Physics
Faint light favors rods off-axis. A hard stare puts her on cones that need more brightness than ~4.2 provides.
Entry 1 · Perception
Merope · Averted Vision
Magnitude ~4.2. Stare and she fades. Soft peripheral focus and she returns. Each new sky places her somewhere else.
Psyche
What you force often vanishes. Soft attention is still rigorous. She returns when the demand softens.
Living question · Soft focus
What is already present that only appears when you stop forcing the stare?
Round 1
Rest your gaze slightly aside. Do not aim at her.
Soft focus hold0 / 36
Drag slowly · Hold in the soft ring · Stare drains the hold
Field, wider ring. Veil, tighter. Deep, longest hold. Direct stare empties the bar. Soft hold fills it to 36.