Ch. 9 : Running in the Heat
7 0 0
X
Reading Options
Font Size
A- 15px A+
Width
Reset
X
Table of Contents
Loading... please wait.

The look on Eiea’s face as she told me the next training was running was a mix of pity and cruelty.

 

 

“Run? What are we running for?”

“There are many different types of Fragments out there, but one trend that is true for the majority of them is that being physically fit gives you an edge when using them for fighting. We don’t know yet what you will be able to do exactly, but it is far more likely than not that you will have trouble exploiting your abilities if you aren’t in shape.”

“...”

 

I was extremely reluctant. I wasn’t exactly in bad shape, thanks to walking to school and back every day, but that didn’t mean I liked physical activity. My teachers knew well that I hated PE and it was always my lowest score on the report card. I didn’t practise any sports nor even went out to play outside with friends, by far preferring the company of books.

 

“Do I really have to?”

“I can’t force you, but it could very well be a matter of survival, unfortunately.”

 

Mom, seeing me so demoralized by the prospect of physical training, joined in.

 

“Then how about I train with you too?”

“Mom?”

“Veronica? You don’t have to, you know?”

 

Mom shook her head.

 

“If Maria is in danger, then there is no way I would be safe, no?”

“You don’t have to worry about that, I’ll protect you.”

“And you won’t protect Maria then?”

“No that’s not...”

 

Eiea was speechless, unable to find a reason to refuse. Why did she not want Mom to join? I couldn’t find any reason either, so my guess was that she was just too surprised to immediately change opinion. I didn’t exactly understand why Mom wanted to join us either, emotionally speaking. Logically what she said made sense but somehow the notion was odd.

 

“If you two don’t have anything to say, then I’ll be joining you!”

 

She flashed a smile of victory, eliminating the possibility of any further complaints. Well, having her with us did make me feel better about the ordeal. At least I wouldn’t suffer alone. I don’t think Mom was much better in physical activity than I was. Her job was a desk job, and she didn’t do much at home except reading books, cooking, watching movies or other such hobbies. I was also sceptical that Eiea was in much better shape than us. For all I knew, she wasn’t very physically active either. We shall see if she’s really that much better.

 

We prepared to go out, changing into clothes that would be easy to exercise in. I changed into the clothing I usually used for PE class and Mom donned a sporty outfit composed of some shorts and a camisole. Eiea didn’t change clothes, however, still in thick jeans, running shoes with long socks and a turtleneck with a cardigan on top. Maybe that was the opportunity to ask about that.

 

“By the way, Eiea, how are you not hot dressing like that all the time? It’s the height of summer and we’re going to run outside; won’t you get heat stroke like this?”

 

Eiea paused. I was expecting a pondering expression on her face, but instead I was met with a poker face. I didn’t think that explanation would be that big of a deal, but somehow, she seemed to be really struggling with finding what to say, just standing there while the silence stretched for several seconds. Mom was the one who, while looking a bit startled, covered for her.

 

“Eiea’s a bit… sensitive about her appearance, don’t worry about it. I’m sure she’ll let you know when she’s ready.”

 

Mom knew something about Eiea that I didn’t. And it was something really important it seems. I don’t think it was something as mundane as not being proud of her figure, my instincts told me it was something worse than that. Eiea telling mom about it but not me hit me harder than I expected. Then again, the earlier reaction mom had about them sleeping in the same room indicated a relationship much closer than I was aware of. I had never seen Eiea’s body on account of all the thick clothing, but it was a safe bet that my mother did.

 

“I see. I won’t be asking about it then. But just to be sure, are you going to be fine with the heat?”

“Ah… yes. I will be fine, don’t worry about it.”

 

I didn’t press further, and we headed outside. Immediately, the sun pummeled me down from overhead like a running oven and I could feel beads of sweat forming at record speed on my forehead despite the fact that I wasn't doing any running yet. The expression on mom’s face was obscured by a shade of instant regret, but she quickly worked to erase it and replaced it with eagerness.

 

“Alright, we’re gonna start simple. Let’s jog to the nearby park and back, I want to see how well you two are holding for now.”

 

There was a park close by, in the opposite direction than the school and Eiea’s shop. It was about two kilometres away, quite a substantial jog for a complete noob at physical exercises like me. Mom, however, nodded with energy, so I couldn’t get myself to complain. We departed towards our destination, Eiea in the front to dictate our pace. At first, I thought she was going fairly slow and that it was not so bad. Two minutes later, I wanted to plant my head in the grass of the lawns going by to search for what little coolness I could possibly find. It took no time at all for my clothes to get soaked and I had to periodically wipe my forehead with my hand so that I wouldn’t be blinded by the hot liquid rushing down from it. It took barely a few more minutes before my breath became laboured. My mother wasn’t faring much better, she was less winded than me, but her gait was disturbed. She didn’t walk every day like I did, so in her case her legs failed her first.

