Sophia sat on a flat stone near the mouth of the cave, her legs crossed, her hands resting on her knees.
Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was slow and deep, the rhythm of someone who had entered a meditative state.
She was concentrating, drawing mana from the atmosphere into her core, replenishing the energy that had been drained during her years in the well.
The anti-magic barrier of the laboratory had suppressed her abilities, kept her weak, kept her trapped.
But now she was free, and the mana flowed back into her like water returning to a dry riverbed after a long drought.
She could feel it tingling in her fingertips, warming her chest, filling the empty spaces inside her that had been cold for so long.
Yuuta watched her from a few feet away, his red eyes wide with astonishment. He could see the mana particles gathering around her, tiny specks of light, glowing in the darkness of the cave like fireflies on a summer night.
