“I am not coming with you,” Aja told the woman resolutely. “You can tell my father to get that idea out of his head.”

“Your father?” Elem shot his friend a confused look. “Aja, who is this person? And what is she talking about?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Aja answered as she raised her hand to stop him from asking any follow up questions.

“Aja dear, there is no reason to be so curt with me,” the woman replied before turning to Elem. “And you must be Aja’s friend. My name is Miss P.; I am the housekeeper of the Katsworth estate and I report directly to Mr. Katsworth himself. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Aja and I spent so much time together. She used to be such a lovely—“

“Anyways, we were just leaving,” Aja interjected. She took Elem by the arm and pulled him back the other way. “I guess we have to find a different exit route.”

Miss P. calmly straightened the fabric of her suit without losing her perfect posture, her lips subtly curving into a controlled but sly smile.

“I am afraid that is not an option my dearest. Your father has asked me to deliver you home and I will do exactly that.”

Her Kitsune stepped forward as she spoke. The fox was about the same height as its Summoner. It had spotless white fur and piercing blue eyes that gave it a ghastly, mysterious appearance. Around its body hovered a collection of flaming orbs while its nine tails playfully swayed behind its body. Each of them moved as if it had a mind of its own, adding to its mystical aura.

“That’s our cue. Run! ” Aja remarked before sprinting away. Elem rushed after his friend, he had only grown more confused but this wasn’t the moment to keep asking questions.

As the housekeeper had positioned herself between them and the main exit, Aja and Elem plunged into the cold pool and tried to reach the fence on the other side of the water. The icy water was nearly unbearable but they pushed through regardless.

It was only after reaching the center of the pool when a stern, male voice boomed through the garden and stopped Aja in her tracks.

“Not so fast, Aja. Did you forget the promise you made to me?”

“D…d…dad?” Aja stammered.

A middle-aged man wearing a gray pinstripe suit had appeared exactly where the Fire Summon had stood before. His glare locked on Aja and he slowly walked into the water.

“You promised to join the company once you completed your Summoner’s education,” he said in a scowling, humorless tone. “And since you’re no longer attending the Sekuheim School, it is time to stop playing around and become a responsible person.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Elem glanced at his friend; Aja seemed off. She had grown as pale as a ghost, her mouth trembled and eyebrows carried a little twitch. Somehow the Kitsune had wiggled its way into her mind.

“Aja, that’s not your real father. It’s that Kitsune. It’s messing with you,” he tried, gripping her shoulders.

“Yes, yes of course,” Aja replied. Her voice was a little drowsy, as if she was just waking up from a dream.

“You better back off!” Elem then shouted at the woman and her Summon. “She doesn’t want to come with you so just leave us alone.”

“I suggest that you stay out of this matter sir,” the housekeeper replied in a polite but stern tone. By now, her smile had vanished from her face and her Kitsune morphed back into its fox form.

Elem took a deep breath and immediately felt how the Essence in his body began to expand. He had hesitated to call his Kappa before, not wanting to start a fight against his friend’s housekeeper, but she was not giving him much of a choice now.

“I summon the Kappa!” he shouted as he dropped into his Summoning stance. “A Water Summon; mysterious protector of r—“

A sudden flash blew him into the water before he could even finish his incantation. Once Elem got up seconds- his body shivering from the pool’s icy temperature- he noticed the Kitsune standing right before him. The Fire Summon displayed its teeth and let out a threatening growl.

“I thought I told you to stay out of this,” Miss P. said. “Now stay put before I have to hurt you.”

Elem hesitated on what to do next. Throughout the years, Aja had always avoided talking about home and while he’d always considered that strange, he had never really questioned her attitude. But now he stood face to face with Miss P. and her Kitsune, Elem finally saw a glimpse of Aja’s past. And it wasn’t pretty.

Aja had been in distress the entire time and the fox’s tricks had only worsened her mental state. Elem knew he simply couldn’t step aside now. She had supported him every step of the way and now it was his turn to rise up to the occasion.

“No,” Elem finally said. “I am not going to stay put. But let me tell you what is going to happen, I am going to Summon my Kappa and take you out.”

“Then you are forcing my hand,” Miss P. said calmly. “How unfortunate.”

The housekeeper had barely finished her sentence or her Kitsune leaped towards Elem. It moved fast- so fast that Elem didn’t even have time to evade the attack, let alone summon his Kappa.

He instinctively pulled his arms up to protect his face. But instead of feeling a set of sharp fangs ripping into his forearms, he heard a loud thump, immediately followed by a high-pitched squeak.

When Elem finally opened his eyes, a second later, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Aja’s Bicorn had come to his rescue, intercepting the Kitsune with a firm blow against its ribcage.

The Bicorn proudly stood over the semi-submerged fox, like some victorious boxing champion after scoring a flash knockout.

Miss P. covered her mouth. Her perfectly composed expression now cracking into a shocked grimace.

“That was very impressive, Aja dear,” she managed. “However, I feel compelled to correct your behavior.”