The memory of the first incursion she’d entered flickered to life in her mind, the moment that had changed everything. She hadn’t gone looking for it. It had come to her.

It had been an ordinary evening, a run through her usual route. She was well into her rhythm, her earbuds blasting music, when she heard it - a piercing wail, cutting through her playlist like a knife. It wasn’t just a scream. It was a cry that seemed to pierce her chest, drawing her feet to a halt, her heart hammering against her ribs.

She slowed, hesitating. But her legs moved of their own accord, drawing her off the path, into the shadows. She ducked through a thicket of trees, pushing aside branches and leaves until she emerged into a clearing - a wide, open space that shouldn’t have been there, as if nature itself had shifted to reveal it.

At the center of the meadow was a circle of pillars, ancient and massive, their marble-like surfaces shimmering in the dim light. The stone veins seemed to pulse, flickering with a faint glow, as though alive. The longer she stared, the more they seemed to breathe, like the beating heart of some ancient, slumbering beast.

Before she knew it, her feet were moving again, carrying her toward the center of the circle, her gaze locked onto the raised dais at its heart. She climbed the three steps, her hands shaking as she reached the platform. There, nestled within the palm of a carved alabaster hand, was a stone - a pearl-like gemstone the size of a baseball, glinting under the starlight.

Her hand lifted, drawn to it against her will, fingertips brushing its surface. The cold shot through her like electricity, and the world spun, a kaleidoscope of images flooding her mind - ancient cities, shadowed figures, colossal beasts battling in realms beyond her understanding. She saw temples, palaces, ruins standing against the weight of time.

It was beautiful - and unbearable. The weight of it crushed her, pressing down on her until she thought she would break. Just as she felt the scream building in her throat, a voice echoed in her mind, soft yet insistent, each word curling through her thoughts with a venomous sweetness.

“Welcome, my child. You have been deemed worthy to carry my mantle. Rejoice, for I am your savior.”

Jessica’s heart thundered in her chest, her mind sluggish, struggling to make sense of the words. Wait, what? she thought, her brain swimming, the voice flooding her with an overwhelming sense of purpose - alien yet enticing.

The voice pressed on, undeterred. “No longer will you suffer, merely embrace me. Welcome me into your heart, and you will be given the power to…”

Suddenly, a spark of defiance flared within her, snapping her back to herself. Jessica jerked her hand away from the gemstone as if she’d touched a live wire, cradling her frostbitten fingertips against her chest. She glared down at the alabaster hand holding the gemstone, anger smoldering through her confusion.

"Look, lady,” she spat, the tremor in her voice almost masked by bravado. “I don’t know who you are, but I’m not some downtrodden bitty from the Middle Ages. I have a good job, a great boyfriend, and a plan for my future. And it sure as hell doesn’t involve making a deal with some creepy wannabe god-thing.”

The words came out fierce, defiant, though deep down she was rattled, the situation teetering on the edge of nightmare. Where had this courage come from? She was terrified, yet every instinct screamed at her not to back down, not to surrender.

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The presence in her mind pulsed, pressing down like a lead weight, its darkness seeping into her veins. She felt herself weakening, her own thoughts smothered by the sheer force of its will. Jessica fought against it, but it was like struggling against the tide.

“How dare you, you insignificant little human,” the voice seethed, growing colder, its false warmth dissolving. The edges of her vision blurred as the last words cut through her mind. “I’ll teach you to reject me.”

The world went black.

***

Jessica awoke with a start, the sharp beeping of her alarm clawing her back to reality. She slapped it off, the noise silenced as her breathing slowed. She sat up, blinking against the early morning light filtering into the room, her head throbbing with the remnants of… something.

“What a weird dream,” she muttered, rubbing her temples, the images already slipping from her memory like water through her fingers.

“Eh? What dream, love?” Nick’s warm voice murmured beside her as he stretched out an arm, pulling her close. She sank into his embrace, letting the familiar comfort of his warmth dissolve the last shadows of her nightmare.

“Nothing,” she murmured, trying to convince herself as much as him. “Just some crazy dream about a strange lady who thought she was a goddess or something. I don’t know… it was just a dream, you know?”

Nick chuckled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I bet you kicked her ass.”

Jessica laughed, a bit of the tension loosening from her chest. “You bet I did.” But a tiny knot of unease lingered, burrowing into her thoughts like a parasite. She brushed it off, though she couldn’t shake how real it had felt.

Nick pushed himself up, glancing at her with his usual playful grin. “Hey, I’m gonna hop in the shower, yeah? Want to ditch those running clothes and join me?” He waggled his eyebrows, grabbing a towel as he wriggled his way out of bed. His smirk faded as he caught sight of her face, concern knitting his brow.

“Jess… you alright? You look like you just saw a ghost.”

She blinked, shaking herself out of the fog. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” she said, trying for a casual smile as she batted him away. “Just… it’s nothing.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing to me.” He moved closer, his hand gentle on her back as he pulled her toward him, his gaze searching her face.

She exhaled, forcing herself to meet his eyes. “It’s… you just reminded me of something I forgot, that’s all.”

“Oh yeah? Must’ve been pretty devastating.” He cocked his head, his tone light but the worry still etched in his features.

“Sure was,” she replied, managing a grin. “I forgot your birthday gift at work.” She leaned back, flashing him a playful look, hoping it would ease his mind.

Nick’s face brightened, the hint of mischief she loved so much returning to his eyes. “Oh, well in that case, I’ll forgive you… if you make it up to me.”

She laughed, standing up and slipping out of her running clothes. She snagged the towel from his lap with a smirk, her eyes glinting. “Guess you’ll have to get your own towel,” she taunted, spinning away from his grasp.

“Hey! Get back here!” he called, his mock outrage sending a burst of laughter from her as she dashed toward the bathroom.

“Make me,” she shot back over her shoulder, dodging into the shower just as he lunged after her.

“Oh, I’ll make you alright,” he growled, following her with a grin. Moments later, laughter and playful shouts echoed out into the quiet bedroom, blending with the rush of the shower. For a little while, the memories of the strange voice and its chilling promise faded into the background.

But as silence settled back over the room, the echoes of her dream crept back into her mind.

***

The incursions were like shadows haunting her, half-remembered whispers from a time beyond memory. That first one had bound her to them in ways she didn’t yet understand, though the need to break free gnawed at her constantly, driving her south. The Mistress of the Forgotten Temple had tied her fate to these incursions - each one a gateway, a test, a snare that pulled her deeper into something ancient, something she couldn’t ignore.

So they rode south, leaving behind the comfort of familiarity, driven by a contract and the lure of answers. Jessica knew that somewhere out there lay something the Mistress wanted. And though the Mistress’s voice was silent now, Jessica could feel her influence coiling through her thoughts, urging her forward, deeper into the unknown.