Damovotsk, Molkovia, Earth.
Demian's P.O.V.
An hour and a half later, Demian felt that his body was good enough to resume sparring. Although still bruised, the pain was almost gone and his stamina was completely restored. To be frank, he even felt a minute increase in his strength, making him realize that fighting seemed to be more efficient than a plain workout. At least when it came to growing his physical attributes.
When the young man shared his discovery with his two cousins, Bryn claimed. “It's probably because fighting forces you to use every muscle in your body along with your bones, nervous system, etc. Not only that, but the movements are irregular and explosive, meaning that the demand for your physique is much higher.”
Nodding his head to her words, he replied. “So, that's why!” Pausing for a second, he added with a playful grin. “I guess you'll have to accompany me for a bit longer, Big Sis!” The tall woman looked visibly exasperated by his childishness but did not comment. However, Sera was different. Tapping his shoulder softly, she remarked. “Stop teasing my innocent big sister, Babe!”
Her comment made him speechless for a brief moment before he retorted. “Weren't you the one teasing her before?” Giggling slightly the young woman replied. “I don't know what you're talking about...” Before quickly leaving the room. Since her power-up, her spatial awareness became visibly stronger, allowing her to move around without too much problem. At least in a known environment like the penthouse.
Now that the two were alone, the young man noticed the irritation painted on his older cousin's face. 'I'm gonna get hurt for this...' He thought wryly, although a bit amused at how easily flustered the muscular woman became since his recent physical and mental changes.
“Spar?” He asked, with an irritating grin on his face. Nodding firmly and with a serious look on her face, she replied curtly. “Spar!” After which, the two moved to the usual side and started fighting each other. Probably due to her embarrassment, the young woman went harder on him, her speed overwhelming him to the point where he could only try his best to defend, with no possibility of counterattack.
That lasted for around 15 to 20 minutes before the young man could not hold on anymore and fell to the ground, admitting defeat. “I give... Give up, Big... Big Sis! You're... Too freaking strong!” His abandon came not from a pure physical exhaustion, but more from the overwhelming pain coming from his entire body, making it unbearable for him to continue being hit.
With a satisfied smile, Bryn mumbled while looking at her fists. “Sera was right. Beating him up when he's annoying feels great!” His mouth twitched involuntarily at her words while he thought. 'Love! Why are you setting me up like that?' After a quick pondering though, something came to him, bringing a wry smile to his face. 'Well, it did increase my training efficiency...'
With a wry smile, the young man who was starting to recover his breath declared. “Let's stop for today. I'm completely beat!” Turning her gaze toward the clock hung on the wall, she replied. “It's almost lunchtime anyway.” Checking the time himself, he realized that it was already 11:50 A.M., prompting him to ask.
“You're right! Could you help me up, please? I feel like my whole body will break into pieces if I move too much.” Staring at him for a few seconds, a small playful grin appeared on her face as she retorted. “You deserve it.” Before walking away from him, prompting him to shout. “COME ON! UGH! Fuck! That hurts!”
A bolt of pain coursed through his entire body as the young man strained his already aching muscles by yelling, forcing him to lower his voice. The following chuckles coming from the tall redhead did not help with his current frustration, eliciting a grunt of annoyance. After a few seconds, he let out a helpless sigh while thinking. 'You've made your point, Big Sis!'
Several minutes elapsed before his body felt sturdy enough to stand up without crumbling onto itself. It took him slightly longer than usual, though, as constant bouts of pain followed each small movement. 'Fortunately', the young man was used to being in this state, making it easier for him to move.
Gritting his teeth, he started walking toward the bathroom, recalling that for every ache he felt, his strength grew. One step at a time, one practice at a time, and one day at a time. At one point, those small increments became huge increases in power, similar to how he went from having a below-average body to now reaching the Master Rank. That was how he held on, despite being drained day after day with his whole body hurting while his mind was drained. That was his goal and motivation, which he kept inside his heart, hidden behind a mask of light-heartedness.
Shoving that thought aside, the young man went to take a shower, while trying to ignore the pain signal coursing through his nervous system every time a drop of water fell on his bruised skin. After almost 20 minutes of relative torment, the young man was clean, clothed, and moving slowly in the direction of the dining table.
Despite seeing the three women preparing the food, this time he chose not to help. Instead, he carefully sat on one of the chairs and declared while chuckling lightly. “Sorry, girls. I really can't move anymore.” The two oldest waved his apology away while Sera who could feel his general direction through the bond walked swiftly to his side, and patted her way toward his face, making him wince slightly before her lips met his briefly.
With a concerned look on her face, she asked in a low tone after moving her face away slightly. “You okay, Babe?” Covering her hands which were still on his cheeks with his own, he softly responded. “I'm fine. Just a bit banged up. I'll be as fresh as a daisy in a few hours.” Giggling at his words, she retorted. “I've never heard that one before. But I like it.”
Chuckling with her, he replied. “Just something I read somewhere that I never got to use. I thought I might as well do it now.” Shaking her head while wearing an amused look, she responded softly. “Don't exert yourself too much this afternoon, okay? I know you heal up very fast but I don't like it when you're in pain. I can feel it through the bond when I touch you and it hurts me...”
Her words made him freeze for a few seconds, all the while staring at her charming oval face filled with worries. Despite her usual strong and mature front, he knew that she was the most sensitive of the family. Grabbing gently her hands, he slowly turned his head from one side to the other, giving a light kiss on each of her palms before saying. “I'll listen to you, Love.”
