Shadows of a second life

Six months had passed since Liora Sylvaine and her daughter Selene arrived at the Voss household. For Elias, those months blurred into a relentless rhythm of pain, exhaustion, and quiet triumph.

Every morning began the same way: exhaustive mana depletion drills under Liora’s watchful violet eyes. He would cast until his pool ran bone-dry, then push through the migraines, dizziness, and muscle aches until his body refused to obey. Recovery periods grew shorter as his mana adapted with shocking speed. Liora pushed him harder than any child his age had any right to endure, mixing theory lessons with brutal practical application. Selene sometimes joined for lighter sessions, offering snarky encouragement or demonstrating incantations when her mother allowed.

The results were spectacular.

By the end of the six months, Elias could sustain continuous spellcasting for an entire day without collapsing. His mana reserves had ballooned far beyond anything Liora had expected from a child not yet four years old. What once left him trembling and hollow now felt like a deep, renewable well. He could train from dawn until dusk and still have strength left for evening practice. It was a transformation that left even the composed elven mage visibly impressed.

“You are progressing at an unnatural pace, Elias,” Liora remarked one crisp morning as they stood in the expanded training clearing behind the house. “Most mages take years to reach this level of endurance. Your stubbornness and early start make for a potent combination.”

Elias spoke back:"I guess I am. I should thank you two for that.

Elias stood straighter, his small frame still thin but noticeably more coordinated. This is what I needed. No more weakness. No more being dismissed. The old scars from Japan still whispered doubts in quiet moments—they’ll turn on you eventually—but the tangible progress drowned them out most days.

Liora attempted to broaden his education that afternoon. “Now that your reserves are stable, we should discuss Barrier magic. Defensive constructs are essential for any mage who wishes to survive. A well-crafted ward can—”

Elias’s attention drifted almost immediately. His mind was consumed by the raw power of attack magic. The satisfying roar of flames, the crushing impact of projectiles, the sheer control over destruction. Barriers felt passive. Defensive. A tool for the fearful. He nodded politely but retained almost nothing of the lesson, his thoughts already racing toward the next offensive exercise.

Liora noticed but chose not to press the issue for now. “Very well. Let us move to advanced spellwork.”

This was where Elias truly shone.

Under her guidance, he began mastering true advanced magic. No longer limited to crude shapes, his spells gained devastating refinement. He practiced rapid manifestation—willing spells into existence almost instantly through precise visualization and honed intent.

“Again,” Liora commanded.

Elias extended his hand toward a row of reinforced wooden targets at the far end of the clearing. Mana surged. A spear of superheated flame, shaped like a javelin with aerodynamic fins, materialized instantly in the air before him. With a flick of his wrist, it launched at blinding speed, striking the target dead-center. The resulting explosion engulfed the targets as well as a large area up to 30 meters in roaring fire, the blast radius was immense—powerful enough to level what would have been an entire section of a city,it was no small feat and just the fact that he could casually utilize that level of power was striking to him.

His mentor spoke up:"good job. You managed to pull off something beyond what normal mages can do you know", I'm truly impressed, although you still need to increase your cast time. However,I think this is enough for now,so keep firing off as much as you can you little genius,I expect great things from you ".

He didn’t stop. Another spell followed immediately: a barrage of compressed air blades, razor-sharp and accelerated. They sliced through the air with a vicious whistle, snapping entire trees in half trimming an entire section of the forest like a mower on green grass.

"Elias was overjoyed at this"wow I really did it, like,I did it did it, I'm a badass."

“Remote casting next,” Liora instructed, her tone approving. “This technique is a specialty of elven mages. Most humans must cast from their body or use conduits. We learn to project our will farther, shaping spells at a distance. Focus your mana away from yourself—manifest it directly at the target, although it heavily stresses the human brain as elves can easily command the spirits, humans would struggle to manifest it at range,let me show you what it looks like."

A few minutes later.

Elias closed his eyes, breathing steadily. He reached out with his mind across the clearing, nearly thirty meters away.

"Come on, damnit,I gotta get this right "

"Finally"

Mana coalesced not in his palm, but in the empty air beside a thick oak tree. A swirling orb of water formed, rapidly compressing into a high-pressure cannon. It fired with a thunderous boom, slamming into the tree trunk and exploding outward in a violent spray. Bark shattered. The massive tree groaned and cracked, half its side obliterated in a single devastating strike. Water and wood fragments rained down across the grass.

A fierce satisfaction burned in Elias’s chest. This… this is real power. One spell, cast from range, strong enough to wreck a city block. He could strike enemies before they ever closed the distance. No more feeling helpless. No more being the easy target, ouch ouch ouch,my head hurts, but it's nothing compared to what I went through back then,I can't stop now,I have to squeeze out everything I've got in me right now "

He repeated the exercise again and again—remote fire lances, distant rock spikes that erupted from the ground like spears, pressurized water blades that cut through thick logs from afar. Each successful cast came faster, more precise, more destructive. Sweat poured down his face, but his mana pool held strong, allowing him to train for hours without the crushing exhaustion of months past.

As the sun began to set, Liora finally called a halt. “Enough for today. You’ve done well. Your control over advanced magic is progressing nicely, and remote casting is taking root. But remember—power without defense is reckless. A swordsman will close the gap if you focus only on offense.”

Elias nodded, though his mind was still buzzing with the thrill of destruction. Defense can come later. Right now, I need to be untouchable through strength alone.

That evening, as the family gathered for dinner, Elaric clapped him on the back with fatherly pride. “Heard you shaking the woods again today, son. Keep it up.”

Lira watched him with quiet concern and deep affection, while Selene teased him about nearly setting the training field on fire. Elias ate in relative silence, the warmth of the hearth mixing with the growing confidence in his chest.

Six months of hellish training had forged something new inside him,he thought to himself:I was no longer the helpless toddler hiding in the garden. I am now a mage with real potential—and for the first time, the future feels like something I could seize rather than fear.

"This is so great "

For now, he thought,I can breathe a sigh of relief,a real, deep sigh of relief."