The courtyard hummed with tension, the remnants of storm and flame lingering in the air like a challenge. Purple lightning danced faintly across my veins, while the warmth of her presence prickled the back of my neck.
Lysera and I faced each other, breaths even, bodies wound tight with energy. The spar had been intense, each testing limits — my amethyst lightning against her divine flame. Sparks and fire had collided, sending shards of molten energy skittering across the courtyard.
I smirked, brushing a stray lock of hair from my forehead. "Not bad… but I think I still have a few tricks you haven't seen yet."
She laughed softly, that warm, confident sound that made the storm inside me calm just enough to notice it. "Oh? I think you might have underestimated me at first. But don't worry, I can forgive a storm for thinking it's the only force in the world."
We circled each other, teasing, testing, each move deliberate. And then — almost imperceptibly — she let herself falter. A faint blush, a slight drop in the intensity of her aura.
"You're… infuriating," she admitted, voice soft. "But… I like it."
I froze for the briefest moment. My smirk didn't falter — but inside, the pulse of the storm seemed to thrum a little faster.
"Like it?" I repeated, voice low, teasing. "You're saying you like getting smoked by a storm?"
She tilted her head, amber eyes glinting. "Not getting smoked. You. The chaos. The way you don't pretend to be anyone else. I… like you."
My smirk widened, because even if I hadn't expected it, I liked the honesty. "Bold statement," I said lightly. Then, without thinking too much — because sometimes storms don't wait for careful reasoning — I leaned forward.
Her lips met mine in a brief, electric kiss — gentle, teasing, like the spark before a lightning strike. Enough to leave its mark, enough to make the storm inside me flare quietly.
Pulling back, she smiled softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I have to leave. My family… they'll be expecting me."
Before I could respond, she pressed a small, ornate charm into my hand. Gold filigree, engraved with her family's crest. "Keep this. If you come to us… it will tell them who you are. And that you're not just anyone."
I pocketed it without a word, letting the storm hum quietly in acknowledgment.