There was stunned silence... not just a pause... but the kind of silence that made even breathing feel like a crime. Nothing... absolutely nothing... it was dead silence.
Aqualina and Celestia were like... totally shocked... no, they were completely frozen, their eyes wide, their lips parted in disbelief, their minds struggling to catch up with what they had just heard... no, they were fucking shattered by it.
"H-How... could you say t-those... words..." Sandra mumbled, her voice cracking, trembling like a fragile glass about to break. She stared blankly at Aether... who was just sitting there, unmoved... like nothing happened... like he hadn't just been slapped with the weight of her soul.
Aether gave a simple shrug, as if it was nothing serious, as if her pain meant little.
He tilted his head slightly and asked, "What else should I say then?"
