The punishment(3)

The third month of solitude began with Avasyu finally making steady progress in improving his body.

However, it wasn't just his physical strength that was developing—

his mind was also changing. He felt less depressed, yet something continued to bother him.

Despite his physical progress, he wasn't satisfied. He realized his mind needed growth as well, and he felt ready to focus on improving it.

Thus, he began reading the chapter on Mental Wellness.

It contained numerous instructions on improving mental health. As he delved deeper into the chapters, he discovered actionable steps to become mentally strong.

The book also offered specific instructions for improvement. One particularly unique instruction stated,

"Try to begin improving only after you finish reading this book. Once you're done, remember all the instructions and act on them without reopening the book again."

He wasn't surprised by these instructions,instead, they piqued his interest.

Another instruction appeared at the end,

"When your mind is ready, read the second book and understand it. That is your path to completeness."

It took him four days to finish reading the book and memorize all the instructions. On the fifth day, he began working on improving his mind.

Avasyu started the fifth day with a sense of excitement. After completing his morning routine, he began his workout, pushing himself until exhaustion and hunger set in.

This marked the first step in his journey toward mental growth.

The first instruction was,

"Work out until hunger sets in."

But what did this mean? The answer lay in the next instruction,

"Begin meditation."

"To meditate, sit quietly, close your eyes, and clear your mind. Focus only on your hunger."

The instructions were far from ordinary, yet Avasyu followed them without hesitation.

He sat on his bed, legs crossed, with his left foot resting on his right thigh and his right foot on his left.

As he closed his eyes, memories of the past surged through him. The last two months had been a trial, each moment marked by painful recollections of everything he had endured.

As hunger deepened within him, his focus naturally shifted.

The growl of his stomach echoed, demanding sustenance.

A burning sensation settled inside him, a constant reminder of his need.

Yet, he kept his attention fixed solely on the hunger, letting it become his sole focus.

Focusing on hunger was meant to reveal the mind's playfulness.

"How many thoughts did the mind entertain at once? "

"How much did it wander?"

"Did it think with precision, or did it scatter randomly?"

These were the questions Avasyu needed to answer while focusing on his hunger, according to the instructions.

While Avasyu tried to find the answers, it was already lunchtime, and the food arrived. He quickly devoured it.

"Nom! Nom!"

The food was as delicious as always, but today it tasted even better.

Once he finished, he returned to his bed and resumed his meditation.

"There is no hunger after eating. The stomach has received all it desired and will remain calm until the food is processed," as the instruction read.

"The focus should shift to the digestive process,

The food turning to liquid.The acid breaking it down inside.The body absorbing energy and nutrients from the stomach.

Concentrate on these sensations."

As Avasyu concentrated on the questions and their answers, he realized he couldn't perceive the sensations described in the book. He recalled the instructions and their detailed descriptions.

Experiencing hunger was easy, but sensing the process of digestion was something else entirely. It required mental stability and precise focus—

A state of mind that couldn't be mastered in a single night.

Still, Avasyu made the effort to focus, but it didn't help. His mind wandered relentlessly.

He understood that he needed to practice in order to stabilize his thoughts.

As he persisted in trying to concentrate on digestion, his thoughts would inevitably drift elsewhere. Despite his efforts, time passed swiftly.

Dinner arrived, and after eating, Avasyu went to sleep, marking the end of the day.

For the next month and a half, Avasyu continued his meditation practice.

Each day, he became more attuned to the sensations of hunger and digestion, gradually understanding them bit by bit.

With each passing day, the food tasted better as he gained deeper insight into the process of ingestion.

The workouts had become smoother. Avasyu's body was growing leaner and slightly more muscular.

His meditation practice improved day by day, marking the passage of four months of solitude.

Avasyu's mind was growing more stable, but a traumatic memory still lingered within it.

Each time he felt a bit better, those memories would resurface, disturbing his peace. They were too vivid to be forgotten—

The memories of death, of happiness, and of a pair of eyes, their color forever imprinted on his soul.

A trauma no one could forget. Yet, Avasyu continued his meditation, extending the time he spent in practice.

Thanks to his meditation, Avasyu now fully understood hunger.

He could feel the pain of an empty stomach with clarity. At the same time, he also appreciated the taste of food in a way he never had before.

Every dish was delicious in its own way, each with its unique color and flavor. The foods were all tasty because of their individuality.

Slowly but steadily, he grasped the process of digestion too.

He could feel the food journeying down into his stomach, which seemed to rejoice at its arrival.

He sensed the acids burning away at the food, the stomach warming gently as it worked.

This newfound awareness was the result of a more stable mind, nurtured by another month of meditation.

By the end of the fifth month, Avasyu's mind had become stable, and his physical strength was better than ever.

He discovered the answers to the questions posed in the instructions.

He found out that, his mind was filled with countless thoughts, recalling memories and wandering aimlessly.

To stabilize his mind, all he needed was to continue meditating.

And so ,It was time for the final instruction, one that would further enhance Avasyu's mind and deepen his understanding of the world around him, including himself.

"To understand yourself, to calm your restless mind, and to overcome the trauma that weakens it, you must meditate."

"To meditate, you must first understand its purpose."

"Why are you meditating? What will happen? What must you do? What will you gain? You have to find all those answers."

"To meditate, you must face your mind. "

"To strengthen it, you must fight it."

"To bring it under your control, you must win that fight."

This was the essence of the final instruction.