The boy looming over Finnian was none other than Naya's sixteen-year-old younger brother, infamous throughout the academy for his brutality and strength.
His shadow seemed to swallow Finnian as he leaned in, his muscles taut with menace.
With a sharp glint in his eyes and a cruel smirk playing at his lips, he spat venomously. "So you're the Finnian I keep hearing about, a new worm in the Academy. I must admit, you have some nerve showing your face here." He tilted the nearly empty bottle, mockingly sloshing the remaining water before tossing it aside.
"After everything you've pulled," he continued. "You think I'd let you waltz in here like nothing happened?"
His voice dripped with malice, each word a barb meant to rile Finnian. The tension in the air seemed to thicken as the boy and his fellow companion loomed closer, invading Finnian's space.