"Mmm..."
Helen's eyelids trembled gently as another faint groan escaped from her delicate throat, weak enough to be mistaken for nothing more than an involuntary breath. Then, very slowly, she opened her eyes.
"....."
For nearly an entire minute she simply stared blankly at the ceiling without moving, her unfocused gaze wandering across the unfamiliar patterns overhead as though her mind were still struggling to understand whether she had truly awakened or whether this was merely another illusion born from endless years of stillness.
Finally, she let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Heh~"
Only then did she begin trying to move.
"Ah..."
With tremendous difficulty, she pressed her palm against the surface beneath her and slowly pushed herself upward, every tiny movement feeling strangely unfamiliar, as though she were borrowing someone else's body for the very first time.
"Hoo..."
