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The tree's rough bark against my cheek is perfumed with wood smoke and something else. cinnamon? No, wilder than that. Elderflower, maybe? It's dizzying, this wood. Dizzying and beautiful, a kaleidoscope of emerald and jade, sunlight shattered into a million glinting fragments. I shouldn't be here. Mother warned me. "Stay on the path, Elara," she'd said, her voice like rustling leaves. But the path. The path was so... dull. So predictable.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0b2X1rvDbo
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My fingers tracing the gnarled shape of the ancient oak, wood pounding in a soft beat against my fingertips. A living thing, this tree, taking slow, centuries-old breaths. I feel something, a strange pull, as if a lost memory creaks close to breaking. The air vibrates with secret energy, a muffled pulsating that thrums deep in my bones. Is it magic? Of course it's magic. We all remember the Whispering Woods are full of it, pumped into the very fabric of the leaves and moss-covered boulders. But here, it's different, stronger, more complex… it's intoxicating.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfh3idD65ok
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I have to go back. Mother will be frantic. But the thought sends a shiver of… discontent? No. That's not it. It is something more like… repressed yearning. A longing for something I don't even know how to name, something that lingers just at the periphery of my vision. The woods are secretive, it implies endless possibilities. Possibility that would never involve weeks of needlework lessons and inane gossip from village girls.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTeJ4KqUJF
36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3E8NSyBLQW
A flash of blue catches my eye – a bird, unlike any I’ve ever seen. Its feathers shimmer like captured starlight, and its song is a melody of pure joy, a cascade of notes that fill my chest with a strange, exhilarating warmth. It lands on a branch, regarding me with intelligent, amber eyes. I'm not afraid. Or perhaps, it understands.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaSH6rJdtgy
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It chirps, the sound somehow able to be translated into question form. Lost? I think it says. I nod, the flush creeping up my neck. Lost in more than just one sense. Lost in the quotidian, in the crushing predictability of my life. Lost in myself.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3qxvGLeIf
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The bird takes flight, a blue streak against the green, and then, it beckons. It beckons me deeper into the woods, darting from limb to limb, always just out of reach. I follow, my heart thudding a crazy rhythm against my chest. Fear? A splinter of it, a prick at the edge of my excitement. But mostly, it's a rush of sheer exhilaration, a sense of unencumbered freedom I've never allowed myself to feel before.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQQxmaO6su
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The forest changes. The trees become taller, their branches entwining in a living branch that spots the sun with an otherworldly, green light. Strange, glowing flowers bloom in impossible colors, their petals spreading like velvet in their fantasies. Tiny creatures, shimmering and beautiful, scamper through the roots, their movements flowing and fluid.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdeH5m2fEZi
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Then I notice them. The Sylvans. They emerge from the shadows, their bark-colored skin, moss-colored hair, and their eyes pools of ancient wisdom. They are not threatening; they exude an unassuming strength, a sense of understanding. They do not speak, but their presence conveys all. Acceptance. Understanding.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGwZaaiLho
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They lead me to a moonlit clearing. There is one, twisted tree standing in the center, its trunk larger than any I have ever seen. Its leaves shine with an otherworldly light, and glowing balls hang from its branches that pulsate with a gentle beat. It's. beautiful. It's the heart of the forest, I believe. And I. I feel it calling to me. Calling me home.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoG3JnvAss
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The Sylvans gesture toward the tree. They're inviting me to touch it. To see. I hesitate, extending a hand, tracing the smooth, chilled bark with my fingers. A wave of energy sweeps over me, calming me, giving me a sense of way. I am not lost. I am found. Found in the core of the magic, in the core of the woods, in the core of myself. And for the first time, I am so, so. alive. The journey home can wait. At the moment, I am here. In this magical world, where the forest whispers to my heart.
