It has been a week since I was able to stabilize the small part of the Aether mana and master the creation step in a sense but not much has improved since. ILady Silvia did not accept this small 'trick' I used due to simply how much mana was being wasted. It was already a inefficient process but my trick caused it to lose almost 80% of the mana that had been converted, barely maintaing 90~95% of the original mana.
I had improved, of course, but even so I could barely manage to control 2 at most and even then the mana orbs would combust on themselves if I lost focus for a single moment.
Multitasking sure isn't easy...
Sure, simple multitasking such as eating, reading and picking my nose at the same time isn't hard. These are actions that have been built into muscle memory and not 'True Multitasking.' An example of true multitasking would be reading a book out loud while simultaneously calculating a mathematics problem and drawing with another hand. For such actions, one would need to learn how to split the mind so the brain can process multiple things at once.
It was the same for controlling multiple orbs. Maybe this was why the majority of the Magi I have witnessed only casted a single spell at a time. As for those who can, I have yet to encounter one.
Though apparently, according to Lady Silvia at least, there had been a legendary Magi from over 2 millennia ago who was titled 'Lord of Light and Darkness' due to his ability to simultaneously cast spells within the light and dark elements. But his case had been because he had been born with a strange mental illness that split his 'minds' into multiple pieces which eventually caused him to have an internal mental corruption that caused his demise.
I had also tried to combine the two orbs I could control into a larger, single orb but for some strange reason it became more difficult at an exponential scale.
Of course I could slowly get accustomed to the sensation of stabilizing the aether mana and slowly learn to master one by one and one day reach a point where I could stabilize and maintain an orb at an almost instinctual level. This would allow me to perform the basic form of multitasking but would simply take way too much time, which I do not have at this current moment, to fully master.
'A.I, do you know a method to split one's mind into multiple but still sentient pieces?'
[No I do not have such a specific procedure's information recorded within my database but do have data regarding it. I strongly recommend you to not attempt this as it has a high chance of driving you insane by creating another one of your self. Though your mental clone will be a duplicate of you, as a human being normally goes back and forth on many of the decisions they make the clone and you may come to a disagreement and go into a mental battle. There is no 'winner' in such situations as neither side can be erased or destroyed, the battle would last until the day your conciousness fades away which would be all of eternity due to your current 'situation']
'Wow. Uhm. Okay then. A nono.'
[However, I do suggest you use me more often.]
'Hmm? What do you mean?'
[Doctor, I am an AI able to utilize hundreds if not thousands of virtual processing tools to gather, record and analyze data. I suggest you give me access to the mana within your body, record the process of stablizing the Aether mana and use my support to control the orbs.]
'Tha-That's possible!? Why didn't you mention it!'
[You didn't ask doctor.]
'@!*($@&'
-----
"How's the boy's progress?" Lady Silvia spoke as she played with a strange plant called a mandrake which had the face of a small child upon its root.
"He's improving but not by much. He has barely been able to cover half of the losses of mana. His... Method is a bit unorthodox and he doesn't seem to have realized that taking shortcuts often leads to dead ends..." Mertho, who came in to hand in his daily report, answered whilst standing before Lady Silvia.
"Hmm... He has a week left. Do you think he'll be able to succeed?" Lady Silvia placed the mandrake back into its tiny pot.
"No. I do suggest you go easy on him a little. He had no practice with magic or knowledge of it just barely a month ago. He has already made significant progress and can be considered to have achieved a pseudo-success." Mertho spoke with a nervous voice, afraid of the repercussions of speaking out for Deus.
"Hmm... No." Lady Silvia denied his request. "Though he is a Magus with the Aether element, it would ultimately be useless if he himself is useless. Aether Magi have a need to be stronger than anyone else simply due to how much capabilities their mana has. It is a fair trade they are fated to face and Deus is no exception."
Lady Silvia turned to look at Mertho. "Leave for now, we will see in a week. Time will tell if he truly is 'The One' everybody is gossiping about or merely a trick of fate."
"As you wish my lady." Mertho, though reluctant, left the room in haste.
"Hmm..." Lady Silvia looked down towards the training ground where Deus stood as she pondered.
-----
Night had fallen.
Deus had finished up for the day, washed up and had come to the canteen to eat dinner. The gossip around him seemed to have died down over time and he was able to eat in relative peace.
Well. Most of the time.
The players. Oh god the players...
They would not stop bothering him! Trying to 'trigger a quest' or 'trying to gain friendship points' like this was some normal 'game' to them but it was very much real to himself and he did not appreciate this one bit.
He often chased them away with the silent treatment but often times, a new group will appear and attempt to converse with him again.
"Deus! Has there been any problems troubling you recently? We would be glad to resolve it for you, for a small fee of course."
"How's the Aether mana Deus? Any secrets on how to achieve it? I would love to have that instead of dumb water element which can only spray people in the face with..."
"Have you ever seen Lady Silvia naked? How was her figur-"
"Please. Leave. Me. Alone." I stood up and walked away, leaving behind half of my unfinished dinner, as I quickly headed back to the privacy of my own room.
"My god..." I crashed onto my bed in exhaustion.
The training and experimenting was harsh enough, he did not have the mental capacity to handle these annoying 'flies' as well afterwards.
[The simulation of practice using me as a personal multi-core processor to stabilize and maintain the fragments of the Aether mana is ready. Please proceed when ready.]
'Good. That's good news at least.'
I quickly changed into my pajamas and rushed to bed, excited about what was to come.