"Mmm..." Muse slowly woke from unconsciousness.
Her awareness seemed to rise little by little from deep underwater. First, her fingertips felt the soft bed beneath her, then she caught the faint fragrance in the air.
She stared in confusion at the cold metal ceiling overhead.
Hadn't I been captured by the slavers? Her last memory was of taking a soul attack head-on, her consciousness instantly swallowed by excruciating pain.
She tried to mobilize the divine power within her.
Her divine power was still there, even more abundant than before.
But when she tried to extend her divine sense to examine her surroundings, a sharp pain suddenly erupted from the depths of her soul, as though someone had driven a red-hot iron spike straight into her mind.
Muse let out a muffled groan of pain, clutched her head in both hands, and curled up.
Just then, the door opened.
Arthur ran in excitedly to see whether his sister had woken up.
The moment he entered, however, he saw his sister curled up on the bed, clutching her head. His expression instantly grew anxious. "Big Brother Loa, hurry! My sister's awake, but she looks like she's really hurting!" He turned and dashed outside, shouting downstairs as he ran.
"Don't panic. Let me take a look." Loa's voice came from the stairs.
He had sensed the instant Muse woke, but had not hurried upstairs.
After coming upstairs, he first reached out to hold Arthur by the shoulder as the boy tried to rush back into the room. He gave him a reassuring pat before entering.
Muse lay curled up on the bed, her face pale and a fine layer of cold sweat beading her forehead.
One glance told Loa that her soul injuries had yet to heal, and forcibly using her divine sense