The Potion of Echoes
In a forest where dragons rush through clouds and paper enchanted birds deliver message scrolls via moonlight, there lived two powerful wizards.
One was up in the frostbitten cliffs of the north and the other lived among the glowing mango groves of the south.
The northern wizard, known as Orlan, was a quiet but brilliant conjurer, whose potions shimmered with hidden truths and subtle spells.
He crafted his brews not for gold but for wonder, bottling stardust and snaring ideas from midnight breezes.
He shared glimpses of his work and a link to his webscroll through an enchanted mirror called FaceSpell, which allowed wizards, witches and cluckwins across all the realms to see one another’s magical musings, stories and breakfasts.
Down in the south, basking in the heat of fireflowers and volcanic springs lived Zavrex. A brash wizard of flair, fashion and followers.
Zavrex had a booming laugh and a head that glowed with each syllable he spoke.
While his magic was ok, his real talent was spinning.
He could spin a simple sleeping potion into an Elixir of Divine Slumber and sell it in crystal vials for a dragon’s ransom.
One evening, while browsing FaceSpell in his hammock, Zavrex spotted something curious: Orlan had shared a glimpse of a new creation, a glimmering turquoise vial labelled: Potion of Clarity.
The caption read: A sip of this, will help unravel the knots in your thoughts and clear the fog from your intentions!
Zavrex’s black eyes narrowed.
The next morning, he posted a teaser to a new product on his own FaceSpell:
The Chromalixir of Thought Ascension. It was eerily similar to Orlan’s potion except his was red, swirled by an illusionary shimmer and priced three times higher.
Within hours, Zavrex’s fans flooded his comment scroll with heart shaped runes and fire emojis.
Orders poured in and he even paid a thunderbird influencer to endorse it.
Orlan, sipping bubble tea from a wooden goblet, blinked in disbelief.
He had no desire for fame but watching his exact potion, barely disguised and hailed as a revolutionary invention by another wizard struck a chord
and not a pleasant one either.
So he did something rare for a wizard of the north, he sent a polite scroll which read:
Greetings, Zavrex. I noticed your new potion bears a striking resemblance to my Potion of Clarity. I’m glad it inspired you but would you consider acknowledging the source of your inspiration? A nod to my original work?
Zavrex saw the message, left it unread for a few days. Then he replied:
LOL… Cry me a river snow boy, I used my own ingredients. Yours was bland.
Mine is better. Deal with it!
Orlan wasn’t upset that someone had used his idea, he was upset that they didn’t have the decency to speak about where they’d got their inspiration/idea.
Orlan let it go then things got weirder.
Orlan noticed odd flickers on his webscroll late at night.
The kind that meant someone was scrying through digital mirrors.
His analytics owl whoo (pun intended) rarely had much to report,
hooted nervously:
Wizard Zavrex has visited your site… 47 times in the last 3 hours.
Zavrex had been rummaging on every page of Orlan’s webscroll and every FaceSpell post from ten winters ago. He was obsessed, lurking and hungry for new ideas to steal.
The southern wizard never spoke again but he watched and copied ideas.
Gave them shiny new names and marketed them with fireworks.
Orlan, growing weary, lit a small candle of wisdom in his den and pondered.
He thought of an old spell his friend had once told him:
A thief of ideas is poorer than those they steal from.
They gather jewels but never learn how to mine!
Orlan began including a secret sigil in his potion posts,
a soft rune visible only to true creators.
It was without instructions just intent. The real magic behind any craft.
Soon, Zavrex began copying potions that didn’t quite work.
His followers began to notice, one review read:
Tried the Soulstorm Essence. Just made me sneeze sparkles for two hours. Unimpressed!
Another had this to say:
This is just diluted dreamroot with glamour. My cat is not amused!!!
Meanwhile, Orlan kept creating and his following remained small but loyal.
Other wizards began reaching out to collaborate. One even said:
Your Potion of Clarity helped me finish my Book of Shadows. Thank you,
I added lavender and rose quartz. Hope that’s okay?
Orlan smiled. That’s how magic should be shared so we grow together.
Eventually, Zavrex’s reputation waned.
His fame became hollow, he’d copied too many spells that he didn’t understand. He couldn’t answer questions about how they worked.
His replies to critics were always loud but never wise.
The potion market moved on.
Orlan kept brewing, quietly and sincerely.
Moral of the Tale:
When someone’s creation sparks a fire in your own cauldron,
don’t pretend you conjured the flame from nothing.
Magic grows stronger when credit is given,
speak with respect and build on each other’s light, not by stealing it and painting it red.
Always remember: To copy without kindness is to curse your own craft.
Besides, no illusion lasts forever!
Stay Weird
ЯYΛП MΣПƬIƧ
International Man of Mischief