Nyk sprinted through the forest, his mind struggling to piece a puzzle together. I'll never catch up to Syn at this pace, not unless she wants me to, he thought, pushing himself to sprint faster.

As he sped up, he dodged another branch, shielding his tattered clothes, and urged himself to think, convinced that something had gone wrong the previous day.

With the school closed for the festival, he wondered what could be the reason behind Syn's abrupt departure.

Nyk traced Syn's footprints to a makeshift tree bridge over the river. Cautiously, he began to cross the slippery log, focusing on each step.

As he reached the wettest section, his instincts screamed at him, and he lunged for a nearby branch. A split second later, a flying nut whizzed past his ear, the wind whooshing behind it.

"Syn, wait!" he yelled, looking worriedly at the icy waters below him and holding dearly to the branch.

Praying to the Gods to strengthen the branch, he reached with his feet toward the trunk. Awkwardly regaining balance and hurriedly transferring his weight to it.

He carefully crossed the tree bridge and, once on solid ground, followed a trail of leaves and branches that hinted at Syn's direction.

Boy, she's pretty pissed off. What did I do this time? He thought, resuming the chase.

Gasping for breath, Nyk slowed down and surveyed the scenery, realizing he stood at the forest's edge.

Ahead of him, a house was visible at the other end of the clearing, the back of Syn's father's shop. A small open window above the back door offered a glimpse inside.

He knew Syn was around, perhaps waiting inside the weather-worn house with its sturdy pine door and shining brass handles. A cluster of clothes-drying racks stood in the middle of the clearing, blocking his path.

Tense and alert, Nyk entered the clearing, and as he approached the clothes-drying racks, he pulled a pair of branches he had stripped to resemble daggers from his pockets, ready for an attack.

As he walked past the racks, he suddenly spun around, slashing a shirt aside with his makeshift dagger, but found no one behind it.

Clothes on his left flapped in response, and he tumbled under them. As he stood, a strong gust of wind blew on his back, his instincts flared at him again, and he tried to dodge, but it was too late.

He felt a sudden blow to his head, sending him stumbling forward with a resounding "SLAP". Regaining his footing, he spun around to identify the source of the attack. To his surprise, a pair of trousers, apparently caught in the wind, had struck him.

A chuckle echoed through the clearing, and he tensed, ready to spring into action.

A shadow behind the trousers caught his attention, and he quickly swung forward to move them aside. Again, there was no one there. The wind raised again, making the clothes sway wildly. Something's wrong here, he thought, narrowing his eyes.

Nyk jumped at an opening and quickly exited the group of racks. He circled the clothes, dodging them as they swung close and searching for signs of Syn hiding among them.

Suspicious, he stepped away from the drying rack and suddenly pivoted, raising his makeshift daggers in a sweeping motion to catch Syn off-guard. But he found only the clothes swinging in the wind.

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As he struck the pose, he instinctively thought, "Waterjet!" He'd practiced this action countless times, imagining summoning a powerful water jet like Syn's Dad to slice through anything in front of him.

And just like every other time, nothing happened.

Unfazed by the lack of slicing magical water, he grinned in his power pose. Soon, he'd have his coming-of-age ritual, and the movement would unleash devastation on any approaching enemies.

In this grand pose, he heard Syn's voice echoing against the trees, "Nyk, are you coming or what?"

Surprised, Nyk turned to look for her. 'Up here!' Syn called out, her head peeking from the window above the door, resting on her arms.

"Y-yes, I'm coming!" he said, sheathing the stick into his pockets. Her head disappeared, and he ran towards the door.

As Nyk reached for the door, an unfamiliar sound made him pause and squint. His pupils dilated while he pulled out one of his sticks and stepped back, pushing with it.

The door creaked open. He scanned the interior of the house with a narrowed gaze.

A chuckle echoed through the clearing. Nyk looked to his left and then up a second too late, just in time to see a waterfall heading for him. He jumped back, trying to dodge, but the wind caught on and pushed the water toward him.

In the background, Syn waved from the window, smiling.

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

Nyk, soaked and shivering after narrowly failing to avoid the waterfall, caught his breath and glanced around. Syn soon appeared, playfully smirking as she approached.

"I won't fall for it next time! You'll see," Nyk mumbled through chattering teeth and drenched in freezing water as a shiver coursed through his entire body.

Syn burst into laughter, unable to contain herself as she rolled on the floor. "You'll have to snap out of your daydreams first," she giggled.

Nyk was beyond mad about the cold water prank but held his tongue.

Despite their habit of playing pranks on each other, there was a noticeable increase in hostility between them. He recalled the anger in her eyes this morning and knew it was essential to remain calm. What am I not getting here?

Syn stood up, still shaking with laughter. His best friend was athletic and taller, something she never failed to remind him of when she had the chance.

"Ahh, classic," Syn gloated. "Wait here. I'll grab a towel and ice for your bump."

"I don't need ice. I'm fine, but a kinder wake-up call would've been nice," he said, testing the waters and trying to find the reason for his friend's sudden change in behavior.

"Is that why you were so mad when I woke you this morning?" Syn asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nyk touched the bump on his head carefully. "I was mad because grandma will scold me when she sees this," he said, wary of Syn's intentions.

"Well, then maybe you shouldn't go hitting windows with your head, not that you didn't deserve it. But who knows, forgetful as you always are, maybe that woke up your brain." Syn teased, grinning as she went inside.

A moment later, she returned and handed him a towel. "Anyway, sorry, Nyk. I didn't think you would hurt yourself fleeing from a girl," Syn continued, trying to look remorseful but unable to conceal her grin.

"This will mean an evening's worth of chores. I can already feel it." Nyk said, offended, as he took the towel and started drying his head, careful not to touch his bump.

Syn waited for Nyk to finish drying off. "Maybe you would've noticed the window this morning if you had paid more attention to your surroundings. I swear you spend all your time fighting the wind and acting all grandiose." She said, pushing an icy cloth against the bump on Nyk's forehead.

"I don't fight the wind. I train," Nyk retorted.

Syn raised a single eyebrow and gestured with her head toward the clothes rack behind him.

Nyk's face blushed fiercely. "T-that... I thought y-you were hiding in there!" he protested, removing Syn's hand from the cloth and holding it himself.

"And what's your excuse for this morning?" Syn said, a spark in her eyes letting on that the question was not as simple as it looked.

Nyk pondered his answer. "This morning... I jumped when you yelled... I thought something dangerous was above my head," Nyk replied.

Syn winced.

"Sure, something dangerous like a brain," Syn said, stepping back.

Enough, thought Nyk, his face red as he tried to hold his tongue.

"Okay, okay... relax. Next time there will be no yelling," Syn said, raising her hands in surrender. She placed a hand over her heart. "I, Synedra Nolrin, promise... that the next time I wake you up, I'll tickle instead of yelling," she said mischievously, winking at Nyk before hurrying into the house.

"How is that making it any better!?" said Nyk as he chased after her.