Chapter 60: She Is Mine
The hours slowly drifted by, yet Kyva remained where she was, staring at the basin like it might yield its secrets under the weight of her persistence.
She narrowed her eyes at it, her lips pursed, brows furrowed.
What was she doing wrong?
It’s not like she wasn’t copying her master’s stance, so by all accounts, it should have worked.
"Intentions... directions..." she murmured, turning the words over as though they might reveal some hidden meaning if only she examined them long enough.
This had nothing to do with the challenge anymore. A quiet resolve had taken root within her. Whether she willed it or not, Kyva would see this through. She would understand. She would succeed.
She would impress her master.
Drawing in a steady breath, she sat straight and resumed focus.
Meanwhile, Calhoun lingered by the doorway, watching her try and try all over again, her spirit refusing to surrender. Truth be told, her persistence was remarkable. This was the same woman who never gave up trying to escape from the iron bars of slavery. He ought not to have been surprised. Yet he was.
The sight stirred an old memory.
He recalled his first attempt at water manipulation. Born with eight tails, power had been his inheritance, not his pursuit. But as a child plagued with a demonic soul, that power had been wild, and impossible to tame. He had not known restraint, considering he was a child.
In his first lesson, he had accidentally flooded the entirety of the citadel palace, drowning tapestries and relics that had stood for generations.
His father’s fury had been merciless, considering he was away at that time and only returned to find his home throwing a mermaid celebration, several possessions of great importance ruined in the devastating deluge.
His punishment had been swift and merciless. He had been whipped without having anyone to listen to him. No one tried to understand him. They only called him names. Afterwards, he was confined in his chamber, like some abomination. He remembered the sting, but more than that, he remembered the hollow ache of striving for a love that would never be given.
Calhoun’s lips curved into a bitter scoff as the recollections surfaced.
There had been a time he labored tirelessly for his father’s approval, like he could earn his affection through obedience. How strange it seemed now, that he had once believed in such a fragile illusion. Yet, if blame were to be cast, it did not rest solely with his father.
His thoughts turned toward the woman who had brought him into this world, the woman he did not have the privilege to see before death claimed her. She had abandoned him to a cruelty he had been far too young to endure, and this...this was the result of her absence.
A hollow thing, shaped by his parent’s neglect, and the quiet, unrelenting cruelty of his own kind.
A nearby vase of flowers began to wither, their petals curling inward as his mood darkened, life draining from them like they were being drawn by an unseen force. Yet the decay halted the moment his gaze returned to Kyva.
His human.
She was still practicing.
He was certain she would not treat him as they had.
If he could make her fall in love with him, truly and irrevocably, then she would cherish him.
Calhoun slipped back inside.
Kyva on the other hand, was rather intent on not leaving that tree till she figured out water manipulation by herself. Her practice was interrupted by the soft sound of approaching footsteps.
"Lady Mia," Kyva rose at once, offering a slight bow. "You’re here."
Lady Mia inclined her head with a gentle smile, acknowledging the greeting. Seeing the human girl alone outdoors brought her a measure of relief. It seemed the fox master had chosen to keep a respectable distance from his disciple.
Her attendants were only spouting nonsense about the fox master being interested in the human girl.
Kyva, however, found herself momentarily undone.
Lady Mia looked even more striking today– there was a natural grace to her, as though time itself had claimed over her form.Kyva could not help but think that all the beastly folks were indeed blessed in their appearances.
"What are you doing?" Lady Mia inquired, her gaze settling upon the basin.
"Ah–" Kyva looked up at her. "I’m practicing water manipulation. I cannot leave this tree until I have mastered it, you see... that is why."
"Oh," Mia stared at the basin, before shifting her attention toward the house. "Is your master home, then?"
"Yes," Kyva nodded, gesturing at the entrance. "He’s inside. Would you like me to fetch him for you?"
