Chapter 752: Bitter Taste
The crowd’s reaction to Asher Hawthorne’s name was different from the reaction that had followed Liam’s.
There was surprise, but not disbelief. There were whispers, but not the same stunned confusion. After everything Regulus had just revealed about Liam’s performance and the reason for his drop, the second years seemed to accept that someone had to occupy the space above him.
And among those still remaining, Asher was one of the few names that made sense. He had always been one of the strongest in their year. His blue flames had never been something anyone could dismiss casually, and his intensity during combat was known even among students who disliked him.
If Liam had fallen to third because of the time he spent unconscious, then Asher being above him did not sound impossible on paper.
Still, the acceptance in the crowd did not make the moment simple.
Asher stood among the students with his body battered from the assessment, his academy attire scorched in several places and torn across the sleeves and lower hem. There were healing marks along one side of his face, dried blood near his jaw, and bandages wrapped around portions of his arms beneath the ruined fabric.
His white hair was messier than usual, and even though exhaustion had clearly settled into his body, his posture remained rigid. His jaw was clenched so tightly that the muscles near his cheek stood out, and both his fists were closed at his sides, his nails digging hard enough into his palms that faint traces of blood marked his skin.
At first, when Liam had been announced as third, Asher had felt a sudden rush of triumph.
For one brief moment, he had believed it meant exactly what he always wanted it to mean.
He had surpassed Liam Hunter.
Finally.
After all the irritation, rivalry, comparison, and constant pressure of standing beneath someone who seemed to move ahead no matter what happened, Asher had thought he had taken the step he had been chasing.