[color=808080][indent][color=#a9a9a9][sup][b]| Several Weeks from Now[/b][/sup][/color][indent][color=#808080]Aurora stirred as a chilling breeze danced along her cheeks, her body heavy and senses foggy, as if she were waking from the depths of a deep dream. She blinked rapidly, eyes fluttering open, and pulled herself up on her elbows, letting her gaze sweep over her new surroundings.[/color]

[color=#808080]The beach looked like the one she knew well, and yet, different. The shoreline seemed to stretch endlessly, the sands darker, a shade that teetered between tan and charcoal. The air was thick, fresh but rich with the scent of wild earth and sea. It was almost overwhelmingly clean—no trace of the familiar pollution she was used to. She inhaled deeply, trying to ground herself, and yet, a lingering feeling of disquiet twisted in her stomach. [/color]

[color=#808080]Around her, tiny luminous insects buzzed through the air, their wings pulsing with an eerie glow. They left trails of light as they flitted, like fireflies in strange, hypnotic patterns. At the edge of the dense forest the colors of the plants were intense, too intense, like someone had turned the saturation all the way up. Emerald greens, deep purples, and even shades of midnight blue. And the moon, enormous and red, loomed in the sky like a quiet omen.[/color]

[color=#808080]A low, haunting roar echoed from somewhere deep in the forest beyond the beach, and Aurora stiffened. Whatever creature had made that sound was unlike anything she’d ever heard before—neither animal nor human. And then a second noise, less like a roar and more like a distant scream, laced with a mix of agony and anger, echoed faintly across the eerie calm. The beach fell silent again, save for the gentle whisper of waves pulling at her ankles and a chill rushed up her spine.[/color]

[color=#808080]The sound of someone approaching hit her ears, and Aurora whipped her head around to find Lorcán making his way down the beach towards her.[/color]

[color=#fe650d]“That was a trip, eh?”[/color][color=#808080] Lorcán asked, trying his best to break the tension after being ripped through Limbo and dropped firmly into what Alyssa and Ellara had referred to as ‘Ünterland’. A mirror darkly version of the world they knew, it was bizarre looking around the familiar beach and seeing it look so foreign.[/color]

[color=#fe650d]“Take a moment to breathe, Ellara said the first time would be uncomfortable,”[/color][color=#808080] Lorcán added while steadying Aurora, the redhead inhaling and exhaling as instructed while getting her bearings. The rune etched into his palm was still glowing while his chest felt like it was piecing itself back together after Limbo made him feel like an invisible hand had tried to pry him apart. [/color]

[color=#808080]Ellara had warned them about something to do with being stripped of their Unterseele and Überseele or that they didn’t have them. Lorcán had been too distracted by the spit of roasting meat to have fully paid attention to the foreign-sounding words. Looking around the strange world, he immediately came to regret that. [/color]

[color=#808080]It was bizarre being unable to feel the presence of the HZE’s here. He reached out for them, but nothing replied to his call. No heat, no fire, no flames. They were here without their greatest ally. [/color]

[color=#fe650d]“Nice choice of weapon,”[/color][color=#808080] Lorcán smiled as Aurora stood with his arm still interlocked in hers, [/color][color=#fe650d]“Ellara insisted I take the swords, but I also made sure I [/color][color=#fe650d]went twenty-first[/color][color=#fe650d] century.”[/color][color=#808080] He attempted to jest again, referring to the hand cannon strapped to his thigh. [/color]

[color=#808080]The redhead became aware once more of the sword resting on her back and the smaller dagger tucked into a sheath on the outside of her leg, the weight of the two weapons making her feel off balance. She wasn’t used to donning such armor, carrying such means of protection, but with no abilities to rely on, it was a necessary precaution that they needed to take.[/color]

[color=#808080]She too felt as though her body was finding its proper placement after their spontaneous emergence in this so-called Ünterland, the journey to get there like no teleportation she’d experienced prior. That, combined with the lack of HZE’s made her feel like a stranger in her own skin; the normal give and take around her was nonexistent, like a word on the tip of your tongue that you can’t remember no matter how hard you try. An emptiness that could not be filled. [/color]

[color=#808080]Aurora clutched onto Lorcán, knuckles growing pale as she anchored herself to him.[/color]

