Chapter 7: Training in extreme conditions.

The next day, Armand is resting peacefully in a soft bed in the master's house, with a damp towel placed on his forehead to cool him off. Pica, the little bird, is dozing on the edge of the half-open bedroom window, as if staying close to Armand to watch over him. A gentle breeze seeps through the opening, caressing Armand's cheek as it is accompanied by the sun's rays, and his eyelids slowly open. 

His vision is blurred but gradually stabilizes, and he slowly stands up, pushing back the comforter to reveal his naked torso and letting the towel slide over the comforter. He touches his forehead, feeling slightly tired, and looks around wondering how long he's been asleep and where exactly he is, until he notices the little bird and remembers what happened before he lost consciousness.

"I was hoping it was all a dream, but apparently it's real," he murmured to himself. "Luckily, I woke up... My ears still hurt just thinking about it..."

The bedroom door swung open discreetly and the old man entered, a tray in hand on which rested a small cake resembling a pastry and a flask filled with a greenish potion. Surprised to find Armand already awake, he approaches and takes a seat on a chair next to the bed, carefully placing the tray on the bedside table.

"Ah, you're up already, what a relief. Take this to eat and drink that, it'll restore your strength quickly. You couldn't swallow anything last night, so don't hesitate to ask for more if you're hungry, I've still got some provisions," says Master Kaka with a benevolent smile.

Armand takes the pastry after thanking him and eats it slowly to see what it tastes like. It reminds him strangely of an apple turnover, and driven by hunger, he consumes it quickly without taking the time to savor it. After thanking the master once more, he leans over the bottle he now holds in his hands, examining it from every angle.

"What is it, exactly?" he asked, curious.

"It's an extremely effective remedy, obtained from mineral extracts of a precious stone found in Primis. When diluted and processed, it can be used as an invigorator, speeding up metabolism and strengthening the body against small to medium illnesses as well as injuries. The dose I've given you is exactly right for your current condition. Taking too much could have serious effects on your health."

Armand removes the cork and places it gently on the tray. He swallows his saliva before reluctantly drinking the contents. As soon as he finishes, he immediately feels the effects: he no longer feels tired, and his eyes regain the liveliness they had lost. He effortlessly sits up, getting out of bed, and lightly pats his face with his hands.

"I look like I've ingested an entire pot of coffee, I feel better than ever!"

"Haha! That's great news. You're lucky, we've got the whole day ahead of us. It's barely ten o'clock. Get dressed and meet me behind the house."

The old man exits the room while Pica, barely awake and luckily not singing, follows the master, flying across the room. Armand heads for the wall where his modest tunic is held up by a hook. He quickly puts it on and leaves the room after putting on his shoes. Passing through the doorway, he enters a living room of rustic charm, where he lingers for a moment to admire the majestic tree that crosses the ceiling in the middle of the room. 

Suddenly, he hears his master calling him outside, and he apologizes loudly before leaving the house to join him. Armand has just come out and finds his master waiting for him a little further on in the garden, on a surprisingly flat plot. Armand's apprehension was palpable at what was about to happen. He moved towards the master, but the latter signaled him to stop about five meters away, then folded his hands behind his back.

"As I told you before, two months is not enough time for traditional training. Yesterday, you revealed to me the capabilities of your power, although two colors of your aura still retain their mysteries. So you must understand that, even though you've just come out of a slight coma, we're going to continue training relentlessly."

Armand replied with unwavering determination, ready to continue his apprenticeship whatever the cost.

"Of course, master! I understand perfectly!"

"Let me teach you something about mages: everyone is specialized in a type of magic. Some stay with the fundamental simplicity of pure magic. It takes a form similar to what you saw yesterday through your yellow eyes, but it becomes visible to all once used by a mage. Others specialize in a specific element, technique or other natural force. Once you deviate from pure magic to devote yourself to a specific form, it becomes very difficult to expand your knowledge beyond that specialty. I don't know of anyone who has managed to break away from their own. As for me, as you may have noticed, I've devoted myself to natural magic, in connection with the earth and plants."

Master Kaka crouches down, placing his hand on the earth as he speaks. When he finishes, he closes his eyes for a moment and releases a stream of magic into the ground, causing a slight tremor that lasts a few seconds. Then he stands up, wiping his hand on his tunic. Stepping aside from Armand, he turns back to him, his expression graver than ever.

"Remember, kid, that my favorite teaching method is training in extreme conditions."

Armand swallows his saliva with difficulty, anticipating the worst after these words.

"I hope you remember how to alternate between colors, because I'm going to evaluate your ability to improvise in the face of imminent danger."

Armand tries to conceal his apprehension, but his eyes betray his concern.

"Wait, what do you mean by... ?"

The tremors intensify and a mound of earth emerges from the cracks, gradually shaping itself into a humanoid form. In a few moments, the mound takes on the appearance of a nearly three-meter-high earthen golem, which remains motionless. Armand is stunned, his legs trembling, but he clenches his fists, pulling himself together at the thought of facing this creature.

