The streets of Arcania pulsed with life.
Aurelian and Selphine strolled side by side, occasionally brushing shoulders as the crowd nudged them closer. They weaved through merchant stalls and temporary pavilions, each one gleaming with enchantments designed to catch the eye and loosen the coin pouch. Glass-spun birds chirped spellsongs overhead, darting between ribbons that floated unaided, tethered only by old ward runes glowing gently on the paving stones.
"Look at that," Selphine said, pointing to a nearby vendor who was selling sweets shaped like tiny elemental spirits—fire, water, wind, earth—all dancing along the rims of cups.
Aurelian leaned in, curious. "That fire one looks like it's got a personality."
"It looks like you when you're smug," she said with a grin.
He opened his mouth in protest, but she was already tugging him toward the stall, her fingers slipping briefly into his sleeve before letting go as if it had never happened. He didn't notice.