Falling silent for a second, he added with a smile. “I might as well concentrate on my language study, then. I've been focusing a bit too much on my fighting practice lately, so it'll be a nice change of pace.” The woman nodded with a sweet smile on her face before she went back to help the others. Lunch then went by quickly, after which everyone went back to do their own things. His Aunt went to study some recent medical papers, and the two sisters went to train in the Gym, while Demian went to his bedroom.
Once there, he picked up one of the books about the Mandarin language he bought a few weeks ago. Indeed, as his cognitive process improved, his learning speed did as well. Nonetheless, he found that the lack of proper structure limited him, prompting him to buy specialized books to remedy that particular problem.
The afternoon then went by with Sera joining him at one point after she was done with her own physical training. When she arrived in his bedroom, he helped her find the audiobook she wanted before she started listening to it with her earbuds while lying on their shared bed. The young man then went back to his language lesson, plunging the two into a harmonious silence, only punctuated by Demian's intermittent whispers in the otherwise quiet room.
The two kept to themselves until the clock hit 7, prompting Demian to set down his book and let out a sigh of relief before rubbing his face softly. Standing up slowly, he tapped gently on the petite redhead's shoulder and claimed. “It's dinner time, Love.” Turning off her earbuds, she replied while stretching languidly. “I almost fell asleep for a moment.”
After letting out a few light chuckles, he retorted. “I get it. Although I feel like it becomes easier as time passes by, studying for a whole afternoon is still not the most... 'entertaining' thing to do.” Pausing his words for a second, he added. “In any case, let's go eat something. We've got an appointment tonight. Or at least, Aunty and I do.”
While getting up swiftly from the bed, Sera responded with a grin on her face. “Doesn't it sound like a date?” Rolling his eyes at her words, he retorted while the two started moving toward the dining room. “I don't think we've got the same definition of what a date is, Sis.” Giggling was her only response as the two reached the living room. This time Demian participated in the meal's preparation as his body was mostly healed from the morning spars.
Once the family of four finished eating their meal, the young man asked in a half-joking, half-serious tone. “What should I wear, Aunty? I've never done those kinds of clandestine meetings before.” With an amused smile on her face, she replied. “A pair of jeans and a black shirt should be enough. Normally it'd be better to wear something classier, especially where we're going, but since it'd be a bother to easily move around in it, we'll pass on that. Of course, no sweatpants are allowed. We're not savages, now, are we?”
Chuckling at her joke, he replied. “Sounds perfect. I'll get changed quickly then.” As soon as his words left his lips, the young man walked hastily toward his bedroom before switching his clothes for something more appropriate for the occasion. Once done, he moved back to the living room where Sera and Bryn were both waiting on the sofa.
The two immediately turned their head in his direction when he arrived, with Sera being even quicker in her reaction which brought a smile on his face. 'The bond seemed to become stronger and stronger... I wonder what surprises it'll give me... No, US. What it'll give us in the future...' He pondered as he asked jokingly. “Is Aunty not ready yet? We'll be late if she doesn't hurry up.”
Shaking her head, Sera replied. “Not yet.” Before the three started chatting while waiting for the middle-aged woman. After around 15 minutes, the sound of the redhead's steps reached everyone's ears before her words reached their ears. “I'm ready.” As Demian turned his head toward the voice's origin, he froze for a brief second before exclaiming. “You look amazing, Aunty!”
The woman in front of his eyes wore a loose but thin long-sleeve red top falling from her left shoulder, the latter being covered by her silky long red hair. She also had a navy blue pair of jeans on which fitted her curvy figure perfectly, with a pair of sneakers matching her top's color scheme. Her face also had on some light makeup that, if not for his now incredible eyesight, would be unnoticeable.
The picture reflected was one of simplicity blended with the woman's natural beauty. 'Seeing her, I can tell where Sera's charm came from...' He thought, both amused and amazed. As soon as his words left his lips, the mature woman's lips turned into a sweet smile before she replied. “Thank you.” Pausing her words for a second, she added. “You're ready?”
Standing up quickly, he nodded her head while saying. “Yep! Shall we go?” Moving swiftly toward her, he spotted the nod of her head. “Be careful, you two!” “See you later!” The two sisters exclaimed before Demian and Adeliya left the apartment for the underground garage. Along the way, the young man commented jokingly. “Seeing how good you look, I feel a bit underdressed.”
After some light giggles, she responded while briefly sweeping her gaze over his body. “You're fine.” With her eyes resting slightly longer on his rippling muscles apparent through his fitted shirt, she added with a playful smile. “With muscles like yours, some women would even think that you're overdressed.”
Her joking remark made him chuckle a bit before he replied. “I'll take that as a compliment.” The two kept a light conversation going, clearly attempting to ease their respective nerves. Or maybe it was his own nerves the two were trying to ease. Who could tell? In any case, once in the car, they left the garage and took the City Center direction for a while before moving toward the Eastern side of the city through the busy streets of Damovotsk.
As usual, the city center was full of Molkovians going to the multitude of restaurants and bars scattered around the place, giving a sort of controlled chaotic feeling to the place. As Demian looked around, he felt oddly detached from his environment, as if the people outside were somewhat 'unreal'. It was a bit disturbing, however, he did not have time to ponder about it much as the two finally arrived at their destination.
The place was completely different from his previous expectations. There were no dark alleys or seedy-looking people around. Instead, the building felt more like a classy Victorian bar from London with his wooden design. At least from the outside. 'No wonder Aunty said we should be dressed appropriately.' He thought, amused.
In any case, the two Aunt and Nephew quickly parked in the underground parking lot close by before walking toward the well-lit upper-class establishment. As the two were approaching the wooden door and obfuscated windows, the young man spotted the name elegantly carved over the entrance: 'The Wild Gentleman'. 'An interesting name.' He thought, intrigued.