Syn sat by her father's side, her shoulders slumping as she let out a deep sigh and squeezed her father's hand tighter, trying to draw comfort from his touch. Her mind was racing as she replayed the events of the past few days. She wondered if she had made a mistake by telling her father about the fight. Should she have kept it to herself? Would things have turned out differently if she had?

Besides her, Nyk's nervous foot tapping wasn't helping to calm the pounding in her chest, his hands twisting and turning in his lap. Syn could see the tension in his body as if he was wound up like a spring about to snap. The silence in the room began making her ears ring, and a knot in her stomach stretched as she waited for someone to break the uneasy quiet.

"I don't understand how Garoth could defeat all of you," said Nyk suddenly. His tone was filled with curiosity and a hint of disbelief, their sincerity surfacing all sorts of emotions in the sailors' faces, who contorted in pain.

Syn saw his Grandmother's body spasm at the words, "Nyk!"

But Nyk's question lingered in the air, and the young sailor shifted in his seat, avoiding eye contact with him.

"What? You always tell me to be prepared before doing something," Nyk said, looking at his Grandmother, "What was the point of going if they weren't ready?

Nysander's voice cut through the tension. "It's okay, Val. The boy has a right to ask." He placed a gentle hand on Nyk's shoulder, a small smile on his face. "We did prepare, but the beast was strong and cunning. It waited until we were split and attacked by surprise." Despite the words, Syn could see the tension in the sailor's face, the muscles in his jaw tightening.

"B-but... I-I thought Syn's Dad was so strong he could defeat Garoth in a one-on-one fight. How did the six of you almost lose?" Nyk's fists clenched and unclenched as he spoke, his voice rising in pitch. He leaned forward, his eyes looking into Nysander's.

Syn watched as Nysander took a deep breath. "Normally, I wouldn't disagree with you. But no one can be certain of that, lad," Nysander's body tensed as he continued. "Thassos' skills and experience make him powerful in Water, but we were going when the tides were low. That's why the six of us went there. But know this kid, No plan ever survives contact with the enemy."

The room fell into a tense silence. The consequences of the fight paining everyone's mind.

"I now see we weren't ready. Maybe if we had– No, no excuses. No one could've predicted–"

"You don't have to excuse yourself any further, Nysander." she said with a warm smile, "We can talk about this later." Nyk's Grandmother turned her gaze toward Nyk. "As for you–"

The group's conversation was interrupted by a loud commotion at the shop entrance. A series of urgent knocks echoed through the room, accompanied by cries and voices raised in alarm.

Syn could see the concern etched on Nysander's face as he turned towards the door. "Those must be the others' families," he said, his voice filled with apprehension.

Vaughn's face went pale, and Syn could see the fear in his eyes. "What will I tell Arek's wife?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Nysander approached the young sailor, addressing him comfortingly, "Vaughn, don't worry. Take your time to recover and stay here with Thassos. I'll speak with his wife."

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Nyk's Nana stepped forward, her voice filled with compassion. "You won't be alone," she said, offering help. "Nyk, stay here with Syn, and be quiet," she instructed sternly.

The two left, heading towards the front door, with Zosimos and Minda following them without uttering a word.

A moment later, the noise grew even louder, and Syn could feel the tension in the air rising as the cries doubled.

It took Nyk but a moment of solitude to break the silence.

"Vaughn," Nyk began, his eyes narrowed in confusion. "How did Syn's Dad manage to cut Garoth when all of you failed to harm it?"

"T-Thassos's control of mana is on a different level altogether to the rest of us," Vaughn replied, confused.

"But... it's still Water, and Garoth lives in it! How can it damage him when rocks do nothing? What did he do?" insisted Nyk.

"I-I don't know how he did it, it happened too fast, and Garoth was b-blocking my view. I just heard an incredibly loud slash and a horrifying screech." Vaughn explained, his voice heavy with guilt. "After that, t-the beast jumped backward, and Nysander trapped it in a cage of rocks. He y-yelled at me to bring our potions and ran toward Thassos."

Vaughn's face contorted as he continued talking, his hands' shaking spreading to his neck and legs.

"W-when I approached them with the bag, horrifying n-noises came from inside the cage, and a dark liquid escaped t-through the cracks."

"B-but as we fled, I saw a p-piece of Garoth's body outside the earthen cage." A glimmer of hope lit up Vaughn's face as he spoke, a desperate yet hopeful smile spreading across his lips. "F-from shoulder to tail, half its body was lying t-there, c-completely still, the same dark liquid oozing out of it."

"So it really was half its body, like, literally half of it?" Nyk insisted, untiring.

"Y-yeah. I j-just hope the bastard bleeds out," said Vaughn, his shaking reducing as his jaw clenched and fists steeled, but it was short-lived, with Vaughn's body resuming shaking as a wail could be heard coming from the shop's front, and a woman started crying loudly.

Syn couldn't take it anymore. Her voice trembled as she asked the question that had been nagging her since the sailors had returned. "W-what did Nysander mean when he said you weren't ready for what you found?"

Vaughn's face turned grave as he recalled the harrowing events. "We knew we wouldn't have water, but when we arrived, the crag looked more like a rocky beach than the coral reef it used to be. There was destruction everywhere," he explained, his voice laced with fear and awe.

"The landscape was... unrecognizable, the rocks made it hard to move around, and almost every sea stack had crumbled. The Dragon's Talon looked more like a Dragon's Claw, with only two nearby pillars surviving the disaster."

Syn could feel the discomfort growing in her chest as she listened to the sailor's version. Should she have insisted on how the battle had destroyed all the sea stacks? What difference could that have made? Would her father not be lying here if she had said something?

"We knew that with that little water, Thassos was at a disadvantage, so we split," Vaughn's voice shook as he spoke. "But the battle was lost before it began when the beast attacked and dispatched us four in an instant."

Syn's eyes widened in disbelief. "How did Dad manage to cut him in two?"

Vaughn's gaze became distant as he recounted a story from long ago. "It's thanks to something everyone's prepared since a long time ago," he said, his voice trailing off.

Vaughn hesitated before answering, "T-this is from before I became a Cardslinger when I was a kid. Years ago, Garoth attacked the port, and he m-murdered many people. Only a team of five Cardslingers was there to defend the port; after four of them died, the last one attempted a suicidal move. He died but single-handedly managed to drive the beast away and saved me and a few kids."

Syn could see the pain etched on Vaughn's face as he continued. "Since then, your Dad convinced everyone to plan what they would do in the same situation. For me, with the control I have, I still can't manage anything and had no strategy, but your Dad's did. H-his plan was to use his blood, focus it in a powerful point-blank water laser aimed at the beast's head."

Syn gasped in horror at the revelation. "He... went there intending to die?"

The boy looked at her with surprise, "N-no, that's not what I meant... we went there to scout and prepared to fight if needed, but he... all of us, we were all ready to die for the village, it's different."

Syn turned to look at Nyk, horrified. But her friend was gone.