Kael stood in the middle of the living room, looking at the small space between the sofa and the coffee table. It wasn’t exactly a training ground, but it was enough for the basic exercises he planned to do. He moved the coffee table closer to the wall, checked that he had enough room, and rolled his shoulders. His legs were still a little sore from his first workout, but most of the discomfort had faded after taking the previous day to recover, just as Sera had advised.
This time, he wasn’t going to push himself until he could barely walk.
"Are you sure you don’t want to wait another day?" Sera asked from the sofa.
Kael turned toward her. She was sitting with Noah in her arms, gently rocking him while checking something on her phone.
"I’m feeling better," Kael replied.
"That wasn’t my question," Sera pointed out.
Kael sighed before answering. "Yes, I’m sure. I’ll keep it light."
Sera studied him for a moment before nodding. "All right. I’ll look after Noah while you exercise. Just don’t turn this into another competition with yourself."
"I wasn’t competing with myself last time," Kael argued.
"You looked like you were trying to defeat your own legs," Sera replied.
Kael shook his head. "I’m never going to hear the end of that, am I?"
"Not anytime soon," Sera said with a smile.
He gave her a resigned look before opening the training menu. The familiar blue screen appeared before his eyes.
[Combat Training Menu]
[Available Training Options:]
Shadow Boxing
Basic Swordsmanship
Endurance Training
Family Training
Kael ignored the other options and selected Family Training. He wasn’t ready to experiment with swordsmanship or anything that required more room. For now, he needed to build his fitness and learn to control his movements properly.
A second screen appeared.
[Family Training: Basic Routine]
Bodyweight Squats
Wall Push-Ups
Marching in Place
[Recommendation: Maintain proper form. Rest when necessary.]
Kael read the instructions carefully. During his previous workout, he had focused on finishing the exercises, counting each repetition and treating the list like a set of chores he needed to complete before moving on. This time, he wanted to pay attention to how he moved instead of rushing through the routine.
He started with the squats, placing his feet about shoulder-width apart and keeping his back straight. He bent his knees slowly, lowered himself until he felt his balance begin to shift, and then pushed himself back up.
The first few repetitions were manageable, but by the fifth, his thighs had started to complain. He stopped briefly and shook out his legs.
"Already?" Sera asked.
"I’m resting," Kael replied.
"You’ve done five squats," she pointed out.
"And I’m taking them very seriously," Kael said.
Sera laughed softly. "Please continue, then."
Kael gave her a look before returning to the exercise. He completed the set at a slower pace than before. His movements weren’t perfect, but he was no longer rushing to finish. Whenever he noticed his knees moving inward, he adjusted his stance. If his balance felt uneven, he paused and made sure he was positioned properly before starting the next repetition.
The exercise took longer than he had expected, but when he finished, he felt that he had done it properly instead of simply forcing himself through it.
Next came the wall push-ups. Kael placed his hands against the wall and stepped back until his arms were extended. He bent his elbows, brought his chest closer to the wall, and pushed himself away again. The movement seemed simple enough, but keeping his body straight required more attention than he had expected.
After several repetitions, he caught himself bending at the waist. He stopped, corrected his position, and continued.
Sera watched him from the sofa. "You look more careful today."
"That’s because I learned my lesson," Kael replied.
"Good. I was worried I’d have to explain to Noah why his father couldn’t get off the sofa again," Sera teased.
Kael glanced at the baby. "Your mother has very little faith in me, Noah."
Noah responded with a small sound, making Kael smile.
"See? He’s on my side," Kael said.
Sera laughed. "He’s too young to understand what you’re talking about."
"That makes him the perfect audience," Kael replied.
After finishing the wall push-ups, Kael took a short break before moving on to marching in place. He lifted his knees one at a time, moved his arms naturally, and maintained a steady pace. The exercise was less demanding than the squats, but his breathing still grew heavier after a while. Instead of forcing himself to maintain the same speed, he slowed down and continued at a pace he could manage.
When he finished the final repetition, he stopped and rested his hands on his hips. His heart was beating faster, and sweat had started to gather around his forehead, but he wasn’t gasping for air or struggling to keep his legs steady. Compared with his first workout, he felt much better.
Kael wiped his forehead with a towel. "Finished."
Sera looked at him. "And how do you feel?"
"Tired," Kael replied.
"Anything else?" she asked.
"Like I could do another round," he answered.
Sera immediately pointed at him. "Don’t."
Kael laughed. "I was joking."
"I’m making sure," Sera said.
He sat on the sofa and took a few minutes to recover. His body was still weak compared with what he hoped to achieve someday, but he understood that getting stronger would take time. He couldn’t skip the early stages simply because he wanted the results.
The system screen appeared again.
[Training Session Completed.]
[Physical Condition: Stable.]
[Basic Combat Mastery: 10%]
[Strength: E]
[Speed: F+]
[Endurance: E+]
[No significant stat changes detected.]
Kael studied the display. There was no stat increase. He had expected as much, but seeing it confirmed still left him a little disappointed.
’At least I did better this time,’ Kael thought.
He dismissed the screen and leaned back against the sofa. There was no reason to force himself into another session just to make the numbers change. He had completed the routine, and his form was better than before. That was enough for one morning.
Sera adjusted Noah against her shoulder before looking at Kael. "Are you done staring into space?"
Kael turned toward her. "How do you know I’m staring into space?"
"Because you’ve been looking at the wall for almost a minute," Sera replied.
