[center][h3][color=#aa66dd]Arriving at the Forest[/color][/h3][/center]

[color=#cc8899]"Here we are. I don't know what you're looking for out in the forest, but here's the furthest I am willing to go. Good luck out there in the woods!"[/color] came the rough voice of the taxi driver as he not-so-gently applied the break.

The taxi pulled to an abrupt halt in the middle of an empty road. One quick glance around the surroundings would reveal how empty and desolate the road was. There was not even a single vehicle in sight. This was the only road that led into the stretch of forest. Nothing could be heard other than the ever-incessant whir of the engines and the puffs of smoke chugging out of the exhaust pipes.

Morgan reached into his pocket, fished his wallet out, and opened it. Slotted within his wallet was the prepaid card that came with the mysterious postcard that Morgan had received just two weeks ago. A week or so ago, Morgan might have hesitated with the use of the card. After all, who would air drop a card with an unspecified monetary value so easily to someone else. With how the postcard and package had just lightly flitted into his room, it was definitely much more likely for the entire package to have just been a prank, or that the card had been empty.

However, Morgan was desperate. Desperate enough to grasp at any straws that offered even a faint slim chance of survival. There was no way Morgan could bear any more of the pain, suffering and wounds of society. Humans and humanity hurt themselves way too much and easily. Just a simple walk to the supermarket and back and Morgan could experience at least two to three people hurting themselves by accident or otherwise. Morgan would always end up with cuts and bruises each time he deigned to leave the house.

Morgan quickly paid the taxi fare with the card he was holding. Without a moment's hesitation, he got out of the taxi, retrieved his bag pack and headed off along the road leading into the forest. He had no idea what to expect when he arrived at his destination, but Morgan was willing to bet everything he had on this last chance.

[center][h3][color=#aa66dd]Journey to the Cabin[/color][/h3][/center]

As Morgan took one step after another, the serenity of the forest became more and more oppressive. The forest was silent and quiet. The pause button seemed to be on. Even the rustle of the leaves as the wind blew past the nearby trees seemed muted. Morgan took another glance at the map application on his phone to ascertain that he was heading in the right direction and continued walking.

There was definitely something good about all the silence and inactivity around Morgan. At the very least, if there was nobody around, there would not be anyone getting hurt, and Morgan's weird... magic would not activate and cause him even more pain.

As Morgan trudged onwards, he began to wonder what he would discover when he eventually reached his destination. Throughout his whole journey, his mind had been preoccupied with where else he needed to go and what mode of transportation he needed to take. He had taken a domestic flight, took a train, and then at the train station, hopped onto the taxi that had dropped him off in front of the forest for the final lap of his journey.

It was only now when Morgan was so close to where the postcard had asked him to go that he finally had the chance to think about what he was supposed to expect. The postcard had mentioned a tutor. Could the final destination be a school for what the postcard termed "warlocks and witches"? Yet, the postcard mentioned that magic had not been seen for thousands of years, so it seemed less plausible that the location mentioned on the postcard was an academy. Maybe Morgan would meet a wise sage with knowledge beyond his or her years.

Or, was it possible that these "warlocks and witches" were evil and did the bidding of the devils and demons of old. Morgan did not fail to notice how the address contained "666", the so-called "Number of the Beast". Was it possible that he was being invited to a cult? Would he end up being forced into eternal servitude under the devil? Morgan's footsteps faltered at this point. However, he had already come so far, that there was no turning back. The only thing he could do now was to continue on to see for himself what the invitation was about.

There was one point of worry though: The "creatures that the mages of old banished" and the hunters mentioned on the postcard. Were they likely to be watching Morgan now? Morgan felt a shiver run down his spine at the thought of being caught unawares and attacked before he reached what he deemed as a momentary safe haven. He quickened his footsteps and willed himself to walk faster.

[center][h3][color=#aa66dd]The Cabin[/color][/h3][/center]

Morgan took a look at the map on his phone. The map indicated that his desired location was just a turn ahead. Morgan slid his phone into his pocket - he did not need to use the map application any more. Morgan continued walking and as he rounded the bend in the road, the sight of a desolate, lonely building standing there amidst a clearing in the forest. A dead tree stood right beside the house, bringing with it an ominous feeling.

The roof of the building seemed to be in disrepair and it was unlikely that there was anyone living in the building. Morgan took out his phone and the postcard again - perhaps he had made a mistake and this was not the right destination? Thoughts that he would be forced into a cultist group surfaced in his mind yet again. Morgan wondered if it was not too late to turn around. He could not imagine having to spend a night in a building that was as exposed to the weather as the building in front was.

As Morgan was trying to decide what he could do, he heard a small commotion just to the side of the house. He saw a dark circular space expand in the middle of a group of four people - three women and one man. "Dark circular space" may not be an apt description of what Morgan witnessed. It seemed more like light was just non-existent within that space. Morgan did not have much time to ponder on what he had just seen before a woman stepped out of the circular space, lit up what seemed to be a cigarette and seemed to be speaking to the rest of the people around her. Morgan could not hear what she was saying, but he was drawn to find out more about each of those people and their supposed "magic".

Morgan slid his phone into his pocket yet again and after taking a deep breath, as if to encourage himself, started silently and slowly walking towards the group of people gathered near the house.