"Pathetic"
A cold voice echoed inside Aether's head.
Aether's entire body froze mid-step. The word struck a nerve, and within a breath, veins began to rise on his forehead. His muscles tightened. His jaw clenched.
He didn't need to wonder whose voice it was.
He already knew.
Aether's suspended foot touched the marble floor again. Slowly, mechanically. His frame trembled as he turned back, his expression frozen in eerie calm, eyes burning with barely-contained rage.
"...What did you just say now?" Aether muttered, his tone detached.
No answer.
The chamber remained dead still.
His lips twitched. Aether tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing.
"What? Gone silent now?" he growled, a low snarl coiled beneath his voice. His teeth clenched tighter as a storm churned behind his eyes. "You've got some nerve."
He could feel it. That burning anger, bubbling in his chest like molten lead.
The abandonment.
The betrayal.
The years of screams that went unanswered.
