Run: 2026-05-27-01KSMEZJKEDH323K90X2P15GEB

The setting sun's long shadows stretched across the grove as Aurora stepped between the ancient standing stones, her heartbeat quickening with each step. The air felt different here, charged in a way that made the hairs on her arms stand on end. She had come to The Fae Grove on a chance lead from her friend Silas — rumors of strange goings-on and a possible connection to the Hells' portals. Aurora knew she was onto something with the pulse of her Heartstone pendant. About 100 meters from the stone ring, the soil became soft, mossy, lit by strange bioluminescent flora. Enough twilight filtered in through the trees, giving everything an eerie green-blue cast. Misty wisps of fog drifted low, swirling around Aurora's ankles as she pushed on, the pulse of the pendant in her left pocket growing stronger. Her eyes constantly scanned her surroundings, alert for any hint of movement. Something felt off, the kind of wrongness that crawled up the back of her neck. She couldn't shake the growing conviction that she was being watched, followed by unseen eyes. Every few minutes, she paused and listened — branches creaking overhead, the distant hoot of an owl, her own breathing. And under it all, the faintest of whispers, like voices carried on the breeze. She strained to make out the words, but they eluded her grasp. Aurora's fingers curled around the pendant in her pocket, the silver chain dangling between her knuckles. Its warmth radiated against her palm, steady and reassuring. Hel portals would be hiding close if the stone's reaction was any indication. Time seemed stretched, warped in this place, an hour could easily feel like five minutes. The sun dipped lower, night falling like a cloak across the land. Aurora picked up her pace, charged by the need to find what she had come for and make a run for it. The pendant pulsed urgently again, drawing her toward a thicket of ancient oaks. Gnarled roots and armored mushrooms choked the ground, tripping up her footing. She an uncomfortable sensation of being pressed in from all sides, the trees and brush closing in and shoving her ever forward. And there at her feet — an oily, shimmering pool of moonlight. The portal, she was sure of it. "Hello again, Carter." She whirled, hand flying to the blade at her hip — and found herself face to face with an evil, devilish woman, green hair framing her face. Aurora lunged, backing away, her hand tightening on the knife. "Stay back..." The grotesque woman sprang forward and healed Aurora's arm. "Oh god, who the hell are you?" She covered her mouth, messing up her dagger. "This place... it's a snare. A web for foolish little flies. No. This whole hiding place. This fucking toll. The portal, the pendant, my foot slipping into this wretched place... it was all meant to trap me. The effeminate woman laughed, low in her chest. The wicked sound raised goosebumps on Aurora's arms as she tried to back into to the portal, still at my back. Wait just one goddam second. I *knew* the more this whole fiasco unfolded, the wronger it'd feel. The beautiful woman lunged again, her eyes changing to a sickly, lung disease green color. Aurora narrowly avoided her grasp. She lunged and tore at my knife until it flew from her hand. The sweet, beautiful woman stood in its place, and the two of them advanced. "I wish you would've just drank the fucking mescaline and stayed home. I swung, anything to buy myself time. I needed that pendant, that blade. Run. The pendant pulsed frantically and a wicked, keening howl pierced the night air as the portal tore open behind her. Aurora stumbled backwards, tripping over the roots and falling hard onto her ass. She scrambled away, desperate to reach the portal. The women were right on her heels, a flash of green and pale skin through the trees. Her fingers found the edge of the portal, and she shoved herself through, praying it would take her somewhere—away from this place and its horrors. But the portal only closed behind her, spitting her back out into the grove. She hit the ground hard, tasting blood in her mouth. The sweet, sensual woman circled around her, dry rot in her voice. "Nowhere to run, my little fly. Nowhere to hide. You shouldn't have come here, Aurora. This was never meant for outsiders like you. And now look how you are marring yourself." They leveled her head, talking down to Aurora with a cruel look on her face. "Time to seal the portal, my dear heir loess." No. Aurora crawled backwards, the pendant burst to life in her palm. It seared her fingers, the heat radiating through her body. Hel energy pulsed through her, awakening something deep within her core. The standing stones trembled, the ground quaking beneath her. "No!" The sweet woman shrieked, the sound a razor across Aurora's eardrums. "FUCK YOU." Aurora screamed, shoving the pendant out toward the scathing woman and the effeminate succubus. The pendant shot out a beam of crimson light, striking the women and blowing them back. They collided with the standing stones, crumpling to the ground in a heap. Aurora climbed to her feet, every muscle screaming in protest. She stood over them, the pendant still pulsing in her hand. "I am not your fly," she spat. "I am not your prey. I don't know what you are, but I don't have any problems fucking killing what I don't understand. You shouldn't have fucked with me. The grove trembled again, the standing stones trembling. A portal ripped open behind Aurora, its edges frayed and unstable. "I'll pray you find what you're looking for in there, you fucking nightmares." Aurora kicked dirt into their faces as she stumbled towards the unstable portal, the pendant still clutched in her fist. "I'm gonna be fine."