Vada, the valley of crystalline wonders. In all her studies, she had never seen something that was both mineral and flora. The accounts of trees growing tall like gemstone sculptures and magical creatures flocking to the oasis that flowed water in the spectrum of the rainbow sounded too amazing to be true. As an herbalist, she had to visit it at least once in her lifetime. How did those trees develop throughout their life cycles? How did they grow? What did their seeds look like, if they had any? What properties did the mystic water have? These and many more questions were filling her head as she looked out the window down below. This was the Himiria Scar. A legend even among the Rosenites.

Though she was anxious to step off the ground, the Sky Tram was the best way to see it all at once. Pushing past her fears, she had entered with her eyes closed. The occasional sway of the tram made her stomach tie itself into knots, but when she saw what was below them, the view was more than worth it. A clear distinction in the desolate desert marked by crystals showed the one safe path to traverse along the Himiria Scar. From there it widened, flanked with the famous crystalline trees she now had the fortune of seeing. She couldn't wait to see them up close. It was hard to see anything else aside from the dense petrified treetops. Nerine caught a glimmer of the rainbow river that flowed from a great spire. Smaller flocks of flying creatures with the same iridescence passed by the tram's car as it began its descent. She was speechless. She had great expectations of the valley, but this–it was beyond her wildest dreams.

"Incredible…" Letting out a low whistle, Walter was staring at the ground miles below them. Nerine had asked him if he could come along with her to visit a place she'd never been to before. He accepted, but wasn't sure why she wanted him to come so insistently. The first thing that clicked when they came to Vada was her sudden bout panic when it came to step into the Sky Tram. Not knowing much about Rosenites, he assumed she had a fear of heights. And seeing how they were dangling from a car in the air, he could understand why she would be afraid. The wolf wasn't too keen on hanging in the sky either, but she needed the moral support. Telling the scholar to close her eyes and walk forward, he made sure she didn't trip on the way up. 

"This place really is something. It's like somebody split open a rock filled with crystals, then made it grow." Crystal trees? He'd never thought they were real. Not as living, growing trees anyway. "I've heard stories about this place. It's called the Himiria Scar, and it was hit by a fallen star known as the Himiria Star. Long time ago, a goddess called Vada turned the impact site of the meteor into a place of life. The star dust from it grew trees of the same colors, and they made the safe path people can walk upon." Nerine said, her panic now over. Looking on in awe, he leaned over to see something flowing down the land in all sorts of colors. "That's the rainbow river over there–never thought I'd see that too. Is it clear when you scoop it up, or does it stay that way?" The tracker pointed at the flowing channels below. "I wouldn't know. We should try it when we land." Came her reply. "Maybe better use a flask than our bare hands then. If everything here's that color from the water, I'm not sure I'd be happy getting a few new shades in my skin." 

The thought of the fur of his wolf form in swirls of pink and yellow gave a good laugh, but he'd likely cry if it actually happened. What if the color didn't come off? How would he walk around after that?

She sighed in relief when they were back on solid ground. Feeling better, she was ready to take a look at the crystallized forest of the Scar. The trees formed a surprisingly dense canopy making it darker than she had expected. In the shade, she saw all sorts of magical creatures frolicking in the oasis of life. "Fauns, satyrs, oh is that a maenad? Are there dryads here? I wonder if these trees have spirits too." While she walked, she took care to stay on the path. "Watch your step, once we reach the Scar's center we shouldn't have to worry as much. Whatever you do, absolutely do not step off the stone. The quicksand will swallow you faster than an avalanche."

That said, it was hard to follow her own advice. The valley was filled with such amazing and curious things that becoming distracted was a given. Taking out a book with yellowed parchment, she flipped through the pages as she identified what she saw. Whatever she hadn't seen before and wasn't in the book was added through sketches on blank scrolls she had in her pack. Carefully reaching up, she took a 'branch' off the ground and held it in a patch of sunlight. "I don't see any sap or fluids from it. Hmm…if I were to use some soil and a bit of alchemy, would this become another sapling?" Tucking it away safely, she took samples where she could. When they finally reached the banks of the prismatic waters of the Himiria Scar's river, she produced an empty canteen and gingerly dipped it in. Drawing it out, she carefully capped it, not wanting to spill a single drop. Maybe this water was the key to making the trees take root. It never hurt to try.

