Syn flinched at another cracking sound from the ceiling, immediately followed by the third prism crashing to the floor, shattering into thousands of pieces.

"Come on, Nyk! Wake up!" she yelled, desperation filling her voice as she shook his body.

She was growing worried. Syn examined the cave, her gaze avoiding the skeleton standing near Nyk’s unconscious body.

Despite her efforts, her eyes met the skull’s empty sockets, which seemed to look back at her, and a shiver ran down her spine.

The skeleton seemed centuries old, which was surprising, considering how the cave seemed to fall apart by the minute. She was sure Nyk would’ve been all over it, peeking and poking, intrigued by the glowing clothes, but she wanted nothing to do with the eerie figure. All that mattered to her was getting out of this place before it crumbled.

"Why must you always make things so difficult? Wake up!" she pleaded, shaking his limp body. She had no other choice; she’d have to carry him.

As she hoisted him up, lights all around the cave dimly flashed to existence and began pulsating.

Another crack made her roll her eyes. "Nope, I don’t care what’s going on here." She muttered to herself.

She hesitated before using her Green Card to help her move Nyk. Testing the power of a Green Card inside a collapsing cave might not be the brightest idea I’ve had, she thought, ultimately deciding against using the card.

Lifting Nyk’s limp body wasn’t easy, but Syn mustered all her strength, hoisting him over her shoulder.

Staggering under his weight, she looked at her friend. He looked leaner than the day before, and he seemed heavier.

"I s-swear you weren’t this heavy yesterday—"

An enormous prism exploded next to where she had been standing a moment ago, its shards lashing her legs with cuts.

Wincing in pain from the cuts, Syn hurried, each step heavier than the last. Time was pressing, and the once serene cave was now a death trap.

Lights pulsed and intensified around them, quickening in response to their movements. Their presence or departure seemingly triggering the cave’s accelerated decay.

Syn didn’t have time to dwell on the implications, focusing only on exiting the cave. She gritted her teeth, her breath ragged as she pushed forward.

The ceiling began to crumble at an alarming rate, and prism after prism plummeted to the floor. They would be buried alive if they didn’t escape now.

In a split-second decision, Syn leaped toward the main cave exit, and Syn summoned her card’s full power, outracing the collapsing ceiling and fleeing the death trap.

As they soared, she turned to glance for the last time at the cave, and catching just a glimpse of the solitary robed figure before exploding prisms, blocked her view.

Syn’s heart raced, her adrenaline spiking as she held Nyk’s unconscious form. Dropping Nyk, she prepared to tend the cuts in her legs, but surprisingly, none remained. Confused, she looked back at the debris and shattered crystals inside the cave.

What is going on here? She pondered, her thoughts puzzled by the robed figure’s identity, her sudden healing, and Nyk’s unyielding unconsciousness.

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

"I-I wouldn’t know where t-to start." Syn stammered.

"You can begin by explaining what you were doing in the middle of the beach!" Minda demanded, her stern voice filling the living room.

Nyk’s grandmother interjected calmly, "I’m sure there’s good reason, and I’m certain that reason is Nyk."

Minda shot her a warning glance before turning back to Syn. "Was this another one of your pranks? I cannot believe you would pull one of those with your father in this state!" Minda gestured to her father, resting in a makeshift bed nearby.

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"It’s not like that! I—" Syn paused, searching for words. "... just followed Nyk."

Minda was about to respond when the doorbell rang insistently. "Don’t move an inch," she said, pausing at every word, and left for the door.

Nyk’s grandmother waited patiently for Minda to leave the room before asking Syn, "What’s Nyk done this time?" her voice calm.

"N-Nyk..." said Syn hesitantly, "Left t-to confront G-garoth."

Hearing Garoth’s name, Val’s eyes widened. She took a deep breath, steadied herself, and urged Syn to continue. "And you suspected this and followed him?"

Syn nodded, her voice trembling. "I-I chased after him and b-barely made it in time to see him enter Garoth’s cave." she paused, collecting her thoughts. "It all happened s-so fast. I found his bag, h-heard a noise and jumped into the cave, distracting Garoth. We tried to escape, b-but he knocked me down, and I lost consciousness... "she blurted, as if the memories rushed out of her, her gaze distant.

She looked into Val’s eyes. "I remember waking up thinking I should be dead, b-but... w-when I woke up, Nyk was fighting Garoth. I-I still don’t get how. Somehow he scared him a-and we managed to escape into a crevice in the cave. P-pain flooded me, and I fainted. I was severely hurt, b-but when I woke up... I was h-healed, and Garoth was... g-gone."

