Talek. She’d only practiced with her right hand so far. In theory, though, you could shoot mana from any part of your body. Your feet, your head . . . even the center of your chest.


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    Still so many questions.


    Damnit.


    tried to stay fit, but a part of her had always assumed she’d get stronger after she became a mana artist. That was embarrassingly stupid in hindsight, and it just meant she had more catching up to do.


    Great. Akari’s mana would still regenerate on its own, but that took a few hours. Apparently, that process happened faster in places rich with ambient mana, but Kalden’s basement wasn’t on that list.


    Typical. One minute Kalden would act self-aware, then he’d try to justify the Golds’ rule with some made-up biological difference.


    No. Hitting a ball was one thing, but she was still weeks away from forming a real, tangible Missile. For that, she needed her own bottle of mana, and a pint-sized bottle cost fifty coppernotes or more.


    Us? Akari narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re serious?”


    No argument there. Kalden was one of the richest people in town, for Talek’s sake.


    Damnit. Of course he’d go all goody-two-shoes again.