Syn regained consciousness feeling better than ever. She felt weightless as if floating in a warm water pool. Heat irradiated from her surroundings, warming and comforting.
With her eyes still closed, she mentally checked her surroundings, the sound of a dry and gentle breeze the only thing she could hear.
When she brought her attention to her body, she felt she was wrapped in clothes that didn't feel familiar. Slowly and reluctantly, she opened her eyes and looked down. She was wearing the clothes her mother was wearing on the card. Strange.
Then her vision looked past her clothes. She blinked twice in surprise, Where the... she thought as she saw she was floating in the air in a place she didn't recognize.
The world around her was vast. An immense golden field extended across the horizon. The sun shone brightly in a pristine blue sky with no cloud in sight, and looking down, she saw the golden crops swaying in a gentle breeze that exuded from her body.
Despite the fact she had no recollection of how she had arrived here, her body relaxed, letting the warmth and the sun heat her body, a smile coming to her lips.
After a few moments, she noticed a blurry object in the distance. It looked like a tree. She tried to move and, surprised, realized that her body hovered effortlessly above the crops toward it. She grinned.
Flying at top speed, her hair pushed back by the wind, it took her less than a few joyful minutes of carefully testing her reaction and speed limits to realize that the tree was much further than she had initially thought. Considering the distance she had covered, the tree had to be massive.
Finally, she stopped at a safe distance, still hovering in the air. The tree was bigger than any structure she had ever seen. It had three thick, sturdy branches, each ending in an enormous round bud. The bud closest to the top of the tree was purple-colored, while the other two were white and green.
The tree shook violently against an attacking tornado. The branches bending over and over, resisting its strength. When the white branch, straining against the wind, released a loud CRACK, a girl's voice echoed across the field. "Ugh!"
Syn looked around, realizing she wasn't alone, but couldn't find the source of the voice. She felt a heartwarming presence all around her. A pulsating beat surrounded her, and a nudging feeling of being observed coursed through her body. The feeling of being an intruder came to her like thunder. "Where am I?"
No one answered, and the ravaging winds continued to shake the tree. Syn worried every time a branch twisted too much, feeling the tree strain against its strength.
In an attempt to help, she tried to use her recently gained power to calm down the wind. The wind redoubled its strength instead, and the tree harshly shook under the howling tornado.
"Q-quiet, p-please," A girl's voice worriedly answered. Ashamed, Syn stopped helping.
Slowly, over what felt like hours, the wind receded. Little by little, the howling died. Soon after, the raging wind was no more than a harsh wind, and finally, what was no more than a light breeze died, leaving the field quiet again.
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Syn felt a weight off her shoulders and a sudden urge to hug the tree. She approached it hesitantly and finally touched it. A jolt of energy ran through her body. She smiled, feeling renewed, and embraced it for a minute with her eyes closed, savoring the sensation.
"E-excuse me," a voice sounded behind her.
She opened her eyes, and the golden-haired girl from the Cardslinger's group stood before her blushing fiercely. Her hair slightly covered her face as it cascaded and twirled all around. She wore a simple yet elegant white dress, and her eyes sparkled like the stars. It was like gazing upon a painting, every detail of the girl's features harmoniously blending.
The girl smiled, and Syn felt its sincerity and warmth. Despite being part of the Cardslinger group, she thought she could trust her.
"What did you do?"
"I-I saw you needed help,
Flashes of dripping blood and the tornado connecting her hand to the stone returned to her. "Oh, yeah... I ... huh..." Syn said, lost in thought.
"...Mom, look at their hair. It's funny..." Suddenly echoed a voice across the sky, shaking Syn from her thoughts.
"I'm glad to see you're fine now, but I think you p-probably need to go now..." said the girl, meeting Syn's confused gaze.
"They must be Cardslingers," said a raspy voice.
Syn looked around to pinpoint where the voices came from.
"Look at 'im! Sporting the colors of House Lyrin right under his cape," someone yelled.
"Give me the stone," said a cold, emotionless voice. Syn's head spun around, searching for their origin.
The girl's smile broadened, catching Syn's attention, she shyly bowed at Syn, her face still blazing red, and everything went black.
----------------------------------------
Syn's mind was a blur. For a moment, everything seemed to be happening in slow motion, her vision slightly dazed. She was shivering, her body cold, and she could sense the pain from the wound on her hand and the slow dripping of blood.
Peeking through half-closed eyelids, she tried to make sense of her surroundings. Her clothes were stained red, just like Nyk's, who held her in a warm embrace with one arm while he prepared a bandage with his free hand. He was focused, methodically dipping it in several ointments they still hadn't sold and were scrambled open on the blanket.
The crowd stood silent a few meters away, unmoving. In the distance, she saw someone arguing with two figures, seemingly fighting over something the small figure was holding.
"I told you to give me the stone," the purple-glassed boy demanded.
"It's not yours to take," the small, pixie-cut girl answered, clasping the object protectively.
"No one bid against me. It's mine now." The tall boy insisted.
"Don't be an ass, Jax," said the golden-haired boy, scanning the crowd. "The girl may be dead. Let's leave before we get in trouble."
"Not without the stone, I bid for it. It is mine now," Jax insisted, shooting a venomous look at the small Cardslinger.
The burly sailor who had won the bid for the net stepped forward, growling, "Over me dead body ye'll be takin' that lad's stuff. Yo and yo house are not welcome 'ere."
"None but the kid's walkin' outta here with that stone," snarled another thin and wiry man, approaching from the crowd and standing menacingly beside the sailor.
The crowd silently formed around next to Syn, partially blocking her view. "You'll regret this, Daph," he snarled, "Let's go, Lorian," he said, turning around and walking away.
The golden-haired boy looked with desperate eyes at the small pixie-cut girl, "I'll be fine, Lor. Go with him before things get any worse."
Jax stopped after a few steps, letting Lorian catch up, and turned. Talking loud enough for everyone to hear. "Do we have to wait the entire day for your sister to come?" he accused, exasperated.
Syn's eyes darted around at the mention of the girl, searching for her. She came from behind her, hurriedly trying to make her way through. The girl exited the group and rushed to sheepishly follow the pair of departing Cardslingers. Syn's eyes followed her, hoping to meet her gaze, but the girl never turned around.
They disappeared In just a moment. The trio mixed among other festival-goers that let them through to curiously observe the girl and the hostile crowd from a distance.