Run: 2026-02-20-01KHYAZJRHENJ0WACYRJ4T772F

The air smelled of damp earth and something older—something like rusted iron left too long in the rain. Aurora Carter adjusted the strap of her delivery bag, her fingers brushing the cold metal of the Heartstone pendant beneath her shirt. The pendant pulsed faintly, a warmth she hadn’t noticed before, like a slow, steady heartbeat pressed against her skin. The Grove wasn’t supposed to look like this. She’d memorised the way in—past the standing stones, where the oaks grew gnarled and twisted, their bark blackened as if scorched by something unseen. But tonight, the path twisted unnaturally, the trees leaning in closer, their branches scraping against each other like skeletal fingers. The wildflowers, usually vibrant and untouched, lay crushed underfoot, their petals trampled into the mud. Aurora exhaled through her nose, her breath fogging in the cold night air. *Just a delivery. Just a package.* She’d been sent by Yu-Fei to drop off a shipment of rare herbs to a contact in Richmond. Nothing more. But the way the Grove had *shifted* since she last stood here—if she’d ever stood here before—made her skin prickle. A twig snapped. She froze. The sound came from the left, just beyond the dappled light of the moon filtering through the canopy. Her pulse hammered in her throat, loud enough she was sure the trees would hear it. She turned slowly, her boots sinking slightly into the damp earth. Nothing. Only the whisper of wind through the leaves. Aurora swallowed. *Paranoia. Exhaustion.* She’d been on her feet since dawn, the city’s noise still ringing in her ears despite the distance. But the Grove had never felt this… *wrong* before. She took another step forward, her boot catching on a root. The pendant warmed again, pressing against her ribs. She reached up, fingers brushing the silver chain, half-expecting it to burn her skin. It didn’t. But the warmth lingered, like a promise. A rustle. This time, it wasn’t the wind. Aurora’s breath hitched. She turned, her gaze darting between the shadows. The trees here were taller, their trunks swallowing the moonlight entirely. She could see nothing but darkness, but the air *shifted*, as if something had moved just beyond her vision. She stepped back, her heel bumping against something solid. A rock? A root? Her fingers curled into her palm, nails digging into her skin. Then— A whisper. Not wind. Not animal. Something *human*, but wrong. Distorted, like a voice speaking through water. Aurora’s breath came faster. She forced herself to move, her steps measured, deliberate. The pendant pulsed again, harder this time. She could feel it, a low, steady vibration against her chest. *What the hell is happening?* She reached the edge of the clearing, her eyes straining into the dark. The standing stones loomed ahead, their surfaces smooth and unmarked—unlike the ones she’d seen before, which bore strange, carved symbols. These were bare. A sound like tearing fabric. Aurora’s blood turned to ice. She spun, her hand flying to her throat. The trees behind her *moved*. Not the wind. Not branches swaying. The trunks themselves seemed to shift, their bark splitting and reforming, like living flesh. The pendant burned against her skin now, hot enough to sear. A voice, clear and cold, slithered from the dark. *"You shouldn’t have come."* Aurora’s breath left her in a rush. She stumbled back, her heel catching on something unseen. She fell, her palms scraping against the damp earth. The pendant slipped from her grip, clattering against the ground. The voice came again, closer this time. *"The stones don’t let you in. They let you *through*."* Aurora’s fingers clawed at the dirt. She didn’t dare look up. *"Who—?"* The voice didn’t answer. Instead, the darkness *moved*. Shadows pooled at her feet, rising like smoke, twisting into shapes—too many limbs, too many eyes. The pendant pulsed violently, its warmth searing her skin. She scrambled back, her body betraying her with every step. The trees loomed closer, their branches twisting like grasping hands. Then— A hand closed around her ankle. Aurora screamed. The pendant flew from her fingers, clattering into the dark. The hand yanked her forward, her body slamming into something solid. She gasped, her lungs burning, as the darkness swallowed her whole.