Souls Online: Mythic Ascension
Chapter 196: Gymbound

Chapter 196: Gymbound

Luna was tapping the steering wheel anxiously as she drove the group to their destination: Her local gym headed up by a former professional MMA fighter.

"Are you sure we should have left Adam behind?"

She asked for the umpteenth time. Lily who was sitting in the passenger seat yawned and remarked

"She’s his niece technically right? Then that should be fine."

Crystal with a blindfold on tilted her head and chimed in

"Adam seems like he’s a nice guy. Why are you so bothered leaving him behind Luna?"

Leo had a slight frown on his face seeing Crystal so nonchalantly hiding her eyes but glanced at his sister with a knowing glint in his eyes.

"I don’t think the issue is leaving Adam behind... She is worried about the girl. Sis is a very caring girl. She has a soft spot for children. Sort of like a mother"

Luna had a faint blush on her face as she glared through the rearview mirror at Leo.

"You. Shut up!"

Leo just smirked and leaned back in his seat.

"You’re the one who keeps bringing it up,"

Lily added with a stretch, resting her head against the window.

"Besides, Penny’s not a kid. She’s, what, like seventeen?"

"Still a baby,"

Luna muttered, barely audible over the hum of the engine.

Rachel giggled.

"Aww, Luna’s maternal instincts are showing~ Should we start calling you Mama Bunny?"

"I will swerve this car into a ditch,"

Luna threatened, her voice flat but her ears twitching in agitation.

Lily had a frown on her face as she made a small waving motion.

"No thanks. I don’t wanna walk to the gym. In fact, do we really have to go to a gym of all places? Why can’t we test our limits with something like eating ice cream or something!"

Luna’s fingers drummed against the steering wheel as the gym came closer.

"This isn’t about fun. We need to see what our bodies can really handle outside the game."

Lily groaned, clearly unenthusiastic.

"Real world limits suck. Why can’t we test ourselves by eating ice cream or something easier?"

Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Because ice cream won’t help us survive out there."

Crystal adjusted her blindfold and nodded.

"Physical endurance is crucial. We can’t rely on magic or powers forever."

Leo leaned forward, his voice steady

.

"If we want to be prepared for real danger, we need to push ourselves beyond comfort."

Luna glanced at Lily.

"We already put this to a vote and you lost. Get over it already. You don’t have to like it."

Lily crossed her arms and started to pout which caused Luna to smile wryly and Leo to chuckle softly.

Lily sighed, slumping back in her seat.

"Guess I don’t have much of a choice then."

Luna smiled faintly.

"We’ll get through it together. Let’s just take it one step at a time."

Leo then turned his head towards the one person who hadn’t spoken the entire trip and instead had been humming to herself as she looked out the window.

"You okay Aria?"

He asked with a faint smile as he found her humming pleasing to the ears.

Leo then turned his head toward the one person who hadn’t spoken the entire trip and had instead been quietly humming to herself while watching the scenery pass by.

"You okay, Aria?"

He asked with a faint smile, the gentle tune she kept humming oddly grounding.

Aria didn’t respond right away. Her focus stayed locked on the window, her lips moving just enough to keep the melody going, her fingertips twitching slightly in rhythm.

"I’m fine," she said eventually, keeping her voice low and even. "Just holding the shape."

Leo leaned forward, catching a glimpse of the small white wings tucked neatly against her back.

"You’re still keeping them that size?"

Aria nodded slightly.

"Yeah. If I stop concentrating, they default to full span. Not exactly subtle."

Rachel whistled quietly.

"You figured that out already? You’ve only had wings for like a day."

"I didn’t want to show up at the gym looking like I was trying out for a fantasy movie," Aria replied, her tone soft but dry. "The humming helps. It gives me something to align the focus with."

Crystal, arms folded in her lap, tilted her head thoughtfully.

"So the skill still works, but only if you put in effort to manage it."

"Exactly," Aria said. "It’s not like in the game . Here, everything takes conscious effort. Mental and physical."

The car turned into a narrow driveway and rolled up to a squat concrete building with tall glass windows along the front. A simple sign above the entrance read Titan Core Gym. Luna eased into a parking spot near the front and shifted the gear into park.

"We’re here," she said, unbuckling her seatbelt with a click.

Everyone slowly started to move, the mood in the car shifting. The air turned more focused. Even Lily, who had been sulking a few minutes ago, straightened up in her seat and stretched her arms overhead with a dramatic groan.

"I already hate this place," she muttered, though without the usual bite.

Crystal was the first to open the door, stepping out with practiced grace. Her blindfold remained in place, but she tilted her head upward slightly, as if sensing the space beyond the building.

Rachel hopped out next, cracking her knuckles. "This’ll be fun," she said with a grin. "I wanna see how long we can last before someone keels over."

"Please let it be you," Lily mumbled, dragging herself out of the car.

Leo stepped out more slowly, his eyes scanning the building with quiet curiosity. "Let’s be real. We’re not just here to test strength or speed. This is about control."

Luna nodded as she joined them, locking the car.

"Exactly. If our skills really work here, we need to learn how to handle them before something gets out of hand."

As they approached the building, The gym door swung open and a young man appeared. He wore a sleeveless compression shirt and joggers. His arms and neck were covered in tattoos—dragons, chains, flowers, wings. Scars crossed his forearms. He had a black eyepatch over his right eye but smiled widely.

"Luna," he called cheerfully, waving them inside. "You brought everyone."

"Hey, Greg," Luna said. "Thanks for letting us use the place tonight."

Greg stepped aside and gestured them in. "No problem. Always glad to have company after hours."

He shook hands or nodded to each of them as they entered. "I’m Greg, owner and trainer. If you puke, aim for the mats, not the equipment."

Lily shuddered. "Is that serious?"

Greg laughed. "Mostly."

Aria came in last, her small white wings folded against her back. Greg glanced at her but said nothing about the unusual sight. His smile stayed bright.

"Nice wings," he said casually. "You train for a costume contest or something?"

Aria smiled softly. "Something like that."

Greg clapped his hands together and motioned toward the gym floor. "Alright everyone, let’s see what you’ve got."

Everyone glanced at Luna who simply nodded her head with a wry smile. She hadn’t expected Greg to stick around but with a professional trainer around, not only would they be able to test their limits, they might also be taught ways to maximize the use of their bodies!

Luna couldn’t lie to herself. She was kind of looking forward to it.

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