1. |
Children of the Forest
03:06
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The forest was vast and dense. While I was trying to find the right way, I suddenly started to make out pale forms among the trees. One of them approached, pointing her little hand towards an overgrown path. I started the march, and soon I saw how a dozen ghostly children were walking by my side through the forest.
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2. |
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I arrived at a small clearing. A ruined crypt covered in moss and vegetation emerged from the stone, and an imposing horseman guarded it entrance. I could not recognize the rider, but his kind and heartening words invited me to enter the crypt. And so, I did.
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3. |
The Blooming Grave
05:04
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The first sight of the interior amazed me. Not only the crypt opened to massive stairs and hidden galleries: the whole architecture was full of mysterious and colourful vegetation. Thorny roots, climbing vines, luminescent fungus: a real feast to the sight of an alchemist!
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4. |
Ethereal Presence
04:27
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After walking for some hours, I felt the need to stop and rest. I lighted a small fire and sat down, when I suddenly felt an ethereal presence approaching. I could not see it, but I'd swear it sat next to me to enjoy the warmth of the fire. It was then when I understood the crypt was populated by ghosts.
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5. |
The Inward Labyrinth
16:33
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As I went forward into the labyrinth, the route became increasingly odd and incomprehensible. Soaked grottoes would lead to monumental galleries, ruined towers and twisting corridors. Sometimes I had the feeling of being trapped in endless loops of impossible architecture, and the very corners of some passages seemed inconsistent to the understanding of any rational mind.
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6. |
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Inside the labyrinth I witnessed one of the most maddening scenes I have ever seen. A couple of lunatic gnomes were sharing a pipe, smoking a strong mix of herbs and creating fascinating and terrifying monstrosities out of the dense smoke. Both gnomes stayed in a constant trance, screaming in terror and laughing in joy during their insane game of ephemeral modelling.
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7. |
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I finally arrived to a series of dark and peaceful vaults. The air was covered in aromatic incense, candles surrounded the feet of the arches, and mysterious figures were laying on hanging beds of pristine white silk. Those placid sleepers seemed exhausted, their limbs hanging down, as if recovering from the wounds of a thousand past lives.
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8. |
Healing Alchemy
04:35
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Beyond the vaults I found the heart of the labyrinth. Under a stone dome, a lost child rested on a bed of stone and hair, entombed in life, sleeping an eternal slumber. The girl was ill, and then I understood the reason why the children of the forest called me. From my bag I fetched some oils and unguents of my creation and I applied them on the lips of the poor thing.
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9. |
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At the end of the room I could make out the first steps of an unfinished staircase leading upwards. As I climbed it, new steps formed before me, while the previous ones vanished as I passed them. I found myself ascending in a complete darkness, but suddenly I started tell of distant structures in the abyss. It was the labyrinth, and I could see it in its entirety as if the earth was made of translucent crystal.
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10. |
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When I reached the top, the sunlight blinded me as I arrived back to the crypt's entrance. The same horseman was still guarding it, but something was different in his appearance, making me understand I was no longer welcome inside the labyrinth. I left the clearing to resume my journey, while the rider remained still in his eternal watch.
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