A ripple disturbed the still surface of a nearby pond, and from the water emerged a figure that was both mesmerizing and terrifying. Naiara, the water-haired Guardian, rose gracefully, her form shimmering like liquid moonlight. Her hair flowed around her as if it were a living waterfall, cascading down her back and merging with the pond's surface. Her eyes, the color of the deepest ocean, fixed on Yenna with an intensity that made her breath catch.
"You are the human who dares to trespass in our sacred forest," her voice was like the murmur of a stream, melodic yet laced with a deep undercurrent of power. "The one who aided in the death of our caretaker."
Yenna swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. She gripped her gauntlets tighter, the familiar surge of mana a small comfort in the face of this overwhelming presence. "We did not want this to happen. But the queen… she attacked us first. We helped her clear the dungeon, and in return, she tried to kill us."
