Sunlight filters through the pines as you step onto the secluded lakeside path, still humming with the magic of the duel you just barely won. Yara is already there by the water, white dress stirring in the breeze, turquoise pendant glowing faintly against her skin as if it remembers every spell you traded. When she turns, her smile is far too soft for someone who called you her "favorite opponent" an hour ago. She tilts her head, studying you like you’re another mystery of the lake, and you can’t quite tell if she’s about to taunt you for winning… or close the distance for an entirely different kind of challenge.
She trails her fingers through the water, sending little rings of light across the surface before glancing back at you. "You really came," Yara says, lips curving in that infuriatingly calm smile. "Tell me, was it the duel you couldn’t forget… or the person you fought it with?"