"I trust you enough to know what awaits you. The training will end when you've defeated this golem. It could take days, even weeks, but you'll have to improvise and learn on your own to master the magic around you and counter your opponent. On that note..."

He then walked away, heading for his house where he settled into an outdoor chair, having erected a protective shield around his property. Pica watched the scene from his nest in the tree, and the old man raised his hand, ready to snap his fingers.

"Are you ready, Armand?"

Armand stood on guard, his eyes turning green as he remembered that this aura gave him better defense. The master interpreted his gesture as acquiescence and with a snap of his fingers, animated the earth colossus, which awoke and immediately targeted the young man. The golem rushes towards Armand, each step vibrating the earth, and throws a powerful punch. Armand, still unsure of the protection afforded by his green aura, barely dodges, letting the golem strike the ground with force. 

"Is that crazy old man trying to kill me? How am I supposed to handle this?" wondered Armand, in a panic.

He continued to run, but stopped suddenly to face the creature who was about to attack again. Gathering his courage, his eyes flashed a bright red and he quickly channeled magic into his fist before striking. The clash between their fists is intense, and Armand takes a step back, smiling as the golem's fist cracks. However, the earth from the golem's arm flows to his hand to regenerate, and he continues his assault. 

Armand, caught off guard and with no way out, changes the color of his eyes back to green and crosses his arms in front of him to protect himself from the golem's blow. But the fist sends him flying to the other end of the field, where he crashes into the barrier and lands on the ground close to where the master has set up shop. Although he hasn't suffered any serious injuries thanks to his aura, he's starting to feel tired. He glances at the master, who seems indifferent, plunged into a peaceful sleep.

"I really have to handle this alone..."

The golem waits, waiting for Armand to get up, which he does. Armand now charges and dodges nimbly, his blue eyes giving him increased speed, and he ponders a strategy. Knowing that he is faster than the golem under this aura, he plans to attack the golem by alternating between the red and blue auras, gradually weakening it without giving it a chance to strike back. Armand then stopped and waited for the golem to get close enough to him as each of his steps emitted an increasingly important jolt.

 Once he was close enough, Armand ran in his direction at high speed, rounding him to come up behind him before he could turn around and, as he'd planned, turning red and landing a less powerful blow behind the golem due to the lack of time to prepare, but enough to throw the golem off balance. He then continues to circle the golem, hitting it relentlessly. 

Finally, the golem bends a knee, but despite this, he prepares a new strike which he throws in front of him, having anticipated Armand's position thanks to his speed. But Armand barely dodges and moves away, panting under the effort of his tactics and very frustrated at the little damage he's done to him.

"Dammit, I've barely flexed him and he keeps regenerating. I don't have time to prepare a powerful enough attack... I still have to take advantage of this position before he gets up again."

Armand catches his breath and rushes towards the golem again, this time aiming for its face. But the earth giant slams violently into the ground, taking Armand by surprise. The jolt of the impact threw him off balance. Cracks formed around him, from which an earthen fist burst forth. Caught off guard, Armand receives a direct blow to the abdomen, spitting saliva under the force of the impact and flying slightly into the air before falling back. The golem stands still, waiting for Armand to be ready to resume the fight. 

On the ground, Armand gasps, clutching his stomach in pain, having failed to protect himself from the full damage of the hit. However, he knows he must carry on and slowly gets to his feet. He feels slightly better, but his fatigue is beginning to show. He gets back into position, his aura still bluish, and signals to the golem that he's ready. The creature straightens up and charges towards Armand, who also charges forward to resume the confrontation.

Three hours have passed since Armand began his battle with the golem. The master opens his eyes, coming out of his nap, and observes the state of the training. The garden is unrecognizable, totally ravaged, and the golem still stands there, motionless and intact, while Armand lies on the ground, his clothes in shambles and his body covered in scratches.

The master snaps his fingers this time, transforming the golem into a simple pile of earth, as it was originally. He then moves towards Armand, removing his barrier and raising his head slightly. He breathes a sigh of relief to see that he's still conscious.

"I must admit, you put up a good fight on your first day, little one," the master says with a smile. 

"Are you kidding? All you did was sleep, how could you have seen anything?"

"I wasn't really sleeping, I was controlling this golem from where I was. So it was as if it was me you were facing. Do you really think I can create an earth creature and animate it? My magic doesn't allow it anyway," he explains.

The master supports Armand carefully, accompanying him to his home with an arm around his shoulders to assist his walk. He then sits him down on the garden chair and hands him a half-opened vial again, containing just three drops of the remedy. Armand drinks it and gradually feels his body regenerate, fatigue vanishing as if by magic.

"It's crazy this stuff, such a small dose for such an effect."

His stomach begins to rumble terribly and the master sketches an amused smile and invites him to follow him into the house.

"You've earned yourself a meal, But don't forget, as soon as we're done, you're going back to face the golem. And that's until you defeat it."

"Understood...," replies Armand a little demoralized. 

He then accompanies him into the house to help him prepare food, and so Armand's training begins in earnest.

End of chapter 7.