Before Issei could ask more, a shadow fell over them. A woman descended from the cliffs. She had long, raven-black hair braided with vines, amber eyes like aged chacha , and a pair of curved, ram-like horns. Her wings were not feathery or bat-like—they were woven from threads of golden wool.
“In Georgia,” she declared, “we do not duel with swords first. We duel with toasts .”
“I am Natela, Guardian of the Sakartvelo Border,” she said. “You carry a dragon’s soul. That makes you a guest... or a threat.”
Natela snarled. “You mistake strength for arrogance.”
“Then you will learn.” She raised a horn cup. “The first toast: to the dead who guard this land. Drink.”
A wooden ladle hit his head. Natela smirked. “Focus on the toast, boy. To friendship. To fire. To the flame that never dies—even in the Caucasus snow.”
Before Issei could ask more, a shadow fell over them. A woman descended from the cliffs. She had long, raven-black hair braided with vines, amber eyes like aged chacha , and a pair of curved, ram-like horns. Her wings were not feathery or bat-like—they were woven from threads of golden wool.
“In Georgia,” she declared, “we do not duel with swords first. We duel with toasts .”
“I am Natela, Guardian of the Sakartvelo Border,” she said. “You carry a dragon’s soul. That makes you a guest... or a threat.”
Natela snarled. “You mistake strength for arrogance.”
“Then you will learn.” She raised a horn cup. “The first toast: to the dead who guard this land. Drink.”
A wooden ladle hit his head. Natela smirked. “Focus on the toast, boy. To friendship. To fire. To the flame that never dies—even in the Caucasus snow.”