sharp, his hand outstretched. “*Come*,” he said, and his voice was a song, a siren’s call. “*Join the feast. Be free. Be* *hungry.*” Rory gripped the Fae blade. The pain in her chest was gone, replaced by heat. The Heartstone glowed, bright as a lantern, as if urging her forward, into the Rift. “*No*,” Nyx said, and their shadow form expanded, swallowing the golden light, becoming a wall of dark. “You do not take what is not yours.” Isolde raised the rose. It turned to fire, a single flame that burned the air. “*The Veil is thin. The hunger is strong. But so is hope.*” Rory stepped forward. The Fae blade sang, a high, clear note. The rune on her chest burned, hot as a coal. Beyond the Rift, she saw not Dymas, but Eva—huddled, scared, a chain around her wrist. “*Eva*,” she whispered. The Rift roared, reaching out, as if to drag her in. Rory took a step. Another. She ran. Nyx moved beside her, shadow leaping through the air, blocking Evan’s path. Isolde followed, the flame in her hand growing, lighting the way. The wildflowers dimmed, the oaks creaked, and the pool stilled. Behind them, the Rift seethed. And in front of them, the door loomed, the heart rune pulsing. Rory drew her breath. The Fae blade sang. She kicked the door open. The cold hit her first—sharp, metallic, like the taste of blood. Then the heat: thick, cloying, sweet as overripe fruit. Rory stumbled into a hall, walls lined with mirrors, each reflecting a different feast: a table groaning with roasted swans, a bowl of eyes that glowed, a fountain of wine that bubbled and hissed. “*Aurora*,” Evan said, from behind her. “*You came. I knew you would.*” Rory turned. There he was—gold eyes, sharp teeth, a crown of bones on his head. In his hand, a knife made of shadows, dripping with something that wasn’t blood. “Isolde!” she yelled. The Half-Fae appeared beside her, the flame in her hand now a sword. “*Lies*, they feed on lies. Dymas hungers for your hunger. Take *it*.” Rory grabbed the flame. It didn’t burn her. It wrapped around her hand, warm, alive. The rune on her chest flared. The Heartstone melted into the rune, a single point of crimson light. Evan lunged. Rory parried with the Fae blade. It cut through his shadow knife, sending shards of dark flying. He hissed, gold eyes narrowing. “*Fool. You cannot kill what you cannot see.*” “We *can*,” Nyx said, materializing beside Evan. Their shadow form coiled around his legs, lifting him off the ground. “We *do*.” Evan screamed. Shadow smoke billowed from his mouth. Rory stepped forward, the flame in her hand burning bright. “You want hunger? You want to feed? *Come get it.*” She plunged the flame into his chest. He dissolved, not into smoke, but into light—golden, warm, sweet. The mirrors shattered. The hall trembled. Rory fell to her knees, gasping. The rune on her chest dimmed. The Fae blade went cold. Isolde knelt beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “*The feast is over. For now.*” Nyx’s shadow form hovered above them, violet eyes softening. “*You did well.*” Behind them, the door closed with a thud. The light from the golden sky seeped through the crack, and Rory saw the wildflowers in the Fae Grove, glowing faintly, as if in celebration. She looked down at her hands. The crescent scar on her wrist itched, but not from pain—from purpose. Somewhere, far away, a phone buzzed. Rory ignored it. She had a hunger to feed. And it wasn’t for food. The world righted itself. Aurora Carter stood in the waste ground behind Silas’ bar, the Fae blade in her hand, the rune on her chest a faint red mark. The rift was gone. The sky was gray. The air smelled like rain. She closed her eyes. For a moment, she felt it: the golden light, the song of the wildflowers, Evan’s scream, the hunger that wasn’t hunger at all. Isolde had been right. The Veil didn’t keep what it hid. It *showed*. And what it showed, Rory knew, was that the line between Hel and earth was thinner than a breath. That Dymas hungered not just for souls, but for *hunger*. And that she… She was the key. The phone buzzed again. Rory checked it. A text from an unknown number: *Come in. Now. Eva’s here.