[Re-edited: 05/07/2024]
Damovotsk, Molkovia, Earth.
Demian's P.O.V.
The night passed peacefully for the young man, the only noticeable thing being some blurry dreams about people fighting. Before their silhouettes could become clearer, however, his consciousness returned to the real world, brought back by the warm sunlight filling his room. After letting out a moan of comfort from the enjoyable warmth, his eyelids slowly fluttered open. "Mmmhh... That was a..." After letting out a yawn, he continued. "...A strange dream." Rubbing his eyes to rid himself of his sleepiness, he then sluggishly moved the blanket off his body before standing up from his bed. As an ingrained habit, Demian threw a brief glance toward the alarm clock on his bedside table. 'Unfortunately', his mind was still somewhat hazy, which meant that he was already on his way to his wardrobe when he finally realized that something was wrong. Turning his head back toward the clock to make sure he was not hallucinating, he exclaimed in surprise. "What the...? I've only slept 8 hours?" Feeling surprised, he focused his attention on his body's state. 'No soreness. I don't feel drowsy either. Quite the opposite actually. I've never felt better! In this life, at least. Let's not compare it with my previous one. I don't want to fall into depression.' He thought half-jokingly while shaking his head.
Turning back toward the wardrobe, he put on some casual sports clothes in preparation for his daily training before noticing something else that changed about his body. That was the noticeable feeling of hunger he was experiencing. Normally, he would skip breakfast because his body frankly did not need the nutrients. However, his stomach was now warning him to do the opposite. 'I'll just get some food inside me.' He inwardly decided before going to check his body in the full-length mirror hung on the wall. Despite wearing some clothes, he did spot a few differences compared to the day prior, making him exclaim at the power of his Physiology Perk. 'The difference isn't massive, but I still look a bit fuller. My muscles are still not visible, though. No matter, I just need to keep working out. I'm sure I'll look better quickly!' Seeing his hard work pay off so quickly boosted his motivation for a moment before he shook his head while letting out a few chuckles. 'Anyway, let's just go downstairs.' He decided, not forgetting to tend to his morning needs beforehand.
When he reached the first floor, Demian immediately noticed Bryn and Adeliya eating breakfast while chatting happily. The sight brought a smile to his face, prompting him to walk a tad faster. "You're early today, Sweetie." His Aunt exclaimed in surprise before his cousin added. "Feeling the pressure yet?" A few chuckles escaped his lips as he heard the question. "Of course, I am. Catching up with you will surely take time, so I can't afford to be lazy!" While replying to the tall woman, he quickly prepared himself a substantial breakfast, raising a few eyebrows from the people present. "By the way, when do you want to start our training session?" Those words brought a thoughtful look on her face. "Well... I need to bring Mom to her office first. We can start afterward." Nodding his head, he finished the food sitting in his mouth before stating. "I'm fine with that. I'll just warm up in the meantime." Having agreed on the process, the three finished their meal swiftly before each went on their way, with Bryn and Adeliya leaving the penthouse while Demian went to the gym on the first floor.
Once in the expansive room, he quickly prepared a bottle of water and a towel before walking to a treadmill a few meters away. Cracking his neck, he muttered. "Let's do this!" As the machine started going faster and faster, the young man thought jokingly. 'The Grind never stops!... God, it feels so embarrassing to say that...' As his pace grew faster, the random thoughts plaguing his mind started to disappear, turning into inner silence reminiscent of the effect that meditation had on one's mind. Despite his heart beating faster, his breath being more hurried and sweat running down his whole body, the young man felt great. The exhaustion that would normally drown him after a few minutes of intensive physical exertion was now barely noticeable, lengthening the time of his workout by great magnitudes. As minutes passed by, he subconsciously noticed the harmony between his body and mind becoming better and better, boosting his performance, and naturally correcting his movements to avoid wasting any energy. It was... Exhilarating!
Unfortunately, after an unknown amount of time, that wonderful state was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the entrance door opening. Feeling curious, Demian glanced briefly in that direction, Spotting Bryn's figure walking toward him. 'She's already back?' He wondered with some confusion until he noticed the time from the clock hung on the wall. 'Oh! I see.' Turning off the treadmill he was using, he then carefully moved back to 'solid ground', which reminded his body about the consequences of such intensive training. "Damn, I'm beat!" He muttered as he realized the limits of his current body. Before he lost himself in his pondering, however, an imposing voice reached his ears, reminding him that he was not alone in the room. "You've only trained for an hour and you're already tired?" Moving his body to face her, a wry smile surfaced on his face as he retorted. "You say that as if I was as strong as you. Look at my body and tell me seriously that it's not already incredible that I can last that long."
