Leonar adjusted his stance after having another slip and got up with a sigh of frustration.
'Damn these shitty boots…' thought Leonar as he shook the droplets of water from his clothes.
The rain made the ground slippery, and at the speed he was going, any misstep would send him straight to the floor.
Celestia said with an amused laugh:
"If you took a moment to listen to me before charging off like a lunatic, you'd avoid those unnecessary bumps."
Leonar gritted his teeth and exhaled slowly.
"Then enlighten me."
"First, you need to learn how to distribute your weight when you run. It's not just about moving quickly, but about controlling the momentum you generate. If you just stamp your feet without balance, you'll stumble like a child just learning to walk."
Leonar clicked his tongue, but decided to heed her advice.
He took a step forward and, instead of diving headfirst, leaned his body slightly forward while keeping his back straight.
He felt the pressure in his legs adjust to his speed, and when he took another, more controlled step, he noticed that his body was moving with greater stability.
"Good, good," said Celestia in an approving tone. "Now, when you want to turn, lean your weight in the direction you're going, but without braking abruptly. If you stop too suddenly, you'll lose your balance and go face-first."
Leonar nodded to himself and continued forward, practicing his turns while avoiding collisions with posts and curbs.
Little by little, he began to notice that he could move with more confidence.
The feeling of running so fast was almost addictive.
When he reached an intersection, instead of stopping like any normal person, Leonar simply made an agile leap onto the roof of a parked car and landed on the other side without any trouble.
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Well, well, it seems you're finally getting it," Celestia remarked with a hint of pride.
Leonar smiled proudly.
"Yeah, but you could've told me that from the start, instead of letting me learn by taking hits."
"Mistakes are part of the process," she replied with a light laugh. "You can't expect to become a master without falling a few times."
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Leonar grunted, not in the mood to argue. Instead, he kept practicing—hopping from side to side with greater confidence, avoiding puddles, and moving through the city with a freedom he had never felt before.
'This is seriously amazing…' thought Leonar as he jumped over another vehicle and landed softly on the sidewalk.
Being able to move like this without worrying about traffic lights or pedestrians was almost like a dream come true.
Eleonora, who had remained silent for most of the time, let out a small laugh in her mind.
'You're having way too much fun with this.'
Leonar didn't deny it. In a way, it was as if for the first time in a long time he was enjoying something outside the world of betting, video games, or alcohol.
But just as he thought that, reality hit him again when he tried to round a corner and the rain made his foot slip.
Leonar felt as if time slowed down for a moment. His body lost stability and, before he could correct himself, he found himself falling sideways and sliding several meters along the wet street until he crashed into a wall.
"Agh, damn…" muttered Leonar as he got up with a grimace of pain.
Celestia, instead of mocking him, simply sighed.
"When the ground is wet, you need to use the momentum to slide instead of trying to stop abruptly. Use your body as if you were skating on ice."
Leonar grunted and got up again, this time taking Celestia's advice into account.
He took another step, accelerated, and when he reached a wet surface, instead of trying to stop, he leaned his body and let the inertia guide him.
To his surprise, he managed to slide without losing his balance.
"That's it," said Celestia with a smile evident in her voice. "If you keep it up, you could become quite adept with these boots."
Leonar huffed and shook his head.
"Yeah, yeah, but you could've told me that from the beginning."
"And miss the chance to see you fall face-first a couple of times?" Celestia retorted with a laugh.
Leonar rolled his eyes and continued running. However, after a few minutes, he began to notice something strange.
Every time he fell or scraped himself against something, his wounds healed rapidly.
At first, Leonar thought it was Celestia's blessing, but then he heard a cough in his mind.
It was Eleonora.
'Since you're using the power of those objects, I've been focused on healing your wounds,' she commented calmly.
Leonar blinked in surprise.
'So you're the one healing me...?'
"Yes."
Celestia also looked surprised.
"Ohhh, so that's why when I possessed it I felt less and less pain. That explains why he hasn't been having so many difficulties!"
Leonar frowned.
'What do you mean by that?'
But before he could get an answer, he noticed that he had already reached the shelter.
The place was still crowded, but the atmosphere felt much calmer than before.
Now, people didn't seem to be in panic; instead, they were organizing themselves and helping distribute food and supplies.
However, what really caught his attention was Mary.
She was sitting at a table, holding a glass with both hands.
Her expression was serious and her gaze was lost in the drink before her.
Leonar frowned. Something wasn't right.
Without thinking too much, he approached and called her name aloud.
"Mary."
The reaction was immediate. Mary looked up with a mix of surprise and relief.
Her mouth curved into a small smile, but it quickly faded as she scanned the area, searching for the person who had spoken.
The guys she was with exchanged confused glances.
"Who said that?" murmured one of them.
It took Leonar a couple of seconds to remember that he was still invisible.
'Shit…' he thought as he ran a hand over his face. 'Now how do I get back to normal?'
Celestia let out a mocking little laugh in his mind.
'If you want to be seen, just take off your boots.'
'Wait. Does that mean that from now on I'll have to walk barefoot?'
"Yes."