Continue on the path.

Vivia chose to keep on the path through the Woods of Vlorish, hoping it might actually lead to this important tree. Twenty minutes later she found it ended at a rather thick patch of trees and undergrowth, none of which matched the description of the Zulgra Tree, with no visible continuation.

But surely such a tree would have a path to it, right? Maybe this path just got a bit overgrown here. Vivia trudged forth, and managed to get past the dense foliage to find what may or may not be more path on the other side. A short bit down this one lead her to a small patch of forest that was a bit clearer than the rest.

What caught her eye, though, was the tree at the center. It was fairly large, and not quite towering over the rest, but a good bit taller at least. As she crossed the clearing, she found that this tree looked quite a bit younger than she expected, with a smooth, green trunk and branches only at the very top. Circling around its wide base, she came to a curious sight on the opposite side.

Nestled in a bush of small purple flowers that seemed to crawl up the northern side of the tree, there was a girl. Only her head was visible among the thickly bunched leaves and flowers, and she looked to be sound asleep, however her complexion was rather sickly. Her nigh-perfect face of pallid, greenish skin was framed in long locks of—wait. Her hair seemed off... It was almost like each lock was a flower petal, purple as the others surrounding her.

As Vivia leaned in to take a closer look, the girl's eyes suddenly opened to reveal milky orbs with bright purple irises. Vivia inched back, yet couldn't help but stare in wonder as the girl's plump pink lips parted.

“Can you help?” a soft voice spoke. “I need help...”

Her brow drawn together incredulously, Vivia grimaced at the girl. “Help? Help you how?” she asked. She realized the scent of the flowers was thick in the air, and she noted how the sweet smell might make an excellent perfume. She also noted that this couldn't have been the Zulgra Tree, as that one had no such flowers.

“Help me up,” the girl said with a weary voice. “Please...”

Vivia bit her lip, unsure what to do.