Aether's POV
I stared at the man who called me stepson.
I blankly stared at him without even blinking, my body frozen beneath the artificial light pouring through the ceiling.
I just stared at him.
Grey hair that came with age framed his face. His slightly wrinkled skin carried the quiet evidence of decades, while his maroon eyes remained fixed on me with nothing but indifference and coldness.
There was no anger in those eyes.
He stared at me up and down for a few seconds before slowly looking toward Epsilon and Iron Marshal.
"Disappointment... That is the only word your performance has earned. I gave you both a stage upon which to prove your worth, and somehow you managed to turn victory into embarrassment," he said, shaking his head mildly.
His voice wasn't loud. It didn't need to be.
Epsilon and Iron Marshal lowered their heads.
Iron Marshal stepped forward to say something, but the man immediately raised one finger.
"Save your explanation."
