PlayerOliver

When you were a kid, you lived with your grandmother in the small town of Silvertree, on the edge of a magical forest. Grandma is a witch, and she taught you how to use your magic to affect the natural world, too. “Magic is a part of you,” she always told you. “Learning how to use it means figuring out who you are.”

Now you’re 19 and on your own. After years of living in the forest while you perfected your witchcraft, you’ve returned to take care of your grandmother’s house and crow-familiar while she’s gone. Figuring out who you are feels more important than ever - not to mention, figuring out what Silvertree is. A lot is just as you remembered: the friendly generous next-door neighbors with a kid just your age, the proud town council, the quaint little shops with quirky punny names, the gentle shadowy forest full of magic.

Stone in the shoe

The walk to the gates is quick now that you know where you're going, and when you reach them, you're met with the sight of a firefighter removing the heavy lock from the bars. There's such a bright beam coming from the flashlight he's holding that you can barely see past it—but you can just about make out the silhouettes of Zoe and Maxie waiting anxiously behind him, with Marlowe standing a little off to the side.


As soon as the gates swing open, Zoe and Maxie take a step forwards—but they remain still as you and Tobias exit the park, watching Tobias with wide, uncertain eyes.


"I hope you know you were trespassing by hopping over those gates while they were locked," the firefighter tells Tobias, piercing the tension slightly. "Plus, it means I've had to waste my time coming to let you out. I'm pretty sure you won't be doing that again, though—am I right?"


"Yeah, um—I'm sorry. I'm really sorry," he says hoarsely. Although he's addressing the firefighter in the moment, you see him look over at his parents at the last moment. His gaze lingers on them for a long time.


With that, the two of them can't seem to take it anymore. Maxie crosses the gap and pulls Tobias into a hug, and although Zoe hesitates slightly, she soon steps forward and puts her arms around both of them once it looks as though Tobias isn't about to run away again. You can see both parents saying something quietly to Tobias, and although you can't hear what it is, it doesn't seem as though Tobias objects.


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