The tension was so thick it could be felt in the air—two figures poised to collide again beneath the silver cascade, water scattering light into countless shards. The dark elf's golden eyes glowed faintly, dagger raised, her body tense like a coiled shadow ready to strike.
But then—
"Lucaaaaaaa!"
A clear voice, loud and urgent, rippled through the forest.
Both of them froze.
The waterfall continued to thunder behind them, but time seemed to stutter. Luca's chest rose and fell sharply as his head turned toward the voice echoing between the trees.
That voice… Aurelia?
His mind spun for an instant before snapping back to the dark elf before him—
but she was gone.
No splash, no step, no whisper of her presence. Just the faint shimmer of disturbed mist and a single droplet sliding down where her shadow had once been.
