It has been nearly 9 months I Dustin has been doing it.
I have become 6 years old.
My body is robust and slender compared to people of my age.
My training is basically basic strength exercises but doing them till I collapse.
Winter has started and people had started to start to stockpile their food just like ants.
Well I shouldn't compare human to ants.
The winter is very cold with ice falling everywhere, the trees are without leaves.
The forest had been entirely covered in snow making it look like someone had covered it with a white blanket.
The once green and vibrant trees are now completely still like a dead person.
Trees sense a change in daylight levels, which is why they go dormant for the winter.
At this point, they start altering at the cellular level to increase their resistance to cold.
A tree uses less energy by slowing down its metabolism and other internal functions.
This is the reason they shed their leaves, By shedding their leaves they not only have to use less energy but also have more energy to store to lay dormant in winter.
If trees didn't do this every year, the water in the leaf cells would freeze and burst because water expands when it freezes to become ice.
In simple terms, this is a mechanism for a tree to protect itself in winter.
The leaves of a tree slowly fall on the ground scattering and merging with the land, They slowly decompose and merge with the ground to become fertilizer.
The air was cold and frigid, every breath I took felt like tiny shards of ice were travelling from my throat to my lungs piercing everything in its way.
In a way winter was much worse than summer.
The cold felt like a lifelong enemy who wanted to torture and hurt me in every possible way.
It slowly seeped into my bones giving me pain every time I moved my body even a little.
The villagers were preparing themself for the harsh winter that was going to come, Even though it was already this cold it was just the start of the winter.
In this harsh environment, heavy clothing had become a necessity and everyone wore heavy layers of thick wool and fur to survive the chilling wind.
The usual streets that were filled with laughter and people were silent now, Only the chilly wind was there casting a sense of melancholy in the air.
The noise the cold winds made when travelling through the forest was like the screams of someone crying or even dying.
The entire forest emitted an eerie presence that told everyone to stay away from it.
Even the warmest garments were not enough to save oneself from these sharp cold winds that cut through anything you wore and chilled oneself to the core.
The once-green forest that gave one warm presence was no longer there, Instead, all the abundant wildlife had run away to seek a safe shelter from the winter.
Birds and insects that loved to drown the entire forest with their singing were no longer there.
The rustle of small insects was like finding a four-leaf clover.
The trees which had been more alive during warmer months, now seemed to wait in anticipation of summer.
I too was holding my breath in the wait of winter.
If I had to choose between summer and winter I would unhesitantly choose summer.
The reason for this was simple, I easily got sick and catch a cold during winter in my previous life.
The water sources that were used to secure the village had been completely frozen.
The stream and wells that were used to access fresh water were capped with layers of ice making it impossible to easily get the water.
The villager were working hard to get water every day, they had to go breakthrough the ice every morning.
They trembled while doing this and many times they got sick doing this every day.
At one point in time, I thought of helping them but when I got closer to them they looked at me with disgust in their eyes.
I felt like they saw me as something dirty when I saw the reflection of myself in their eyes.
I couldn't do anything if they didn't want my help even though many people died during winter succumbing to the cold.
It was normal for winter to be cold but this winter was much harsher than normal.
I wouldn't be surprised if they thought of me as the reason for bringing this winter to them.
Even though the winter was very harsh it still created an ethereal beauty making one lose their breath when they looked at it.
My training continued without any stop, each day I pushed myself beyond the limits, my breath steaming in cold air.
The cold air added a new layer of difficulty to my training.
The cold wind cut through my face, my cheeks reddening and my fingers growing numb despite the gloves I wore.
Each step I took was an effort, the snow crunching underfoot and adding resistance to my movements.
Yet, with every step I took, I felt more alive than ever.
I never expected myself to be a training manic but it looks like circumstances change a person and it's better than hating this.
I stretched my limbs just like when a cat stretches itself when it wakes up from sleeping.
My muscles were screaming and crying in protest to let them rest but I couldn't stop as I somehow started to like this.
The sun, apparently feeling sorry for my muscles started its descent casting a warm, golden glow on the world.
I somehow felt a little sorry for my future self who has to take on much worse things.
The time for training was over so I stretched my body one final time and started to walk for my meeting.
Well not meeting as it reminds me of the endless hours I spend doing projects for my black-hearted company-ugh those bastards