The basement door creaked open, and a voice floated down the stairs. "Nykel, are you down there?"

Syn exchanged a knowing look with Nyk before answering, "Hi, Granny!"

"Oh, is that you, Syn?" the woman replied warmly. "I'm glad to hear from you. Thank you for keeping Nyk grounded to the earth."

"Thanks, Granny, I'm here with him," she said while Nyk rolled his eyes.

"We're just sorting out what to bring for tomorrow's festival," Nyk added.

Nyk's Nana's tone turned stern. "That's great, Nyk. I'm glad you're doing something other than daydreaming about fighting monsters. I hope you didn't dismiss your training or homework today when you left this morning chasing Syn."

Nyk winced. "I haven't skipped it, Nana. Running through the forest should count as exercise, and I finished my homework yesterday before going to bed."

"Hmm, okay. We'll check your homework later as Syn is here, and I have to leave for a bit, but I'll be back soon," she replied. "Oh, and Syn, I met your dad at the docks minutes ago. He should be back at your place by now."

Syn looked upstairs, "Thanks, Granny. By the way, we ran into Zosimos today...". Syn grinned as Nyk's eyes opened wide "...he told us to tell you..." Syn paused and chuckled. Nyk began waving, gesturing at Syn to keep quiet. Syn chuckled, "... that he'll soon have whatever you requested, but that it isn't ready yet." she said, kindly omitting the part where Zosimos had made fun of Nyk, who breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, dear. That saves me the trip. That means I'll stay here and gather some herbs from the garden. Syn, dear, will you join us for dinner?" Nyk's Nana replied from above.

"No, Granny. Thanks, but if dad is back, I'll want to wrap this up quickly and head home," said Syn.

"Okay, do drop by the garden to say goodbye before you go," Nyk's Nana said before the door creaked shut again.

Syn turned to Nyk as soon as the door shut."You can't tell anyone what you just saw on my card," Syn said, her voice firm. "Not a word."

"Don't worry, thanks for the explanation... and for showing me the card. I swear, I'll be silent as a tomb." He said, placing his hand over his chest.

Syn's serious expression softened into a smile. "You're welcome, but remember, you'll be in the tomb if you don't keep your word."

Nyk laughed. "I swear, I'll jump in myself if I ever break my promise." He then hesitantly asked, "W-was that your dad... fighting those beasts? I had always thought he was just a fisherman."

"I had my suspicions, but the card confirmed it. I remember we used to travel a lot," Syn said, her voice trailing off. She then quickly changed the subject. "If my dad's back, I need to head home. Let's wrap up tomorrow's preparations and call it a day. We can talk about what you just saw another time, okay?"

Nyk nodded. "Sounds good. So, we'll meet at the docks tomorrow before sunrise, right?"

Syn gestured to the bags and boxes around them as she said, "Yep, it's a big ship, so all our stuff will fit. We must make sure we don't bring anything we can't sell" She looked over at Nyk and continued, "We'll want to enjoy the festival afterward, and we don't want anything weighing us down."

Nyk gave a firm nod, "Agreed." He looked around the room at all the bags, "Now, let's make sure we pack everything we need and not forget anything important."

Syn started counting the bags, "Alright, let's see. I can carry these three bags, and we can sell them all as a pack in an emergency."

Nyk flexed his arms confidently, "I can carry four." He glanced at the cart and asked, "What about the cart? Should we bring it with us loaded with the metal stuff?"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Syn chuckled, "You'll carry two, Nyk. And make sure you don't overdo it." She noticed the offended look on his face and added, "The cart... good point. So, three bags for me and two for you plus the cart. It sounds like a plan."

The excitement was palpable as Nyk and Syn got to work, carefully organizing their bags and ensuring they had everything they needed for the festival.

Nyk's eyes glimmered with excitement as he carefully packed each bag, while Syn hummed as she worked, her smile wide and her movements quickly and efficiently organizing their bags.

----------------------------------------

Nyk was at the kitchen counter, chopping vegetables. The sound of the knife slicing through the carrots was the only noise in the room when Nana entered through the garden door. Her wild hair and disheveled clothes were covered in the remnants of herbs and flowers.

