"You know, I could renege on the 'deal', walk right out of here and go on with my non-magical life. There'd be some backlash of power from the uncompleted pattern, but I could easily dodge that. Some of my magical works might be weakened, but probably no one would get hurt. The Forest would suffer a season or two of blight, would be less enchanted and haunted, but in time its leaves and magic would return. And in time I'd stop feeling the ache from where I tore out part of my soul; the bit of my heart I left with the Forest would never grow back, but the hole would scar over. I'd have a life. Of sorts.

"Or, I could continue along this path, join the life of the Forest, and keep heart and soul intact.

"Can you guess what I'll choose?"

Start
Part 3