Adrien's training in energy control lasted about two weeks; afterwards, he resumed learning abstract defense magic. His training had worked: casting spells no longer left him drained, and he no longer felt tentative and stumbling. He knew where his feet would step and how his arms would move, and how to let his energy flow through his body and outside of himself. Most importantly, this all came with a feeling he had rarely enjoyed before, one that he hoped would last: the feeling of being adequate to himself, of being able to achieve his goals without struggling, of having competence that even he could believe in.