[color=#8ecdb7]“I feel really weird, Lor, I don’t like this,” [/color][color=#808080]She expressed, a shiver pricking the back of her neck as another howl from the forest echoed along the beach, [/color][color=#8ecdb7]“This place is…” [/color][color=#808080]The redhead trailed off, letting her gaze leave his as she took in their surroundings once more, a tinge of regret blooming in her chest. [/color]

[color=#8ecdb7]“What have we gotten ourselves into?”[/color]

[color=#fe650d]“I don’t know,”[/color][color=#808080] Lorcán replied,[/color][color=#fe650d] “But this ain’t the vibe, it’s dark here. I can feel it leeching into me.”[/color][color=#808080] He looked around, surveying the edge of the untamed wilderness again. [/color]

[color=#fe650d]“We should get moving, the sooner we find Amma, the sooner we can go home.”[/color]

[color=#808080]Aurora nodded in agreement before spotting Ellara approaching them from the opposite side of the beach, her confident gait indicative of her familiarity with the setting. But there was no sign of-[/color]

[color=#8ecdb7]“Gil.” [/color][color=#808080]She blurted, sapphires frantically darting around in an attempt to locate the fourth member of their party. [/color][color=#8ecdb7]“Where’s Gil?”[/color]

[color=#808080]At Aurora’s urging, Lorcán looked past Ellara and then in the other direction as he too failed to locate their friend.[/color]

[color=#fe650d]“Gil!” [/color][color=#808080]Lorcán suddenly shouted, [/color][color=#fe650d]“Gil, dude! Where are yo-”[/color]

[color=#816c90]“Shut up!”[/color][color=#808080] Ellara hissed, rushing towards the pair, her eyes wandering the treeline.[/color][color=#816c90] “You do [/color][color=#816c90][i]not[/i][/color][color=#816c90] want to attract that kind of attention here.”[/color][color=#808080] She cautioned, a hand hovering above the holster that concealed her folding shotgun axe. [/color][color=#816c90]“Limbo isn’t always predictable and with Gil’s state of mind, it’s not surprising he was spat out elsewhere,”[/color][color=#808080] Ellara added, still waiting for repercussions to Lorcán’s thoughtless shouting.[/color]

[color=#816c90]“Come on, we’ll find him soon enough and I have no doubt he’s closer to Amma than we are.”[/color][/indent][/indent][/color]
[COLOR=808080][CENTER][COLOR=8ECDB7][sup]__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sup][/COLOR][img]https://i.imgur.com/j1Y1xJM.jpeg[/img][/CENTER][indent][sub][COLOR=8ECDB7][B]Location:[/B][/COLOR] [I]Crestwood Hollow[/I] - [I]New Hampshire[/I][/sub][sup][right][COLOR=8ECDB7][b]Human #5.055:[/b][/COLOR] [I]Teeth[/I][/right][/sup][/indent][center][COLOR=8ECDB7][SUP][sub]________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sub][/SUP][/COLOR][/center][indent][sub][color=8ECDB7][B]Interaction(s):[/B][/color][I] [color=#fe650d]Lorcán[/color], [color=#816c90]Ellara[/color] [@Lord Wraith][/I][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][COLOR=8ECDB7][b]Previously:[/b][/COLOR] [COLOR=808080][I]I Can't Handle Change[/I][/color][/right][/SUP][/indent][/color]
[indent][indent][color=#808080]The early morning air in Crestwood Hollow was crisp, carrying the faint, comforting scent of woodsmoke. The sun was just beginning to rise, painting the edges of the sky in soft hues of pink and gold as Aurora slipped quietly out of the Jones’ house.[/color]

[color=#808080]Softly pulling the front door closed behind her, she stepped out onto the quiet street, mist still clinging to the ground and dew drops coating the grass. She adjusted her earbuds and took a deep breath, the chill biting her lungs but centering her in a way she hadn’t felt in days. The town was still asleep, and for a moment, it felt like the world was hers alone.[/color]

[color=#808080]The redhead started her run off at an easy pace, her sneakers audibly crunching as she ran atop the blanket of fallen leaves scattered on the pavement. The Belle part of town was charming in the dawn light, its tidy homes framed by autumnal hues and curling vines. It was picturesque and peaceful, but Aurora didn’t linger, her focus on the cadence of her steps and the steady beat of her music.[/color]

