(align:"=><=")+(box:"===XXXX===")[//“And finally, the Onyx to who can keep a secret, concealed in the depth of the Woodland Herd. May we be able to protect what we have built”//]
(align:"=><=")+(box:"==XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX===")[(text-colour:red)[''Note for the reader'']]
(align:"<==>")+(box:"X")[This is an interactive guessing game. Your choices will (slightly) affect the course of the story and influence the mysterious fable answers. To win the game, try your best to guess which of the following statements about the fable is a //(text-colour:red)[lie]//:
1. The heart that fuels it is not of this world.
2. There are names carved into the wood of its body, but it has forgotten who the names belong to.
3. It has never died.
Are you ready?]
(align:"=><=")+(box:"==XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX===")[[[Enter the Woodland |The Beginning]]]
(align:"<==>")+(box:"X")[Once you have stopped screaming and regained control, you can examine what stands before you. Tall and resembling a piece of wood, it is a fable like you. You recognise it not because of its appearance, but because you feel a deep connection with that creature. You know you can trust it, and yet...
You wait for it to speak. This is mainly because you have no voice, but even if you did, anything you said would seem out of place.
«Follow me», the creature says after an endless silence. Its voice is deep, as if it came from another place. It both reassures and intimidates you.
What do you do?
[[Follow it|follow]]
[[Remain motionless, staring at it|stay]]](align:"<==>")+(box:"X")[As you struggle to keep up with it — its pace is slow, but your legs are only half as long — you soon lose your sense of direction. You hope with all your heart that trusting the mysterious figure was the right decision.
Suddenly, it stops. In front of you stands a huge, hollow oak tree. It is the largest tree you have ever seen, and it could easily hold a dozen fables inside. You follow your guide through the entrance. The furnishings are simple: just a bookcase and a straw bed. The fable motions for you to lie down on the straw. You are soaked from the rain and exhausted from walking, and that miserable pile of straw appears to you as a sumptuous four-poster bed. You lie down and stare at your host. Looking at them more closely, you realise that they are not as scary as they seemed at first. The hollowed fable is simply unlike anything you have seen before.
You clear your throat.
[[Who are you?|who are you]]
[[What is this place?|place]]](align:"<==>")+(box:"X")[The creature turns its head to stare at you once more. His piercing eyes seem to read your soul. «Would you rather stay in the rain?»
Then it continues on without looking back. The wooden fable has a slow, calm pace. You have no choice but to hurry after them before you lose sight of them among the trees.
[[...follow the creature|follow]]]
(align:"<==>")+(box:"X")[The rain is so heavy that not even the thick foliage of the trees provides sufficient shelter. You are sprinting, fighting the urge to turn around and check if whatever you are running from is still behind you. You know it is; you can feel something cold running down your spine, sending shivers through your body.
Now out of breath, the last thing you need is a sharp crack behind you. You abruptly look back, forgetting for a fatal moment that you were running through a dense forest. There is nothing there, but you don't have time to rejoice because your ankle catches on an exposed root. You fall to the ground, unable to cry out as the sound gets stuck in your throat. Maybe it's the fatigue from running, the cold or the blind fear twisting your stomach. You let out a sigh of relief, almost bursting into laughter. The cold thing running down your back is just the rain, and what you saw was nothing but your imagination. You slowly get up; your ankle isn't broken and you'll probably get away with just a bruise. Determined to finally find shelter, you look above you, only to scream so loudly that it feels like there's no air left in your lungs.
[[... continue|The figure]]](align:"<==>")+(box:"X")[«I am...» They suddenly stop, their gaze shifting to the hollow in their stomach. Leaning in, you manage to make out some engravings where the creature is looking. They look like words, but you cannot read them.
The fable is looking at you and a subtle smile ripples across their face. «Do you want to know about these names? Yes, there are names carved deep in my bones. They are part of me, but since I don't even know who I am, they mean nothing: Kryos, Thaumantiades, Alastor and Verdena: these are the names carved in my wood. Who they are is not important. They are part of me, but how can we possibly know everything about ourselves? I know almost nothing. This tree knows where it comes from and where it is, but we limited and grounded beings are clueless about everything, most notably ourselves. I'm no exception.»
