A long night passed.

Though "long" is relative. If you fall asleep, it's over in a blink. But if you keep your eyes open, every second stretches on, torturous and unending.

Why couldn't Ray sleep?

Well, a little minx was insisting on extracting the "true essence," and he couldn't refuse. Naturally, rest was impossible.

He did manage a brief nap—truly brief, less than two hours—but woke refreshed and alert. Such was the benefit of enhanced physiology.

Time to move.

Ray thought for a moment