The sound of Seraphina's slap still echoed in the room, sharp and unreal, as if it had split the air itself.
And Vanitas herself froze, her head slightly turned from the blow, her lips parted but no words escaping. The goddess who could silence cosmic storms and bend galaxies to her will stood motionless, her throat tight with unspoken rage.
Her hands trembled at her sides, curling into fists, her whole body thrumming with the need to retaliate.
Her son's eyes were still on her, and the weight of that gaze burned her pride raw. The humiliation, the disbelief, the fury, all of it boiled inside her, threatening to spill out.
She opened her mouth, ready to unleash the full force of her wrath,
But Seraphina's voice cut through before she could say anything.
"Have you had enough, Lady Vanitas?"
The words were calm. Cold. But beneath them was an undeniable authority, the kind that could silence gods and men alike.
