Calm Wanderer
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(AKJ) Chapter 13 - Feeling the difference in power
🕑 Added 2023-09-10 16:08:42 +0000 UTCDamovotsk, Molkovia, Earth.
Demian's P.O.V.
Feeling much better, Demian whistled merrily on his way to the first floor. While climbing down the stairs, he noticed Brynhild’s back figure through the bay windows. She was standing on the balcony with her forearms leaning on the stone parapet and her body slightly bent forward, with the bustling city of Damovotsk as a backdrop. Curious, he tiptoed toward the balcony, his ears catching the city noises, cars honking, people shouting and almost hidden behind all that ruckus, the sound of waves washing over the beach below. A few seconds later, he found himself by her side, his body adopting the same posture as hers.
The two cousins stayed silent for a while, both admiring the panoramic view. As one of the tallest buildings in this seaside city from Eastern Europe, their 10th-floor building was one of the best and most expensive places to live in the city, something that Demian still had trouble realizing along with the rest of his new life. “Feels unreal, doesn't it? All those people moving below, each of them having their own dreams that most of them will never achieve, all the while blaming everything on everyone else but never taking responsibility for their own choices...” Demian commented absentmindedly as his gaze followed a few unknown silhouettes walking below. “If given the opportunity, I wonder how many of them would change the way they live...”
‘Didn’t I do the same thing as them in my previous life?’ He thought while letting out a wry chuckle. He then turned his head toward the tall redhead sporting a contemplative look. With his newly awakened memories, he was not as clueless as his past self used to be, making it easy for him to bypass the scars on her face and notice the beauty hidden behind. Falling into a brief daze, he only woke up when the woman moved her gaze in his direction. Noticing the question in her gaze, he coughed to hide his embarrassment, while moving his eyes back to the peaceful evening scenery. Feigning calm, he explained. “I got a bit distracted, sorry.”
Chuckling slightly at his reaction, she then mirrored his action while stating. “It’s fine.” The two then fell into a peaceful silence again. However, it only lasted for a short as he felt concerned about her. “You look worried. Wanna talk about it?” His question made her freeze for a second before glancing at his face and replying softly. “Okay.” After taking a deep breath, she explained. “It’s just that...” She hesitated but still finished her sentence. “It’s you.” Despite the curt answer, he had a few guesses as to what she meant. He still asked for clarification though. “Me? Are you talking about what we talked about earlier?”
Nodding her head, she replied. “That and what’s happening to you. Everything is changing quickly and I feel a bit overwhelmed...” After those words escaped her lips, she let out a tired sigh, making him feel slightly guilty about keeping secrets from her. ‘I already told Sera, so I might as well tell her too.’ He inwardly decided. Out loud, he said. “About that... I spoke to Sera earlier and she told me that the three of you had some doubts about me. About me awakening some kind of superpower, I mean.” Pausing for a second, he noticed the look of interest she sported. With a small smile on his face, he continued. “You were right. I did get a superpower.”
“I knew it!” She muttered before tilting her head slightly and asking. “Can you tell me what it is?” Hesitating for a second, he determined that explaining a bit more would not really hurt. As for the exact details, he would share them once he felt comfortable with the whole reincarnation thing. “It boosts my training speed and helps me get all-rounded.” His words made her pensive. A few seconds later, she commented. “I don’t know much more than the basics about superpowers, but with how quickly your strength is growing, I’m sure it’s far from ordinary.” With a mysterious smile on his face, he replied. “You have no idea.”
Despite her gaze filled with curiosity, she kept her question to herself and instead offered. “Why don’t we go spar together? Unless you want to stay here a bit longer?” Shaking his head, he looked into her eyes and replied while wearing his usual grin. “No, I‘m done with my daily moping. Let’s go for a spar.” Pausing for a brief moment, he then added playfully. “You need to be gentle with me, though. I don’t know much about fighting after all.” The woman rolled her eyes at his words, but he did notice the discreet upturn of her lips. In a calm voice, she replied. “I’m a World-Class fighter, Demian. I’m pretty sure I’ve got enough control to avoid hurting you too much.” Those last words wiped the amused grin on his face and replaced it with a concerned look. “What do you mean by too much?” His worried tone brought a chuckle out of the woman’s lips before her feet led her inside the penthouse without uttering another word. Her action made him speechless for a moment, after which he followed her while thinking with some slight concerns. ‘She was joking, right?’
