On the ground, Jīvitaya places the sphere on the ground and forms the ground around it, making a chamber. She releases her mental hold on the sphere and the soil instantly collapses, assimilating itself into the rest of the chamber. The moment it is free once again, the orb begins to bash itself against the walls of the chamber, trying to get out. Rynsta peers over the edge and frowns.

"What is that?"

Jīvitaya looks at Iyokú, who shrugs, before she responds. "I think it's dark energy, but I don't really understand it. I think I know how to destroy it, though."

"How?"

Before she can respond, Chiarina appears behind her, and Rysta jumps to her feet, a fierce expression on her tiny face.

"Who are you?! I have not granted you entrance to the forest!"

Chiarina smiles. "Be at peace, Rynsta. I am incapable of harming the forest. I am dead. You saw me in the Lilaria's memories. Now I must speak to the Lilaria." Rynsta nods, and Chiarina turns to Jīvitaya. "Lilaria, you are correct in what you must do."

Jīvitaya nods, her expression full of dismay. "Will it do what I think it will?"

Chiarina nods sadly. "Yes, you know the price."

Jīvitaya nods and turns to the chamber, and is about to place her hand over the orb when there is another voice from behind them.

"Stop!"

They all turn, and Rysta throws up her hands in dismay.

"Why does everyone come into the forest when I haven't given them permission?!"

The old man just stands there and looks at her, sneering. "Rynsta, I never left."

Jīvitaya frowns. "Who are you?"

He smirks. "I am Correllia Santin, and I advise you to step away. What you are about to do will kill the forest."

Iyokú gasps. "But you're the Correllia from a millennia ago! You shouldn't be alive!"

Chiarina's voice enters Jīvitaya's head. "He's lying. I've seen it. He is the source of the danger. He is taking the energy from the life crystals in order to keep himself alive."

Jīvitaya nods slightly and places her hand over the orb before the others can stop her. Agony lashes up her arm and towards the rest of her body, worse than what she experienced with the Ethtiur grubs. She starts to push her nature energy into the orb, trying to overpower it and purge the darkness. Santin screams and his body pales, losing its vitality as his tether to the energy of the forest is slowly destroyed.

Jīvitaya's nose starts to bleed and Iyokú looks at her in worry and fear. "Jīvitaya, stop! You're using too much of your energy! You could kill yourself!"

Jīvitaya smiles tightly. "I know, Iyokú, but I have to do this."

She continues to pour her energy into the orb until there is an enormous crack and the darkness disappears, the orb with it. Santin collapses to his knees, a shocked expression on his bone-white face. His eyes fill with a final burst of fear just before he crumbles into dust, and Jīvitaya collapses unconscious, her face pale.
Jīvitaya opens her eyes, to find herself in her mind's memory room once more. Rynsta appears before her, her face solemn.

"Hello, Lilaria."

"Hello, Rynsta. Why am I back in here again?"

"You died. Well, almost. We managed to save you, but you're stuck in a coma for now. I don't know when you'll wake up. You're in here because I needed to speak to you, and you won't be in the forest when you wake. Iyokú is carrying you out as we speak."

Jīvitaya nods. "What do you need to tell me?"

"First of all, and the easiest thing is that you are now free to enter the crystal forest whenever you wish. I promised that you would be allowed if you helped, but even if I hadn't, you have earned it. The harder thing is that to save you, I gave you a piece of life crystal."

Jīvitaya frowns. "What do you mean, how would you have given it to me? One, it is a massive crystal, and two, how could you give it to me if I was unconscious?"

Rynsta shakes her head, the crystal strands of her hair clinking against each other musically as she does so. "I use the word gave because it is the most accurate. What I mean is that there is now a piece of life crystal embedded in the hollow of your throat. You used up so much energy to purge the orb that you had too little for yourself, and the life crystal restored it."

Jīvitaya frowns. "There is a side effect of it, isn't there?"

Rynsta nods slightly. "Yes. Your life is now tied to the life of the crystal forests, and all of La'Vi'Ai, just like my own. So if the forests suffer, you will too."

Jīvitaya's eyes widen in alarm. "Does that mean that if I die, I will kill the crystal forests?!"

Rynsta laughs. "No, it only works one way. The health of the forests will impact you but not the other way around."

Jīvitaya nods, and Rynsta shimmers. Her form fades away like mist in the sun, and Jīvitaya closes her eyes.

———————————————————————————————
Jīvitaya did it! She almost died, but she did it! Happy reading!

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.