Memory Blooms

Ah Peck

Stupid

If there was one word that could describe your decision making-process, it would be absolutely, completely, utterly stupid.

You didn't have to be in this forest, you really didn't. There were plenty of other options available in procuring the ingredients for what would no doubt be your most ambitious project yet. Places like little antique shops, crystal lakes, overgrown ruins... little places with little bits of wonder.

But... you were looking for something specific. Something specific... and powerful to boot. Something that could only be found in places with a high concentration of magical energy, and this place fit the bill almost too perfectly.

You tip-toed around a vicious circle of spiked roots poking out of the ground, glowing a fluorescent red. That was due to the detection enchantment you had placed on yourself. Revealing things that would otherwise be hidden to the naked eye, within a given radius, of course.

The supposed forest you were traveling through was known as "Subcon Forest". A mysterious, dangerous, and somewhat nonsensical place that people routinely disappeared in.

Of course, you didn't just waltz right in unprepared, no you weren't completely off your rocker. You had done a little research on the woods first, and prepared in any way that you could.

Then you decided to waltz right in.

A soul-stealing demon, a ruined kingdom, talking nooses, shadow children, blah blah blah... Senseless stories more than likely made up to keep curious children out, and yet, much to your surprise, a lot of those rumors held some truth to them. You had actually passed a group of "talking nooses" not long ago and it was... uncomfortable... to say the least. That curious part of you wondered though. Were they supposed to be similar to sirens? Like the ones that lure people in with sweet words only to bring about their victim's brutal end? A bit silly how they went about the whole "luring in" part, but hey, "A" for effort, you guess.

You let out a huff as you came across another trap. A net this time, hidden well underneath the dirt that, without your enchantment, would've totally caught you unawares. What the hell could need this many traps?! And why place them in the middle of the path?

You reached back, shuffling your hand in one of the side pockets of your backpack, and pulled out a silver wand. A coil of silver and white cedar wood ran up along the stem of the wand, coming up into an arrowhead tip at the very top.

Magic, however, was finicky to use. It required intent, belief, and emotion, all of which had to be genuine all the way down. It had been this way for as long as you could remember, and yet, you would occasionally (often) have trouble with it. The charms you kept with you did help a little, but they could only take you so far.

You closed your eyes, raising your wand not unlike how a conductor would.

"Something." You whispered to yourself, the beginnings of a spell.

"Something hidden, that which surrounds. Show me thy truth..."

"And the lost let be found."

A force exploded from the tip of your wand, traveling out and into the night like a shock-wave. One by one, red dots began to appear in the distance, a lot of red dots. Littering your vision like stars in the night.

"You gotta be kidding me..." You muttered. Seems like this was gonna take longer than you thought, unless...?

You reached into your pocket, and pulled out a small, ornate, brass compass. It wasn't a normal compass of course (honestly, it didn't even have the four cardinal directions on it). Nope, instead, this compass would point in one direction, to the nearest, strongest source of magic. At least, that was what it was supposed to do. Instead, it decided spinning rapidly in a circle would be a better use of your time.