III

Arion charges into a swirling cone of black vapor that engulfs a hilltop, carrying Hazel into a color-drained eye of the storm. In the stillness, a ruined courtyard appears, bordered by gateways and threaded with living Mist. The area feels magnetically charged, pulling Hazel forward despite her fear that the ground might crumble.

As Hazel dismounts to investigate, distant howls unnerve Arion. He bolts back through the archway, abandoning Hazel. She moves to the courtyard’s center, the Mist clinging to her, and calls out. A woman appears simultaneously from three gateways, her forms merging into one pale, beautiful figure with shifting, blurred afterimages.

The woman conjures twin torches, pushing the Mist to the edges. Two misty companions coalesce at her feet: a black Labrador and a long gray, masked weasel. She addresses Hazel by name and identifies herself as Hecate, goddess of magic, asserting control over the uncanny atmosphere.

Hecate’s presence confirms that the storm and the Mist are deliberate manifestations. She tells Hazel they have much to discuss if Hazel is to live through the night, setting immediate stakes and signaling that Hazel’s path forward will hinge on magic and decisions made here.