The red dot pulsed in time with his heartbeat. It hadn't done that before.
Eloy pressed two fingers below his jaw. Counted. The red dot blinked in perfect sync. Sixty-two beats per minute, and the network signal had decided to keep time with every single one of them.
His MP was back up. Not full, somewhere around sixty percent, but functional. His ankle still throbbed, HP still sitting at 84%, but the mana pool had refilled enough that he could use abilities without treating them like consumables he couldn't replace.
Isolde had rested too. The difference was visible. Spine straighter against the far wall, hands on her knees instead of pressed flat to conserve heat. The shallow breathing had steadied into something that could sustain actual activity. She had mana again. That changed the math on everything.
Maya hadn't moved from the door. Fan closed across her knee, eyes on the threshold. Rested but alert.
The red dot pulsed.
Eloy opened Deviation Sense.
