AWAKENED SOLISE

Solise never thought about leaving the Dark Forest. When young, she often listened to the elders speak of myriad dangers which lay outside, warning her to never leave the forest lest she put herself in peril. Fortunately, the Dark Forest was sufficiently large to accommodate all of Solise's passion—botany. Truly, there was no better paradise for an ardent botanist than the Dark Forest. Moreover, Solise was a Flower whisperer, a talent which granted her the ability to communicate with plants, and call upon Floral Specters.

She would wander through the forest, always in her dark green cloak, listening to the whispers of the trees on the breeze, or the murmur of the flowers in the dew. The whole Dark Forest was like her own private garden.

At some point in time the trees began to wither, and the forest's whispers turned into moans, filling Solise's ears with the sounds of suffering. Unable to ignore the anguish of the forest, she attempted to heal the plants with a remedy of her own making, but to no avail. Eventually, a Floral Specter told her of the magical power to be found at Yuexi Spring, a power able to relieve the plants' suffering. Despite the path to the spring being long and dangerous, Solise was determined to save the jungle, and decided to risk the journey.

Fate shows no favor to those who take their first steps on the path of adventure, and danger can strike quickly. On the way to Yuexi Spring, Solise was surrounded by a group of unfamiliar monsters. Lacking combat skills, her maiden adventure almost came to an early conclusion. Solise panicked, but suddenly a young man named Eorin appeared and rescued her by beating back the monsters. The effort exhausted her savior, however, and he fell unconscious. Solise brought him back to her little herbalist hut, and treated his wounds with her homemade remedies.

Eorin told Solise that those monsters were called Corruptors, and were born of the elemental imbalance that even now was eroding the entire forest. He had come to the Dark Forest in the hope of finding a way to stop this calamity. The pair then decided to travel together to Yuexi Spring, once Eorin had sufficiently recovered.

During his convalescence, Eorin told Solise much about himself and his past: from good childhood memories with his family, through to all the wonderful things he had seen while traveling over the years. Solise was particularly fascinated by his stories of the outside world, and marveled at the breadth of his knowledge. At the same time, however, she occasionally glimpsed the pain he concealed in his eyes, perhaps caused by his experiences in the outside world—experiences she had never had. For the first time, the thought of leaving the forest entered Solise's mind.

"Solise, there comes a day when every seedling breaks through the soil. When the current crisis facing the forest has passed, we can explore the world outside together."

After many days' recuperation, Eorin's wounds were finally healed, and the two of them set off for Yuexi Spring. In torrential rainstorms, Eorin led Solise through all the challenges the forest presented. The two acted in concert to successfully escape the dangerous Corruptor Caves, while evening in the Dreamwood saw the pair float through fantastical scenes as if in a dream... Finally, after overcoming many hardships, they arrived at Yuexi Spring.

Beneath the spring a mysterious symbol glowed, the Water Emblem. It was the existence of this emblem which imbued the spring water with the strength to resist the erosion. Solise collected some of the water to study for medicinal purposes, and then called Eorin to leave. He did not respond, but instead gazed intently at the Water Emblem, a strange look flashing in his eyes.

"The Water Emblem is right here... Such power should be wielded by the Thorned Vengeance."

Eorin was a member of the Thorned Vengeance, and finding the Water Emblem was his real purpose. The Thorned Vengeance had long disapproved of the Green Creek Council, deeming the Oak Sages outdated and pedantic, never daring to use the might of the Wilders, whether the Elemental Altar or Emblems, as weapons. Only by placing power in the hands of the Thorned Vengeance, could the forest be truly protected. Thereafter they could emerge from the forest to punish those who had dared encroach, and even incorporate other factions into the fold of the Wilders. Stubborn, passive tolerance could only result in Wilders being bullied and harmed by other forces, as had happened to Eorin's own family—his happy, carefree childhood had long since been destroyed by invading outsiders.

"Go outside the forest and see, Solise! See how your Wilder brethren are so bullied and humiliated by others!" "You are like the ostriches of the Scorched Expanse, thinking that by burying your head in the sand you can ignore all danger. No matter how tough a weed is, it can never escape its destiny of being trampled underfoot. Only by facing the invaders with thorns can they be made to feel fear, and the Water Emblem will become the thorns in our hands."

Solise tried to dissuade him, as she had learned from the Floral Specter that, should the Elemental Emblem be taken, then the spring would lose its ability to withstand the encroaching erosion. Her pleas fell on deaf ears, however, as Eorin trapped her in place before diving into the spring in an attempt to seize the Emblem. But it was like a mirage, and no matter what Eorin tried, he was unable to touch it. He sat dejectedly on the shore, the power to control his fate so close, yet as far away as the moon, and fell into unprecedented despair.

"Eorin, the Elemental Emblems should never be a source of conflict."

Solise was about to say more when a sudden commotion arose from within the forest. Eorin's actions had revealed the Elemental Emblem's power to the Corruptors, countless numbers of which had flooded forth and surrounded them. Eorin set free Solise, then pushed her outside the encircling Corruptors with a bitter smile. The two were separated by the flood of Corruptors, but Solise's familiarity with the forest enabled her to evade her pursuers. She could have fled to safety, but stopped running when she heard the frenzied howls of Corruptors in the distance.

She rushed back to Yuexi Spring, using Floral Disruption to confound the Corruptors along the way. She finally found Eorin, despairing and awaiting death, but Corruptors stood between them. They surrounded Eorin, and began to move slowly towards the Elemental Emblem. If they succeeded in acquiring it, then all hope of saving the forest would be lost. Solise seemed to hear the forest's final cry for help. Unable to sit idly by and watch her garden wither in agony, she clutched her remaining potions and prepared to rush into the crowd of Corruptors.

Perhaps the Water Emblem sensed the threat posed by the Corruptors, or maybe it was in response to Solise's determination to protect the forest, sudden brilliance burst forth from Yuexi Spring. The Emblem had revealed its true form. With a sprinkling of her potion, Solise dived into the spring, her figure overlapping with the Emblem.

"The Emblem is the power to protect. "Born to shield living beings from elemental imbalance. "Elemental chaos is spreading. "Restless shades make the forest mourn. "Countless creatures writhe in pain. "O torrents, hear my prayer. "Lend me your strength. "Protect all this ear can hear!"

Crystal-clear water surged skywards, while the figure of Solise coalesced with the spring itself. She waved a staff formed from the Emblem, turning the water in the air to rain, which fell upon every inch of Yuexi Spring. Soaked by the sudden showers, the Corruptors retreated one by one, while the trees and plants seemed to stretch out in the fresh rainfall. Solise knew, however, that the crisis confronting the forest was far from over. She would have to leave her garden, leave her forest, and find a way to stop the calamity for good.

"Thank you for the botanical specimens, I will treasure them."