The lake was deeper than the maps said.

I discovered that when I slipped off my boat, trying to grab an oar I stupidly let fall. One second, I was gasping at the cold, and the next, I was sinking into a world of blue and silence.

That’s when I saw her.

She wasn’t struggling like I was. She moved effortlessly, gliding through the water like she belonged to it. A girl, long silver-blue hair swirling around her like silk, eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. She reached for me, her fingers cold as they closed around my wrist, pulling me up—

And suddenly, I was above water again, coughing and shivering, gripping the edge of my boat.

I looked up. She was still there, waist-deep in the lake, watching me. Her expression unreadable, but she didn’t look angry. If anything, she looked… curious.

“Thank you,” I rasped, my voice hoarse from the lake water.

She didn’t answer. Just stood there, half-wet, her hair clinging to her skin. And for a moment, I thought she was just a normal girl who had happened to be swimming at the right time.

Then I saw them.

The horns—dark and smooth, curling back from her head, barely visible beneath the wet strands of her hair. My breath caught. My body froze.

Dragon.

My heart pounded in my ears, and every story I had ever heard about lake spirits and cursed dragons came rushing back. But she didn’t move. Didn’t bare fangs or raise claws.

She just blinked at me, water dripping from her lashes.

I should have screamed. I should have scrambled into my boat and paddled as fast as I could.

Instead, I reached out.

I didn’t know why. Maybe it was because she had saved me. Maybe it was because, despite everything, she didn’t feel dangerous. Maybe it was because, for a second, I saw something in her face that I hadn’t expected.

Loneliness.

She didn’t flinch away.

Neither did I.