The Forest of the Forgotten

The morning mist clung to Nova like ghostly fingers as Amnity adjusted her canvas backpack for the third time in the last five minutes. Ellie could tell the cold morning air was already starting to get to her. It made her smile. as she checked the supplies in her bag one last time. Rope, check. Water, of course. A small knife, and her mirrors, in case they get stuck in a bind.

"You sure about this?" Ellie asked in a small laugh as she rose to her feet. Her voice, barely a whisper, a small respectful gesture to the rest of the forest that was still very much asleep. The trees surrounding them seemed to swallow what little light was starting to touch this side of the forest, their ancient bark twisted and contorted into blank, lifeless screams, frozen in eternal silence.

Amnity nodded, rubbing her hands together gently as she blew into her palms for warmth, her heart hammered against her ribs in a solemn chill as she hopped in her boots. "The Glowing Imp root only blooms in the deepest part of the forest, and the Midnight Moon Festival is only three days from now..." Amnity trailed off, thinking about her grandmother Elara, and how her weathered hands used to mix similar potions.

The Forest of the Forgotten had earned its name honestly. Local tales spoke of travelers who wandered in seeking treasure or adventure, only to emerge a few days later with no memory of what they found. Or worse, never emerging at all. Of course, Amnity and Ellie had studied the lost texts. While Ellie marked the safe paths, Amnity learned the protective charms. She hoped her new charged charms would be enough for the trek through the forest.

Amnity and Ellie stepped across the threshold together and immediately the air changed. It grew thick and sweet, heavy with the scent of moss and something flowery that seemed close enough to eat but felt just out of reach. Sunlight started to filter through the canopy in thin, golden shafts that seemed to move independently, regardless of the wind above it.

"Stay on the path." Ellie suddenly spoke with caution. She pulled on the compass Eleazar had given her. The needle spun wildly for a moment before settling on what she could only hope to be true north. "And whatever you do, and whatever happens, don't listen to the voices."

As if summoned by her words, a soft humming drifted through the trees, a lullaby in a language that neither of them recognized. An old, forgotten language. Beautiful and haunting. Amnity grabbed Ellie's hand and squeezed hard.

"Those voices."

They walked deeper into the forest, following a path that seemed to shift when they weren't looking directly at it. The trees grew larger and stranger, the deeper into the woods they went. The branches intertwining overhead formed cathedral-like archways. Flowers bloomed and withered along the forest floor, their petals carpeting the ground around Amnity and Ellie's feet in an ever-changing pattern of different colors.

"Oh, there's one!" Amnity leapt to life as she and Ellie walked the forest grounds. A faint blue glow pulsed between the base of the ancient trees, whose faces were long and tiredsome.

The glowing imp root was growing in a small clearing, its bulbous form nestled among ordinary ferns, like a fallen star in the dead of night. The root pulsed with an inner light that shifted from azure to violet and even a s;iver of silver peeked through the glowing fungi. Just looking at it, made Amnity feel dizzy with possibilities.

As they stepped into the clearing, the humming slowly came to a calming halt.

The sudden silence was more unsettling than the strange music had been. Ellie's grip tightened around Amnity's hand as shadows seemed to move at the edges of their vision and the air around the root began to shimmer.

"Quickly," Ellie whispered. Amnity let go of Elli's hand and pulled on her dark green canvas backpack. Ellie watched, on guard, as Amnity knelt down. She unzipped the top of it and dug out a pair of kitchen shears she had repurposed for her gardening and a baggy. Ellie continued to watch cautiously as Amnity worked her fingers into the soft soil. The root came free easily enough. As Amnity lifted it, the forest around them sighed to life.

The sound was like wind through autumn leaves, like the last breath of something ancient and tired.

"We should go." Ellie said urgently, suddenly very aware of how quiet it had actually gotten. "Now."

Amnity dropped the glowing fungi into the little baggy before slipping the baggy into a glass box before putting it all back in her canvas backpack. "Now, Amnity." Ellie's voice ranng, like a soft echo in Amnity's ear. Amnity's eyes glowed a soft golden blue as if Amnity was in a trance. Amnity slid the backpack back on her back and turned to face Ellie blinking the feeling away.

"It's quiet." Amnity said suddenly. Her voice breaking the thick silence between them. Amnity looked over Ellie's shoulder and sighed. "The path." Amnity spoke softly. In its way sat three identical paths, each winding away from different depths of the forest. "The compass." Amnity said. Ellie pulled at it again and looked down. The needle was spinning uneasily, unable to find any direction in its place where magic seemed to have pooled so deeply it defied the very laws of nature.

The humming began again, closer now, and with it came whispers, fragments of conversation, half-remembered dreams, the echo of laughter from celebrations of the past. Amnity closed her eyes and thought about her grandmother.

"When lost in magic," Elara spoke. "Trust not your eyes or ears. But your heart's true compass." Amnity spoke aloud softly, remembering the first time her grandmother Elara had said that. The first time, she had felt lost in the woods.

Amnity thought of the festival, the tradition she was trying to preserve, of the community in the valley that gathered with the lo specchio people of the east at the baseline of the forest underneath the full midnight moon to share in the wonder that she was bringing home. The potion Amnity planned on making would help them see the aura spirits that danced between the worlds. Worlds, Ellie and Eleazar would traverse through mirror magic and portkeys.

When Amnity opened her eyes again, one path in particular glowed faintly silver in the dim light. "This way." Amnity smiled, her eyes glowing a gentle but hazy yellow as she spoke.