The entire chamber fell silent the moment Kazuhiro's words echoed across the hall.It wasn't the kind of silence that came from understanding. It was actually more like the kind that made the air feel heavy as well as pretty much suffocating, as though even the shadows on the wall had stopped breathing. The elders, the advisors, even the guards stationed along the marble pillars froze, staring at Kazuhiro with expressions twisted somewhere between disbelief and outrage.
Their eyes asked the same question, wordlessly. Had he finally lost his mind?
The dark glow of the crystal chandeliers shimmered faintly above them, casting flickering light across the red marble floor. The grand council chamber which was usually a place of order and authority was now felt suffocating, like the walls themselves were pressing in, waiting for someone to break the stillness.
