As Lyren sluggishly raised his hand to hold on to hers, his mind could not help but wonder.
'Can I even touch the hand or its grabbing onto water…'
The person seemed to sense his thought and the slight movement on their face could actually mean that they had smiled or even smirked at this. As their hands met, there was no warmth nor coldness at all.
His hand should have slipped through but it felt like it was a real hand only that it was ethereal. Lyren felt a push nudging him to stand up which he did even under the pressure which seemed to have started dissipating.
He stood straight and the height difference was there and as he thought about it, it was obvious he had gotten taller too which could even mean he was almost past his twelve years of age. He looked closely at the person but he could not still tell their gender. Then he asked curiously.
"How long have I been here?" The person looked at him and was silent for a while before replying.
"Already closing up on half a year," they replied and he could feel their gaze as though trying to gauge his reaction
Lyren's faced turned serious as he seemed to fall into deeper contemplation but there was nothing in his mind as he loaded his next question and threw it at them.
"How long do you think it is going to take me to complete the array below?"
There was another long pause from them and as they werr about to reply, Lyren cut in.
"Don't be polite." A chuckle came from the person and their response actually suited Lyren better.
"Honestly kid, you are more amusing and have the mental fortitude to succeed. I have been watching you and the only thing holding you back now is your cultivation. I will take this chance and teach you some tricks on cultivation and also share some secrets long lost.
"First of all, you can't just sit there and cultivate and expect to make progress and this is something you realized. Often lighting up the arrays while also using the stairs pressure was a genius move from you.
"You need to consolidate you foundation in each stage to ensure that it is stable as you move forward which you have been doing well. Doing so has also trained your body and the Elyria you can hold increases every time.
"That is one way to consolidate your foundation but there is an even greater way. It's about the use of techniques. I am not going to offer you a cultivation technique because the array in your palm is already greater than any technique out there.
"Since you have shown interest in the sword, what I am giving you is sword technique that suits you. Practice it during your free time or every time you hit a bottle neck. Since your cultivation is holding you back, you don't have to focus on cultivation first.
"I want you to focus on this technique and when you start mastering it, or when you hit a bottle neck in its practice, you can continue cultivating. About the arrays. It's true that it is an interconnected structure and you have just been focusing on one of its four faces.
"Don't be discouraged and as I have said before, you array talent is exceptional and now that you have awakened your mind's eye, arrays are going to be completely easier for you. You can spend time on the arrays to cool your mind every now and then and you will realize that they follow a similar structure.
"My time is limited and this is all I can do for you at the moment. Bear with me," The person finished and then placed the index and middle finger on his forehead. Lyren was shocked thinking they would do something dangerous but it never came.
Instead, there was some warmth on his head and a golden thread of light seemed to flow into his head and there in front of his mind's eye it rested. He wanted to look at it immediately but their voice drifted into his ears as they vanished.
"The pressure will return with my disappearance. Don't lose your psyche again, alright?"
Lyren did not have time to think. He realized that there was no thing such as benevolence in these ruins. Yes, these were the same ruins that had tried to kill him as many times as he could recall when his life was in danger.
Just one act of giving him instructions did not take away the danger it had in the first place. It just meant that he now had a direction to move forward. His mind was super alert and his body felt even more agile. But there was a deep sense of belonging in him for he had been imparted a technique and he could not wait to get down and try it out.
He crouched on his feet as the pressure bore down on him and then dashed forward with a leap. The pressure of the stairs came instantly almost as though it was dead set on crushing him. Lyren realized his heart was racing, not out of fear but because there was something else that he was coming to like.
Ever time his body was in danger, there was an exhilarating feeling in his chest as he pushed himself to the limit in order to survive and now that he thought about it, his resolve to kill himself would have wavered and he would still be here running for his life even if the person had not appeared. Their appearance had actually strengthened his resolve to live and that was going to be what he did.
He was going to live and then leave this place after he had uncovered all the mysteries it was hiding. He wanted to scream as he leapt over twenty steps below. Yes, this was the feeling he was always chasing after.
Maybe he was crazy after all. Even when the pressure caught up with him and it felt almost twice as heavier as it had been, he could not help but let out a laugh as he actually realized just how far his growth had been all this time.
It was true, his body was stronger and the pressure of the stairs was actually making his muscles bulge and they seemed to release a kind of strength they did not have before. The more the pressure increased, the more he felt he could even jump further as he jumped around thirty steps forward.
His cells were not screaming due to lack of air but they seemed to have sufficient air to hold on by themselves for several minutes. He landed thirty steps below and gave himself a greater distance with the pressure.
As though not willing to lose to him, the pressure instantly caught up with him and it had actually doubled its weight. And it now really started pressing intensively.
But that did not stop him as he took in a deep breath in between the pressure and he crouched once again. He took another leap forward jumping another thirty steps forward.
He realized he could have jumped further the previous time but he did not let that get through his mind as flew through the air and not bothering to keep himself stable because the pressure could not allow mid-air maneuvers.
Even his landing seemed to get slowed down and there was no pain when he land. It was like he had just dived into water and he had just reached the bottom. He could not yet see the end but that did not bother him as he stopped leaping and started running. Taking in air became a difficult task but that one strained breath was enough for his cells.
He quickly hit the 100th step and he could feel a dejavu. Back then when he had slept on the stairs and he had learned the hard way. This time it was different though. He knew what was happening and even under this pressure, his mind still kept counting and analyzing everything which went ahead to prove that his life was not in the slightest bit of danger yet.
With time, Lyren was on the ground after stepping down the first step. His hands were on his bent knees and his back crouched forward as he took in deep breaths. This time, he had not fallen on his back or face first and also, it was fun…