Pick The Second Male Lead

09.2 - Cyde

"I want that child!"

As soon as the selection begin, multiple Qui stood eagerly within their pavilions. The children - mainly the beautiful girl with the silver hair and blue eyes, were nervous by the unconcealed keenness some of the Qui presented. Seeing all eyes on her, the little girl naturally seek protection behind the equally beautiful twin boys who instinctively shield her. Meanwhile, inside of large golden pavilion, a woman in black watched the entire scene with amusement - but no one noticed nor could they tell what she was thinking behind the black metal mask.

"Master..." A young man looking no older than twenty step up behind Myka who was lazily lying on her chaise chair. "Shall I collect that child for you?"

Myka's dark eyes flicker to the young man causing him to lower his head.

"My apologies master, I've spoken out of bounds..." He quickly went back in line with four other young men and two women all with beautiful and tall appearances.

Yes - the black nine-tails fox is a collector of beautiful things. Most - if not all, Qui beings are fascinated with beauty. Myka - just so happened is well known to take in the most beautiful child as her disciple. The group of young men and women standing behind her are proof to that fact. So when her eldest disciple think to stepped forward with the suggestion to take Alexis, it wasn't completely wrong. Little did he knows, the soul within Myka is different from the original. Not that she doesn't like beautiful things, it just her target wasn't the beautiful little girl.

"The child will go with me."

Everyone but Myka was surprised when a calm, gentle voice spoke out. Standing under a large silver pavilion was a tall figure in white with his white silk-like hair braided simply to the back. The man stood alone under his pavilion but no one dared to think he was weak to need people at his side. The man was after all the most powerful Qui in Kien - the water dragon Lei.

"Lei... you... you never take in any child as your disciple before. Why_"

"There is a first for everything." Lei's calm tone remain unchanged as his eyes went to the twin boys and the little girl standing in the center of the group of children. "You three shall follow me."

Everyone was stunned but no one dared to go against the great water dragon. In one swoop, the man took the three children everyone had wanted.

"I don't think so." Everyone broke out of their trance when a lyrical voice spoke out with amusement. "I want him."

Still lying on her chaise chair without a care in the world, Myka lifted one hand and pointed to one of the twin boy. No one dared to utter out a words as two powerful Qui beings stake their claims.

"Why?" Lei asked when no one else dared to.

"He's pretty." Myka answered without hesitation.

The twin boys frown at Myka's obvious teasing tone.

"I've already decided to take them." Lei spoke bluntly, making it clear to everyone that the three children were his.

It had been the first time the water dragon Lei decided to take disciples in. Other Qui beings knew better than to fight the most powerful person in the world and so could only watched as Lei used his water power to carry the three children up to his pavilion. No one expect a gush of wind to snatch one of the boys and forcefully take him away. Instantly, a spear of water shot directly at Myka forcing her to leave the comfortable chair to defend from the attack.

"Master!"

The group panicked as the water spear hit Myka's black metal mask making a chilling thunder sound.

"Don't be such a stingy dragon." Myka's face was hidden from her hair but everyone could clearly see her ruby red lips smiling. "Oh look, you broke my favorite mask."

Myka bent down to take the metal mask that was sliced perfectly in half. When she lifted her face, all that was heard were gasps. No one could remember seeing Myka's face. They don't remember why she had chosen to wear such a dark ugly mask to begin with. In the original story-line, Myka had refused to ever reveal her face because of a promise made she had made to her own master. But the current Myka was no longer obligated to keep a promise she - herself didn't make.

"This mask was given to me by my Master several millennium ago." Myka's sharp eyes went to Lei. "You broke it purposely didn't you? What are you scheming dragon?"

The honorable Lei would never do such a thing like scheming. Everyone - including Myka knows that the dragons were prideful - honest types.

"I didn't." Lei naturally responded with furrow brows.

The fact of the matter was, Myka could have easily dodge the attack. Lei and Myka both know that, but instead of evading, the woman chose to destroy the mask. The water dragon Lei didn't know what the nine-fox tail was plotting, but he knew it was useless to try to take the boy back.

"Everyone saw that you attacked me." Myka folded her arms. "You still deny it?"

Speechless - everyone were astounded by Myka's shamelessness. It was a fight to begin with. Why did the woman made it seem as if she was the victim all of a sudden?

"You..." Lei studied Myka.

There was a slight smile on her face but he couldn't understand what's in her mind.

"Hmph." Myka turned to her disciples. "We're leaving. I no longer want to deal with the shameless dragon."

Again, everyone was speechless. In silence, they watched as Myka disappeared with her group of disciples. Long after she was gone, it dawn on them that the nine-tails fox successfully left with one of the twin boys without a fight.

"Nilo..." Alexis whispered sadly, her eyes staring off where her childhood friend was taken.

On the other hand, standing quietly beside Alexis was a pissed off boy - glaring at the direction where the fox had disappeared off to with his twin brother.