Syn rose to her feet as the back door of her house opened. Taizhen, Minda, and Nyk's grandmother emerged with expressions more serious than when they had left them. The trio appeared to be bearers of bad news, their demeanor solemn.

At Taizhen's signal, Daph patted Syn's back and hurried forward, passing her before joining Taizhen and Minda. The group promptly turned and reentered the house, leaving Syn feeling puzzled as Nyk's grandmother gestured her to remain where she was.

Her eyes filled with concern, and she looked up at the elderly woman. "D-did something happen? A-are Nyk and Dad...?"

"Nothing's changed; we just received some unrelated yet unfortunate news." said the old woman, smiling kindly. "Follow me, dear; we need to talk."

Syn's worry deepened, but she followed her, sitting near the forest entrance beside Nyk's grandmother. The woman remained quiet for a moment before turning to Syn, her earthy green eyes more intense than usual.

"How did y—No; When did you get your Green Card?"

Syn's guilt welled up inside her. She had seen the prompt; somehow, the card had evolved to a higher rarity. But she had no idea how it had happened; after all, she had never even heard of the option 'absorb' before this morning. For a moment, she considered confessing the truth before shaking her head. "I really don't know how I g-got it, but at the cave... S-something I don't know how to explain happened, and i-it showed up already b-bonded to me."

"In the cave..." the woman said, looking into the distance, deep in thought. Finally, she sighed and turned to Syn. "Taizhen has requested that you and Nyk accompany him to the Academy."

Syn's eyes widened. Daph was right, after all. "That'd be amaz—Wait, Nyk too?" she asked, confused. Why? Not only did he lack a Green card, but he hadn't even had his coming-of-age ceremony.

"Yes, Nyk too," the old woman confirmed, wincing. "I've pushed back, telling him you won't go unless you want to and your father approves."

Syn looked at Nyk's grandmother, her mind racing as she processed the information. Of course, she wanted to go, but would she really leave her father behind after all he had endured? And Garoth... someone would need to defend the village while he recovered. The beast had left, but what if it returned seeking vengeance?

Torn, she weighed her options, her quickly beating heart gradually calming. "Why Nyk? He doesn't even have a card, let alone a Green one."

"Having or not having a Green card wouldn't be a problem; that can be resolved," the woman said calmly. "It's the idea of both of you being at the Academy that I don't like."

Nyk's grandmother's words made her blood heat up. The academy again, she thought, barely able to mask her disgust.

The elderly woman was kind, and Syn would never be able to repay the debt she owed her for saving her dad. However, her persistent denial of magic irritated her.

Over time, Syn had honed her ability to detect mana and noticed that those who had recently utilized their card evoked a unique smell or sensation in her.

Minda felt like winter, and her dad smelled of the sea, even when they weren't using their cards. Even Zosimos, though she had never seen him use his card, gave off a dry but soothing sensation hinting at his card's nature.

But Nyk's grandmother was a different story. Syn had never sensed anything from her. No smell, no sensation, nothing. She felt void. And despite seemingly not owning a card, she had filled Nyk's head with tales about the academies as if she had been a student there. And, though she was fond of her, she doubted she could trust anyone less than she trusted her and her fabricated academy stories.

Syn crossed her arms, her voice laced with irritation. "And why would you believe that? What kind of trouble do you think we'll encounter at the Academy?"

The usual gentle warmth on the old woman's face disappeared, replaced by a severe look. "I'm concerned with you in particular. I'm not sure if, with Taizhen around, you'll be safe."

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Taizhen? Syn lifted her eyebrows, confused. "He's just a recruiter. Why would he be interested in me?"

"Taizhen may be a recruiter now," the elderly woman said, her gaze distant, "But at his core, he's a Scholar, a Researcher, and a tenacious one."

"By Scholar, you mean Magic Researcher's Institute's Cardslinger?" Syn asked, trying to grasp what she was implying.

The woman nodded slowly, continuing, "He's spent most of his life at the Artificer's Academy, serving as a representative."

"At the Cube?" Syn interrupted, surprised by the coincidence. Her mother had worked there.

