“I’ll need to ask my grandson where he had bought those sweets, so I can get some for you again, my love,” Grandpa Yojee spoke, reaching to open the door to the dining room.

“Just be honest and say you want more sweets for yourself, you, old coot,” Grandma Fuuji scoffed at her husband.

“Of course not, my sweetest,” Grandpa Yojee was about to enter the dining room after opening the doors but then turned around to say something to his wife again.

- ‘Bum, Ba-bam...’ – A sound of something falling was heard inside the room.

“Huh? What the...” Grandpa Yojee turned forward to see what just happened and found Narias and Estella scrambling to move away from each other in order to sit up straight, with Estella rushing to fix her blouse to cover herself properly. “Eh? What are you two still doin-?” – ‘Smack!’ – “Ooouch!”

“I told you we shouldn’t have come back just yet, you, old dimwit,” Grandma Fuuji scolded her husband after smacking him on the head, adding extra force to her swing this time.

“But I was hungry,” Grandpa Yojee complained, rubbing the spot on the head where his wife had smacked him. “Besides, I thought Estella would take our grandson to her room to- Ugh... Hey!”

“Cut it out, you, old puss,” Grandma Fuuji raised her voice against her husband after nudging him on the side with her elbow. “Don’t you see you are making them feel even more uncomfortable?”

“It’s ok. We were just... talking,” Estella said in as calm tone of her voice as she could muster. As much as she tried to act normal, her burning red cheeks and out of place looking blouse said her and Narias might’ve been doing something more than just talking.

“Welcome back, Grandpa Yojee and Grandma Fuuji,” Narias greeted them, trying to act normal himself too.

“Ah, thank you, grandson. So sorry for barging in like that, I honestly didn’t expect to find you two still staying here,” Grandpa Yojee offered a sincere apology. However, he could tell the damage was already done, so he switched gears to change the topic instead. “You know what, I thought we could start your training today, grandson, but since I made such a blunder by interrupting you two... talking, how about you two enjoy your time together tonight instead? We can start your training tomorrow morning.”

“You mean we could start the training today, Grandpa Yojee?” Narias became livelier all of a sudden.

“Huh? Wait, you don’t mean you’d start training Narias right now, do you, grandpa?” Estella asked in surprise, the redness yet to fully leave her cheeks

“Of course not, my dearest granddaughter, unless my grandson wants to start his training today. We still have two or three hours left before it becomes completely dark and time is precious. I’d say sooner is better than later. It’s ok if you want to take it easy tonight of course, but if you so wish I will be waiting for you at the training grounds, grandson.” Grandpa Yojee told him, placing his hands behind his back and getting ready to leave the room.

“Yes, I would love to start training today, Grandpa Yojee,” Narias stood up excitedly.

“But grandpa,” Estella jumped up from her seat in protest.

“You should start thinking about your role in Narias’s training yourself too, Estella,” Grandpa Yojee told her in a somewhat stern tone of his voice.

“Ah... Y... yes, grandpa.” Surprisingly, Estella complied yet a slight worry jumped onto her face.

“No rush, my dear grandson. Feel free to fill up your belly before coming to the training grounds. Can’t do much on an empty stomach, as they say,” Grandpa Yojee added before leaving the room.

“Thank you, but I’m already full, Grandpa Yojee. I am ready to go train right away,” Narias declared.

“Is that so? Well then, follow me please,” Grandpa Yojee said, him and Narias leaving the room.

“He’ll be fine, dear. You don’t think your grandfather would want to hurt his grandson, do you?” Grandma Fuuji asked supportively.

“No, I just...” Estella clenched her fists while staring at the floor.

“You know your grandfather-he loves being nosy, and it is also my fault that we interrupted your privacy. I’m really sorry about that,” Grandma Fuuji apologized.

“It’s... ok. I wasn’t thinking about that right now,” Estella said, falling deeper into her thoughts.

“Could it be that you doubt yourself and don’t think you’ll be able to do your part, my dear?” Grandma Fuuji’s words hit on the nail because Estella looked like she was caught stealing or something. “I am sure you’ll do just fine. Your grandfather wouldn’t put the responsibility on you if he didn’t have faith in you.”

“Grandma...” Estella spoke to herself silently, lowering her head again.

{at the training grounds}

“Thank you for lending me these training clothes, Grandpa Yojee,” Narias said after he met up with Estella’s grandfather outside.

“Don’t mention it, grandson,” Grandpa Yojee said. “Also, I am really sorry for interrupting your private time with my granddaughter. I feel really bad about it. I hope you can forgive me for that.” Grandpa Yojee bowed down in front of Narias.

“Ah, no, no, it’s ok. You... don’t have to apologize, Grandpa Yojee,” Narias said, raising his hands in front of him. “We were... simply talking.”

“Really? If that’s what you say, grandson. Now then...” Grandpa Yojee stood taller, making an impression he was about to say something important. “Tell me, is my granddaughter a good kisser?”