 

We arrived several minutes later, all but collapsing on the overgrown grass of the park’s edge. Eiea, somehow looking completely unwinding, dry and unbothered, looked at us with a slightly worried look.

 

“This is worse than I thought.”

 

Unable to respond yet, I simply laid there panting for a while. Mom recovered faster, raising painfully from the ground.

 

“I know I’m not in great shape, but I didn’t think it was this bad.”

“Don’t worry, I'm sure you two will improve in no time.”

 

Having finally regained control over my breathing, I let out my complaints.

 

“How are you completely fine!? I never see you doing any exercise!”

“Hahaha, I do regular exercises on my own time, you know? And well, my fragment also helps me quite a bit, both in terms of physical capacity and retaining shape.”

“Your fragment helps you? How does twisting things help you run?”

 

Eiea thought for a few seconds, then answered looking a bit smug.

 

“How about you try figuring it out? You’ll need to be able to guess the extent of other witches’ capacities in order to stay safe, so practice wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

 

I frowned. I see how it is. Well, if it’s a challenge, bring it on. All I know from her fragment is that it can twist and warp things. The few examples of her using it was when she twisted the key, when she drove and when she used it to clean the attic. With this, I can guess that she at least can influence the motion of physical objects around her. This probably includes her own body. I don’t know the range of motion she is capable of with that twisting effect, but she can probably use it to drastically reduce the amount of strain on her muscles by simply moving her legs using her fragment instead, though I'm not sure if that is hard to do her not. As for helping her retain her shape… I don’t know.

 

“You’re using it to move your legs instead of using your own muscles, so they don’t get tired out?”

 

Eiea’s smugness intensified.

 

“Bzzzzt. Wrong guess, but good try. Doing that is technically possible, but it’s hard to do and if I mess up the control I might tear off my leg. I’d rather that not happen.”

 

Mom and I looked at her, startled at the notion.

 

“You have enough power to do that!?”

 

“It’s easier than you think. Fragments can exert a lot of power when they are properly trained. I know a guy that can punch holes through a tank with his bare fists. It all depends on how well you use the power at your disposal.”

 

After a moment of stunned silence, I gave up trying to guess how she was using her fragment for now. I needed more information, and she wouldn’t simply give it to me. As I shelved the problem in the back of my mind for later, Mom chimed in.

 

“What next?”

 

Eiea sprouted a charming smile, replacing the smug one from before.

 

“Of course, we’re running back to the house!”

 

The run back was somewhat less harsh than the previous run, my muscles already stretched by then. It didn’t change much in my cardio, however, and I was still out of breath when we arrived home. After some slight bickering over who got to take a shower first, Mom went in before me. In the meantime, I ate some of the biscuits she had made before, trying to regain some energy. When she came out of the shower, I went in. I made it as quick as possible and joined mom and Eiea at the dinner table in fresh clothes.

 

“Alright, now that I have a measure of how out of shape you two are, I’ll plan how I’m going to train you. Just to make sure, you want to join us for the physical training, right Veronica?”

“Yes! I don’t want to stagnate as Maria is making herself better for her own safety. As her mother, it is my duty to do my best to protect her as well! And that starts with being able to handle myself.”

 

I was surprised at her enthusiasm about this, and a bit embarrassed to be honest, but also happy. Knowing that she would be there too, receiving the same training I did, motivated me a lot more than knowing why said training was necessary. I think Mom also knew that would be the case and that is probably part of the reason why she asked to join, although she didn’t want to say it out loud. After talking some more, Eiea said that training was over for today. It was early in the afternoon. I wanted to go upstairs and continue “A Night in Walpurgis”, but before I could do that, Mom declared that the rest of the day would be dedicated to relaxing. It was true that we pretty much never stopped ever since the incident yesterday, and as I contemplated that truth, I suddenly felt very tired. Eiea proposed to watch some movies together and Mom rapidly concurred. We spent the rest of the day watching some random movies and I went to bed completely exhausted. Now that I thought about it, that was my first real rest in two days. Certainly, I had slept yesterday, but with that horrible nightmare, I couldn’t say that it left me feeling very rested. I listlessly closed my eyes, hoping I would be able to sleep better this time. That night, I did not have any dreams.

0