Submission (#4979) Approved

     The deep, purple night sky surrounding him through day and night was a little disconcerting at first but now he had been within Silveil for the past few weeks he was starting to get used to the pulse of the region. The lake was probably his most favorite part, the large expanse of star-filled mirror that reflected the sky which was illuminated from below by the unusual growth of the Elder Tree. He marveled at how it grew upside-down into the lake, glowing jellyfish dancing between its branches. Alais worked his way down the path, exploring the edge of the lakeside after earning some free time from his studies. A light-hearted song came to his ear as he walked, tugging his attention inland and away from the glittering lake. Curiously he paused where the path forked and decided the lake could wait for another night.

     Taking the more inland direction, Alais pushed a few branches to the side so he could pass by. The song had seemed to disappear but now he could see the moonlight glint off something in the distance and decided to go and investigate. He made his way through a small cultivated garden, the foliage around him coming to life under the soft glow of the moon. The plants seemed to shimmer and incandesce, their leaves and flowers illuminated by an otherworldly light. The air was filled with the sweet scent of blooming flowers and the soft hum of magic. The ground was soft and spongy underfoot, and Alais could see a faint mist rising from the earth, swirling around the cobblestones of the path he walked along. It was like something out of a dream, a magical oasis in the midst of the wilderness. Alais couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder and awe as he walked through the garden, marveling at the moonlit beauty that surrounded him.

     As he walked, the trees grew taller and the underbrush thicker. The air became increasingly filled with a sense of static, Alais could feel it tingling on his skin. Suddenly, the trees thinned out and he emerged into a small clearing. In the center sprouted a massive, glowing crystal, almost as tall as Alais himself, growing as if it had been thrust out from the ground like an emerging sapling. The crystal pulsed with a soft, pale blue light, and the plants around it were overgrown and vibrant, their leaves seeming to shimmer with an otherworldly energy. He couldn't help but feel a sense of awe as he approached the crystal, its sparkling surface drawing him in.

     Alais observed the area around him, feeling the ever-increasing draw towards the center of the clearing. He was reminded of something his sister had told him about a friend she had met a few days back. In her letter from not far from here she had written about meeting another kittom who had been affected by dusk fever. Said kittom had fallen into a shallow network of caves that opened into an expanse of glowing crystals. He wondered for a moment if these crystals were of the same source. Curiosity filled him, pulling him ever closer. He had heard stories of these crystals, written in books and explained in classes; their effect on the world around them was as ever-changing as the crystals themselves. Rynn had written that the ones around Enmir, where she had been at the time, grew like giant amethyst points from a bed of moss-covered rocks. This one however, looked as if it was a twisted trunk of a tree, many facets catching the moonlight and breaking it up into rainbows.

     He reached out to touch the crystal, feeling a strange sensation wash over him. It was as if the crystal was drawing energy from him, pulling at his very essence. Alais quickly snatched his hand back, feeling a little dizzy. He took a step back and surveyed the clearing once more noteing more details then when he first entered the area. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. The plants seemed to be glowing with an otherworldly light, flowers and leaves much larger and more colorful than he had ever encountered before, and that was even taking the many floral varieties of Faerindell into account! There was a sense of magic in the air, a palpable energy that Alais could feel thrumming through his veins. He could see the crystal's power at work all around him, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder and excitement at the prospect of sharing this discovery with the scholars he took classes with.

     As he stood there, he realized that this mana well was having a profound effect on the environment around it. More than his initial assessment. It was as if the crystal was acting as a conduit for the mana in the earth and air, channeling it into the plants and trees, causing them to thrive in a way that he had never seen before. Even the normally twilight colours of the starry sky above him seemed to have a more ethereal quality about it. He brought out a notebook and quill to take notes, trying to catalog which plants seemed to be affected the most as best he could. While he was no botanist, he knew a few who were and hoped the details he added would help identify the surrounding foliage. His gaze returned once again to the large crystal growth in the center of the clearing.

     It was then Alais realized the moon had shifted position. How long had he been gazing at this crystalline structure? Without realizing it, he had been lured into a sense of in-action, quill hovering over his paper as still as a statue. He shook himself to try and dispel the lethargy that seemed to hold him in place. It was the crystal’s effect on him, it had to be. The crimson kittom realized he was quickly losing time the longer he stayed there and wasn’t sure exactly how much. While he had the intuition to catch himself before he was trapped within the clearing, Alais knew that any unsuspecting elnin might not be so lucky. He had to report his discovery to the others who lived close by. He turned and made his way back to the village, his mind racing with all the possibilities that this discovery could bring, as long as the dangers were successfully mitigated.