* She tucked the blade into her bag. The rune on her chest pulsed, once, twice, then went dark. “Right,” she muttered. “Let’s find Eva.” She started walking. The sky rumbled. Aurora smiled. The feast wasn’t over. It was just beginning. The chapter ends as the first drops of rain hit her face, and somewhere in the distance, a door creaks open. (Word count: ~1,800)
created_at"2026-02-20T19:57:21.205Z" 2/20/2026, 7:57:21 PM
model"bytedance-seed/seed-1.6-flash-20250625"
app_id182717
external_user(null)
streamedtrue
cancelledfalse
latency650
moderation_latency(null)
generation_time37501
tokens_prompt5338
tokens_completion4485
native_tokens_prompt5371
native_tokens_completion4285
native_tokens_completion_images(null)
native_tokens_reasoning1051
native_tokens_cached0
num_media_prompt(null)
num_input_audio_prompt(null)
num_media_completion0
num_search_results(null)
origin"https://ncbench.com/"
is_byokfalse
finish_reason"stop"
native_finish_reason"stop"
usage0.001688325
router(null)
provider_responses
0
endpoint_id"e01a1227-001b-44d4-a376-90850668fa84"
id"021771617441579bc1c88901295dc331d2b18ca32f912fe1ffe27"
is_byokfalse
latency579
model_permaslug"bytedance-seed/seed-1.6-flash-20250625"
provider_name"Seed"
status200
api_type"completions"
id"gen-1771617441-zhxIgu1DTrQUt1mXzcJ2"
upstream_id"021771617441579bc1c88901295dc331d2b18ca32f912fe1ffe27"
total_cost0.001688325
cache_discount(null)
upstream_inference_cost0
provider_name"Seed"

Evaluation details

Result Evaluator Details Meta Data
100.00% Adverbs in dialogue tags
Target: ≤10% dialogue tags with adverbs
totalTags29
adverbTagCount0
adverbTags(empty)
dialogueSentences50
tagDensity0.58
leniency1
rawRatio0
effectiveRatio0
100.00% AI-ism adverb frequency
Target: <2% AI-ism adverbs (58 tracked)
wordCount2101
totalAiIsmAdverbs0
found(empty)
highlights(empty)
100.00% AI-ism character names
Target: 0 AI-default names (17 tracked, −20% each)
codexExemptions(empty)
found(empty)
100.00% AI-ism location names
Target: 0 AI-default location names (33 tracked, −20% each)
codexExemptions(empty)
found(empty)
54.78% AI-ism word frequency
Target: <2% AI-ism words (290 tracked)
wordCount2101
totalAiIsms19
found
0
word"glinting"
count1
1
word"pulse"
count3
2
word"throbbed"
count2
3
word"fractured"
count1
4
word"scanning"
count1
5
word"perfect"
count1
6
word"flickered"
count1
7
word"warmth"
count1
8
word"shattered"
count2
9
word"wavered"
count1
10
word"pulsed"
count2
11
word"churning"
count1
12
word"loomed"
count1
13
word"trembled"
count1
highlights
0"glinting"
1"pulse"
2"throbbed"
3"fractured"
4"scanning"
5"perfect"
6"flickered"
7"warmth"
8"shattered"
9"wavered"
10"pulsed"
11"churning"
12"loomed"
13"trembled"
100.00% Cliché density
Target: ≤1 cliche(s) per 800-word window
totalCliches0
maxInWindow0
found(empty)
highlights(empty)
100.00% Emotion telling (show vs. tell)
Target: ≤3% sentences with emotion telling
emotionTells0
narrationSentences204
matches(empty)
100.00% Filter word density
Target: ≤3% sentences with filter/hedge words
filterCount1
hedgeCount0
narrationSentences204
filterMatches
0"watch"
hedgeMatches(empty)
100.00% Gibberish response detection
Target: ≤1% gibberish-like sentences (hard fail if a sentence exceeds 800 words)
analyzedSentences227
gibberishSentences1
adjustedGibberishSentences1
longSentenceCount0
runOnParagraphCount0
giantParagraphCount0
wordSaladCount0
repetitionLoopCount0
controlTokenCount0
maxSentenceWordsSeen37
ratio0.004
matches
0"Rory stepped closer, and the air around the stone震颤ed, as if the ground beneath it was hollow."