Nyk's grandmother confirmed with another nod. "He used to work with your mother."

Syn's eyes widened in astonishment. "Taizhen knew my mother?"

Looking up at the sky, the elderly woman's voice seemed far away. "They collaborated for many years before your mother decided to leave the Cube," she said, her eyes on the horizon.

Syn's mind was in overdrive. Does he know who I am? Did he come to assist his old colleague's daughter? But he never mentioned my mother. What—

"What do you know about your mother and me?" she asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"S-she once said she owed you her life..." Syn answered, her voice barely a whisper, as she locked eyes with the older woman.

The woman laughed lightly, her gaze softening. "Actually, I'm the one who owes her. Without your mother, I don't think I wouldn't have remained sane." Her fingers idly traced patterns on the grass as she lost herself in distant memories.

Interested, Syn leaned in a bit. "How did you two meet?" she inquired, her curiosity evident in her voice.

The woman looked back at her, a sparkle of nostalgia in her eyes. "I was her mentor at the Academy."

Syn's eyes widened, and she bit her lower lip, trying to quiet her skepticism. "M-mentor?" she managed to ask, her voice steady.

"I mainly helped her navigate politics and create alliances," the woman answered, her voice steady and filled with nostalgia.

Syn gave a slight head shake, a skeptical look on her face. "'Creating alliances, politics, training, and studying'...," she echoed, remembering what Daph had said.

The older woman met her gaze and smiled warmly. "That's right. Those are the key parts of being successful there."

Confusion washed over Syn. How could she know this? Was she listening our chat earlier? It didn't make sense. She shook her head as if physically trying to clear her mixed-up thoughts. Okay, let's say she was indeed at the Academy. That doesn't mean anything else she's said is any more true. She bit her lip and twisted her feet nervously, thinking.

"With each passing day, you look more and more like your mother; you know that?" She said, pointing at her feet. The sudden change in topic caught Syn off guard.

Startled, Syn blinked, confusion written all over her face. "Y-yeah, Dad has mentioned it."

"You're the spitting image of her, and Taizhen has likely noticed too. There's no way he didn't recognize you." The woman's voice was confident, her eyes filled with certainty.

Syn recalled the encounter in her mind, "H-he did behave a bit weird when we met at the ship."

The older woman looked thoughtful, her fingers gently tapping on her knee. "I'm surprised he didn't ask you about her then," she mumbled, more to herself than to Syn.

Taken aback, Syn asked, "Why would he?"

"Because your mom was the leading creator working with him on the project. When she left, his work probably stopped. Knowing him, I'm sure he would do anything to find her again."

"Find her again?" Syn echoed, her heart thumping in her chest.

"Yes, dear, she broke off all contact with him when we moved to Talorin."

"'We'? What do you mean by 'We'?" Syn's voice was sharp, filled with confusion and suspicion.

"I told you, I was her mentor. I likely still know more about her than your father ever did." The woman's voice was calm, her eyes meeting Syn's squarely.

Syn's mind spun with the implications. She'd never given much thought to the elderly woman before, but it did match her mom's behavior and her dad's unwavering respect. She'd always assumed it was simply out of reverence for an elder.

Hesitantly, Syn asked, "D-do you know what Taizhen and my mother were researching?"

The woman nodded, pausing for a moment as if carefully choosing her words. "Your mother was primarily focused on beneficial pursuits, while Taizhen was more interested in... destructive ones." Her eyebrows furrowed before continuing, "I fear that learning you stopped a stone binding sparked his interest. With it, you may have hinted you can help him piece together whatever your mother tried to keep hidden from him."

"B-but I d-don't know anything about their research..."

The older woman regarded her carefully. "I'm not so sure about that," she replied. "You stopped a colored binding."

Syn looked to Val, her eyes wide with confusion. "Val, I-is that not... n-normal?"

Val shook her head gently, her expression serious. "Only a select few know how to stop a binding," she explained. "But there's not a single record of anyone surviving the act of stopping a colored one."

Syn's eyes opened in the realization of what others had seen when they looked at her. It was as if she had used unknown and forbidden magic to commit suicide. Only she had not died.