[[...continue|world]]](align:"<==>")+(box:"X")[The fable smiles. «There's a lot more out there than we can see or touch. Just think of the stars in the night sky or the depths of the ocean. None of us will ever manage to go there. Yet the stars and the bottom of the ocean are part of our world. You believe in the existence of other worlds, but first, what is this world? Where does it end and where do new worlds begin?»
You try to say something, but what you mutter is almost unintelligible.
They continue. «My heart beats, and each beat is the chirping of a bird, a gust of wind, a falling leaf. This world is everything, and my heart beats with it. My heart nourishes this world, and this world nourishes my heart. My life does not belong to me; I am just a leaf in the woods or a blade of grass in a field».
Silence falls in the hallowed tree. You can't help but ask a question.
[[Are you... alive?|alive]]](align:"<==>")+(box:"X")[The fable nods in acknowledgement of your answer. «Indeed, there are many different ways in which we can exist in this world. Being a tree is different from living as a squirrel, and my existence is different from yours. I have lived for so many years that I have witnessed more than any other mortal could».
They pause, then start talking again. «Actually, I don't know if I have ever been alive. Don't worry. I'm not a ghost or anything like that. What I mean is that every step I take on this land is heavier than a mortal could bear. What I experience is dramatically different from what you can perceive. I am part of this tree; I am part of this wood. But it is not all that I am; I am much more».
They look at you. «What do you think happens to us after death?»
You answer without hesitation.
[[Nothing. When we die our whole existence disappears. |nothing]]
[[Our body is returned to Nature, while our soul will roam forever in this land.|soul]]]
(align:"<==")[The fable laughs. «This is a tricky question. Actually, I've always been dead. Or maybe I've never been alive, does that make any difference to you? Don't worry. I'm not a ghost or anything like that. What I mean is that every step I take on this land is heavier than a mortal could bear. Is that enough to make me dead? I don't know, but I don't feel like I'm alive the way you are».
They pause, then begin to talk again. «What do you think happens to us after death?»
You answer without hesitation.
[[Nothing. When we die our whole existence disappears. |nothing]]
[[Our body is returned to Nature, while our soul will roam forever in this land.|soul]]](align:"<==>")+(box:"X")[The fable sights. «You're one of those scientists, aren't you? Look at these names carved deep into my bones. I miss them every day. It's as if I'm missing a part of myself that I never got to know. Actually, that's exactly what they are: a part of me. Everything here is part of me. I'm walking in my own body; I'm breathing my own breath. I'm not complete without those four names, no matter whether I know who they are. How could I survive if I didn't believe that one day we'll all be reunited?»
You don't know what to say; it's all so touching. The fable continues as if you were no longer there. «Death is when your spirit leaves your physical body. When you die, it's as if you and your body are two separate entities: your spirit is immortal and will live forever, while your body will remain on the physical plane. Your body will feed the world, and the world will feed your soul. This is as close as you will ever get to what I experience every day. You will still be there, just in a different way. Don't be afraid. It's both natural and amazing. Death is not a curse; it is a blessing. It enables you to become more than you could ever have dreamed of».
[[...continue|final]]]
(align:"<==>")+(box:"X")[The fable nods. «You are right. I experience something similar every moment of my life. One moment I feel like a tiny drop of water in a stream; the next, I feel as if I am everything. I can hear the birds singing and the crunch of autumn leaves under a doe's hooves. But it's different from death, because I never got to experience what you call life. I've always been like this; this is my life, and it will stay this way until my heart stops beating». They pause for a moment. «Hopefully it will never happen, because if it does, there will be nowhere else to go, and then we will all be lost forever».
They remain silent for a while, staring at the huge oak towering above you. Now that everything is silent, you can hear a rhythmic sound in the air. You can't really tell where it comes from; it's everywhere. Then they continue. «I have four names carved in my bones», they say, pointing to their chest. «They are concealed, hidden inside my body. I find myself thinking that maybe they are not meant to be read. Maybe they're not there for me».
