Escape

Nothing vast enters the life of mortals without a curse.

When we were first told about the magical forest, there was much rejoicing. We were hungry – some were starving – for knowledge. How we yearned to drink in its sweet nectar and to cultivate beautiful landscapes that teemed with creativity.

Those who first discovered it made it free and open to all. Many began the hard work of building and landscaping, but the lands were so vast and so wild. We were overwhelmed by them.

Then they came and said they would help us cultivate the land and we rejoiced. They would harvest everything and provide us with its fruits, pre-processed, and ready for consumption. But as more of us went to them, they grew, and things started…Changing.

I can’t say as I’ve ever been attacked by an internet troll or a murder of moblins myself, but I’ve been close enough to see the carnage.

As more and more of them spawned, a dark presence could be felt permeating throughout the land. Suspicion grew. Trust evaporated. There were whispers…Many didn’t believe it was happening. Many simply didn’t know.

But, one day, a proclamation made it through the noise to many of us and the terrible truth was revealed: Many of these unfamiliar creatures were actually us, changed by the land and its fruits, and lost beyond self control.

Many forsake the forrest and, though the growth is more limited, retreated to safer burrows. The warmth and safety enticed, while battles raged above between people and those who became enchanted with that which loomed in the dark.

I don’t know how long it had been, really, since the burrowing started…But recently I caught wind of people planning to re-establish a connection; to find a way to safely harvest what we need to know without succumbing to the weakest parts of ourselves.

I started piecing together what I could find out about these strangers and their methods. From those pieces, I’ve begun studying and training in their ways and exploring the places they frequent. I do not know where these paths may lead, but I’m hoping there is a light at the end of this tunnel…