Not a second after entering, her eyes were already narrowed, "What did you do this time?" noticing the bulging bump on Nyk's forehead in a single glance.

Nyk winced and hurried to answer, "Minda already checked it, Nana," Nyk replied. "It's fine."

Nana frowned. "You should be more careful. You know better than hitting your face. There's no..."

"... There's no better way to let an enemy know of your weaknesses than having them visible in your face, I know, Nana," finished Nyk. "It was just an accident."

Out of everyone in the village, she was the one person that Nyk trusted the most. She had taken care of him for as long as he could remember. Though she was old, her body was sturdy, and the long-sleeved clothes she always wore couldn't conceal the muscled figure underneath.

More than once, Syn had hinted that such a physique was uncharacteristic for someone as old as she was and who spent most of her time gathering herbs, but Nyk had already explained to her on multiple occasions that it was all perfectly normal. After all, she traveled long distances daily into the forest, heavily loaded and carrying various vegetables and plants.

Nana approached him and placed a hand on his forehead. "Let me see that bump anyway. You always make it so hard for me to take care of you. Why can't you be more like your dad, who was always diligent and responsible?" she asked with a smile.

Nyk mumbled that he was fine, but Nana insisted on examining the bump. He was lost in thinking of what he had discovered about Syn and the cards when he noticed Nana had asked him a question. "Sorry, Nana, what did you say?"

"I was asking you if everything is okay," she said, concerned with a hand on his shoulder. "You seem distracted today."

"Yes, everything is great," Nyk replied, then sighed. "It's just that I'm tired of endlessly training and learning about herbs. I want to learn more about cards and how to use them."

"It's not the time yet, Nyk," Nana said, "First, I want to see you grow into a healthy, strong young man that knows how to take care of himself. You have a lot to learn, and the time for cards will come later." Then, before Nyk could reply, she continued, "Have I told you the story about the turtle and the bunny?" she asked, her casual tone lightening the mood. Nyk nodded, but Nana told the story anyway, with Nyk smiling as she explained how slow and steady always paid off in the end while he continued preparing dinner.

Nyk couldn't help but think that despite her crazy stories, she was the most reliable person in his life. She seemed to hate discussing cards or the system, but her knowledge of herbs was phenomenal, and her care for him and others in the village could not be questioned. There was not a person in the town she had not taken care of when they fell sick, and almost every family owed her a debt in health greater than any money could pay.

Her exceptional skills in herbalism translated poorly into her cooking, having lost her taste after tasting and mixing far too many herbs over the years. Her poor cooking skills had forced Nyk to learn to cook for both of them at a young age, something that by now was a welcome routine for them both and allowed them to spend time together at dinner.

Yes, every now and then, she dodged questions, but so did every other adult in the village, and even though Syn was skeptical of her crazy stories about magical and mythical beasts and often questioned the trustworthiness of the academy facts she quoted, Nyk strongly believed that the details she provided proved that her knowledge was backed by real-life experience.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow's festival?" she asked after dinner.

Nyk looked up, surprised. "Of course not," he said, smiling. "We have so many things packed. I cannot wait to travel tomorrow," he said and excitedly explained their preparations for the festival.

Later that night, Nyk was lying in bed, still wide awake, despite having reviewed his homework with Nana. He could feel her gentle kiss on his cheek and heard her whisper sweet dreams, but sleep eluded him. His thoughts kept returning to the events of the day.

"I did it!" Nyk thought to himself as he remembered having gathered the courage to ask Syn to show him the System. He was determined to learn more about it. "But why do I feel so guilty?" He thought, filled with mixed emotions. Knowing more about the system had been at the expense of pushing Syn to reveal the secret about her Dad's card. He felt guilty for knowing something he was not meant to do and made a mental note to find a way to apologize to her and her dad.

The idea that cards held such personal significance, capturing the memory of events in vivid detail, was mind-boggling to Nyk. He couldn't help but think about how amazing it was that the magical hexagons could hold so much power.

Eventually and slowly, amazed by the intricacies and complexity of the system, Nyk's thoughts began to slow as his eyelids grew heavy. He drifted off to sleep, eagerly anticipating what the next day would bring.