Alan coughed to hide his embarrassment, sensing that Kevin had misunderstood his earlier behavior. He spoke honestly, "Wow Kevin, you are impressive! I honestly didn't think you would succeed after just one try. Normally, it takes a lot of practice to achieve what you just did."
Kevin sighed in relief and replied with a smile, "The hardest part was keeping the seven balls of spiritual energy above my hand while pouring them into the cauldron. It takes a lot of concentration; without my necklace, I'm not sure I would have been able to do it."
Alan wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. He said to Kevin, "The toughest challenge, and where most people fail at first, is being able to concentrate the correct amount of spiritual energy into each ball you shape. If even one of your energy balls is off, your potion will be ruined."
Kevin scratched his head, pondering this. "That's strange; for me, that was the easiest part."
