Run: 2026-05-27-01KSMEZRH2C2Q6BWY6GAK3ZYT5

A shroud of ominous darkness blanketed the grove. Tree structures twisted in strange, impossible angles. Lunar light shined on the FDET. Drip-drip. Streams of blood ran across cracked ground that seemed to echo from underfoot across the frozen grass. My breathing became labored, shuddering and spent as if I had sprinted here. Alarms went off in my head, causing it to throb. Dozens of whispers played in my ears, but they were too faint to really register. The chilly wind bit down on my neck, a cold reminder of the icy temperature. Snot ran from my nose, clogging my mouth, saltiness crawling into my throat. I shivered, zipping up my jacket as far as it would go. Pure white breath steamed out from my mouth. Each movement revealed my pounding heart, each exhalation straining breath. Memories flickered through my mind; at once vivid and entangled as my nightmares had become. Evan's past shadow stretching across my mind. With my eyes finally adjusting to the light, the heart stone revealed an eerie glow. Sure, I remembered being given it; an obscure memory handed to me as a child. Was this really the same ancient artifact? Unsurprised, the "grove" was a trap. Reading as my worst fears in the back of mind, this place felt so wrong. An absurdity. My thoughts were so dark and hopeless. Nothing but pain vibrated in my bones and compressed my chest. Breaking down into tears, I just wanted to run, runaway from the enormity of it. The abject terror stung my eyes. Why did I come here again, and why was it still this dangerous. I should've stayed in London, it was safer- the thoughts rushed through my mind. Yellow leaves were dancing in the fairy lights, which amplified the dread piercing through me. Rory. Call my name. Call my name. You're mine, Rory. The voice called out again, bordering on a warning. M B;I tripped and hit the forest floor hard, kicking up dead, rotten leaves. "Shhh- be quiet " My throat closed as I stammered and sobbed. A guttural scream erupted from my lungs in a forceful shout: SILENCE! "!! The world around me went dark. Alan. The image of Francis played in my mind. Thrown into an abyss; my heart froze.. ched the silence for a moment, a tense pause. The muffled laughter crept into the early morning. Photos. News. Headlines. The word spread as if the police had already announced the news. Then came the trembling, nausea and vomiting. The shots fired went off- the bloodshot eyes. Pictures. I had too many pictures. My smallest confidence is shattered. Pieces are gone. A rat, trapped in a cage as it ate away the center of my being. Suicidal. Anguish overpowered emotions. I rocked back and forth, crying. I kept it inside; memories buried. Bloody tears. I'm trapped in a nightmare. Tears poured down my face, and blood dripped down my wrists. The pain was almost too much to bear. I managed to drag myself through the grove. My hands were slick with sweat and shaking uncontrollably. It felt like a dream; still enough sleep to get to tomorrow, regarding as the harder inside of another day. Slowly, the alarm set in as every little hair on my body stood. I ran back to Herizon and left the memories behind. I laid there, staring at the wall, wondering. They never said a thing, this was every nightmare royal. It was long gone, that feeling of endless sleep, yet something felt so odd. Sickening. I dwelled in a memory, jumping into the depths I had long tried to forget. As quickly as it appeared, it faded away. A ghost of a dream. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. But the unease lingered, a sense of foreboding that I couldn't shake. I needed to figure out what was going on, and fast. But for now, I just needed to breathe. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. But the memories kept coming, one after another, like a tormented broken record. Evan's laughter, his cruel jokes, his insults. The way he made me feel small, worthless, insignificant. I tried to push them away, but they just kept coming back, taunting me with their vividness. Then, suddenly, I heard a noise. A twig snapped, and I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. I held my breath, listening intently. But there was nothing. Just the sound of my own racing heart and the wind rustling the leaves. I let out a shaky breath, realizing I had been holding it. But the feeling of unease still lingered, nagging at the back of my mind. I stood up, my body shaking. I needed to get out of here, needed to go somewhere, anywhere else. As I stumbled through the grove, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. That something was following