Soren kept his eyes locked on Ethea, his gaze shifting back and forth between her peaceful face and the blue interface floating in front of him.
About ten minutes ticked by in heavy silence, the quiet room stretching the seconds. He barely blinked, watching for the slightest change in her breathing or any twitch of discomfort.
Finally, a subtle shift caught his attention.
The lines on the status window flickered, the words updating as the trance state shifted back to normal. At that exact moment, her long eyelashes imperceptibly fluttered.
Ethea opened her eyes, and their gazes met.
Soren found himself lost in her eyes for a brief, breathless moment, completely captivated by the faint, residual starlight swirling deep within her pupils before he managed to pull himself back to reality.
He cleared his throat and asked. "Ethea? How do you feel?"
"...I am okay."
