Aimless Ascension

I considered hurrying to Saarya and embracing her, but I refrained from doing that even if my mind deemed it irresistible. However, it didn't stop from delight and relief to spread across my face as I faced her.

"I'll take your silence as affirmation then," Saarya said at my starstruck expression.

"How much do you know about my life here?" I couldn't help but ask.

"More than you tell me," Saarya smiled.

"And you wouldn't tell me how you know it if I ask you?"

Saarya chuckled. "You have their smell on you," she said.

I clicked my tongue and searched for words to exchange with her. Both of them knew what she was implying was false. She simply liked to pull my leg at times, probably to shove aside the awkwardness growing between us after the last time she fell unconscious.

The last two days had been quite long without her presence, and I'd thought countless questions for her to answer, but now when she was face to face with me, I couldn't utter anything.

"Sit down," Saarya said. "I'll break the restriction now."

pǎпdǎ Йᴏνê1,сòМ My eyes widened, and I nodded, sitting down in the middle of the room. Saarya followed with the same process she went through last time: latched the collar and closed her eyes in deep concentration. Like last time, beads of sweat started to form on her forehead and cheeks as a thin frown crept to her brows.

I had no clue what she was doing, other than figuring out she was infusing energy into the collar, but I tried that as well. The collar merely fed on my energy when I did that and left me sprawling on the ground with a tremendous psychological stabbing in my head, enough to question my sanity.

That was probably what Saarya was feeling now, but to an even greater degree, as she was doing actual work.

Saarya was working slower than the other time, but it didn't take her more than two minutes to finish what she started. She heaved after finishing her thing, as I went to serve water for her. She was the first person who was getting something from my humble prison. I didn't even offer Cameron anything when he came to my house a few times.

"Thank you," she said and swallowed, thankfully not all the content of it. "Check if it worked or not."

I nodded and got started with Cycling. It took me a few minutes to get to the vibe again with the water droplets and when I got there; I felt like I was flying in the clouds. There was no restriction, no mental stabbing or even a migraine in my head, only the energy and me. And intoxication of power. Even if I had only a little in my grasp.

"It worked," I said, pulling out from the practice even though I didn't want to. I heard the power calling to me, compelling me to grasp more of it, but I couldn't keep the pretty girl waiting, could I?

Saarya smiled weakly. She was weaker after breaking the restriction, but not to the point like last time. At least, she knew better and hadn't got off from her position to run around again.

"I guess you don't need me to help you practise every day anymore," she said.

An expression of panic spread across my face as I heard her. Wait, was she saying, she won't come to train me anymore? Was this it? Was this all she could teach?

"No," I said aloud before I knew, "I mean, you mentioned Spirit arts is broad and endless, how can we are done just after you freed me from the restriction, it should be the first step to starting as far as I'm concerned."

A frown came into her sweaty brows and then she chuckled as if all this was merely a joke to her. "Well, you're not wrong about that. This is merely the start. I'm just implying you won't need me always to get started with the practise."

I sighed in relief inwardly. I wanted to tell her, I would like her company nonetheless, but couldn't manage the courage to say something like that. I kept our relationship mostly professional, more than what I would like. I guess the hormones were taking effect again.

"I mentioned there are twelve steps to Spirit Arts. Sorry, twelve known steps to spirit arts," Saarya continued. "It should be time for you to prepare to take the first step. If the fate lock didn't kill you in the process, I would have started you long ago. Even now, we have to be careful about this in case the mark implodes with you. So don't draw energy into it as your energy pool grows from now on"

I got immensely excited hearing the first part of her sentence, but a frown crawled up in my brows as I got the last.

"What do you mean?" I asked in confusion.

"Didn't I mention there are certain rules in Spirit arts?" Saarya asked. "The existence of a fate mark before reaching copper is something inconceivable."

"Is that why I got no response from the mark, even if I draw energy to it?" I asked, frowning.

"Probably," Saarya said, her voice riddled with uncertainty. "Then again, you barely have any power to run a fate mark. Also, you shouldn't do that, not until you reach copper."

I agreed to her with a solemn nod. "I have to wait till I make up for copper," I said, sucking a deep breath. "How long would that take?"

"Months if not years," Saarya said easily, without considering anything.

I groaned as I heard her. "Months?" I'm tired already. "Don't you have a better answer?"

"The place we are in can be the best place to cultivate a certain type of practitioner," Saarya said instead. "Mostly people with flame elements. This mine is probably the third best, if not the second best, source of fire crystals, and probably the most extensive among them all. Most Fire element artist would kill to even cycle in the upper level of this dungeon-come-mine, but you're not with a fire element, so it gives you nothing but more trouble in practising."

I groaned again. "Why can't I be a fire element artist?"