The silence was suffocating.
It draped over the yard like a heavy shroud, thick and unmoving, pressing down on every chest, muting every breath. Even the wind, once playful and ever-present, had vanished—as if afraid to disturb the moment. All eyes were fixed on the Iron Vipers. Hardened as they were, even they stood rigid, their faces contorted in disbelief. No one had expected what had just unfolded. No one.
Except Son.
Then—Aurora shattered the stillness.
She screamed. Raw, primal, and wild. Her voice ripped through the hush like a blade through silk.
"LET GO OF ME!" she howled, her body thrashing against the arms that held her firm.
Unlike Mikey, who was left partly unconscious, left to accept his downfall in grim, brooding silence, Aurora was a storm.
Raging. Ferocious. Unwilling to be caged.
Desperation burned in her eyes.
But despite the raging anger, there was fear.
"What are you doing?!" she cried out, her eyes red-rimmed with tears, panic bubbling to the surface.
