The Tale of the Wishing Stone
There’s a place in the deepest corners of 4EverMore where the earth is soft, and the trees stretch so high they almost seem to touch the stars themselves. This place, known as Moonfall Glen, is whispered about in every corner of the realm, though few dare to venture there. For it is home to the Wishing Stone, a mystical relic said to grant the deepest desires of anyone brave enough to seek it out. But legends also warn of the stone's price: a wish made in earnest will be granted, but at a cost no one could ever predict.
It was here, under a silver-flecked sky, that Kaelen, the immortal wanderer, found himself standing. Kaelen wasn’t like most immortals in 4EverMore. While many were bound by their duties or their kingdoms, Kaelen roamed freely, driven by a longing he couldn’t quite name. For centuries, he had heard the legends of the Wishing Stone, but he'd always dismissed them as mere tales told to amuse children or warn off reckless adventurers.
Yet something had changed in him. Perhaps it was the endless centuries of wandering, the silent battles fought in the shadows, or the quiet loneliness that had begun to gnaw at his soul. Whatever it was, Kaelen now stood at the edge of Moonfall Glen, staring into the darkness with a question in his heart.
He wasn’t sure what he wanted, not exactly. There were a hundred things he could ask for—immense power, a kingdom of his own, a love that would last forever—but something told him that the stone knew his heart better than he did.
The glen was silent, save for the soft rustle of leaves and the occasional distant croak of a magical creature hidden in the woods. The ground was covered in soft moss that glowed faintly in the moonlight, lighting Kaelen’s path. And there, in the center of the glen, stood the Wishing Stone.
It was a large, smooth stone, about the size of a boulder, with veins of glowing light running through it, as if the stone itself were breathing. The air around it shimmered, and Kaelen could feel the pull of it, like a magnet drawing him closer.
With a deep breath, Kaelen stepped forward. The stone was ancient, its power palpable in the air. His voice was a mere whisper as he knelt before it, unsure of what to say.
“I wish…” Kaelen began, but then hesitated. What was he really asking for? What did he truly need? The question was simple, yet somehow impossible.
And then, as if the stone had read his thoughts, the air around him seemed to crackle with energy. Kaelen felt the weight of eternity pressing on his chest, and before he could say another word, the stone responded.
“You wish for understanding,” a voice whispered from the stone, ancient and wise. “A wish for something deeper than all the others.”
Kaelen froze. He hadn’t spoken the words aloud, but the stone had known.
“I wish to understand,” he repeated, feeling the weight of his desire settle into the pit of his stomach. “I wish to understand everything—the secrets of the immortal realm, the reason for my endless wandering, and the nature of time itself.”
For a moment, there was nothing but silence.
Then, the stone’s veins began to glow brighter, the light swirling like a tempest. Kaelen’s eyes widened as the world around him shifted. The air around him seemed to ripple, and the very fabric of the glen blurred, as though time itself was bending.
In an instant, Kaelen felt his mind expand, filling with knowledge—an overwhelming flood of visions, memories, and revelations. He saw the origins of 4EverMore, the ancient beings who had shaped the realm, the rise and fall of kingdoms, the whispers of long-forgotten gods. He saw himself, over and over, his endless journey through time, each moment of his life laid bare before him.
It was beautiful, and terrifying, and… it was too much.
Kaelen staggered back, clutching his head as the visions threatened to consume him. He could hear the stone’s voice again, softer this time, like a distant echo.
“You sought understanding, but no mortal or immortal can bear all the knowledge of eternity,” the stone warned. “You will carry this burden with you, but know this—understanding comes with a price. The world you see now is not as it seems.”
Kaelen’s chest heaved, the weight of the revelations pressing down on him. His wish had been granted, but at what cost? He felt as if he had just seen the very threads that wove 4EverMore together, but the tapestry was far darker than he could have imagined.
The stone fell silent, and Kaelen slowly rose to his feet, his mind reeling. He hadn’t expected this. He had wanted to understand, yes, but now… now he felt more lost than ever. He had glimpsed the true nature of immortality, the sacrifices, the endless cycles that bound them all. And with that understanding came an unbearable weight.
Kaelen left Moonfall Glen that night, his heart heavy with the knowledge he had gained. He knew he would never be the same again. The Wishing Stone had granted him what he had asked for, but in doing so, had shown him a world that was far more complicated than he could have ever imagined.
He didn’t regret his wish, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that understanding, like everything else in 4EverMore, was both a gift and a curse.
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