31 { CHAPTER - 31 } A PROMISE TO HIMSELF
To dispel the gloom brought on by the night that came after sunset, the lights were turned on.
He took his steps slowly, being cautious not to trip on any glasses by accident.
Agastha spoke as he made his way back to his place.
(Karma, no matter how much training you put in, you won't be able to grow that much stronger since you don't have the necessary tools or training techniques. At most, you'll be on par with a professional fighter.)
Karma had been running several simulations in his thoughts ever since he awoke the night following the event, even before there was a discussion regarding training.
Every time he tried one of his numerous hypotheses to see whether it would work, he encountered just one problem. There it was.
(And let's not forget the little amount of time we have; if you are prepared to achieve this, you will need to practice all day and use the evening to relax. And you still require food.)
Yes, the issue he was thinking about was the little amount of time he had. He could probably get away with it for at least 3 to 4 days, but after that, the cops would be hot on his trail.
"I don't want to go hungry, therefore I know I need to get some rest and eat something healthy." He stated it with a little amount of skepticism.
"I can only stay here for a maximum of three days before we have to go."
He looked into his fridge, anticipating the need for food, but was unimpressed by what he saw.
Just behind him, walking Agastha also peeked inside, and he had the same response. (This is empty.)
Karma stooped to inspect the bottom of the refrigerator, but still no luck.
(Don't you need to go and buy something to eat?) was the most important thing he had to say.
He pulled himself up by pushing his hands against his thighs.
"Let's go buy something right now then".
Did he mishear it or did Karma just now miss something crucial? This one crucial element was picked up by Agastha, who then informed Karma of it.
(Doesn't this put you in danger of being seen by someone, and you may get caught by the nearby CCTV cameras?)
Agastha was unaware of this, and Karma was undoubtedly a little surprised as well.
"Well, you should know that there are spots in the city where there are no cameras, so you may move around without worrying about it," he sighed.
He was more concerned about bumping into people than he was about cameras since doing so may result in his identity being disclosed.
But he can go about without worrying about bumping into someone because it is nighttime and there aren't many people outdoors right now. Additionally, several stores remain open well into the night.
Karma returned to his room on foot while bringing something with him. It was a hood and a mask he wore just in case, and he added, "But just in case, I will take this with me."
He had to be very careful and buy just about the proper quantity of food to prevent waste since he could not afford to lose supplies.
He avoided interaction with anyone by traversing dark alleys at night as he made his way to the grocery store to acquire the supplies he needed.
Although the grocery had cameras, he knew they wouldn't cause much of an issue since even if the authorities did discover the C.C. T.V. film from here, it would already be too late.
To make sure he doesn't leave anything behind, Karma purchased some brown bread, two trays of eggs, a large quantity of poultry, and some veggies he could eat whole.
He utilized the same lanes to return to his residence after purchasing what he needed to avoid leaving the house again.
He removed his hood and mask and unloaded the contents of his refrigerator. "This should be plenty for at least the next four days." He seems content with the number of goods he bought.
Now that all the basics had been met, all he needed to do was eat till he was satisfied and sleep as much as possible.
He took some of the chicken he had purchased out of the refrigerator and cleaned it with water as he began to feel a pang of hunger.
(What are you making?)
"Chicken rice"
Together with the sounds of frying onions, the delicious aroma of chicken cooking permeated the entire space, even getting to the demon's nose.
He was busy preparing supper, so the demon's persistent presence behind him disturbed him a little.
He inquired gently as he hesitantly met his eyes. "Would you like some?" Unfortunately, the devil did not comprehend the significance of what he had spoken.
(No I am fine, demons don't need to eat as humans do)
"Okay, so could you please leave? While I'm cooking, I don't want anyone to be staring at me."
(What should I do then?) he questioned as he cocked his head in perplexity.
He was a little offended by his question, should he concentrate on cooking or keep an eye on his monster? This demon may occasionally speak with some rationality in his remarks, but he can also get a little obnoxious, which irritated him.
With the spatula in his right hand, he gestured at the couch while acting like a mother reprimanding her kid.
"Go sit there quietly then."
Agastha didn't have much to do, so he spent the entire time sitting on the couch as Karma prepared and consumed the chicken at the dinner table.
Karma visited Agastha after eating supper and doing the dishes.
"Leave now, we're starting tomorrow."
He stated while spreading his arms out in an embracing motion. "What are you waiting for? Continue as usual. Rest inside me"
Standing tall, the monster peered down at Karma. Agastha said, (Please don't do that, it made me feel odd,) and then he vanished into thin air.
Even though it wasn't quite time for him to go to bed, he knew he needed to get as much rest as he could today.
Karma went to his room this time after realizing that sleeping on the sofa, especially in one position, is bad. He turned off the lights in the living room and the corridors near the kitchen.
This time more than any other, the bed felt exceedingly comfortable to him; this was because his body wanted to imprint the comfort it could experience since his mind had congratulated his body for always being prepared to leave all this luxury behind at a moment's notice.
He rolled onto his right side in bed and shed a solitary tear as he thought back on some of his family's shared memories.
As he had promised himself on this day, he immediately wiped away the tear. 'This is my last time crying; starting tomorrow, I won't drop another tear.'
CHAPTER - 31 - TO BE CONTINUED
