The next day Kaly once again asked Darius to use magic until he was tired, this time she asked him to try to create bigger spheres, this task was relatively easy, he managed to make bigger and bigger spheres, all he had to do was imagine Kaly's naked breasts, for a second he imagined his mother's breasts. Orphelia had full breasts, somehow which didn't seem so strange, even though she was his mother, she was still a strange woman to him, in his past life he certainly wouldn't have dismissed her, but in this world, he had to be careful, love relationships between family members isn't totally wrong, but mother and son would be reprehensible for the image of nobles.
He tried to reduce the size of the spheres, but it was a complicated task, he felt he was using more mana to do so, controlling the size of the spheres did consume more mana, but reducing them was more complicated because he couldn't imagine a smaller sphere, so he remembered a time when he was playing snooker with some classmates, the image of the ball helped to reduce it.
Lucian walked through the garden and watched his son using magic. He felt a little sad about the way he treated him, because now he could see some potential in the boy, because he knew it would take more than two days for him to be able to use magic like that, he saw some potential. But his pride still spoke louder, so he would remain the same, but would gradually change his treatment.
Kaly was happy to see that Darius was doing what she asked without much effort, but it still didn't feel natural, it was still forced and he had to concentrate.
After six spheres he got tired and she used her ability and he managed to recover mana, he again did six more spheres and then they stopped.
"Let's let your mana recover on its own and then we'll go back to the exercises, it's still morning, and by the afternoon you'll be recovered, then we'll do it at night. We can't go soft," she said as she made a clay cup filled it with water, and offered it to Darius to drink.
"It would be good for me to learn this magic, my brother used it."
"As far as I know, none of your brothers are non-mages."
"That being said, I found it strange that I received this ring, as my mother said it was for the first mage in the family."
"It would be interesting if you asked your brother."
Darius thought about it and after lunch, he asked his brother. He was surprised by the question, as he had always seen him using this magic and only now did he have the doubt.
"I wear this ring, it allows me to use these two spells, I bought it at a fair, I spent a gold coin on it."
Darius stared at the ring and saw a small ruby stone and some drawings on the side, symbols he couldn't interpret. When he asked Kaly, she said that they were runic symbols, used to create magical items, which are objects that can fulfill a certain role, such as performing a certain activity, or even using someone's mana for a specific spell. As was the case with Soren's ring.
"Just don't confuse them with magical artifacts, they're different. Items are created by magic, so-called magical writing. Artifacts arise from the accumulation of mana, usually, they appear in dungeons, but it is possible to create a place and fill it with mana, and some object there turn into an artifact, but this requires a lot of mana and luck, as well as time."
"Is that the only difference between an item and a magical artifact?"
"Almost that, artifacts are random, a ring can clean the house and a broom can be sharper than the best sword, so it depends a lot on luck because it's random. Items are already created for a specific purpose, so they only require the skill of the person who created them. Although artifacts are better, because they're stronger, but, as I said, luck plays a part."
"How much mana would I need to create an artifact?"
"Considering your current mana, you'd need at least a thousand times more mana, that's per day for some time, ranging from months to years."
"How long would it take me to have a thousand times more mana?"
"Well, I guess about five years, if you train hard like I told you to, then I think you could do it, but I think learning magic writing or simply advertising in a guild would be more effective and quicker. There are many adventurers who find an artifact and sometimes can't sell it because they can't find someone with the money for it, your family is rich, maybe you could do it."
"I don't think it would be that easy, but I could be an adventurer. What's the age for that?"
"I think they accept people from the age of 8, but you'd need someone to go with you."
"Could you?"
"Yes, but first I want you to get stronger, I'm going to increase your training, because I don't want you to depend on me too much, in a dangerous situation depending on a partner could cost you your life, depending on the situation."
"What would the training be?"
"You have to get stronger, so use magic until you get tired, and then use more magic."
He did so but began to feel pain in his muscles.
"It hurts, doesn't it? It's normal, don't worry."
She approached him and used healing magic.
"This is different from the one I used on that mage, you won't feel any more pain." She snapped her fingers and a chair appeared and she sat down. "Now run around the house, I want several laps until you can't stand it anymore, then I'll heal your fatigue and you'll do push-ups, then sit-ups, I want your body to build up stamina."
He did two laps around the mansion, he was dying of fatigue, she poured him water to drink, and after five minutes of rest she used magic on him and he started doing push-ups, his body was all sweaty and he was getting more and more tired.
"I have to let your body feel tiredness and pain, because it needs to get used to it, after a few days I won't use magic anymore, but I'll do it little by little."
He soon got tired and she repeated what she had done before, after another rest and some healing magic, he started doing sit-ups and then squats, and at the end of it all he was using all his mana again so that the next day he would repeat the training, which would be heavier.
The next day the garden had a target and Kaly handed him a bow and arrow.
"I want you to practice target shooting, but first use up all your mana."
This time he managed to make six large spheres, six normal ones, and two small ones. He was able to use magic more easily, but she still didn't consider it natural, which was to be expected, as no one learns to control their mana overnight.
This time Kaly let his mana recover on its own, he then stood still and Kaly approached him and put her two hands on his head, she sent him information on stance and how he should use a bow, he felt a slight headache and then it passed. When she placed her hands on his head, a small light came out of her hands.
He stood still and in position, he shot the first arrow and hit the target in the center, then one more and hit it again.
"Your skill as an archer makes it easier for you to aim, that's why you're hitting."
Darius' father watched the training, he thought it was strange to see such rapid progress. When he spoke to Orphelia, she said it was normal, as her son was more skilled than he thought. Besides, Kaly seems to be a good teacher, a bit strict, but a good teacher. He agreed, even more so because he didn't know how a mage's training worked, so his view seemed hasty, when he talked to the mage Aelyn, she said that in a month or so he would be able to use magic he said he was already using it, she didn't believe him, so she came to see his training.
"That's strange, he's used a lot of mana, he should be able to get two spheres at most. He can still shoot a bow. He really is a prodigy," she said as she watched Darius in magic training, he was using magic and then running around the house;
"Do you really think so?"
"Yes," she said as she turned her face and looked at the tea.
They were in a wooden gazebo, it was painted white and a shade of blue, on the roof there was a coat of arms of an eagle, the symbol of the Lestor family.
After a while Darius ran around the house, he managed three laps, and then he rested and started doing push-ups and squats. That was it for the morning's training. Before lunch, Kaly asked him to use all his mana again and this time she used magic and he recovered again, then she asked him to use all his mana again. He did and they went to the bath.
On the seventh day, he was able to run eight laps around the house and his body had some defined muscles, plus he was able to use a lot more mana than before.
He was going to the garden and started to use up all his mana, then he went to the bow, but Kaly told him to stop.
"Now you're going to practice swordplay."