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

Swallowing hard, you steel yourself—and turn to look behind you.


You don't see anything—anyone—on the path. You can't see very far into the forest between the dense trees, but there's no sign of anybody there either. Just a bird that goes flying up from one of the branches.


You watch the path for a couple minutes longer, wanting to make sure there's nothing that might take you by surprise. Eventually, however, you're satisfied that you're the only living thing in sight. Everything else is just as still as ever.


Lowering your eyes to the undergrowth, you notice the little screws have stopped moving.


You stand where you are. The pulse that was guiding you, steering you through the trees, is gone. All you feel is the air on your skin.


A bird caws up in the canopy, and for a moment, the sound echoes before fading into the distance. The vast forest around you swallows it up.


You couldn't even begin to count the number of trees around you. All you know is that they seem to go on forever—


This time, it's a little closer over your head.


The very same instant that you realize what it means, you hear another crack.


33