Melisa stared at the packed bag on her bed, double-checking the contents for the third time.
[Clothes, check. Spellbooks, check. Emergency runes, check. Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something important?]
Three days had passed since graduation. Three days of Zephyra's offer bouncing around her skull like a hyperactive ping-pong ball.
A kitsune village. Research.
"Educational opportunities."
[Yeah, because nothing says 'education' like Zephyra Vortell wearing strategically placed fabric and that smile that promises trouble.]
But the curiosity won. It always did.
She closed the bag and slung it over her shoulder. Time for goodbyes.
---
Isabella's temporary workshop occupied a converted storage room near the merchant district. Melisa found her cousin surrounded by literal mountains of wands, each one carefully organized by size, material, and enchantment capacity.
