_________.____________ ____ __. _________ _____ ________ / _____/| \_ ___ \| |/ _| / _____/ / _ \ \______ \ \_____ \ | / \ \/| < \_____ \ / /_\ \ | | \ / \| \ \___| | \ / \/ | \| ` \ /_______ /|___|\______ /____|__ \ /_______ /\____|__ /_______ / \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ __ __________ __________.____ ________ / \ / \_____ \\______ \ | \______ \ \ \/\/ // | \| _/ | | | \ \ // | \ | \ |___ | ` \ \__/\ / \_______ /____|_ /_______ \/_______ / \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ .--. .-'. .--. .--. .--. .--. .`-. .--. :::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\ ' `--' `.-' `--' `--' `--' `-.' `--' ` ISSUE 001 .--. .-'. .--. .--. .--. .--. .`-. .--. :::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\ ' `--' `.-' `--' `--' `--' `-.' `--' ` oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo ->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> A Trodden Path Jonah found himself at the park again, an expanse of forlorn green amidst the city's concrete and steel. It was a bleak place, where the trees whispered secrets and the wind felt as though it carried the sorrows of the entire world. On that particular day, he felt an odd tingling sensation as he walked between two ancient, gnarled trees that had always stood as silent guardians of the park. As if on cue, the sensation brought a series of fortunate events into his life. A text alert informed him that an overdue promotion was finally approved. Later, at the coffee shop where the barista usually messed up his order, his coffee was perfect—dark and full-bodied, with just the right amount of sweetness. Strangest of all, the random lottery ticket he'd bought on a whim turned out to be a minor winner. For the first time in months, Jonah went to bed that night with a smile on his face, attributing his good fortune to that mysterious walk between the two trees. Elated by the events of the previous day, he returned to the park, compelled to pass between the twin trees again. As he did, he felt the tingling sensation once more—but this time, something felt darker, almost sinister. The unraveling began swiftly. His phone buzzed with an email; the promotion was rescinded due to a sudden organizational reshuffle. Then, a large bird, perhaps a crow, flew overhead and dropped its payload, splattering him with droppings. The universe seemed to have tilted off its axis; the coffee he got was not just wrong, it was atrocious—burnt and bitter. Disoriented, Jonah trudged back home only to find his apartment had been burglarized. The window was smashed and his possessions rifled through, valuable or not, they were all gone. By nightfall, Jonah felt crushed, struggling to rationalize his stroke of horrendous luck. He lay in his bed, pondering whether to even visit the park again. But as he drifted to sleep, a vision materialized. He found himself in the park, but it was unlike any version of it he'd seen before. Everything shimmered with an ethereal glow. A Faerie, delicate but with a presence that filled the space, appeared before him. "You have trodden paths not meant for mortals. Trods shift reality, bending the luck that befalls you. You've tasted both sides, but now there's no going back. The trees are gone, and so is the path you walked." Jonah woke up in a cold sweat, the Faerie's words echoing in his mind. Compelled to confirm the vision, he rushed to the park. True enough, the ancient trees were gone, as if they had never been there at all. A deep emptiness filled him, knowing that he had flirted with the borders of a world not meant for him. From that day forward, Jonah's life settled into an average routine, neither overly fortunate nor entirely dismal. But the park never felt the same, and he could never shake the feeling that reality, once so stable, was now as elusive and shifting as the wind that still carried the world’s sorrows. He never did find out the name of the Faerie who visited him, nor did he ever see the mysterious trees again. But the lesson stayed with him—some paths are not meant to be walked, and once you've trodden on forbidden ground, there's simply no going back. ->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->- oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo oo1oo .--. .-'. .--. .--. .--. .--. .`-. .--. :::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\ ' `--' `.-' `--' `--' `--' `-.' `--' ` ! Produced by I HATE IT HERE - https://www.tengushee.com/ihih ! | #FAEWAVE #ERIS .--. .-'. .--. .--. .--. .--. .`-. .--. :::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\::::::::.\ ' `--' `.-' `--' `--' `--' `-.' `--' ` EOF