As the sun began to set, Syn and Nyk emerged from the butcher's shop, their bag heavy with bones. The mustached man behind the counter had been talkative, and they had managed to charm him into giving them the bones for the festival. As they walked through the park's leafy entrance, Nyk couldn't contain his excitement.

"This is a great haul!" he exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. "We'll be able to buy all the sweets and apples we want!"

Syn smiled back, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "We'll still need to be careful with our spending," she cautioned. "But I'm excited to see how much we'll get from these materials and our inventions."

As they made their way through the park, Nyk's imagination ran wild. "We'll be able to buy all sorts of pills and potions and use them to join an Academy!" he exclaimed. "We'll be the greatest Cardslingers of all time!"

Syn chuckled. "Heh, maybe you'll even breathe fire like the ones from your Nana's stories," she teased.

"Hey, Nana's stories are true, you know," he protested, his eyes shining with conviction.

"Suuuuure, certainly you know this because you've seen people bathe in lava, right?" said Syn raising an eyebrow.

"That's not what she said, and you know it!" Nyk said defensively. He wracked his brain, looking for something to say before Syn could tease him further, and blurted the first thing that came to mind. "Do you think we'll have enough for your card tomorrow?"

Syn's face went pale, and the wind began blowing as she turned to Nyk. "W-what are you saying?"

Nyk noticed his error, but it was too late. He stumbled to find the right words. "W-what? T-there's no one here! I just want to know if you think this will be enough for your c..."

Syn looked down at Nyk with a fierce expression. "Nykel Solrun!" she said coldly, the wind suddenly blowing on his face, all hint of friendliness gone. Her eyebrows still, and her mouth forming a straight line that curved downward at the corners.

Nyk stopped at the sight of his friend, and his body went rigid while his face turned pale. "I... I..."

"Don't. Speak. Another. Word." She warned, with a finger on her lips and her voice low as she quickly checked their surroundings, scanning the park for eavesdroppers.

After searching the park for a solid minute, Syn returned, her face red with anger. "How often have I told you to think before talking? You never know who could be hiding or listening around the corner!"

Nyk's face fell, apologetic. "I-I was j-just curious..." his voice but a whisper.

"How many times have we talked about this?" Syn said, resuming walking clearly quite mad at him.

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It took some time for Syn to calm down. When she turned, she found Nyk following, his eyes not lifting from the ground.

Nyk noticed her gaze and scowled. "Sorry, Syn."

"How many times we've talked about keeping it a secret?" she replied, frustrated.

"I know..." he said apologetically. "I was just curious."

"Curiosity will get you in trouble one day! You have to think ahead on what you're doing," she replied sharply.

She stood still as the last rays of the sun reached her eyes. "I think that's enough for today. We've gathered a lot of materials and need to start sorting them out."

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"Shall we go to Nana's Workshop?"

"Nu-huh, we must pick up the bags I left at home." She said, leading the pair toward the base of the cliff.

Nyk looked at her suspiciously but decided to remain silent and followed.

As they made their way to Syn's house, she finally spoke up, "You're a dummy, you know?"

"I already said I'm sorry, Syn," Nyk said apologetically.

"Not about that," she said, biting her lip. "I can't believe you didn't show up this morning."

"I... completely forgot Syn. Nana had me help her pick up herbs, and then I spent the entire evening working on homework for next week."

Syn couldn't stop herself from lightly laughing at Nyk. "Fair enough, we'll call it even then."

Nyk perked up, "Really?"

"Really," she said, smiling. "Besides, I've been dying to tell you something. Are you not going to ask why I've been so mad with you all day?"

Nyk looked confused, "You just said it was because I forgot to show up."

Syn's eyes lighted up playfully. "I wouldn't have given you such a hard time just because you forgot. If there was nothing there, I could've always gone home."

Nyk looked suspiciously at Syn. "W-why... didn't you go home?"

"I'm glad that you asked." said Syn smiling, "The thing is, something amazing happened to me during the night" Syn left that phrase in the air.

"Overnight? Did your dad bring back something interesting?" said Nyk confused.

"Gods no! I witnessed a fight!" beamed Syn.

"A fight! What kind of fight?"

"If I tell you, you'll wish you were dead for not being there," Syn teased, a playful glint in her eye.

"Come on, spill it! What kind of fight?" Nyk pressed.

Syn's eyes danced as she looked at Nyk with a wide smile. "This kind of fight," she said, pointing at one of the bags filled with bones.

Nyk's face registered confusion for a moment before his eyes widened in realization. "No way! You saw beasts fight?" he exclaimed as he jumped excitedly.

"Nope," Syn teased, drawing out the suspense.

"T-then what?" Nyk asked, confusion still evident on his face.

"Not just beasts. I saw Garoth fight!" Syn finally blurted out.

"What!?" Nyk reacted in disbelief.

"And you missed it!" Syn replied with a triumphant look on her face. Immediately running the last bit of the trip toward her house's door.

"You saw it fight! Against what?" Nyk chased her, practically shouting in awe.

"I saw it fight and win!" Syn said, entering her house. Nyk eagerly followed, wanting to hear more about the fight.

Syn described how she had left her house as Nyk chased her into the living room, and sat in a chair. She explained what she saw from the cliff and quickly summarized the appearance of the challenger and Garoth's attack, waiting for Nyk to sit.

Nyk was still standing when she explained how the tides had turned. "Wooow! Don't stop, don't stop!"

Her face turned bittersweet, as she recounted the defeat of the challenger and Garoth's growl of victory. "And there I was, perched on the rock, watching as Garoth howled in my direction and took a bite of the challenger's remains."

Nyk finally sat, listening intently, his eyes widening with each detail Syn described. "What happened next? What did it do?" he asked eagerly.

"He left. Disappeared in the shadows," Syn said, finishing her story.

Nyk's body was practically vibrating with excitement.

"Woooahhh, Amazing! I can't believe I missed that!" he said, pained. "D-did you descend into the crag?"

Syn nodded, beaming a knowing smile.

"And d-did you find anything?"

Syn held his gaze for a few seconds before smiling playfully and nodding. "You know, the usual,..."

"Come on, Syn, tell me, what did you find?" His eyes practically pleading with her.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you what if you promise you won't EVER forget to think before talking," Syn said, her tone severe but still teasing.

"I swear, I swear!" Nyk said earnestly, almost beaming.

"Okay. It was nothing much," she said dismissively, "A few bones here and there, some scales washed from the challenger..."

Nyk couldn't sit still "You got monster bones!!"

"Yeah, but most of them were already dissolving with the beast's poison," said Syn, trying to manage Nyk's expectations. "So don't get too excited."

Nyk's face fell slightly. "And...That's it?"

"Aaaand," Syn continued, drawing out the suspense again, "I found something that's going to come very, very handy."

"Did you get a Card!?" Nyk pleaded, practically bouncing with excitement.

Syn winced, "I did not get a card." Nyk immediately deflated, disappointment evident on his face, "...but I got second best!"

Nyk looked at her suspiciously.

"I'd rather show you as we sort things out, Let's pick up these bags, rush to yours, and I'll show you. We have a lot of work to do today!"