Despite a slight worry, he still felt excited at the prospect of sparring with his cousin. He had imagined himself fighting people many times in the past, whether it be fending off some robbers or protecting his nonexistent girlfriend, his mind kept conjuring scenes of violence where he always ended up winning against his opponent(s). Unfortunately, the reality was completely different than his made-up fantasy, and the price of fighting could be very steep, something he was deeply aware of. This time, however, he was facing someone he trusted completely in what would probably be more akin to training than really sparring, removing any worry he could have. Especially with his Physiology Perk acting passively in the background.
After changing his clothes to something more suited to fighting, he joined Brynhild on one side of the gym where a few mats were set up in a relatively wide rectangular shape. That side of the gym was normally used by his cousin to practice her Techniques since, before his recent power-up, no one was available to train with her. When she needed a partner, she simply went to her professional gym a quarter of an hour away from their building, something she did most days. After all, there was a limit to learning by yourself.
Immediately after he arrived, the woman removed her long-sleeved shirt and tracksuit pants, leaving herself with only a tight sports bra and a tight pair of shorts. ‘Wow...’ He thought while briefly admiring the woman’s impressive figure. No matter where he looked, only sharp but imposing muscles or blood-boiling curves met his eyes. The only aspect of hers that could put someone off would be the numerous scars adorning every centimeter of her skin, although those did not bother Demian one bit, even when it came to those burning scars. Instead, he felt like they enhanced her wild beauty, giving her an untamable aura.
However, what did bother him was the origin of those scars, something that was officially announced as a Gas leak in the neighborhood where they previously lived, which then led to a massive fire, that injured and killed a great number of innocent people. The truth, however, was completely different. As the ‘The Protector’ ‘s arrogant face surfaced in his mind, a surge of anger erupted in his heart. His rising emotions, however, almost instantly settled down as a sobering thought appeared in his mind. ‘That asshole is still too strong for me and he also has Lurpo International behind him, which means a bunch of Supes ready to defend him... I know I can’t rush it, but I really want to fuck him up!’
His frustration did not last long, though, as Bryn’s question reached his ears, waking him up from his dark thoughts. “Tell me you’re not planning on sparring with your shirt on?” Looking at her, he noticed the mix of amusement and curiosity in her gaze, prompting him to swiftly remove his own shirt while replying apologetically. “Sorry, I was daydreaming for a bit there.” Waving his apology away, she threw a bag in his direction while saying. “As long as you focus when I teach you, I don’t mind. The gear you’ll use today is inside the bag, by the way.” Opening it swiftly, he found two fingerless gloves, two shin guards, and a headgear. Feeling surprised, he asked. “Isn't that too much protective gear?”
With a knowing smile on her face, she replied. “Wait until we start. I’m sure you’ll be surprised. In the meantime, stand over there.” Following her instructions, he stood in the middle of the training mats and observed her while she went to grab a pair of training mitts and walked in front of him. After a quick observation of his body, she started her lesson.“Remember the punches and kicks I made you practice?” He nodded but kept silent. “Good. In MMA, there are two main categories of Techniques and what I taught you are from one of those. Specifically, striking Techniques. The second category consists of Grappling Techniques, but they’re a bit more complicated for a newbie like you. So, we’ll leave those for next time. Instead, we’ll practice your form and timing today.”
“You're the professional.” He replied, eliciting a small grin from the woman who seemed unusually cheerful. “That I am.” Pausing for a brief moment, she then continued. “Back to the striking techniques. They can be divided into four main parts, which are punches, elbow strikes, kicks, and knee strikes. Those are the ones I'll teach you tonight. That being said, don’t get frustrated if you can’t perfectly execute every movement right away. It takes time to master any form of martial art, even for geniuses. It’s even more difficult in real combat situations.” Halting her words for a brief moment to let her words sink in, she then added in a solemn tone. “You’ll also need to master your strength perfectly. Otherwise, you might kill someone by accident instead of knocking him or her out.”
