Kyva faltered, uncertain of its aning.
"The entire day?"
Now that her lessons no longer bound her to those endless volus, was that what he intended? That she should devote all her hours to him in training today?
There was, however, one small complication.
Calhoun did not miss her hesitation. A faint crease ford between his brows, his expression sharpening with quiet displeasure.
"What occupies your thoughts so?" He asked. "Or are you searching for another excuse this ti?"
"Actually..." Kyva lifted her gaze to et his, steady despite her unease. "I gave my word to a friend.. that I would assist him in the market today. The Bloom Quarter didn’t have the specific herbs they were looking for. Actually, they are facing a bit of crisis in their Quarters, so they want to accompany them to—"
"Cancel it," he said, his command falling clean between them, brooking no argunt.
Kyva had known, even before the words left her lips, that he would refuse.
For reasons beyond her own understanding, he rarely, if ever, granted her requests. And yet, there was no great imposition. It would not take long, and the task itself promised so small benefit to her as well. The study of healing properties had long held her interest, right after she got used to treating her own wounds. She heard the healing ingredients here were far more effective in comparison to the ones she had been familiar with in the mortal realm.
A quiet part of her could not help but wonder that had her fate been kinder, had she been granted an earth orb instead of a water one, she might have beco a mber of the Bloom Quarter.
But such fortunes had never been hers to claim.
Her fate, it seed, was a cursed thing.
"Why do you concern yourself so greatly with aiding others?" Calhoun asked, his gaze sharpening as he noted the flicker of displeasure upon her face. "They are more than capable of securing what they desire without your interference. You need not entangle yourself in the affairs of the other Quarters. I know best."
A brief pause followed him as he adjusted his sleeves.
"The Bloom Quarter alone is your exception. Getting comfortable with other quarters will put you at a disadvantage."
"I understand," Kyva replied, her voice steady despite the quiet tension beneath it. "But they are my friends as well. I’m aware competition exists between each quarter, but it matters little to .If they have need for , and it lies within my power to assist them, then I will."
Calhoun regarded the young woman for a mont, then answered with a nod.
"Very well," he said. "Then let us begin today’s training. If you can pass before noon, then I shall permit you to go. Fail..." his gaze lingered on her, asured and intent, "and you will spend the remainder of the evening with ."
Kyva blinked, caught off guard.
"How is that ant to be possible?"
"Don’t ask , you said as much yourself." He folded his arms across his chest. "If other disciples can grasp the art of water manipulation within a day, why should you be any different?"
"But I never said within a single day."
"No," Calhoun replied coolly. "But you ca rather close to implying it, so choose your words carefully next ti. Why are you hesitating now? Has your earlier bravery already faltered?"
The corner of his lips lifted into the faintest curve. "Don’t trouble yourself, we’ll start with sothing simple. Actually, exceedingly so to ease your mind."
With a subtle flick of his wrist, a small round basin materialized between them, brimming with clear water. Its surface lay undisturbed, smooth as polished glass beneath the fading light.
"What I need you to do is lift the water, like this." Calhoun demonstrated, extending a hand over the basin. "Water elents respond primarily to intent, guided by a clear sense of direction. As a water user, it’s already designed to listen. You just have to believe you’re capable enough to control it."
As he spoke, the water in the basin stirred at once. A ripple spread outward before rising, slow and seamless, into a slender arc that hovered in the air like a ribbon of glass. At his command, it curved and twisted with quiet elegance, bending to his will whilst following his fingers, before settling once more into the basin without making so much as a sound.
Kyva’s breath caught despite herself. It reminded her of last night, when he had guided them both across the surface of the pond as though it were solid ground. It was one of her best experiences, and also her first ti witnessing the magical abilities of the water affinity.
Her master might be... unconventional, but there was no denying it.
He was extraordinary.
A quiet hope took root within her, that one day, she might command such effortless grace.
"There," Calhoun said, lowering his hand. "No force. No struggle. Only direction. Now you will try."
Kyva simply nodded, taking a deep breath first. Just like how her master had done, she lifted her hand, hesitating for only for only the briefest mont before extending it toward the basin. She focused, staring hard at the water like she could coax it into obedience. But nothing.
The surface remained stubbornly still.
Calhoun watched her expression, noting the intensity of her focus, the slight furrow of her brows, the way she mimicked his earlier movent with such earnest determination.
A faint, almost imperceptible softness touched his expression. She looked so cute he doubted he would ever grow accustod to it.
"It’s fine," Calhoun said, noticing the slight falter in her stance. "You don’t have to get it right away. If there’s one thing I learned from my master, it was that mastery is not demanded of you in a single attempt. Continue."
"Like this?"
Kyva’s brows knit further in concentration as she tried again, more intently this ti. But the results were the sa. There wasn’t even a ripple to encourage her.
Maybe the orb she took was faulty?
Before Kyva had the chance to doubt herself, her body went rigid. She had not even realized her fingers were trembling until his hand closed over hers, steadying hers. It felt warm, certain, and her cheeks flushed uncontrollably at the contact.
She turned her head slightly in reflex, but Calhoun’s attention was not on her face. His gaze remained fixed upon their joined hands as he guided her forward, lowering her palm until it hovered steadily, just above the water’s surface.
"Feel it," he said quietly.
The shift in his tone stilled her far more than his touch.
"The water does not resist you," he continued, unperturbed. "You are the one resisting it. It’s like you’re already expecting failure, without giving the water a chance to answer. Steady yourself. Invite the feeling. Only then can you properly command it."
Kyva swallowed, her eyes flicking back to the basin, but her awareness had sharpened painfully elsewhere.
The grounding weight of his hand over hers, the warmth seeping through her skin, to the steady, unyielding presence at her side, far closer now than before.
Her pulse quickened, each beat loud and insistent in her ears.
His fingers shifted only slightly, interlacing smoothly between the gap in her fingers. The motion sent an unexpected shiver up her arm. She wondered if this was also necessary for the training? But she didn’t dare voice her thoughts openly.
She forced herself to focus, though the task had beco infinitely more difficult. The water blurred for a mont, her thoughts no longer entirely her own.
She turned her head, just slightly, like she could steal a peek at him without him noticing.
He leaned in just behind her shoulder, close enough that she could feel the quiet warmth of him, the steady rhythm of his breathing brushing faintly against her skin.
It only made it worse.
His silver hair fell forward, catching the light as it frad a face, too sharp and too precise to be called rely handso. And his eyes, those striking golden eyes remained fixed in quiet concentration, their brilliance softened only by the focus of the mont.
He did not even seem aware of what he was doing to her.
This was unfair.
It was far too intimate for her liking.
Kyva felt it then—the faintest brush of his fingers along the inside of her palm before he released her hand. The contact was brief, almost incidental... and yet it lingered far longer than it should have.
"Keep trying," Calhoun said, as though nothing had passed between them. "If you are able to complete today’s training before noon, then you have my word. You rember?"
He straightened, rising to his full height with effortless composure.
"There is sothing I must attend to within. Inform if you succeed... or if you decide to concede."
And just like that, he turned and left.
The courtyard fell quiet once more, the soft rustle of blossoms overhead the only sound that remained. Petals drifted lazily through the air, settling upon the still surface of the basin.
Kyva remained unmoving beneath the flowering tree.
Though he was gone, the warmth of his touch had not followed.
It lingered, faint, insistent, like a phantom pressed against her skin.
Her fingers curled slightly, as though testing the mory of it.
"...This man is dangerous," she murmured under her breath.
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