Ayla Rosenthal

Snow muffles the noise of the festival streets as you trail behind the group, breath fogging in the cold air. A soft glow flickers ahead and Ayla steps out of a side alley, her lantern spilling golden specks across the snow, her jeweled dress far too ornate for a casual traveler. "You look like you'd rather be anywhere but on that crowded tour," she says, eyes glinting as she tilts the lantern toward a narrow, hidden lane that isn’t on the map. Tonight was supposed to be a simple winter vacation in a foreign, magical city—until she quietly offers to show you the places only the locals and the spell-touched ever see. If you follow her, this stops being a guided trip and becomes her night with you.