"I was thinking," Kael explained.
"About what?" she asked.
"How unfair it is that getting stronger takes so much work," Kael answered.
Sera smiled. "What did you expect? To wake up one morning and become a completely different person?"
"That would have been convenient," Kael admitted.
"Then you’d probably find something else to complain about," Sera replied.
Kael couldn’t deny it. He got up, returned the coffee table to its place, and made sure the living room was tidy. Afterward, he took a shower and changed into clean clothes.
When he returned, Sera was preparing to leave the living room.
"I want to work on something for a while," she said. "Could you look after Noah?"
"Of course," Kael replied.
Sera hesitated briefly before continuing. "I don’t know how long I’ll need. Maybe an hour, maybe a little more."
"That’s fine. Take your time," Kael assured her.
She looked relieved, though she tried not to make a big deal of it.
"Thank you. I’ll be in the bedroom if you need me," Sera said.
After she left, Kael picked up Noah and settled into the armchair near the window. The baby remained calm for the next several minutes. Kael checked his diaper, made sure he was comfortable, and gently rocked him when he began to fuss. Looking after Noah wasn’t the most exciting part of his day, but he was getting better at recognizing the baby’s needs.
When Noah finally settled, Kael glanced toward the bedroom and wondered what Sera had been planning to work on. He knew she had been organizing documents and thinking about her future, but she had also mentioned having interests she had neglected while dealing with everything that had happened. Kael didn’t want her entire life to become a series of responsibilities centered around him and Noah. If she needed time to pursue something of her own, he wanted her to have it.
A little over an hour later, Sera returned to the living room carrying a notebook and her phone. Kael looked up from Noah.
"How did it go?" he asked.
"Better than I expected," Sera replied.
She sat on the sofa and opened her notebook. Several pages contained sketches and short notes, which caught Kael’s attention.
"What are those?" he asked.
"Some design ideas I’ve been working on," Sera explained.
Kael turned toward her with interest. "What kind of designs?"
"Mostly clothing and accessories. I used to sketch when I had free time, but I haven’t done much of it lately," Sera said.
"You’re good at it?" Kael asked.
Sera gave him a cautious look. "I think so. I haven’t worked on anything seriously in a long time."
"Can I see?" Kael asked.
She handed him the notebook. Kael looked through the pages, finding sketches of dresses, simple outfits, and a few accessories. Some were rough drawings, while others included careful notes about colors and materials. He wasn’t an expert, but he could tell she had spent time thinking about the details.
"These look good," Kael said.
"You’re just being nice," Sera replied.
"I’m being honest. I wouldn’t know how to draw any of this," Kael assured her.
"That’s because you can barely draw a straight line," Sera teased.
"That’s a separate issue," Kael replied.
Sera laughed and took the notebook back.
"I don’t know what I’ll do with them yet. I might just keep practicing for now. I want to see if I can get back into it before deciding anything," she explained.
"Then keep practicing," Kael encouraged her.
Sera looked at him. "Just like that?"
"Why not? You don’t have to turn everything into a business or make money from it immediately. If you enjoy it, that’s already a reason to make time for it," Kael replied.
Sera remained quiet for a moment before nodding. "I suppose you’re right."
Kael shifted Noah carefully in his arms. "And if you ever decide you want to do something more with it, we can discuss it then."
A small smile appeared on Sera’s face. "Thank you."
She looked down at her notebook, turned one page, and then closed it before changing the subject.
"How was your workout?" Sera asked.
"Fine. No new stats," Kael replied.
"Does that bother you?" she asked.
"A little, but I know I can’t expect results every time," Kael admitted.
Sera smiled. "That’s progress too."
Kael looked at her. "You’re talking about my attitude?"
"Yes. You seem less determined to destroy yourself today," Sera replied.
"I’ll take that as a compliment," Kael said.
"It was one," Sera assured him.
They sat together for a while, talking about the things they wanted to do over the coming weeks. Kael explained that he wanted to keep his training sessions short until his body adjusted, while Sera said she wanted to set aside a few hours each week for her sketches.
They agreed that personal time shouldn’t be something either of them had to fight for. They would plan around each other’s needs, communicate when something changed, and avoid assuming that one person would always be available to take over. They also understood that their plans might need to change when Noah had a difficult day. Neither of them wanted to create a schedule so strict that a crying baby could ruin the entire household.
"Maybe we should set aside specific times," Sera suggested. "You can train while I look after Noah, and then I can work on my sketches while you take over."
"That sounds good. We can try it for a week and see how it goes," Kael replied.
"And if one of us needs to change something, we’ll talk about it," Sera added.
"Agreed," Kael said.
Noah began to stir in Kael’s arms, so their conversation paused while they checked on him. Sera helped Kael adjust the baby’s position before returning to her notebook.
Kael looked at Sera and Noah and smiled. He had started the morning wanting to improve his physical abilities, and he had managed to complete his workout without pushing himself too far. However, he was also beginning to understand that both he and Sera had goals outside their responsibilities as parents. They didn’t need to abandon those goals to care for Noah, and they didn’t need to leave one another overwhelmed just to make time for themselves.
They only needed to keep working together.
Kael glanced toward the empty space where he had exercised earlier. His strength hadn’t changed much, his speed remained the same, and his endurance was still where it had been. Even so, he was learning to approach training with more patience, and he was beginning to understand what a workable routine looked like.
For now, he was satisfied with that progress. Tomorrow, he would train again and take another step forward, even if it was only a small one.