Run: 2026-02-20-01KHYB2BN7X4Y1PFK02GHJB4DF

The Heartstone pulsed, a frantic thrum against Aurora’s skin. It vibrated with an intensity that made her teeth ache. Beside her, Nyx shifted, their form rippling like heat rising from asphalt. They’d been silent since stepping through the shimmering portal tucked away in Richmond Park, a portal Isolde had insisted was “the most direct route to… acclimation.” “Are you getting a reading?” Aurora asked, clutching the pendant. Nyx’s violet eyes, faintly luminous in the amber twilight, scanned the landscape. "Magnitude… significant. Resonance nearing critical." They extended a hand, the shadow-like fingers blurring as they reached out to touch a towering, iridescent fungus that pulsed with soft, internal light. “This place… it sings.” Eva, ever the pragmatist, tugged at the sleeve of Aurora’s worn jacket. "Singing fungi aren’t exactly reassuring, Rory. Where *are* we exactly? It’s warm, uncomfortably so.” Aurora swallowed, the air thick and sweet, tasting faintly of overripe fruit and something she couldn’t quite place - something decadent and unsettling. “Dymas. Isolde said it’s a pocket, a fractured echo of Hel’s realm of Gluttony.” The sight that unfolded around them defied easy description. The sky was a perpetual amber sunset, casting a honeyed glow over a landscape that seemed to defy the laws of botany. Vines thick as pythons dripped with clusters of luminescent berries. Trees bore fruit of impossible colors - sapphire blue peaches, ruby red pears, emerald green plums. A waterfall cascaded down a cliff face covered in what looked like sculpted marzipan, the water itself shimmering with a viscous, golden sheen. The ground beneath their feet was soft, yielding, and spongy, like walking on a giant, moss-covered cake. The air hummed with the buzz of unseen insects and a low, rhythmic thrumming that resonated deep in their chests. Eva wrinkled her nose. “It smells like a bakery exploded.” Nyx inhaled deeply, the shadow of their form rippling. “More than that. It smells of… satiety. Of endless fulfillment.” They moved forward, effortlessly gliding over the spongy ground. Aurora followed, the Heartstone warming against her palm. The Fae-Forged Blade at her hip felt cold in contrast, a stark reminder of the potential danger lurking beneath the veneer of indulgence. "Isolde didn’t mention anything about it feeling like inhaling honey,” Aurora muttered. They ventured deeper, passing trees laden with fruit that practically vibrated with ripeness. A creature resembling a hummingbird, but the size of a small dog, zipped past, its wings a blur of iridescent scales, sipping nectar from a blossom the size of a dinner plate. “Bloody hell,” Eva breathed, staring after it. Up ahead, they saw structures – not buildings in any conventional sense, but rather organic forms that seemed to have grown from the landscape itself. One resembled a giant, hollowed-out pomegranate, its walls pulsating with a soft, rosy light. Another looked like a colossal mushroom cap, its underside covered in intricate carvings of swirling vines and grotesque, grinning faces. “This is… unsettling,” Aurora said, her voice barely above a whisper. Nyx paused, their form solidifying slightly, the violet glow of their eyes intensifying. “The architecture… it’s not merely decorative. It’s consuming. Observe the patterns.” Aurora followed their gaze. The carvings on the mushroom cap weren’t just decorative. They seemed to depict scenes of feasting, of endless, voracious consumption. Figures with elongated limbs and hollow eyes devoured mountains of food, their faces contorted in expressions of ecstatic greed. Eva shivered. “I don’t like the look of those faces.” They approached the pomegranate structure cautiously. As they drew closer, they heard sounds – a cacophony of clinking glasses, cheerful laughter, and the rhythmic chopping of knives. “Sounds like a party,” Eva said dryly. Nyx tilted their head, listening intently. “Not precisely a celebration. More akin to… a competition. A perpetual banquet.” The opening of the pomegranate structure resembled a giant, beckoning maw. Peeking inside, they saw a vast chamber bathed in the rosy light. Tables stretched as far as the eye could see, laden with an unimaginable array of food. Roasts shimmered on spits, mountains of pastries rose in tiers, and rivers of wine flowed freely in jeweled goblets. And seated around the tables were… things. Not quite human, not quite anything Aurora could recognize. Some resembled bloated, grotesque caricatures of humans, their faces flushed and their eyes glazed over with gluttony. Others were entirely alien, with multiple limbs, shimmering hides, and mouths filled with rows of needle-sharp teeth. They were all eating. Devouring. With a frantic, almost desperate energy. A figure detached itself from the throng and glided towards them. It was tall and slender, with skin the color of deep burgundy and eyes that glowed with an unsettling intelligence. It wore a chef's hat and apron stained with an assortment of vibrant juices. “Welcome, travelers,” the figure said, its voice smooth and oily. “Welcome to the Eternal Feast. Care to join us? We have every conceivable delicacy, prepared with the finest ingredients from across all realms.” It gestured towards the tables with a flourish. “There is no shortage here. Only endless possibility.” Aurora felt a pang of nausea. The sheer excess of it all was overwhelming. “We… appreciate the invitation,” Aurora managed to say, her voice tight. “But we’re just passing through.” The figure’s smile didn’t waver, but its eyes narrowed slightly. “Passing through? No one merely *passes through* Dymas. Everyone feasts. Everyone indulges. It is the nature of this place.” Nyx stepped forward, their form solidifying further, casting a long, unsettling shadow over the figure. “We are not here to partake in your… endless revelry. We have a destination.” The figure’s smile widened, revealing rows of sharp, pointed teeth. “A destination? How… intriguing. But tell me, traveler… what could be more important than a moment of exquisite pleasure? A taste of true fulfillment?” It reached out a long, slender hand towards Aurora, its fingers twitching. "Just one bite," it purred. "A single taste." Aurora instinctively recoiled, the Heartstone pulsing against her skin, growing hotter with each passing second. Eva stepped in front of her, her expression a mixture of fear and defiance. “We’re leaving,” Eva stated, her voice surprisingly firm. The figure chuckled, a dry, rasping sound. “Leaving? But the feast has only just begun.” Its eyes flickered to Nyx. “Perhaps you would be willing to stay? A Shade such as yourself… you must be terribly bored.” Nyx’s shadow rippled again, obscuring their features. “I am not easily amused.” “Then you lack imagination,” the figure retorted, its voice dripping with mock amusement. “Very well. Go. But know this: the doors of Dymas are always open. And the hunger… it never fades.” They turned and hurried back toward the portal, the laughter and clinking glasses echoing behind them. The sweetness of the air suddenly felt cloying, suffocating. “What was *that*?” Eva gasped, stumbling over the spongy ground. Aurora didn’t answer, her eyes fixed on the Heartstone. It pulsed with an almost unbearable intensity, guiding them toward the shimmering gateway that separated them from the horrors of Dymas.