A voice from the doorway interrupted her. "You two fought Garoth and lived?" said a young girl’s voice, quivering with disbelief.

Syn and Val quickly turned to find Minda, Uncle Taizhen, and Daph standing, having returned unnoticed.

Uncle Taizhen was smiling ear to ear, his eyes sparkling and hands behind his back, while Daph gazed at Syn with awe and disbelief. Minda appeared torn between relief and frustration.

Val’s surprised expression turned sad as she beckoned Syn closer. "Come here, Syn," she said, embracing her and glancing at Minda.

Minda sighed, her anger seemingly dissipating, leaving only worry behind her gaze.

"Ho ho ho, my luck never ceases to amaze me!" Uncle Taizhen declared, "I came looking for a candidate and found a Dragonslayer instead."

Syn glanced up from within Val’s embrace. "W-we didn’t kill Garoth," she hesitated. "A-at least that’s what I think..." she finished, looking in Nyk’s direction.

Uncle Taizhen chuckled, "Ho ho ho, no child, no, I didn’t think it possible." He shook his head and clarified, "I wasn’t referring to you, kids."

Val glanced at Taizhen, her gaze a mix of annoyance yet mild amusement. "What do you want from me, Taizhen?"

Syn quickly turned to glare at Val, baffled.

"I’m not here for you, nothing of the sort," he answered, raising his hands defensively. "In fact, I had no plans to come or stop by this village. In fact, it wasn’t easy figuring out exactly where to go."

Val stared silently at Taizhen, her gaze revealing nothing.

"Ahem, I was in Azuria organizing travel arrangements for a group of young Cardslingers when Daph here rushed to share an intriguing tale about a girl," he said, his eyes sparkling as he spoke. "A girl who had managed to prevent a Mana stone from binding using only her Willpower..." He glanced at Syn.

Syn hastily averted her gaze from the trio and focused on Nyk’s face instead.

"Moreover," Taizhen continued, "it wasn’t just any ordinary binding. According to Daph, the stone in question was a Colored one and glowed with hints of blue." He let the words linger in the air.

From the corner of her eye, Syn noticed Val suddenly turning towards her. She cautiously glanced sideways, catching Val’s inscrutable gaze, which sent shivers down her spine, releasing Nyk’s hand.

She glanced at Minda, who offered her a gentle smile and approached, laying her soothing hand on her shoulder. Reassured, she turned her gaze back to the door, where Taizhen continued to observe her.

His intense gaze locked onto her eyes, and just as he had done on the ship, he narrowed his eyes and seemed to look beyond her. Seconds stretched uncomfortably for Syn. Taizhen didn’t even blink until his expression returned to normal. "Ho ho ho, the saying holds true—surprises never come alone!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

At that moment, Zosimos burst through the door, panting slightly. He quickly saluted Taizhen. "I heard you had arrived. Greetings, Grandmaster Taizhen," he said, joining his hands and bowing to him.

Taizhen raised his hand, acknowledging Zosimos without removing his gaze from Syn. "I sense tremendous power within you." Syn shifted uncomfortably under the attention.

"Would you care to share why didn’t you come to me yesterday once you obtained the Colored Card? Did you intend to test it against Garoth?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

Zosimos, puzzled, jumped in. "A C-colored card? G-garoth? W-what is going on?"

Smiling, Taizhen replied, "I can sense the girl has a Colored Card today; she didn’t yesterday."

All eyes in the room turned to her.

Hesitating under their scrutiny, Syn realized she needed to say something. "I-I don’t know how I got the c-card. After everything that happened, w-when I woke up, I j-just noticed mine replaced with a Green one," she lied.

Uncle Taizhen studied her with keen interest, "Fascinating..." his eyes sparkled with curiosity, "It seems you have a rare gift, young one. It will be intriguing to see how it develops."

A mix of awe, concern, and disbelief filled the room as everyone tried to process the events that had unfolded. Val’s eyes, however, remained locked on Taizhen, who was still intensely looking at Syn.

"Dear, what would you say if—" said Taizhen, breaking the silence, but Val cut him off.

"Syn, why don’t you take your friend and bring a bucket of water? I want to tend to Nyk’s wounds." Val asked, never breaking her gaze from the old man.

Wh — my friend? Syn looked around, surprised, finding Daph standing right next to them.

Val stared menacingly at Taizhen. "It shan’t take you more than 10... maybe 20 minutes?"

Syn swallowed nervously. "S-sure, Nana," and motioned for the pixie-haired girl to follow her outside.