[[...continue|final]]](align:"<==>")+(box:"==XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX===")[And that brings us to the end of the journey. Have you found the answer you were after? If you're not sure, feel free to replay the story using the back arrows to choose different options. Don't worry, you will end up here, no matter what.
When you're ready, click on what you think is the lie:
[[1. The heart that fuels it is not of this world.|lie]]
[[2. There are names carved into the wood of its body, but it has forgotten who the names belong to.|true]]
[[3. It has never died.|true]]](align:"<==>")+(box:"==XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX===")[The lie is that (text-colour:red)[the heart that fuels it is not of this world]. Congrats if you guessed right!
Indeed, the fable's heart is the old hollowed oak which sustains the Woodland and the whole world, Draeridia. If the oak dies, everything else dies with it.
This is also why the fable has never died: they are tied to the oak, so dying would mean the destruction of the world.
When the two of you discuss death, Cernunnos say that their condition is similar to how other fables experience death, but not the same. After death, the souls of fables are free to roam the land and become part of it, which is comparable to how Cernunnos feels every day. The main difference is that, after death, fables no longer have bodies, whereas Cernunnos is physical.
Cernunnos is one of the Five Elders and the names carved on their wooden bones are those of the other four. There are five original Herds, each of which was assigned a precious stone containing part of the magic that sustains the world.
Four of the stones are small enough to hang around the neck, while the fifth one, assigned to the Wood Herd, is a pillar of Onyx. The four stones can be inserted into the Onyx Pillar to unleash enough magic to recreate the world. Or destroy it. Thus, this knowledge must remain a secret.
The other four Elders know nothing about the Onyx; they just believe the stones are powerful objects and know that they have to protect the one assigned to them. Someone, however, needs to know and the Woodland Elder, Cernunnos, is the obvious choice. As this knowledge is dangerous, they have asked for their memories to be wiped until the power of the Onyx is needed. They know that those names are important, but they have no idea //why//.
//No one can keep a secret better than someone who doesn't know it.//](align:"<==>")+(box:"==XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX===")[You are wrong, this sentence is true! Would you like to [[go back to the previous page|The end]] or [[move to the correct answer|lie]]?](align:"<==>")+(box:"X")[«This tree is my home and I will be forever grateful to be part of it. This oak is the oldest living being in all of Draeridia; when it dies, our land will soon follow.»
You look around, wondering how such a hollow tree could possibly be alive. As if reading your mind, the fable continues. «The tree is hollow, it's true, but it manages to get all the nourishment it needs thanks to its roots, which reach depths beyond your imagination. It is firmly rooted in the ground. It knows who it is and where it comes from, unlike the rest of us.»
[[...continue|world]]](align:"<==>")+(box:"X")[The two of you fall silent again. The deep connection you felt when you first met the creature has grown even stronger. You feel as though you have learnt a lot of things, not only about that fable, but also about yourself. Looking out of the tree, you notice that the rain has stopped. The fable is still there, smiling reassuringly at you. You stand up and poke your head out. Now that the storm has ended, the Woodland doesn't look so scary anymore. Or maybe it is your new understanding of the world that makes you feel more secure.
You stare back at the mysterious fable once again. It's time for you to leave and continue your journey.
«Thank you for... everything», you say. You are almost out of the tree when you turn around one last time. «You never told me your name».
The fable raises their head. They look majestic, the most beautiful creature you have ever seen. «A name is nothing but a tag. It doesn't represent who we are; it represents how others see us. Anyway, you can call me Cernunnos.»
You're not good at saying goodbye, and this one is a tough one, even though you've only been talking for a few hours. The fable nods, and you take this as a sign that you should step out.
After all, your journey has only just begun.
[[The end]]]
(align:"<==>")+(box:"X")[You can't help but interrupt him abruptly. «But I know very well where I come from; this world isn't that big! Don't you know where you come from? Are you even from this world?» you ask.
The fable sits down and answers you calmly, like a patient teacher in front of a class of unruly fawns. «I know where I am //now//. Do you think that anything you can't see with your eyes belongs to a different world? Do you think what you can see, hear or touch is more real than what you can't even imagine?»
You voice your response.
[[Yes?|yes]]
[[Well, no. Not really|no]]]