Valerion moved his arm away and leaned back. "Don't mention it", he said. "I am so sorry that it went this way; we should have worked more on energy control before doing this. I am so sorry; I am to blame for this". Valerion's head had been low as he spoke these words; and Adrien thought he heard a crack in his voice.

"No, no", Adrien rushed to say, "I am fine. I just -- got a bit carried away; I didn't know when to end the link, and I must have kept the barrier up for too long". Adrien sipped from his glass again. "It's just -- it's just that -- let's be honest, I -- I am just an overachiever", Adrien chuckled.

"Oh -- yes -- yes, you definitely are", Valerion laughed. "I should have accounted for that, and told you in advance to hold the staff for two seconds at most".

"How long was I in there?".

"Ten seconds, at the very least", Valerion said.

"Seriously?", Adrien said, bewildered. "It -- it felt both like no time at all, and like forever...".