The whale was left speechless, maintaining a serious expression. Ruri stared at him, and her face shifted, as if she could feel exactly what he was feeling.
She moved closer and held his hand. He snapped out of his daze as he felt his hand being lifted and pressed against her face. He looked at that small, beautiful face compared to his hand—her expression was gentle. He felt the warmth radiating from her, and it calmed him. It was like it warmed his soul.
At the same time, he felt a call from within his internal universe—it was Meru. She had sensed everything and wanted to come out to see him. The whale snorted and opened the way. Meru emerged and firmly held onto his other arm, making him feel much better with all that affection.
The mortal sensation pressing down on them hadn't lessened—it was actually increasing bit by bit. He estimated that the queen was at the peak of her focus, trying to control those two items as fast as possible.
