"Shouldn't I be the one asking that?! Why did you wake me up?!"
The two of them remained locked in a standoff in the water for a moment, then simultaneously turned to stare at the only person who had stayed on shore and remained dry.
And it seemed that the only thing Nastya could do at the last moment was place the notebook in her hands somewhere it would not be splashed.
Then, after a brief silence, an Incantation shot violently from the surface of the water, aimed straight at her.
Nastya reacted quickly, immediately deflecting it with a Counter-Incantation. But right after that, another, more concealed Incantation slipped through her defenses and struck her body with perfect accuracy.
In that instant, she felt her feet suddenly grow light, and her body rose uncontrollably into the air. She hovered weightlessly above the stream, as though pulled by invisible threads, briefly suspended in midair.
But just as she was about to speak, the Incantation's power abruptly gave out. Gravity returned to her body, and she dropped straight into the water like a falling stone.
The icy stream instantly wrapped around her body. The splashing water traced a translucent arc beneath the sunlight before scattering in every direction.
Nastya was not good at swimming, nor had she ever played in the water before.
After only a brief struggle, the chill spread swiftly across her skin. But soon, a strong arm reached out, firmly grasped her wrist, and pulled her from the water.
The sunlight was blocked by the clouds, leaving only the outstretched hand illuminated, turning its pale skin brilliantly golden.
Then came the help of the other young Banshees. Seeing her fall into the water, they paddled over one after another and pulled her up.
"Anyway, come play with us first."