[color=#808080]Train tracks marking the divide between the Belle and the Beau soon came into view, and a trailhead appeared just where Cass had said it would, tucked between a crumbling stone wall and a cluster of maple trees. Aurora paused for a moment, gazing at the narrow dirt path that disappeared into the dense woods before venturing into the labyrinth. [/color]

[color=#808080]The forest welcomed her with its quiet stillness, and as the trail twisted and turned she let her mind clear, unraveling the tangle of emotions she’d been carrying. Her legs ached and her lungs burned as she settled into her stride, but it was a good kind of pain- a reminder that she was still here, still moving, even if she didn’t know where she was going. Out here, with the cool air brushing against her flushed cheeks, she didn’t have to think about what she’d left behind or the uncertainty that loomed ahead. Or how lost she felt or how desperately she missed the familiarity of P.R.C.U. Each step she took felt like a release, the tension in her chest easing as the world narrowed to only the sound of her breathing.[/color]

[color=#808080]After a few miles, she slowed to a stop at a small clearing where the trail widened, sunlight breaking through the canopy above to dapple the forest floor in a golden glow. The break in the trees offered a breathtaking view of the valley that stretched below in a patchwork of colors. Wiping the sweat from her brow, her gaze lingered on the horizon before she tilted her head back, closing her eyes as she let the sunlight warm her face.[/color]

[color=#808080]Aurora took a deep breath, letting it fill her lungs anew. Although the weight in her chest hadn’t disappeared, it didn’t feel like it was suffocating her anymore, no longer pressing down with the same unbearable heaviness. Here, she felt like she could finally breathe- really breathe- in a way she hadn’t since leaving the Island.[/color]

[color=#808080]For the first time, things seemed brighter, more hopeful. Maybe she’d find her way after all.[/color][/indent][/indent]
[CENTER][COLOR=8ECDB7][sup]_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sup][/COLOR][/center]
[color=808080][indent][color=#a9a9a9][sup][b]| Several Weeks from Now[/b][/sup][/color][indent][color=#808080]Shadows danced between the trees, cast by the pale light of the crimson moon as Aurora pressed herself into the hollow of an ancient oak, her breath shallow and her pulse hammering in her ears. Her eyes darted back along the path she’d been chased down, but the forest had swallowed all signs of her trail. She willed her racing heart to quiet, but in the silence, another sound cut through - soft footsteps, slow and measured.[/color]

[color=#808080]A voice, silken and unhurried, drifted towards her. [/color]

[color=#ffffff]“I can sense you, fair one.”[/color]

[color=#808080]She dared not move, hardly breathed, but the forest floor betrayed her; a sharp snap of twigs underfoot shattered the silence. The redhead could practically feel him smiling, his footsteps now deliberate as he closed in.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]“You know, there are terrible things lurking in these woods.”[/color][color=#808080] He drawled, low and smooth, like velvet darkness. Despite every instinct screaming at her not to look, her gaze was inexplicably drawn to him — a figure emerging from the shadowed underbrush with an unnatural, predatory grace. His piercing eyes glinted with hunger, and his smile revealed fangs that caught the moonlight, sharp and ready.[/color][color=#ffffff] “But perhaps nothing as terrible as me.”[/color]

[color=#808080]Aurora took a step back, only to feel the rough bark of the tree behind her. The vampire inclined his head, almost in pity, and closed the final distance between them, moving with the casual confidence of a hunter who knew his prey couldn’t escape. After all, there was nowhere else to run. His eyes traced her with a languid, hungry gaze, the dark depths full of promises both terrifying and mesmerizing.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]"Go on, run," [/color][color=#808080]he murmured, his abnormally cold fingers tracing the curve of her cheek with an eerie gentleness, tucking a lock of her copper hair behind her ear. [/color][color=#ffffff]"It won't change how this ends."[/color]

[color=#808080]With a flash of motion, his arm curled around her, pulling her close. She initially struggled, but his presence seemed to drown out everything else - her strength, her resolve, even her will to run. He held her in place, tilting her head slightly as if she were an offering, and his mouth grazed her neck where her pulse throbbed.[/color]

[color=#808080]In her final moments of consciousness, Aurora thought of Lorcán, of his warmth, his smile, his ember eyes.[/color]

[color=#808080]But everything went dark the second the vampire’s fangs punctured her skin.[/color][/indent][/indent][/color]