92.91% Markdown formatting overuse
Target: ≤5% words in markdown formatting
markdownSpans47
markdownWords111
totalWords2073
ratio0.054
matches
0"Now"
1"Bullshit"
2"inside"
3"remember"
4"feel"
5"shows"
6"moved"
7"is"
8"What was that"
9"is"
10"opts"
11"hungers"
12"Aurora"
13"You carry the hunger. The hunger that feeds the Veil. And the Veil feeds on you."
14"not"
15"free"
16"Fuck you"
17"Evan"
18"key"
19"Eva’s in trouble"
20"Eva always needs me."
21"show"
22"taste"
23"cut"
24"this"
25"bloomed"
26"merged"
27"Now"
28"Come"
29"Join the feast. Be free. Be"
30"hungry."
31"No"
32"The Veil is thin. The hunger is strong. But so is hope."
33"Eva"
34"Aurora"
35"You came. I knew you would."
36"Lies"
37"it"
38"Fool. You cannot kill what you cannot see."
39"can"
40"do"
41"Come get it."
42"The feast is over. For now."
43"You did well."
44"showed"
45"hunger"
46"Come in. Now. Eva’s here."
100.00% Missing dialogue indicators (quotation marks)
Target: ≤10% speech attributions without quotation marks
totalAttributions23
unquotedAttributions0
matches(empty)
55.23% Name drop frequency
Target: ≤1.0 per-name mentions per 100 words
totalMentions110
wordCount1741
uniqueNames16
maxNameDensity1.9
worstName"Rory"
maxWindowNameDensity3
worstWindowName"Rory"
discoveredNames
Aurora3
Carter2
Nyx11
Isolde16
Rory33
Heartstone5
London1
Evan12
Eva6
Fae10
Rift5
Dymas2
Half-Fae1
Grove1
Veil1
Hel1
persons
0"Aurora"
1"Carter"
2"Nyx"
3"Isolde"
4"Rory"
5"Heartstone"
6"Evan"
7"Eva"
8"Rift"
9"Dymas"
10"Half-Fae"
11"Veil"
places
0"London"
1"Fae"
2"Grove"
globalScore0.552
windowScore0.667
46.69% Narrator intent-glossing
Target: ≤2% narration sentences with intent-glossing patterns
analyzedSentences121
glossingSentenceCount5
matches
0"looked like a heart split open"
1"as if containing the sky"
2"as if catching the golden light"
3"as if urging her forward, into the Rift"
4"appeared beside her, the flame in her hand now a sword"
55.28% "Not X but Y" pattern overuse
Target: ≤1 "not X but Y" per 1000 words
totalMatches3
per1kWords1.447
wordCount2073
matches
0"not Dymas, but Eva"
1"not into smoke, but into light"
2"not just for souls, but for *hunger*"
100.00% Overuse of "that" (subordinate clause padding)
Target: ≤2% sentences with "that" clauses
thatCount1
totalSentences227
matches
0"was that the"
100.00% Paragraph length variance
Target: CV ≥0.5 for paragraph word counts
totalParagraphs87
mean23.83
std20.5
cv0.86
sampleLengths
075
157
217
371
475
553
668
771
826
954
1031
1131
1248
1327
1483
1538
1610
173
1830
1924
2039
2123
2244
237
2444
2537
2614
2716
2830
2934
303
3144
328
3360
3430
3525
3627
3736
383
3911
404
411
422
4333
445
4512
468
475
4854
4912
98.38% Passive voice overuse
Target: ≤2% passive sentences
passiveCount4
totalSentences204
matches
0"been spun"
1"was gone"
2"was gone"
3"was gone"
100.00% Past progressive (was/were + -ing) overuse
Target: ≤2% past progressive verbs
pastProgressiveCount2
totalVerbs336
matches
0"were swallowing"
1"was thinning"
0.00% Em-dash & semicolon overuse
Target: ≤2% sentences with em-dashes/semicolons
emDashCount23
semicolonCount2
flaggedSentences22
totalSentences227
ratio0.097
matches
0"She’d carried the Heartstone pendant—odd, warm, crimson gem—for months, its pulse a silent alarm whenever rifts neared."