me, creeping up from behind. I whirled around, my heart leaping into my throat. But there was no one there. Just the trees, swaying in the wind, and the shadows, dancing in the moonlight. I turned back around, my breath coming in short, panicked gasps. I needed to get out of here, needed to get to somewhere safe. But as I took a step forward, I froze. There, in the distance, I saw it. A figure, standing still, watching me. I squinted, trying to make out who it was. But it was too far away, too obscured by the trees. And then, slowly, it began to move towards me. Slowly, inexorably, like a predator stalking its prey. My heart pounded in my chest, my palms slicked with sweat. I took a step back, then another, but the figure kept coming, its pace slow and steady. I turned and ran, my feet pounding against the ground. I ran and ran, my lungs burning, my legs aching. But no matter how fast I went, I could still hear it behind me, slowly gaining ground. I looked back over my shoulder, but the figure was gone. I skidded to a halt, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. But there, in the distance, I saw it again. Watching me, waiting. I turned and ran again, my heart pounding a staccato rhythm in my chest. But this time, I didn't look back. I just ran, ran until my lungs burned and my legs gave out. And as I collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, I knew. I was never going to escape. Not from this place. Not from this feeling. Not from the memories that haunted me, the nightmares that stalked me. I was trapped in a cycle of my own making, and there was no escape. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how far I ran, I was always going to be stuck here. Trapped in the darkness, lost in the shadows, forever chasing after something I could never quite grasp. And as the figure began to approach, slow and inexorable, I knew there was nothing I could do but scream. A shriek erupted from my throat, raw and primal, as the figure finally drew near. I could see it more clearly now, its features obscured by the darkness, but its intent unmistakable. Hunger. Rage. Pursuit. I pressed myself back against a tree trunk, my body shaking uncontrollably, a prayer falling from my lips. But I knew it would make no difference. This thing, whatever it was, was not subject to the whims of mere mortals. It followed its own rules, its own agenda. And I was simply in its way. The figure loomed closer, extending a gnarled hand towards me. I flinched back, tried to scramble away, but there was nowhere to go. I was trapped, cornered like a rabbit, with no escape and no hope. I closed my eyes, bracing for the inevitable. The touch on my flesh, feeling the stench of rottenness. The screams as it screamed. Waiting, waiting. I was lost in a silent world until the drip-drip of blood stunned me. The darkness—oppressive, thick as ink—threw deceptive images my way, laughing at my ignorance. A chimera of nightmares and memories, that I knew would crescendo to a final act of horror. The cold realized my dreams up ahead, and my feet sunk into muck. Into the stuff of nightmares, chasing my fears back. Malphora had told me, and here, at this moment I understood. Everything was inside-the darkness, the voice, the endless maze of twisted trees. The moon stared cruelly at me, as if laughing. I was cold, scared, searching for something—anything to provide me comfort from becoming completely unhinged. I was alone, the heart stone forgotten, my necklace lost. I fell to my knees, unable to conceivable of taking another step. Sobbing, praying, hoping. I was..." I whispered to myself, letting out a long, shuddering sob. The only answer came the sough of the breeze in the branches, whispering warnings. Something shifted in the copse of trees. In the darkness. The realization washed over me like a cold wave. A creature, hunched and misshapen, stood before me. Its eyes were twin orbs of pure malice, glittering in the moonlight. Its skin was a patchwork of mottled colors, swaying and buzzing. Hel. I remained frozen, my mind racing. This couldn't be real. It wasn't possible. I was dreaming, having a nightmare, anything but this. But the creature advanced, slowly, deliberately. It reached out a clawed hand, pointed at me. In that instant, I knew. I knew what it wanted. What this place wanted. My sanity. My spirit. I tried to scream, but no sound came out. I couldn't move, couldn't think, could only watch in horror as the creature loomed closer and closer. And then, its hand touched my face. And all the world went white, and I was falling, falling into an abyss of endless, screaming darkness.