Training

Azra

Daryn was forcefully disturbed from his sleep by Darla that morning.

"Wake up sleepy head. You have already over slept. We have training today"

She dragged his drowsy ass out of bed. Daryn complained but still put on the leather gear she had given him. She said his old clothes restricted him too much. Even after she had cut off the arms of his shirt, she still said he was restricted.

Daryn wore the leather and joined her at the shed perimeters. Steps away from her booby traps. And then training began.

They started with stretches. Then hops and jogs before they took stance for combact.

"Don't worry I'll be easy on you. It will be wrong to go all out on a novice"

"Just fight. Its obvious you will finish me anyway. All out or not"

Darla snorted

She made aim for his face. His left cheek. Slowly. He blocked it with his left hand. He wanted to comment on her slow punch but he had no time to because he received a quick punch to his open left rib.

Daryn fell to his knees. The punch was a deadly surprise. It took the air out of him.

"What! first punch and you are out?"

Daryn did no speak. He just clentched his side.

'If those dreams i had yesterday where memories, then i have definitely been through this before' he thought

He got on his feet and took the fighting stance again. Encouraging Darla to another fight.

She wanted to refuse.

"Daryn lets comeback tomorrow we need to get your wound treated"

"My wound is already healing. C'mon don't run now that I'm ready to beat you"

Darla wanted to laugh but she composed herself and took the fighting stance.

This time Daryn was prepared. For every attack she gave, he countered. Returning with the same strength and precision.

Then she changed the attacks. She kicked aiming for his left leg. Daryn twisted to the other side so he could dodge the attack. Making his stance awkward.

Darla used the opportunity. She used her right arm to hook his neck, bent forward so the pull would lift him off the ground. Daryn lost his footing and tumbled over.

He fell on his back panting heavily. He looked up to Darla's angle to see her smiling smugly.

"Had enough?"

Daryn groaned in pain he couldn't answer. Then Darla offered her hand.

"Get up"

He took her hand. Using her body as a lift.

"Oh your good Darla"

"You were not bad yourself. How were you able to counter the attacks i made earlier?"

"Are you sure you haven't trained before Daryn?"

Daryn frowned at her

"No i have not. Why?"

"Cause, only someone who has had good training on hand to hand combact could read my coming attacks or even counter them" Darla said now looking at him warily.

Daryn did not like the look she gave him.

"I assure i have not. If i had, would have told you. So you will think twice before giving me any attacks"

Darla laughed

"But i went easy on you though"

"You call that easy? All you did was take advantage of my inexperience to give me knock out punches"

He pointed his reddened left side. Where she shattered a rib.

"At least i survived it. If not for mutated blood, I'll already be in the shed clenching my left side screaming" he winced as he tried to move his body.

"Its still red."

"Thats because it still hurts" Daryn snarled

Darla retorted

"You should not be moving it then"

"It will heal. It just needs time_"

"And medication. Ok Daryn lets get to the shed."

Daryn did not argue further. He let her assist him as they walked back into the shed. With her this close and, it took a lot of self control not to gaze too much at her. As his mind went places.

¤¤¤¤¤

The rest of the day Daryn kept thinking about the dreams he had the night before. His wounds were already healed. It had taken two hours when he discovered he could move his left arm freely without feeling pain.

He had wanted to see Selene again....his mother so she could explain things better for him.

Through the memories he had learned a lot about his past lives but he also had questions he needed answers to.

Urgent ones like why he never had children bugged him. Did this mean he would never have children, was he sterile, was he cursed but the hospital tests said he was fine....

But hospitals still tested him ok in his former lives still he never had kids. Damn.

He did remember parts of his memory were he came back to Azra and met Selene. Joining a tournament she spoke of.

He also remembered she blessed him for every six tournaments he contested in....in six different lives in her stead.

If that was so, the gods must already be aquinted with him. If they really cared much anyways. He was afterall mortal in their eyes and just a champion. Nothing special.

Maybe Amphritriete must have forgotten him. His father might have forgotten he even existed. Besides his got a lot of children to be bothered about a mortal one.

Daryn smiled sadly at himself. Then pushed away those thoughts. He needed to think of the present. What was supposed to be done at the moment.

Bases on his memories and the encounter between himself and Selene, this was not his first time and he was needed for something.....for a tournament. He had to win.

Unlike other times, he had his complete memories with him. All of it. Theres alot a person can do with a millinia old memory to assist oneself. And he had a revenge scheme he needed to cook asap before the competition started.

Though his mother had once told him to let it go, he just couldn't. Not only was he deprived of his first mothers love at an early age, he was forced to be reborn again and again.

Maybe the last part was his mother's fault because she wanted to still see him in the land of the living. Make up for time she had lost. But it was all their fault.

And the worst part of it, he always dies without fully accepting her. Being born by different women, it will be hard to accept when someone else that did not give birth to you claims to be your mother.

This time, his not going to make that mistake. He has his memories completely. Already knows his errors. All that is left is to correct them and put his attention at winning the tournament.