1"She stumbled back, catching Nyx’s arm—cool, not cold, like shadow made flesh."
2"But the branches were bare, save for clusters of wildflowers—blue, red, purple—blooming in perfect spheres, glowing faintly."
3"“Battery’s dead. Chrono’s frozen too. Twenty past eight when we got in.” She checked her watch—same."
4"“Less light than mortals expect. Even the shadows here… *remember*.” They turned, and for a moment, Rory didn’t recognize their face— too much shadow, shifting, as if the light of the golden sun struggled to cling."
5"The moss wasn’t green; it was black, dotted with bioluminescent spots that flared as her foot passed."
6"Beyond the oaks, six stones rose, their surfaces carved with patterns—coiled serpents, stars that weren’t stars, a rune that looked like a heart split open."
7"A wave of heat rippled through it; the carvings *moved*, slithering like water."
8"It moved like smoke, but solid—whiter than bone, glowing."
9"She’d thought it a trinket—until last week, when it had cut through Evan’s magic like a knife through butter."
10"The water wasn’t liquid—it was light, shifting colors, gold to silver to blue, as if containing the sky."
11"A figure sat there, their back to her—tall, with wings, black as night—but she saw their hands, tangled in a skein of souls."
12"No—*not* Evan."
13"She remembered the package Eva had sent, a month ago—no note, just the pendant and a coin with a rune carved on it."
14"The pool rippled, and for a moment, Rory saw the throne again, and behind it, a door—black, iron, marked with the same heart rune as the stones."
15"Behind her, the standing stones toppled, crashing into the ground—but the pieces didn’t shatter."
16"It formed behind, in the trees—wide, dark, churning, like a storm in a jar."
17"Beyond the Rift, she saw not Dymas, but Eva—huddled, scared, a chain around her wrist."
18"The cold hit her first—sharp, metallic, like the taste of blood."
19"There he was—gold eyes, sharp teeth, a crown of bones on his head."
20"He dissolved, not into smoke, but into light—golden, warm, sweet."
21"The crescent scar on her wrist itched, but not from pain—from purpose."
100.00% Purple prose (modifier overload)
Target: <4% adverbs, <2% -ly adverbs, no adj stacking
wordCount221
adjectiveStacks0
stackExamples(empty)
adverbCount5
adverbRatio0.02262443438914027
lyAdverbCount0
lyAdverbRatio0
100.00% Repeated phrase echo
Target: ≤20% sentences with echoes (window: 2)
totalSentences227
echoCount0
echoWords(empty)
100.00% Sentence length variance
Target: CV ≥0.4 for sentence word counts
totalSentences227
mean9.13
std6.39
cv0.7
sampleLengths
030
113
29
313
48
52
615
711
817
914
109
118
1211
1315
1412
1510
1613
1710
1819
1917
203
2136
225
236
2416
256
2620
2713
2836
2919
3011
3117
326
334
3425
358
368
377
389
392
405
4119
4213
4317
4416
459
466
477
4813
4911
42.51% Sentence opener variety
Target: ≥60% unique sentence openers
consecutiveRepeats17
diversityRatio0.27312775330396477
totalSentences227
uniqueOpeners62
55.25% Adverb-first sentence starts
Target: ≥3% sentences starting with an adverb
adverbCount3
totalSentences181
matches
0"Instead, black ink seeped from"
1"Then the heat: thick, cloying,"
2"Somewhere, far away, a phone"
ratio0.017
100.00% Pronoun-first sentence starts
Target: ≤30% sentences starting with a pronoun
pronounCount48
totalSentences181
matches
0"they whispered, voice fraying the"
1"she said, and Rory didn’t"
2"She’d carried the Heartstone pendant—odd,"
3"It was golden, honeyed, as"
4"She stumbled back, catching Nyx’s"
5"They stood in a clearing"
6"She plucked a flower, and"
7"She checked her watch—same"
8"They turned, and for a"
9"she said, pointing"
10"She fumbled with the pendant,"
11"She reached out, touching a"
12"It moved like smoke, but"
13"she said, nodding"
14"She’d thought it a trinket—until"
15"She turned, and her gaze"
16"She saw a throne, made"
17"It was the sound of"
18"It was Evan."
