《The Enchanted Forest is caused by industrial runoff?》


 Chapter 1: Stumbling Home

    Jack stared blankly at the almost surreal sight occupying the ally he had just walked into. It was getting close to 10:00, so one would expect the ally to be dark with shadows playing tricks on the mind. Instead of shadowpuppets and ghouls however, Jack was met with a scene straight out of a fairy tale. A faint mist obscured the trees, shrubs, and towering mushrooms that seemed to be growing straight out of the asphalt. The flora was densely packed together with a clear winding path cut through. Wispy lights danced around the ''forest'', if it could really be called such a thing considering that it was about 11 flights down in the undercity. Woodland critters scuttled back and forth merrily without a care as to how the hell they managed to get there, or what could possibly be supporting their ecosystem.


    "Oh for fucks sake, I just wanted to get home," groaned Jack.


    Jack hated ''glitterparks'', the affectionate name that locals of New Columbus had taken to calling the magical oasis''s that sprung up from time to time. They may look pretty but they don''t fuck around. Those cute, fluffy little red squirels chasing each other around? They''ll bite your toes off for the fun of it if you get too close to them. The soft, polka dotted, inviting looking stool sized mushroom? The spores paralyze it''s victims while it slowly digests and absorbs them.


    The glitterparks were a biproduct of magical oversaturation. They started popping up a few years after the Advent. People were so excited by the new possibilities brought about by magic that they didn''t even try to contain it properly. With the system seemingly connecting everything it all seemed so official straight from the start that nobody important thought tried to slow things down.At least that''s how Jack had heard it, the Advent happened almost 20 years before he was born.


    But all of that wasn''t particularly important to Jack at the moment. What was important was getting through the stupid forest so that he could get home and sleep instead of dealing with all of the bullshit that being a member of the magicless 99% entailed in the post Advent world.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    He started walking cautiously staying as far as he could from any potential sources of death. It went well for the first 30 seconds or so, then it started getting weirder. Jack felt the wind around him stir with the alien presence of ambient mana, causing the arms on the back of his arms and neck to stand up. An almost invisible pulse was sweeping out from somewhere deeper into the park. And Jack wasn''t the only one that had felt it.


    All of the scurying woodland critters that he had been trying so hard to avoid before were frozen. Not just still, but completely stationary. Jack couldn''t even tell if they were breathing. The only thing that appeared to be moving other than jack was the steadily growing pair of glowing green eyes and the hulking shadow they belonged to. The shadow conveniently appeared to be blocking the path in front of him. The path that he had just walked through was gone. Vines weaved together into a wall before his eyes preventing his retreat.


    With no other real option, Jack dashed into the woods. What had before been an alley only a few meters across at it''s widest point had been distorted by magic and now stretched way beyond what he could have expected. The thing with the eyes didn''t appear to be following him but Jack wasn''t taking any chances and kept running. At least all of the other creatures were still frozen, he wasn''t exactly prepared to be swarmed by them.


    Jack ran until the stich in his side burned to badly for him to keep running. His surroundings completely foreign to him, with no familiar landmarks. With no idea where to go, what to do, or how to react to the situation Jack decided to sit down.


    "OWWW" Jack howled, jumping back up. He had sat on something abnormally sharp in his haste to not be standing. Nothing was going his way today. He brushed aside some of the accumulated leaves to reveal a glowing blue crystal formation now sporting a few drops of his own blood.


    "Great now I''ll have to buy a new pair of-"


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Conditions met: Become system controller?</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Yes</td>


    <td>No</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Huh?

 Awakening

    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Conditions met: Become system controller?</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Yes</td>


    <td>No</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Jack stared blankly at the glowing blue screen before him with only one thought on his mind. What in the ever loving name of fuck is a system controller? The screen was obviously magical in origen, but that didn''t really mean much to jack. Almost all information about magic and it''s uses was controlled heavily by the societal elites, way above hisstatus. Still, the allure of magic called to everybody and Jack wasn''t about to throw away what was quite possibly the biggest opportunity of his life.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>You have accepted the Role of system controller for Sector #17: Zone B7. Congratulations!</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Well that doesn''t seem too bad,Jack thought,This days really looking up after all!


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    ERROR: Controller Prerequisites not met; Controller Body Unawakened, Affinity unspecified, Constitution Minimum not met.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Use accumulated Mana to resolve errors? Local ecosystems reliant on ambient mana stores may be consumed.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Yes</td>


    <td>No</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Will me accepting this destroy the glitterpark? Even if it does I can only see that as being a bonus to me, I don''t want to have to find my way out of here with that thing still around.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Beginning Awakening ritual...


    Latent Affinitys Detected: Lesser Earth, Lesser Life, Lesser Air.


    ERROR: Only one affinity can be active during the awakening proccess.Beginning Affinity Merge proccess...


    New affinity created: The Cycle of Growth, Decay, and Erosion


    Congratulations, for being the first holder of a unique affinity you have been awarded with the title "Wardern of the Cycle".


    Congratulations, for being the first holder of a new affinity you have been awarded with the title "Skill Innovator".


    Congratulations, for being a system controller you have gained access to system status screens. Good Luck!


    </td>


    </tr>


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    </table>


    Jack briefly felt a surge of power coursing through him, burning, strengthening, and threatening to rip him limb from limb before he blacked out and fell back to the forest floor. His eyes already closed by the time he hit the ground, Jack didn''t get to see the flora wilting visibly around him.