"Agh... this is frustrating."
Thirty five minutes had passed since he activated God’s Eye.
Normally, thirty five minutes disappeared in the blink of an eye while he was gaming or streaming. Today, every second crawled by with agonising slowness, stretching into what felt like the longest half hour of his life.
He stood beneath the shower with his eyes shut, refusing to focus on anything. He knew what would happen the moment he looked. His vision would latch onto every droplet striking his skin, count every splash, trace every ripple. The thought alone made his headache worsen.
A dull ache pulsed through his skull in relentless waves. It felt as though tiny tremors were rippling across his brain without pause. The sensation reminded him of staring at a glaring screen in a pitch-black room for hours on end.
"Agh... I need to do something to stop this."
He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the tiled wall before him.
The grout lines were riddled with tiny pits, scars left behind by years of wear. His vision instinctively picked them apart, every imperfection demanding his attention.
A faint burning sensation spread through his eyes, forcing him to blink.
He immediately lowered his gaze and stepped out of the shower.
After changing into fresh clothes, he took a slow breath, trying to steady himself. Maybe a cup of coffee would dull the pounding in his head.
The hope lasted only until he stepped into the kitchen.
The unfamiliar surroundings triggered his instincts before he could stop them. His gaze swept across the room in an instant, dissecting every corner, every object, every minute detail.
"Guh... fuck."
He cursed aloud, squeezing his eyes shut as he staggered backwards, one hand instinctively reaching for the wall to keep himself from losing his balance.
The pain only intensified, reaching the point where he was genuinely considering giving up.
He lay back on the couch, one hand pressed against his throbbing head.
He didn’t have to clear this trial today. Lasting more than thirty minutes was already far beyond what he had expected. He could always build up his tolerance little by little.
Just as he was about to shut his eyes, his phone buzzed.
Without checking the screen, he lifted it to his ear. His forearm remained draped over his eyes as he muttered, "Who?"
"{Ah... hey. Are you okay?}"
He recognised the voice immediately.
"Veronica." He let out a weary sigh. "I’ve got a terrible headache... and everything’s just irritating me."
"{Wh... no, wait. I understand. Tell me, are you lying down?}"
"Yeah."
"{Okay. I’ll hum a song my grandma used to sing and see if it helps. If it only makes things worse, just hang up. I won’t mind.}"
A faint smile tugged at Kyle’s lips.
He didn’t answer.
A moment later, Veronica began to hum.
It was slow and gentle, every note flowing effortlessly into the next. He couldn’t recognise the melody, nor did he know what song it belonged to. Yet it carried a quiet warmth that words never could.
The relentless pounding in his head seemed to loosen, if only a little.
As he listened, his mind painted a scene of its own.
He was resting with his head in her lap while she absentmindedly hummed beside him. A cool breeze drifted across a peaceful afternoon, carrying the scent of fresh grass. The world was quiet. No headaches. No endless stream of details clawing at his attention. Just the soft rhythm of her humming and the comforting feeling that, for this brief moment, everything was exactly as it should be.
Without realising it, the tension in his body slowly melted away.
He had no idea when it happened, but fifteen minutes had slipped by. Not once had he looked at the clock. Time had quietly drifted away until her humming finally came to an end.
"{How do you feel now?}"
"A lot better." A small smile found its way onto his face. "You healed me, Veronica."
"{I’m glad to hear that. Now, would you mind taking a nap if you feel comfortable? I think all that travelling through the mountains is what gave you the headache.}"
"I’d love to..." His voice had already become sluggish. "...but I don’t want to disconnect the call."
The words came out as little more than a sleepy murmur. His consciousness was already sinking into the warmth of sleep, yet some stubborn part of him refused to let go of her presence.
A soft chuckle reached his ears.
"{Then I won’t disconnect the call. Go ahead and sleep. I’ll be right here... beside you.}"
"Mm..."
The corners of Kyle’s lips remained gently raised.
Holding the phone loosely against his ear, he surrendered to the comforting sound of her quiet breathing. Within moments, sleep claimed him, leaving him peacefully curled up on the couch.
.....
"Mm..." Waking up with a jerk, Kyle shook his head.
Slowly, he opened his eyes and the vision before him zoomed in for a brief moment.
He gasped and realised he was still using his occular skill so he adjusted his vision first.
Turning to his left he realized the phone was still connected and more than two hours has already gone by.
He thought Veronica might have ended up sleeping as well or maybe put it aside and doing some work.
However, the moment he picked the phone she said, {Feeling better now?}
He was surprised, "Were you listening?"
{You can say that.}
She sounded shy admitting that.
Kyle faintly chuckled and sat down. "Yeah, thanks to you I could sleep peacefully. Thanks for being there, Veronica."
{Nothing to mention. Well, how do you feel now?}
"Much better." He said as he looked around and realized something peculiar.
His control over his eyes has gotten better for some reasons.
He was watching everything before him just as his regular eyes. And when he wanted, he focused on an object and he naturally got a better and closer view of it.
"I feel myself again now." He said absentmindedly.
{Glad to hear that.} Veronica said, {Though if you ever feel someone you need to talk to and if Amanda isn’t available you can always call me.}
Kyle frowned and told her, "Veronica, you aren’t a replacement of Amanda nor I put you as my second priority. So don’t put it like that."
There was a brief silence from the other end before she said,
{I understand. I am sorry.}
He released a soft breath and said, "It’s okay, and I am sorry for talking to you harshly after you helped me so much."
{It wasn’t really anything, trust me. And I had a good time finishing my work too.}
Kyle hummed before he was asked,
{Have you eaten anything?}
He faintly groaned, "No...and now that you mentioned it, I am quite hungry."
{Ahaha...I knew it. Go to the common hall and grab a hearty meal. You must have enough credit to afford that.}
"Credit?"
{Yes. Every student receives around thirty credits upon enrolling, some fifty based on their entrance assessment. Check how much you go on the back of your room card.}
As she said, he got up and took his card.
Flipping it he saw a number which surprised him. "Is there supposed to be a dot somewhere which I can’t see? Since rather than thirty, I could see three thousand points here."
{...}