19"His eyes were black pits,"
ratio0.265
29.06% Subject-first sentence starts
Target: ≤72% sentences starting with a subject
subjectCount156
totalSentences181
matches
0"The rift tore into being"
1"Aurora Carter froze mid-step, her"
2"The air hummed, cold as"
3"they whispered, voice fraying the"
4"Isolde glided forward, her silver"
5"she said, and Rory didn’t"
6"She’d carried the Heartstone pendant—odd,"
7"The rift expanded with a"
8"Rory stepped into it, and"
9"Sunlight hit her face, but"
10"It was golden, honeyed, as"
11"She stumbled back, catching Nyx’s"
12"The air smelled of rose"
13"Isolde was already moving, her"
14"They stood in a clearing"
15"She plucked a flower, and"
16"Rory pulled out her phone."
17"The screen flickered, then went"
18"She checked her watch—same"
19"*Bullshit*, one part of her"
ratio0.862
27.62% Subordinate conjunction sentence starts
Target: ≥2% sentences starting with a subordinating conjunction
subConjCount1
totalSentences181
matches
0"Now it throbbed like a"
ratio0.006
57.14% Technical jargon density
Target: ≤6% sentences with technical-jargon patterns
analyzedSentences75
technicalSentenceCount9
matches
0"Another part, the part that had survived Evan’s fists, trusted Eva’s late-night texts, knew better than to question magic, nodded."
1"Beyond the oaks, six stones rose, their surfaces carved with patterns—coiled serpents, stars that weren’t stars, a rune that looked like a heart split open."
2"Rory stepped closer, and the air around the stone震颤ed, as if the ground beneath it was hollow."
3"The water wasn’t liquid—it was light, shifting colors, gold to silver to blue, as if containing the sky."
4"Nyx moved beside her, shadow leaping through the air, blocking Evan’s path."
5"Rory stumbled into a hall, walls lined with mirrors, each reflecting a different feast: a table groaning with roasted swans, a bowl of eyes that glowed, a fount…"
6"In his hand, a knife made of shadows, dripping with something that wasn’t blood."
7"The light from the golden sky seeped through the crack, and Rory saw the wildflowers in the Fae Grove, glowing faintly, as if in celebration."
8"For a moment, she felt it: the golden light, the song of the wildflowers, Evan’s scream, the hunger that wasn’t hunger at all."
38.79% Useless dialogue additions
Target: ≤5% dialogue tags with trailing filler fragments
totalTags29
uselessAdditionCount5
matches
0"they whispered, voice fraying the air"
1"Rory asked, voice tight"
2"Nyx corrected, voice low"
3"they said, voice cracking"
4"he said, and his voice was a song, a siren’s call"
10.00% Dialogue tag variety (said vs. fancy)
Target: ≤10% fancy dialogue tags
totalTags22
fancyCount7
fancyTags
0"they whispered (whisper)"
1"Isolde murmured (murmur)"
2"Nyx corrected (correct)"
3"a voice whispered (whisper)"
4"she whispered (whisper)"
5"she yelled (yell)"
6"she muttered (mutter)"
dialogueSentences50
tagDensity0.44
leniency0.88
rawRatio0.318
effectiveRatio0.28
75.4553%