Once Ezra was announced as the winner, the atmosphere inside the hall didn't explode with cheers the same way it did after Lyra and Page's fight.
Instead…
The entire place turned strangely quiet. Not because the audience disliked the result, but because nobody could forget what had just happened moments ago.
Astraea's terrifying outburst still lingered heavily inside everyone's mind like a nightmare that hadn't fully faded yet.
The shattered glass around the hall, the broken lamps, the people that collapsed from her Presence and the blood some candidates coughed out earlier.
All of it remained fresh inside their heads.
Clearly…
Nobody wanted to get on Astraea Ashenlocke's bad side.
Even the conversations happening around the hall stayed low and restrained.
Ezra simply walked off the stage while nurses approached him to check his injuries.
His face remained expressionless as usual, like none of what just happened had anything to do with him.
At the same time…
