LOREBOOKS
THE TALE OF WELLSPRING FOREST
Original author unknown. Tale spread by word-of-mouth
A cautionary tale often told to young ones to warn them of the dangers of Contract Magic…
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Long ago, there was once a lady named Midas who dreamed all she could dream. She saw the bright wonders of the world, even as her village suffered through famine and misfortune.
Earthquakes destroyed the land— and crops withered and died— all the while, Midas smiled. For she had a hope. She had dreams.
She dreamed of the day that her village would share in bountiful harvests and the smile of the sun upon their fur. While her village started to lose hope, Midas would always keep hope in her heart.
She would save this village, she told herself.
She would be the light when others could not.
Her dreams turned into passion, and she took pen to paper.
She wrote.
Through the desperation she smiled, and she wrote, until one day, her dreams finally came true.
She awoke in a forest surrounded by lush trees bearing the ripest of fruit. The animals were kind and the wind was rich with sweet nectar.
“Everyone, look, look! I did it, I created our new paradise! I have turned our village into Wellspring Forest!” She called, blazing through the foliage— shouting with glee.
But no matter how hard she searched, or how far she ran.
She could not find her village.
She could not find a Earthling single soul.
Alone in the forest, Midas tasted the fruit and water of dreams. She laid in the softest of grass, and adored the most magical of plants. Her body, however, began to wither.
She did not hunger, yet her belly felt empty. She was not thirsty, despite the dryness in her throat. The animals were sweet, but she came to realise that their souls were empty.
All she felt…was tired.
And more tired still.
Midas closed her eyes.
She had done it. She had found paradise.
And now it was finally time for her to rest.
Wellspring Forest still exists. All who enter never return. It is theorised that the forest offers one everything the heart desires, but only as an illusion. There is said to be a great treasure at the center of the forest, although none has ever confirmed it.
The forest was almost certainly created through a Failed Contract many years ago. It is one of the few notable Failed Contracts in history. No one knows how long ago this occured, however.