The last warning reminded him of a few stories he heard about in the past involving professional fighters killing their adversary during their official matches. With a serious expression on his face, he declared. “I’ll do my best.” Nodding to his words, she said. “I’m sure you will. Now, let’s start with punches...” As soon as those words left her lips, the first of many utterly exhausting and painful training sessions started. It lasted hours, during which Demian’s feelings for his protective gear changed from doubtful to extremely appreciative. Indeed, as time passed by, he started doubting if his body could hold up until the end of the training session. Whether it be his bones which felt like they were about to crumble into pieces or his muscles which seemed to be close to tearing off said bones, he was extremely glad to have worn protective gear. ‘I think I’d be crippled without it... Although I’ll probably still be covered in bruises afterward...’ He thought distractedly which earned him another hit from the woman and pushed him to focus his attention entirely on the practice.
Speaking of the practice itself, it consisted of Brynhild calling for a move as she changed her posture from time to time. If anything was wrong, whether it be his posture, timing, or precision, he was hit by either a 'light' kick or a 'slap' from the redhead. She did not punch him since she was wearing training mitts, but for Demian, it felt the same. The woman was so strong that what she considered as ‘light’, felt like getting hit by a truck. Naturally, he could tell that she used just enough force to make him feel pain, but not enough to really injure him. After all, the goal was to help him improve and pain tended to be a great motivator for some reasons.
A few hours later, the young man was sweating buckets, gasping for breaths, his entire body shaking and his mind hazy from exhaustion. Unlike him, however, Bryhild seemed as fresh as when they started, her breathing completely calm and regular. Not even one drop of sweat was visible on her skin, pushing him to realize how powerful the young woman was, or at least giving him some inklings. After all, unless he was seriously fighting her while being around the same strength level, it was difficult to truly understand what she was capable of. Nonetheless, he did not feel depressed at the realization. Instead, excitement started surging in his tired Mind. ‘She’s already so strong and she’s not even considered a Supe... What about those powerful Supes then... In time I’ll know!’ He thought while trying to throw another punch.
However, his abnormally high stamina had finally reached its end and with it his consciousness. An unknown moment later, he woke up, finding himself lying on his back on the mat while Brynhild was sitting by his side with a bottle of water in her hand instead of her training mitts. With an approving look in her eyes, she commented. “You did great. Much better than I expected.” Blinking his eyes a few times to help him focus, he replied groggily while looking at her with confusion. “Thanks. Did I faint?” Despite knowing the answer, he felt compelled to ask her. Nodding her head, she responded reassuringly. “You did but only for a minute. You clearly went beyond your limits today. So, I decided to lower the training’s intensity tomorrow. You might get some lasting injuries otherwise.”
If it was someone normal, she would be right. As for him? After letting out a grunt of pain, he replied. “No need. The intensity you...” After taking a deep breath to endure the intense pain coursing through his entire body, he continued. “The intensity you used today is perfect for me. I’ve got my superpower, remember?” A stunned look appeared briefly on her face before turning into realization mixed with what seemed to be a bit of embarrassment. “Right, I forgot for a moment there...” Regaining her serious look, she added. “I still want to see if you can heal enough by tomorrow. Otherwise, we’ll reduce the intensity. And that’s non-negotiable.”
Feeling warm from her concern, he replied playfully. “Yes, Ma’am.” His joke brought an amused smile to the woman’s face before she stood up while instructing. “I’ll go cook something. Rest a bit and once you’re well enough, go take a shower. You stink.” Those last words were said jokingly, so Demian did not feel offended. Plus, he did smell like sweat, a smell he only appreciated on one occasion. Chuckling slightly amid grunts, he muttered with satisfaction. “That was fun.”
