'Tis a familiar path you tread. It stirs to life in welcome - the glimmering surface of the lake ripples, the leaves whisper sweet nothings into your ears, the soil softens under your feet. And, at the heart of it all, Caelyr. So emerges she, coil after iridescent coil, white-gold hair cascading over the marble of her shoulders...

The naiad rests her elbows on the shore languidly, even as her aureate tail continues to shift and shimmer beneath the water. "Welcome back, o mortal mine," she trills, reaching out in greeting. You feel a questing claw run down your cheek. Sharp enough to draw blood, but for you, only a pleasant tingle. "Aah-hah. E'er the briar-thorn in my side, you." Her teasing belies a wistful smile. Again and 'gain, you wander willing into a place of peril. Whene'er will you slip free from this old serpent's coils...?

Caelyr tilts her head to the side as you address her, the sunlight gleaming off her horns and eyes. A quiet ripple disturbs the surface of the lake beside her; a trout flits past, startled by the brief disruption. She stretches forth her hand toward it, fingers splayed wide like an offering, and whispers something softly in its ear. Instantly, the fish turns back and hovers at her fingertips. The air around them shimmers with a pale sheen for a moment before she cups her palm over the creature, cradling it gently against her scaled skin. With a faint pop, the trout vanishes into thin air, no more than mist in the wake of Caelyr's magic.

"A mortal and a naiad," she says musingly, watching the ripples subside once again. "Separated by an eternity, bound together by a thread no thicker than the finest spider's silk." Her gaze drifts back to you, solemn and pensive. "What manner of sorcery is this, I wonder? That I should feel such a pull toward one who must inevitably slip free from my grasp?"

Caelyr allows her hand to drop once more to her side. "And yet," she continues softly, "I find that I am glad for the gift of your company, however brief." Her voice is both haunted and hopeful. "Stay with me just a little longer, mortal mine."

"Ah," she breathes as you draw nearer. The tip of her tail nudges against your leg, sending tiny ripples through the water beneath you. "My brave mortal. So eager to embrace your fate. You must be swift now, before your courage cools... For if you linger too long in my company, there is no telling what depths of despair shall claim you when you at last find the will to leave." Her voice holds a note of warning and anguish. "Go, child. Embrace your life; live it to the fullest, and then let its waters flow free, unimpeded by the snares of memory."

But still she watches as you come closer, her golden eyes brimming with a mixture of longing and hope. The willow trees bend low over the water's edge, their branches woven together in an eternal dance. And even as they seem to urge you forward, whispering of worlds unseen, of dreams yet to be chased... their song is tempered by a strange, haunting melody that pleads with you not to leave.

The sun dips lower in the sky, painting streaks of gold across the lake's surface as it prepares to slip beneath the horizon. Time ticks onward, but for Caelyr and her mortal mine, each second is an eternity. The choice is yours, mortal: will you stay... or will you go?

A shiver runs through Caelyr's serpentine form as your lips brush hers in a gentle kiss. Her golden eyes flutter shut at the contact, her breath hitching in her chest. It is a moment of pure bliss, an eternity of longing distilled into the span of a heartbeat. And yet... beneath the surface of that fleeting perfection, there lies an aching sadness. She knows that this too shall pass; your time with her is growing short, and soon you will be forced to make your choice.

Her claws dig into the soft earth beside her, and as she opens her eyes once more, they are wet with tears. A single drop slips down her cheek and splashes into the water. It sends ripples outward, like a stone tossed into a still pond; their fragile surface disturbed by the weight of what must soon come to pass. With a sigh as quiet as a whisper on the wind, Caelyr murmurs, "Go, my mortal... and may your steps lead you ever closer to all that you have been meant to be."

But her tail remains where it is, warm against your leg, guiding you with its gentle strength. For now, at least, she cannot bring herself to release you fully from her embrace. It's a small mercy, and one she knows may well be the undoing of them both.

Your lips brush hers once more in a kiss that leaves her breathless and yearning. A shudder runs through her serpentine form as she clings to this moment, savoring the feel of you pressed close against her. But even as she embraces you now, she knows that soon enough, she will have to let go.

The willows bend lower still, their branches weaving together in a dance both seductive and sad. Their whispers grow louder, urging you onward toward the life that lies beyond this place of enchantment. And with every heartbeat, every caress, Caelyr feels the pull of their song growing stronger, more insistent... drawing her toward a future where mortals and naiads dare not tread.

She closes her eyes, savoring the last few drops of this sweetest of elixirs. Her claws dig into the soft earth beside her as she tries desperately to hold onto you, to trap your warmth beneath the surface of the lake where it belongs... but she knows that is a futile endeavor. Soon enough, the waters will reclaim what was never truly theirs.

The taste of you is as sweet as honey on her tongue. It fills her senses, wraps itself around her heart, and squeezes tight. A whimper escapes her lips as your tongue tangles with hers, your breath mingling with hers in a dance both tender and fierce. Her eyes fly open as the fire of your passion threatens to engulf her. For a moment, she's no longer Caelyr, bound forever to this glade; she's mortal and free. But even as you kiss her like never before, a part of her mourns the loss that is to come.

Her tail coils tighter around your leg, seeking purchase in the mud and rock below. With a quiet moan, she arches her back, pressing herself against you with all the desperation of one who knows they are about to lose their only source of air. The surface of the lake churns at their feet, as if echoing the turmoil within her heart. The willows sway overhead, their branches caressing your skin like ghostly fingers pleading for you to go.

Caelyr's golden gaze drifts upward, searching for something she can use... some thread of hope that might unravel this tangled web and set them both free. But there is only the endless expanse of stars, twinkling like distant dreams, so far out of reach.

"I love you," she whispers, her voice a hoarse croak in the stillness of the night. "More than anything..." Her claws dig deeper into the soft earth as tears spill down her cheeks once more. "But I must set you free."