“Ah, yes, she is... Eh? What? S... sorry, I...” Narias was caught completely off guard and answered Grandpa Yojee’s question without thinking.

“I’m glad to hear that,” the old cat laughed. “And don’t be so tense about it, grandson. I’m happy things are working out between you two. I wish nothing but happiness for my granddaughter.”

“Ahh, I wish so too,” Narias admitted, not knowing what else to say.

“Now, before we start your training, I have one thing to tell you, grandson.” Grandpa Yojee became serious suddenly.

“Yes, Grandpa Yojee?” Narias became extremely attentive.

“You can quit any time you want,” the old cat said, a kind smile showing up on his face.

“Quit any time I want?” That was the last thing Narias expected to hear.

“Yes. All you have to do is say ‘I quit’ and your training will stop,” Grandpa Yojee told him.

“Ah, ok,” Narias was a little confused, especially since quitting wasn’t something he had ever considered during any of his trainings in the past.

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“Great. Now let’s get started. Can you bend your arms, so your elbows stick out in front, grandson?” Grandpa Yojee asked, keeping his own hands behind his back.

“Like... this?” Narias bent his arms and lifted his elbows up, so they’d stick out.

“Good,” – ‘Clap, Clap.’ – Grandpa Yojee swiftly placed two bands over his arms to keep them bent. The bands were about five inches in width, were black in color and resembled rubber bands, but the material felt to be much sturdier than one of a simple rubber band.

“Huh? Wow,” Narias was shocked to see with what ease Grandpa Yojee slid the bands on his bent arms. Narias was even more astounded about the fact that he couldn’t straighten his arms at all. The bands were so strong, it felt like his wrists were now glued to the upper part of his arms.

“I would like you squat down for me too, grandson,” Grandpa Yojee said, still having the same warm smile on his face.

“Right, ok,” Narias already knew what might happen next and he was right. As soon as he squatted, bending his knees to the point his calves touched his thighs, Grandpa Yojee slid two more bands on his legs which prevented Narias straightening his legs. “Ah, whoa... whoa... whoaa... oops, ugh...”

Narias suddenly lost his balance and fell on his left side on the ground. When Grandpa Yojee placed another two bands, which were slightly bigger and wider, on his legs, locking them in a bent position, Narias literally couldn’t move at all. Given his body’s reflexes, Narias tried to stand up, but the bands wouldn’t allow his legs to be straightened up at all, and since his arms were locked in bent positions too, Narias couldn’t hold his balance and fell on the ground like a penguin that slipped on the ice.

“Are you ok, grandson?” Grandpa Yojee asked, keeping his hands behind his back.

“Ah, yeah,” Narias smiled sillily.

“Wonderful. Since it’s almost evening, I won’t push you too hard. So, how about you do only two laps around the training grounds and we’ll call it a day?” Grandpa Yojee told him.

“Right... Ok, sure,” Narias, who was still lying sideways on the ground, said. “Oof, humph, oops.” He tried standing up, but his limbs were locked to his body, so he couldn’t.

“By the way, you’re not allowed to use any magic at all,” Grandpa Yojee warned him, turning away to leave.

“Ah, yes, ok, Grandpa Yojee,” Narias said, still struggling to stand up.

“I’ll come back to check on you later, grandson. Good luck,” Estella’s grandfather said and walked away without waiting for Narias to say anything back.

Wow, these bands are something else. I can’t unbend my arms or legs even an inch. Narias was literally admiring how well tied up he actually was. Right, two laps, so...

Narias lifted his head, trying to see in front of him. The distance to the end of the track before it turned to go around the training grounds from where he was lying was probably about sixty or more yards away. But Narias was somewhere in the middle of the track, which meant the length of the track on one side could’ve been well over one hundred yards. In addition, the training grounds did not have the shape of a stadium or anything similar to it. Also, it had four different types of areas that were connected to each other. The side that Narias was on right now was the empty one, with the track being fully open and free of any obstacles.

“Oof, ah, oops. Oppa... ah, no, no, no, baah,” Narias tried to lift himself up from the ground, but he ended up rolling from one side to the other instead. Having his hands and feet locked by the bands that Grandpa Yojee had put on him made it extremely difficult to stand up. “Hah, now that’s... a little hard.” Narias laughed to himself.

After a bit of laugh, he tried to get up again, being more careful this time. He rolled himself to the side until he faced the ground with his face down. To maintain his balance, he placed his palms on the ground while leaning on his knees on it at the same time. That seemed to work and he managed to stabilize his position without falling to either side. Narias was leaning down at the ground with his arms and knees, but since his legs were bent, his toes weren’t touching the ground. He tried to push himself up with his hands, but it didn’t work since he couldn’t straighten his arms at all due to the bands keeping them bent.

“That’s... harder than I thought, actually” Narias spoke, his face being only a few inches away from the ground. “Ok, so I can still extend my elbows and knees forward, so... ahh... humph! Oh, aah... no, no, no, whaa...”

