Released!

The bark cracked!

Do enchantments wear off? Do spells and charms entropy? Do the fey finally succumb to the laws of thermodynamics? Is it a contradiction in terms? Is it a lack of proper perception? Perhaps one magic finally submits to another…

The tree shook violently and began to split from the top down. Ripping and cracking, it tore itself apart. It burst and shattered and split to the earth, exploding into a rain of toothpicks.

“There!” said the wizard, stepping away from where the tree once stood.

“Beware Nimue, if you are still in this world, for Merlin walks again!”