Getting the knee up from the ground, the spire's keeper stood up and faced the track ground. Again speaking to Alec.
"Now get into the running shoes and go make a round of this track at any place you like. Just remember to not stop running unless you feel like you can no longer. It will serve as a good warm up before you do the rest of the excercises, that will help me in determining the level of your physique."
Take the end of the sentence as his cue to run, Alec began running at a solid pace. Facing the blue sky and the sun, that felt in no way different than the real one.
Running like this for a couple minutes now, brought a little burn in Alec's muscles. This did not affect his speed, as he kept it remaining constant. Only it kept getting worse and worse as the minutes passed, soon the half hour mark had crossed. Finally making him wonder.
'How long is this entire track even.'
A couple more minutes passes by after that, but he sees no sign of the end track anywhere. Tens of minutes goes by like this in his faint hope, that he was close to near the end of the track only for it not show up. At this point his knees are getting weak, and sweat has drenched nearly his entire body.
Few more minutes like that, and he finally slows his pace down a little. Not stopping completely, yet only keeping at the speed of it being a fast walk. Building a slight bit of stamina like that he once more starts keeping up the pace. Switching back and forth like this takes him another half an hour before he is just at the pace of dragging his feet.
It was not something he was doing consciously, just that he had expended his entire stamina may it be physical or mental. That gets completely spent with Alec blacking out finally.
Regaining his consciousness he finds himself laying down on soft grass, with a towel acting as pillow right under his head. Putting both his hand on the grass floor, he pushes himself off the ground. Only to then hear Myr saying, while handing Alec a bottle of water.
"Two hours and fifteen minutes. Unstopping, keeping pace as much as possible, and under an artificial sun no different than a real one. You did great. The question now is, do you wish to improve?"
Opening the bottle and after drinking some water from it, Alec then gave his answer.
"Yeah, of course I want to."
The spire's keeper then nodded at him saying so, before pointing hand at a small box with cutlery on top of it.
"Eat your lunch now it will get cold otherwise."
Picking up the box and opening the lid, a hint of various food hit Alec with its fragrance. That after a small joining of hands, Alec then began eating all the food. Finally getting to salad portion, where he found no cauliflower this time. This brought a rather large smile on Alec's face, which he directed at the statue like figure standing a little distance from him.
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Completing his meal Alec and before closing the lid, he put the cutlery inside the box. Placing the box back in the exact spot from where he had lifted it off the ground from, Alec then said.
"I will wash this when we go back to the first floor. We should move now, right?"
Making a light gesture of agreement, Myr then moved and Alec did too. Passing through the grass field, they took a right in the direction where the trees were. Heading to the staircase that lead them back to the third floor. Where Alec gave a difficult to read expression, facing the tracks and only stop when the tower's keeper spoke.
"Excercising is a necessary in order to improve your health. But for you to continuously push your limits, it must have some sort of stake. Fun and competition are two of these stakes. Now tell me between rowing or swimming, which do you prefer?"
Holding his chin in between his thumb and index finger, Alec deeply contemplated both his options. He knew that both of these activities while being under the guise of excercise would also help him a ton in crossing the sea as well.
Soon he made the decision, after having carefully weighed between the two options.
"I think I would go with swimming. Nothing against rowing, I just have more practice with swimming already. Maybe a little weak to be a reason but that's what I have decided."
Shaking head sideways, Myr responded to Alec.
"That is completely fine reason to have. You may need to back up a little bit for this."
Despite the slight confusion Alec followed the instruction as told, stepping back by quite a bit. Looking expectantly about what was in order to come, Alec saw a spectacle that did not betray his anticipation.
-Crack!
The ground first cracked and spilt off, creating a large empty cavity in between. That shaped itself into a more rectangular one, and soon filling itself with clean water that came right from underneath the ground.
"Here, done. Now all that is left is to get you a swimming costume, and for you to fully digest your food. You can do your stretches and I will bring you all the various stuff. Tell me if you need anything in specific."
After Alec listing what he needed, the keeper walked off towards the staircase leading to the lower floor. Alec was now by himself in the third floor. But he did not mind it too much, as he started doing the various stretches and a little cardio. Keeping at it for somewhere between fifteen to twenty minutes. Stopping once he felt like he had satisfactorily done so.
The keeper still nowhere in his sight, Alec's attention went to the swimming pool. That he closed the distance with, doing so slowly and deliberately. After reaching close he looks closely and pulls his hand forward to touch the water slightly at first. Then after cupping both his hands, he then splashes the water upwards.
Satisfied with having done so, Alec then looks behind and finds Myr to be walking from a distance. Holding an assortment of items. Including a change of clothing, and all the required swimming gear. Including a swimming cap, goggles, and swimming trunks. Two of those things Alec had suggested for the spire's keeper to bring.
Changing into them while having Myr face turn around. Alec finally got ready to began swimming, as he slowly stepped inside the less deep part of the pool. In order start with the bubbling, which was blowing bubbles with noise or mouth while underneath. Doing swimming after having not done so for some time made Alec feel like he needed to get used to first.
Skillfully holding his breath after doing this a couple times, Alec felt like he was prepared to swim finally.
When he got close to the end of the swimming pool where Myr standing, the statue like being couldn't help but ask.
"Alec, did you used to live near a port town?"
"No, my hometown had a few mountain ranges visible from it. Why do you ask?"
"I have never asked your background. Despite that, simply through our interaction it comes off as your background isn't that of a commoner. Yet, your personality is nothing like the arrogant nobility in the continent. If it's too sensitive then ignore my statement, but I would like to know about this."
After hearing that Alec also got the feeling like he had been avoiding it for too long as well. The fact that he did not mention or ask anything about the outside world from Myr, was because he had a slight inkling. That even if he crossed the ocean he might not be able to return home.
"I-I may not be someone from this world, Myr."
Despite his trust having been build Alec still uneasily anticipated the reaction from the party. Which he did not have to wait for long.
"Of course, how I could ignore that. It makes complete sense how you got to this sea, and not anything about it. Earlier I had thought you were may transported from a farther away continent, or suffering from even amnesia maybe."
Listening to this made Alec's fear slowly dissipate, as he then asked.
"So, it's not something that is completely out of place then?"
"Rare? Yes. Completely out of place? Not at all. There have been many recorded instances of otherworld individuals appearing in this world. You are not the first one. In the main continent you can find someone who can help you regarding this."