"Actually..." Mia turned to Kyva, a thoughtful softness in her expression. "Since you’re in a bit of struggle, allow me to assist you. Come. Your master can wait."
Kyva blinked, caught off guard by the offer. Before she could respond, Lady Mia had already taken her seat upon the cloth spread neatly beneath the flowering tree, her movement as graceful as falling petals.
After a brief hesitation, Kyva moved to sit opposite her, still quite astonished.
"What is your struggle with water manipulation?" She asked, meeting Kyva’s gaze with quiet attentiveness.
"I cannot make the water rise," Kyva admitted. "No matter how focused I try to be, it does not yield to me."
"I see..." Lady Mia lifted one delicate hand, hovering it just above the basin’s surface. "I’m guessing what you lack is not effort, but refinement."
Kyva straightened slightly, her attention sharpening. "Refinement...?"
"Yes." Mia’s voice remained soft and patient. "Water does not respond to rigid imitation. You cannot always command it so. Your master’s method may suit him best, but you are... not him."
Kyva hesitated.
That... made sense, didn’t it?
"Loosen your stance," she instructed. "You are too tense, and it places you at a disadvantage. Water yields neither force nor rigidity. There is a human under my wing, and she has already mastered water manipulation. Do not be discouraged... not everyone is born a prodigy."
"And what brings you to my abode?"
Calhoun’s voice cut cleanly through the moment, drawing both their attention. They turned just in time to see him approach, the familiar fox mask perfectly concealing his features.
Lady Mia rose at once, offering a graceful bow. "Lord Caelion, I was merely assisting your student. More importantly, I came here to see you specifically."
Calhoun arched a brow, his gaze flicking briefly to Kyva, who returned it with unabashed cluelessness, before settling once more on the lady, who seemed a bit flustered beneath his attention.
"If you have business with me, then we shall speak elsewhere. Follow me," he said, already turning away, without waiting for her to respond.
Mia followed without protest.
Left behind, Kyva watched them go, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. In her mind, an entirely different scene had also begun to unfold, spinning into something far more softer, and far more... embellished.
Her master, the overly composed and distant one, walking together with Lady Mia, effortlessly elegant and gentle at his side.
In her mind, they strolled beneath another flowering tree, petals falling softly around them as though the world itself approved. Perhaps their hands brushed— no not brushed.
She shook her head.
They were definitely holding hands.
Kyva gave a small, satisfied nod, entirely convinced of her own imagination.
"They’d make a perfect couple," she murmured under her breath, quite pleased with the pairing she had so confidently conjured in her head.
A part of her was still nosy.
What could they be talking about?
Meanwhile, Calhoun led Lady Mia in silence, his steps unhurried yet purposeful, until at last, he came to a quiet chamber set apart from the rest of the estate.
He slid the door open.
Soft light spilled inward, revealing a tranquil space arranged with deliberate simplicity— a low table set for tea, cushions laid neatly upon woven mats, and beyond it all, a view that seemed almost too serene to be real.
Calhoun stepped aside for Lady Mia to enter, but he did not close the door. Blossoming trees framed the mountains in the distance, their petals drifting lazily upon the breeze like scattered silk. Whilst the rooftops below rested in quiet harmony. Lady Mia could even see her own estate from the view.
"I trust this will suffice," he said, his voice devoid of any warmth.
Mia, however, paid it no mind. She stepped further inside.
"It’s beautiful," she murmured, lowering herself gracefully onto one of the cushions.
Calhoun followed, seating himself across from her, the low table set between them like a quiet boundary.
"Before we begin," he said.
The shift that followed his words was subtle, but unmistakable. Mia could feel the air tense all of a sudden, and she looked around, before settling her gaze on Calhoun.
"I would have you refrain from instructing my disciple."
Mia’s smile faltered, if only slightly. "Pardon?"
"She is mine."
The words fell softly from his lips, yet it carried weight that stilled the air, bringing the room to a sudden standstill.
