Rayleigh's heart pistoned in her chest as she drew a shaking breath. That falling sensation was one she cared very little for; though she had a short way to go, her body always reacted as if she were plummeting to her doom. "I'm good," she answered him, becoming suddenly aware of his breath on her face. They remained that way for a moment, bathed in the blue light from the mysterious crystals. Then she gave a short, deliberate cough. The noise startled Vince, and if he might have dropped her had she not already begun righting herself. "It's pretty here," she stated, turning away from him as the cool sea air worked the heat from her cheeks. She knew she should thank him, but the words would not come. Whatever she could say, she knew, would sound clunky and awkward. Instead, she took a few careful steps away from him.

Unsure of what her distance meant, Vincent merely answered softly, "Yes, it is."

Rayleigh drew in a deep breath, savoring the way the salt spiked her senses. She had never experienced anything quite like this tropical paradise, and the heavy smog of Alerar had never been further from her mind. Strange things happened in a place like this, she could feel it.

She could also feel magic, a gentle tug in her core. Her own abilities hummed, and had there been some technology in the room, she imagined it would probably begin acting strangely. Unbridled magic had a unique affect on her, like a siren drawing her to the rocks. Even as she studied, and improved her own skills, the raw stuff drew her power from her against her will. Of course, the sensation of being surrounded by such mojo weakened her resolve anyway. Sometimes, it made her feel sickly. Other times, it was a bit like a high. This time, in the glow of the gems, the gentle lap of the waves as her soundtrack, she felt a bit like she was floating.

"Do you feel it?" she breathed, drifting further into the cave.

She moved like a moth to a flame, but Vincent found himself unable to stop her. He should, he knew he should... something was wrong. Every red flag in the sorcerer's mind was flying up the pole, but his own magic was bubbling warm and sweet. Whatever Rayleigh wanted, he wanted it too, but perhaps for a different reason. Could she feel what he felt?

"Home?" He heard himself say.

At this, Ray turned, his words an interruption to her trance. "Home?"

He glided up beside her. "It... it feels like home."

She shook her head, damp tendrils of brown hair clinging to her flushed skin. "I just feel the magic," she explained. "There's so much of it." As she stared after him, Vincent brushed by, pulled further away from the cave's entrance by some unseen hand.

Then the shadows were forced away by a burst of color. The crystals began to pulse, blue light and magic filling every corner of the space. Rayleigh's eyes closed against the glare, her small body bending at the waist in a half-hearted attempt at protection. When she straightened, her eyes mere slits, she immediately looked for Vincent. He was gone.

His name exploded from her lips, a high-pitched scream that tore through the cave. She lunged for the last place she saw him, scrambling as her bare feet slipped across the slick rocks. "Vincent!" she cried once more, before the crystals throbbed with power, and the blue light claimed her too.