The young woman's eyes followed his gesture and fell on his untrained body. Although his malnourished look vanished almost completely from yesterday, which was a feat in itself, he clearly looked nothing like an athlete. At most, he could pass for someone who spent his time stuck at a desk. Cocking her brow, she replied with an almost hurtful honesty. "You do look weak. I guess it IS an achievement for you to last for an hour." "Thank you!... I think..." He retorted before his eyes fell on the skin-tight long shirt and long pants she was wearing. Even though those clothes emphasized her jaw-dropping curves to a great degree, he knew that the reason she wore them was to hide the burn scars underneath and not show off her beauty. His gaze did not linger on her body, though, since he did not want to make her uncomfortable. Moving his gaze back to her face, a brief thought came to him. 'I'm sure we'll find a way to heal those scars one day, Big Sis...'
She may have felt the conviction in his eyes as she strangely evaded his gaze for a brief moment, her cheeks reddening slightly. "Stop looking at me like that." Feeling confused, he asked. "What do you mean?" Turning her eyes back in his direction, she kept quiet for a second before changing the subject. "You do seem to progress quickly. It's good." Since his EQ was higher than a single digit, he understood that pressing her for an answer would be a bad idea. He thus followed her lead and said. "Thanks! So, what do you have in mind for today? Are we going for a spar?" The latter question was more from a childish expectation than true belief, as he was aware that he had no foundation in fighting technique, which would make fighting almost useless for him. And indeed, the redhead giggled before claiming. "Don't let your progress get to your head, Dem. Not only is your physical condition terrible, but you don't know anything about fighting. Or am I wrong?"
Despite expecting her answer, he was still a bit miffed at her words. Nonetheless, he knew she was simply stating the truth, and thus, after letting out a sigh, he responded. "No. You're right. I do need to learn the basics first." Looking satisfied by his answer, she claimed. "I'm glad you're self-aware... But you don't have to look depressed. I've also had to start from nothing. So, keep up your effort and you'll definitely get results." He knew that she was only trying to cheer him up, but he could not help but feel his ego a bit bruised at the idea that a young woman was speaking to him, someone with almost 50 years of accumulated memories between his two lives as if he was a young teenager. 'I really need to lay down the arrogance, don't I?' He thought wryly before explaining out loud. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Big Sis. I just got a bit overwhelmed for a second. Anyway, why don't we start with the training? What should we do first?" Falling into teaching mode, the redhead started explaining. "Today, we'll go over three topics. First, I'll go over the strengthening exercises you can do to maximize strength gains. I'm sure you know some of them, but a small review is never a bad thing." Pausing for a second to let her words sink in, she then continued. "The second topic is flexibility exercises. Many think that skipping them is not a big deal. Wrong! Not only can they help avoid muscle injuries, but they will also help your body be more reactive during any combat situation."
The last content was pretty much as expected. "Last but not least: combat techniques. Today, we'll only go over basic punches and kicks. The rest will be left for later, once you mastered the former to a satisfying degree." Halting her words for a brief moment, she then asked. "Any questions?" Shaking his head, he answered. "You're the professional. I'll listen to your instructions." "Let's start then." Following her words, she guided him from one machine to the next, then on to the weights, all the while explaining their uses. Every exercise, from his shoulders to his calves, was mentioned. Of course, she only mentioned the most efficient and ignored the others. That still left a great number of exercises to remember for Demian, though. Fortunately, instant perfection was not needed. Not only that, but with his Perk doing its magic, it should not matter too much if he skipped a few, as long as he kept pushing his body to its limits.
Of course, he still tried to remember as much as he could since those exercises formed the basis of force usage. How to use which muscle for a specific movement was essential knowledge for a fighter. It might even make the difference between winning or losing a fight. 'Let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we? I should just focus on what she says for now.' He decided before his mind went back to the lesson. Around an hour later, she ended her explanation with those last words. "That should be enough for you to digest for a while." After taking a deep breath, he replied, half-jokingly. "That was a lot. But I think I remembered most of it." Nodding her head with a look of satisfaction, she retorted. "You can ask me if you forget any information, anyway." Clapping her hand once, she declared. "Let's take a small break. My throat is getting sore with all that talking."
Chuckling at her quip, he exclaimed tiredly. "Sure. I need some rest or both my mind and body will break down." The two then went to get the water bottles they left earlier by the treadmill he was using before she arrived. Taking a sip, he mumbled. "Feels so good..." His reaction made her giggle a bit before the two fell into a peaceful silence. As time passed by, and with fresh water inside his belly, his stamina started returning while his mind seemed ready for more learning. As if she could sense his current state, Bryn suddenly declared. "Let's get on with the flexibility exercises." "Yes, Ma'am." He replied cheekily, ignoring his urge to lie down on the ground for a few more minutes. For a long time after that, the two went over many of those exercises, with the redhead forcing him to practice them until his form reached an 'adequate' level. Thankfully, she let him rest a bit every time he could not hold on anymore, which happened relatively often due to his weak constitution.
As the two reached the end of the second lesson, Demian suddenly recalled a question that started surfacing in his mind recently. "Big Sis?" "What's up?" She responded curtly after she finished drinking from her water bottle.