Run: 2026-02-20-01KHYB446BCFGYRKW77SMNPG6K

The air in the grove was thick with the scent of damp earth and something older—something that clung like sweat. Aurora pressed her back against the rough bark of an ancient oak, her breath shallow. The standing stones loomed around her, their gnarled roots twisting into the soil like skeletal fingers. She had come here for the Heartstone. She had come for the portal. But the moment her boots touched the moss, the world shifted. A whisper slithered through the branches above her head. Not wind. Not breath. Something else. She turned slowly, fingers digging into the bark of the tree beside her. The light from the moon, pale and unnatural, didn’t reach this far. Shadows stretched too long, too thin, like fingers reaching for her. *"You shouldn’t be here."* Aurora’s pulse hammered in her throat. She spun, heart pounding, but saw nothing. The whisper came again, closer this time, closer than the wind. She stepped forward, her boots sinking into the damp earth, but the ground didn’t move beneath her. The standing stones pulsed faintly, their edges glowing with an eerie, sickly light. *"You’re not alone."* Aurora’s breath hitched. She looked down at her wrist, where the small crescent scar from her childhood accident burned with an unnatural warmth. The Heartstone pulsed faintly against her skin, its deep crimson glow casting jagged shadows across the bark. She pulled it free, the chain catching in her fingers as she turned back toward the trees. The whisper followed her. *"You left your name behind."* Aurora’s grip tightened. She knew that voice. It was the one she’d heard in her dreams—sometimes in the dead of night, when the world felt too quiet. Evan’s voice. The one that had haunted her since she’d left London. But Evan was dead. Buried in a grave she’d never visited. And yet, here it was, in the grove, whispering like a ghost. She took a step forward, the Heartstone warm against her palm. The standing stones flared brighter, their edges glowing like embers. The air grew colder, heavier, as if the world itself was holding its breath. *"You should have stayed."* Aurora’s fingers trembled. She had come here for answers. For the portal. For the chance to leave this place behind. But the moment she stepped into the grove, she realized she’d never been alone. Not really. Not ever. The whisper slithered closer, its voice growing louder, more insistent. Aurora took another step, the Heartstone burning against her skin. The standing stones pulsed, their glow intensifying, as if in response to her fear. *"You’re not welcome here."* Aurora’s breath came in ragged gasps. She had no choice. She had to move. She had to find the portal. But the moment she turned, the whisper was gone. Replaced by something else—something that slithered into the shadows, its form shifting, too quick to see. Aurora’s heart pounded in her chest. She had to get out. She had to find the Heartstone’s power, find the portal, and leave. But the grove seemed to close in around her, the trees stretching too far, the shadows too deep. She took a deep breath, her fingers tightening around the Heartstone. The standing stones flared once more, their glow casting long, wavering shadows across the ground. Aurora stepped forward, her boots sinking into the damp earth, but the ground didn’t move beneath her. The whisper returned, its voice a mix of Evan’s and something else—something ancient, something hungry. *"You’re not leaving."* Aurora’s grip on the Heartstone faltered. She had to move. She had to find the portal. But the moment she turned, the whisper was gone. Replaced by the sound of something moving in the trees, too close, too fast. Aurora’s eyes widened. She had to get out. She had to find the Heartstone’s power, find the portal, and leave. But the grove seemed to twist around her, the trees bending, the shadows swallowing her whole. She took a step forward, the Heartstone warm against her palm. The standing stones pulsed, their glow dimming, as if in response to her fear. *"You’re not welcome here."* Aurora’s breath came in shallow gasps. She had no choice. She had to move. She had to find the portal. But the moment she turned, the whisper was gone. Replaced by the sound of something scraping against the bark, too close, too quick. Aurora’s fingers tightened around the Heartstone. She had to get out. She had to leave. But the grove seemed to hold her fast, the trees stretching, the shadows swallowing her whole. She took a deep breath, her eyes locked on the standing stones. They pulsed once more, their glow bright, too bright, too real. Aurora stepped forward, her boots sinking into the damp earth. The ground didn’t move beneath her. The standing stones flared, their edges glowing like embers, and the whisper slithered into her mind, its voice a mix of Evan’s and something ancient, something hungry. *"You’re not leaving."