SEDUCTION AND ASCENSION
My legs still burn, but they do not buckle, and my lungs still ache, but not fail.
Mark notices too. He says nothing, but I catch him watching me sometimes, his expression unreadable.
The training evolves as my body adapts. The rope pulls become longer, and the blocks become heavier. The stances become more complex, requiring balance and precision rather than just endurance. I fail at first, again and again, but each failure teaches me something, and the mistake shows me where I am weak, and I work to strengthen that weakness.
One afternoon, Mark gathers several of the other men in the main area. They form a loose circle around the concrete floor, their faces blank and waiting.
Sikat na Kabanata