The golden light of the setting sun cast long shadows across Andelheim's cobbled streets. The air hummed with the lingering energy of the day's battles, chatter from spectators and competitors blending with the rhythmic clatter of carts and the distant notes of street musicians.
Valeria trudged beside Lucavion, her posture taut with weariness. Her breathing was steady but deep, a testament to the taxing nature of her latest duel. Sweat matted a few stray strands of hair to her temple, though she held her head high, refusing to let her exhaustion show beyond what was unavoidable.
Lucavion, on the other hand, strolled with an easy grace, as if the day had been a leisurely jaunt rather than a series of grueling fights. He glanced sidelong at Valeria, noting her slightly slower pace with a faint smirk. "You look like you just wrestled a wyvern and lived to tell the tale," he remarked, his voice teasing but edged with a touch of genuine observation.
