By the time Jonathan finished investigating the gift, Allen had arrived. He stood beside his wife, calmly recounting everything that had happened between him and Aether, including their conversation and the strange change he had noticed in Aether.
"Hmm... Interesting. He seemed not to care when Jonathan told him the truth, but now..." The Voice trailed off, its tone thoughtful.
There was no surprise in it, only the quiet curiosity of someone examining an unexpected flaw in an otherwise predictable equation.
"Something has changed."
It knew everything, and suddenly, it felt the voice didn't know anything about Young Aether, as if something had interrupted its fun.
"He was different, President," Allen said with a serious expression. His brows were slightly drawn together as he recalled Aether's eyes.
"I saw it in his eyes. I've seen that look before, when Penelope broke up with him. It was the look of a man who had lost something he could never recover. But this time..."
"..."
