Soul Bound

Chapter 42

Blowing out an aggravated lungful of air, Eva hopped between the pillars of rock standing precariously out of the water until she reached the tallest one, jutting furthest away from the cove. This spot was her favourite of all the places she'd found during her time in Storm Cove. It was strangely relaxing, despite how high it was off the beach or the hazardous angle of it. The waves seemed to crash against the rock just right, with enough splash to catch her legs dangling off the side and cool her off, while also leaving behind a satisfying sploosh as it sank back down into the shallows. The view was spectacular. Straight ocean stretching on forever into lands forgotten or undiscovered.

During her training, when Arkon called in a storm, the water looked like slate against the dark clouds. When the wind picked up, it curled into a monstrous beast that threatened to drown everything caught within its clutches. In between those moments of blissful silence and raging tides, Eva had the most control over the storm and the unyielding lightning within it. She was the puppeteer and the world was her puppet, bending, moulding to her will. She had never felt more powerful in her life.

Until the storm ended. Or she lost focus. Or she nearly blacked out from exhaustion. There were a great deal of things that could strip her raw and remind her just how powerless she was. 

Arkon flew in from the ocean and perched awkwardly on a large boulder nearby; his tail and hindlegs sat in the water, while his front legs clung to the boulder he'd chosen to roost on. "How did it go?"

Sasha had asked him to keep his distance while Eva trained. The retired Knight didn't want her pupil to be reliant on having him around and using the magic in his aura as her source. Being Bound to him, Eva naturally wanted to draw out her power from him, but the whole point in summoning the storm was for her to use another source, one that she could create at a moment's notice if he wasn't nearby to assist her. One day, she wouldn't need a storm at all and would be able to summon lightning out of thin air, which Sasha loved to graciously demonstrate.

"I'm cooling off," Eva answered calmly, trying hard not to let her failure bother her. It wasn't working in the slightest, and seemed to further remind her that she wasn't where she wanted to be at this point in her lessons.

"Not well, then." His sympathy nudged its way into their Bond and eased her frustration a little bit. "You've made an impressive storm this time," he pointed out on a positive note.

"I guess," she murmured, not ready to be consoled. She wanted to stew and ruminate a little longer. It was difficult to do when she had an encouraging and supportive dragon as a partner.

"You have overcome much, Little One," he pressed silently, letting his words wrap around her like a soft, comforting blanket. "Do not forget that."

The first part of Eva's training was to help Sasha make a storm. Today, she let her do it on her own, and it was one of the biggest storms she had made so far. Almost too big, Sasha said, mentioning some people had flooding issues in the Under City. Eva didn't let that get in the way of her mood, though; she was able to pull the storm in, keeping it within the confines of the cove without too much difficulty.

After Eva's sudden success, Sasha deemed her ready to proceed to the next part of her training, which was learning to control the lightning she summoned. She said it would be easier for her to start moulding it around a pre-existing object, in this case, a dagger. Later down the road, Eva would be able to create any weapon out of lightning without being held back "frivolous steel," as Sasha called it.

Considering how well Eva's attempt today went, she wouldn't be making shapes any time soon.

"Eva," Arkon scorned, sensing her turn in mood. "Do not let this deter you. Given time, you will overcome this, as you overcame every other obstacle thus far."