* Aurora’s grip on the Heartstone faltered. She had to move. She had to find the portal. But the moment she turned, the whisper was gone. Replaced by the sound of something moving in the branches above her, too close, too fast. Aurora’s eyes widened. She had to get out. She had to leave. But the grove seemed to twist around her, the trees bending, the shadows swallowing her whole. She took a step forward, the Heartstone burning against her skin. The standing stones pulsed, their glow dimming, as if in response to her fear. *"You’re not welcome here."* Aurora’s breath came in shallow gasps. She had no choice. She had to move. She had to find the Heartstone’s power. But the moment she turned, the whisper was gone. The trees seemed to lean in, their branches twisting, their shadows stretching too long. Aurora’s fingers tightened around the Heartstone. She had to leave. But the grove seemed to hold her fast, the standing stones pulsing, their glow too bright, too real. She took a step forward, her boots sinking into the damp earth. The ground didn’t move beneath her. The standing stones flared, their edges glowing like embers, and the whisper slithered into her mind, its voice a mix of Evan’s and something ancient, something hungry. *"You’re not leaving."* Aurora’s heart pounded in her chest. She had to get out. She had to leave. But the moment she turned, the trees seemed to close in, the shadows swallowing her whole. She reached for the Heartstone, her fingers trembling. The standing stones pulsed, their glow bright, too bright, too real. Aurora stepped forward, her boots sinking into the damp earth. The ground didn’t move beneath her. The whisper slithered into her mind, its voice a mix of Evan’s and something ancient, something hungry. *"You’re not leaving."* Aurora’s breath came in ragged gasps. She had to leave. But the grove seemed to twist around her, the trees bending, the shadows swallowing her whole. The standing stones flared, their glow too intense, too real. Aurora’s eyes burned, her vision blurring. She had to leave. But the moment she turned, the whisper was gone. Replaced by the sound of something moving in the branches above her, too close, too fast. Aurora’s fingers tightened around the Heartstone. The standing stones pulsed, their glow dimming, as if in response to her fear. *"You’re not welcome here."* Aurora’s heart hammered in her chest. She had to get out. But the grove seemed to hold her fast, the trees leaning in, the shadows stretching too long. She took a deep breath, the Heartstone warm against her palm. The standing stones flared once more, their glow bright, too bright, too real. Aurora stepped forward, her boots sinking into the damp earth. The whisper slithered into her mind, its voice a mix of Evan’s and something ancient, something hungry. *"You’re not leaving."* Aurora’s grip faltered. She had to leave. But the moment she turned, the trees seemed to twist around her, the shadows swallowing her whole. The standing stones pulsed, their glow too real, too bright. Aurora’s vision blurred, her breath coming in shallow gasps. She had to leave. But the grove seemed to hold her fast, the whisper slithering into her mind, its voice a mix of Evan’s and something ancient, something hungry. Aurora reached for the Heartstone, her fingers trembling. The standing stones flared, their glow too intense. She stepped forward, the ground not moving beneath her feet. The whisper coiled around her mind, its voice a mix of Evan’s and something ancient, something hungry. *"You’re not leaving."* Aurora’s last thought was of the portal, of the way out. But the grove seemed to twist around her, the trees bending, the shadows swallowing her whole. The standing stones pulsed, their glow too real, too bright. She reached for the Heartstone, her fingers trembling. The whisper slithered into her mind, its voice a mix of Evan’s and something ancient, something hungry. Aurora’s eyes closed. The standing stones flared, their glow too intense. She had to leave. But the grove held her fast, the whisper in her mind, the shadows swallowing her whole. The last thing she saw was the Heartstone, warm against her palm, its glow too bright, too real.