Noticing some monoliths of crystal with inscribed symbols, she tried to figure out what they were. "Runes? Or…maybe just a simple inscription. I don't think I've seen anything similar. Perhaps someone back at Auzial might know. Might as well write them down." Making a few rubbings of them, she drew a smaller version of the crystal marker in the empty space. It was surprisingly warm here, and humid. "Almost feels like home, but with more shade."

"Right…don't stray from the path." Hearing just how quickly one could be pulled under was jarring to say the least, and he wasn't keen on testing it. Walter followed carefully, keep an eye on where his feet were. Forests were something he was used to, but these were more like if someone carved the shapes of trees out of gemstones. How did they manage to change? He couldn't understand at all. The creatures were another story. He'd grown up seeing deer, rabbits, birds, and wildcats. But half-goat men and birds the color of the rainbow? It felt like stepping inside a children's storybook. He wasn't being very talkative due to seeing all these strange sights. Eventually he started to grimace as the humidity was getting to him. He couldn't escape it, regardless which form he was in. As wolf it'd be worse, so he started peeling off layers.

"Are these really trees? They don't feel or smell like them at all." Walter said, knocking on the trunk of one. "I'm not sure to be honest. Hm…" Nerine mused, thinking of something. Finding a small 'sapling', she took the water she had dipped into her canteen and poured it out. To their surprise–well mostly hers, the water came out completely normal. She looked confused. "Will you look at that, the color's gone. So it isn't the water itself that gives it that sheen?" He asked. She shook her head in disbelief. "I…I don't understand. It was full of color before! Does that mean the water loses its magical properties after being removed from the source? Let's go back. I need to see something."

 The scholar was extremely troubled by this, and Walter himself was curious too. They went back to the riverbanks studded with crystals, and she went to take another canteen full of the river's water. Pouring it out over the river, it retained the rainbow color as it had before. Both of them were at a loss as to what was going on. "Now I'm not sure what to think, Nerine. We still took the water out from the river, but the color didn't fade." Emptying the canteen's contents fully, she sighed. "Yes, exactly. So that means it isn't the water itself that has the color, but something else is causing this to happen. Whatever the source of this color is, it doesn't appear to be the river itself. I'm going to see what would cause the color to change."

This was all very puzzling. Here she had thought removing the water from its source would drain it of its color, however there must be some additional factor influencing this. Nerine decided the best way would be trial and error. Maybe this would help shed some light on this water's iridescence. Bringing her canteen on the riverbank, she filled it yet again and then poured some out. The water still retained the color, so she moved back from the river further. Trying again, this time the water ran clear. Returning to where she had poured out the water first, she tried again. Rainbow, once more. "I think I've found the root of all this! It has something to do with proximity. This confirms what I suspected–the river itself has not changed, something is acting upon it giving it the rainbow color." Dumping out the rest of the water now that she was finished with her testing, the next question would be what was creating this magical phenomenon.

 The river itself wasn't it, so it had to be something close by. Her attention was then drawn to the crystals lining the riverbed. At first she had thought they were just another of Vada's crystalline wonders, but she had a sneaking suspicion that they were more significant then at a first glance now. What if… She knelt down and began to use a spade to dig around the crystals. She didn't have much luck with the large ones, but she managed to pry some smaller bits loose. With some effort, she made a small trench in the ground a few meters away, and placed the crystal shards around it, emulating the riverbank. Then, she poured the water from her canteen and watched as the clear water began to swirl with vibrant hues. Her face lighting up with joy, she looked up at Walter. "Look, there it is! It's just like the river! It was the riverbank's crystals! Their magic from when Vada brought the Himiria Scar back to life must have infused itself into the water. But since these crystals themselves aren't very powerful, the effect fades as soon as the water is out of its presence." 

This was so exciting! Scooping up the small shards she had dug out, she wiped them clean and put them inside her bag. "It'll be dusk in a few hours. Vada is dangerous come nightfall. We should take the tram back while it is still running." She noted. The tracker nodded in agreement. "This was certainly an experience, I'll tell you that. So, are you thinking of making yourself a little rainbow river on your own?" Nerine smiled, a bit embarrassed that he had seen through her so quickly. "Well, I'm sure the others will love it. It'll be a little piece of Vada, right in the middle of Antikythera."