The fire within Kyota still lingered as embers beneath his skin, but his gaze was now turned to the horizon—toward stillness, reflection, and cold clarity.
The wizard led him and Yuki to a frozen lake nestled deep within a jagged mountain valley. Sharp peaks towered around them like silent judges. The wind howled between the cliffs, and the ice beneath their feet creaked with ancient age.
"This place," the wizard began, "was once a temple for those who sought the truth of water. Not strength. Not speed. But the truth."
Kyota looked at the lake. It stretched endlessly in all directions—still, glassy, and terrifying in its silence.
"Fire taught you pain," the wizard continued. "Water will teach you humility."
Kyota nodded, jaw tense. "What do I have to do?"
"You must become water. Flow without resistance. Accept every feeling, every fear, every failure. You won't survive by force. You will survive by surrender."
Day 1: Immersion
The ritual began with submersion.
Kyota removed his shirt, revealing his cursed-marked torso. He stepped onto the ice, barefoot. Every movement sent razor-like chills through him.
Then, without hesitation, he stepped into the lake.
Instantly, his body seized. The cold was not just physical—it crept into his thoughts, slowed his heartbeat, and dulled his senses. Within seconds, his limbs felt like stone.
"Stay calm," the wizard instructed from the shore. "Feel everything. Let it flow through you."
But it was impossible.
Kyota gasped and stumbled back out, breath heaving like smoke in the air.
Yuki rushed to him with a towel. "Are you okay?!"
"I… couldn't breathe," Kyota admitted. "It was like drowning without water."
Yuki looked at him, concerned. But she said only, "Try again tomorrow."
Day 2: Stillness
Kyota meditated on the ice, legs crossed. Snow began to fall, dusting his hair and shoulders like ash.
He reached inward, trying to guide mana like he had with fire. But the fire was a roar—water was a whisper.
Every time he reached for it, it slipped through his fingers.
"I don't get it," he growled. "It won't listen to me."
The wizard said nothing. Instead, he tossed a stone into the lake.
Kyota turned. "What was that for?"
"Watch."
The ripples moved outward, each one smaller than the last until stillness returned.
"Water doesn't obey," the wizard said. "It reflects."
Day 3: The Drowning
At dawn, Kyota returned to the lake. This time, he stepped in and went deeper.
Knee-deep. Then waist.
The cold stabbed into his bones. But he forced his body still, breathing with long, even exhales.
He reached deeper into his soul.
And something pulled back.
Suddenly, the lake surged. Mana erupted from beneath the ice, wrapping around him like vines. It pulled him under, down into the black below.
Yuki screamed. "KYOTA!"
The wizard held her back. "Let him face it."
Below the surface, Kyota struggled. The cold gripped his throat. He couldn't see, couldn't scream.
He saw visions in the dark—his mother's face, distorted by water. Villages he'd failed to save. Children crying out for help.
His own reflection… drowning.
And then—a voice.
Soft. Feminine. Ancient.
"Let go."
He gasped—water rushing into his lungs.
Day 4: Awakening
Kyota woke in Yuki's lap, his body wrapped in a heavy cloak. She had tears frozen on her cheeks.
"You idiot," she muttered, voice breaking. "You were under for three minutes."
He coughed, and icy water spilled from his mouth. "Did I… lose?"
"No," said the wizard, approaching. "You surrendered. And you lived."
Kyota looked down at his hands. They were wet but pulsing faintly with a gentle blue glow.
Day 5: Flow
This time, Kyota didn't resist.
He stepped into the water. It welcomed him.
Mana began to swirl around his legs, forming waves that responded to his breath. When he exhaled, the ripples expanded. When he inhaled, they receded.
He raised a hand.
A stream of water rose with it, dancing in the air like a serpent.
Yuki clapped silently, her eyes bright.
He smiled—only briefly—before the wizard tossed a large stone toward him.
"Defend."
Kyota's instincts kicked in. He turned, raising his arms.
A wall of water shot upward, absorbing the stone's impact. The wave split around him like a curtain.
The wizard nodded. "You're learning."
Day 6: The Storm Inside
But progress wasn't linear.
Kyota pushed too hard.
He tried to shape the water into blades, into armor, into weapons—just like fire. But the water rejected it.
His mana fluctuated violently, and soon the lake responded with waves crashing onto the frozen shore.
Kyota stood in the middle, breathing hard. "Why won't it let me fight?"
The wizard's voice was calm. "Because it's not about fighting. It's about understanding."
"I don't want to understand," Kyota shouted. "I want to protect!"
Yuki stepped forward, eyes filled with pain. "Even from yourself?"
He froze.
She walked across the ice toward him. "You try to carry everything. But water doesn't carry. It flows with the world."
She touched his chest. "You're not alone anymore, Kyota. You never were."
He stared at her. The waves stilled.
And then they bowed—falling into stillness once more.
Day 7: The Reflection
That morning, Kyota stood alone on the ice. The lake was a mirror, perfectly still.
He closed his eyes.
He felt everything—the cold wind, the warmth of Yuki's hand, the silence of the wizard's teachings. His failures. His triumphs. All of it flowed through him.
When he opened his eyes, the cursed marks on his arms shimmered with a soft blue hue.
The water danced around him in elegant rings. A single tear slid down his cheek—and froze as it fell.
He raised both hands and a shimmering construct of water—shaped like a dragon—coiled behind him.
The wizard watched from afar, whispering, "He's found it."
Yuki walked beside him, her expression serene.
Kyota spoke, his voice soft. "I feel it now. The pain. The calm. The truth."
The wizard gave a nod. "Two down. Three remain."
Kyota looked into the lake one last time—and for the first time, he didn't see a stranger in his reflection.
He saw himself.