Sasha's laughter finally faded, replaced by a satisfied smile.
She raised her hand and, with a flick of her wrist, tossed eight shimmering dragon scales into the air.
"This should be enough."
Merlin's staff pulsed, and the scales froze mid‑flight.
With a subtle gesture, he guided them into his dimensional storage, the fragments vanishing into the ether as if swallowed by another world.
"Fair trade," Merlin said calmly…
Sasha turned then, her gaze settling on Shane. "Now… it's your turn."
Shane had expected this since he knew Sasha's line of thought by now…
He stepped forward and nodded.
He considered for a moment what he'd request. Well, he couldn't really think of anything.
However, he was sure that he liked to know more about her.
"I don't want your scales," he said. "If I win… I want to be your friend."
The words struck Sasha harder than any spell.