Narias pushed himself up from the ground using his elbows and he was able to raise his upper body high enough to be able to touch the ground with his toes, but it wasn’t enough for him to stand on his feet just yet, making him fall forward agan. So, he leaned down and pushed himself up one more time in order for his feet to fully touch the ground. It worked, but only for a second, because as soon as his feet touched the ground fully, Narias lost his balance, tripping backwards before falling on the ground on his back. He tried to reach for the ground with his hands, like any other human would to prevent themselves from falling down, but all Narias achieved was flap his bent arms to the sides like a featherless chicken before tumbling down on the ground in the end.

“Oof...” Narias used his elbows and knees to stop himself from rolling after the fall. “This is... definitely hard. Sigh... Ok, let’s try again.”

It took a few extra tries, but Narias was finally able to stand up. He wasn’t exactly standing up since his legs were bent and Narias wasn’t exactly standing fully on his feet. He was using his toes to keep himself up, because if he tried to stand on his feet fully, he’d lose balance and tumble backwards on the ground, which happened more than once already. The thing was however, it took him fifteen or twenty minutes only to learn to ‘stand up’ and then learn how to keep his balance without falling. Narias hasn’t actually moved from his spot at all yet.

“Right, how do I... walk now? Ok, one step at a... tiiime! Ah... no, aah... nooo...” Narias cried out, falling on the ground again. Standing up and staying on his feet was one thing, but walking with your heels being glued to your ass wasn’t exactly a cakewalk. As soon as Narias tried to make a step, trying to place one of his feet in front of him, his whole body was pushed forward instead, and since Narias couldn’t straighten up his legs, he tumbled down on the ground with his face forward this time. He tried to use his hands to lean on the ground to save himself from falling, but only manage to flap his elbows like a chicken before hitting the ground. “This is... Sigh...” And so, Narias had to get himself up again.

This... might be the hardest training I had ever done... He thought to himself with a sigh.

It took more than an hour for Narias to learn how to walk. He had to use his toes to tiptoe and push forward just enough to get his other foot in front of the other, so he wouldn’t trip under his own feet. At the same time, he had to keep his palms on his knees to help him keep the balance too. He looked like a penguin or a quacking duck that was trying to walk for the very first time in their life, but at the very least Narias was walking. That didn’t mean he wasn’t falling down anymore. He certainly was. Anytime Narias would try to make a wider step, the bands on his legs would remind him he can’t extend his legs at all, making him trip and fall forward or to the side. He wasn’t falling too hard fortunately, so he wasn’t getting injured much, but each fall meant he had to pick himself up from the ground. He could pick himself faster now, but that didn’t mean it had become easier.

Narias’s progress was really slow. Keeping balance as he walked was one thing, but very soon, Narias’s arm and leg muscles started telling him they didn’t appreciate being locked in such uncomfortable positions. He tried to ignore it at first, but very soon the pain was becoming unbearable. As the pain increased, he started getting muscle spasms too, ending in him gritting his teeth and falling on the ground the next second. That’s when getting up for Narias had become much more painful than actually walking even if he was only tiptoeing on his toes.

Narias hasn’t completed even one third of the first lap of the track when his body felt so sore, he was having a hard time moving any part of his body. Worse yet, he reached the side of the training grounds where the track was becoming rocky and had some obstacles on it, making it extremely difficult for Narias to walk. The obstacles weren’t exactly very big or steep, but since Narias was pinned down to the ground, and his muscles were now screaming from pain, it was even more excruciating for him to make any progress.

“I... oof... will not... ouch... tss... quit... aargh... nnn... no, tch...” Narias tried to make another step, but his body refused to comply, making him fall down again. “Damn it, no. Tss...” Narias tried to move, but was met with more pain instead. His legs and arms were literally out of commission and wouldn’t do what he wanted them to. “I hadn’t... finished even one lap yet. I can’t... stop now...” Even if he said that, Narias’s body was so drained and in so much pain that before he knew it, Narias passed out right under his feet before he could move a single finger again.

“Good job on not giving up, grandson,” Grandpa Yojee said, standing next to collapsed Narias the next second. It was unclear when Grandpa Yojee got there or if Estella’s grandfather was watching Narias’s progress all this time. Narias hadn’t completed even one third of the full track, but the old cat had a pleased expression on his face. “Of course, whether you can continue your training tomorrow or not will depend on my granddaughter. Now, let’s get you back to the house, grandson.”

{a short while later}

“Is he... ok?” Estella asked when her grandfather came out of the room Narias was in.

“Make sure you do a proper deep-kneading paw massage this time, granddaughter,” Grandpa Yojee spoke to his granddaughter, keeping his hands behind his back. “Unless you want him to quit.” He added before walking away.

“Yes, grandpa,” Estella said, bowing her head.

“I’ll leave him in your care then,” Grandpa Yojee said, walking away.

“Narias...” Estella spoke to herself after entering the room where Narias was lying on the bed. “Humph, I can do this.” Estella said, a spark of determination jumping in her eyes.