For a brief moment, I was struck dumb. Could it be that I was simply hallucinating? Or had I fallen prey to the power of seduction and succumbed to the old man's badgering? I could have dreamed up the tree all by myself. After all, I had taken a good look at it before I had put my hand on the bark. Before I could dream up even more possibilities, though, the tree winked out as though it had been extinguished. Shocked, I yanked my hand off the bark and glanced hurriedly between the tree and myself.
My palm was unharmed. I was unsure as to whether it was due to the effects of the seidrine or not, but either way, the Crystal of Vitality had been absorbed entirely by my body. Perhaps its power had been used up by the intense healing my hand had required, since I had clearly smelt the familiar
