Eight days had passed since the beginning of Adrien's training in defense magic; now he could easily and rapidly incinerate any paper ball that anyone could throw at him. He had moved from dealing with one paper ball to two at a time, to three, to more; he had learned how to cast several spells in rapid succession, and even how to draw a spell with his arms against his back. With Valerion's guidance, Adrien's progress had been smooth and swift; and he felt much more confident than he did just two weeks before. While he had enjoyed drawing circles on the wall, he found himself liking this new subject matter even more; he had to acknowledge that he really did have some sort of affinity with the free-flowing motions that using a staff required, and it gave him great satisfaction to spin his circles in the practice tower.

The previous evening, over dinner, Valerion had mentioned that the next day's practice session would be particularly exciting; he wouldn't say why, so as not to ruin the surprise, but he had assured Adrien that he would love it. Trusting his judgment, Adrien found himself buoyant with enthusiasm when he woke up the next morning; there was a noticeable skip to his step as he went down the spiral staircase to the main room, and he was even fuller of zest than usual as he ate his breakfast and followed his mentor up the steps that led to the practice tower.