Time: 12:20 AM
Lucian: Fck… no way all these accounts are newly made—they're nothing.
Lucian was frustrated a few minutes ago; he had discovered his teacher's darkest secret. Now, staring at a screen full of empty, fresh accounts… he felt nothing but frustration.
No files. No messages. No connections.
Accessing saved login Information in Miss Gardner's account or any account is easy, though Lucian didn't find anything; his eyes flickered back and forth between the new emails according to SpaceL chats of Miss Gardner.
Sigh.
Lucian: I shouldn't. She's going to retire in a few years… If I try something like blackmail, I'll just ruin her life. Worse, if she reports me to the police… I'll lose everything. All for a few bucks!
He leaned back, staring at the ceiling. The silence in the room felt heavier now, like it was judging him.
Lucian was worried. He decided to let go, though he saved the things he collected for now.
***
The Next Morning, waking up like he usually did, Lucian kept everything to himself. Even at school or when he saw Miss Gardner, he maintained a perfect poker face, like nothing had happened.
Day after day, things returned to normal.
He studied. He smiled when needed. He played the part.
Soon, a week had passed.
Exam week had begun.
The first test: "Algebra".
Sitting in the middle row, Lucian was a bit anxious.
Lucian(thought): I have learned it, but what if the paper is different?
As soon as the paper was given, Lucian immediately turned to it, and he skimmed the paper.
Lucian (smiles, muttered): This is it.
His face lit up momentarily—almost angelic. But he kept his head down and hands steady.
He began writing, making sure to insert a few deliberate mistakes. He didn't want to shine too much.
Test after test, Lucian flowed like a river.
Unbothered. Controlled. Calm.
***
After the Last Exam,
The rustling leaves, the steady thump of their steps, and the lingering warmth in the air made it feel like an ordinary day. Adam and Lucian walked side by side, the cold burst of air from passing cars brushing them like a breeze.
Adam: Finally, midterms ended.
Lucian: One week of rest and start all over for the Finals.
Adam: Oh...right— forgot, when are they anyway?
Lucian: We have time, two months or something.
Adam(smiling): I would say this, Luci... thank you for helping, with almost all the questions you prepared me for came on the test. Like it has happened before, but this time—God!
Adam walked faster as he stopped and turned to bow down...
Lucian(smiling): Your king is impressed.
Lucian lightly kicked Adam— as they both looked at Lucian's house.
Lucian: Bye-bye!
Adam: Alright then, Same.
Adam raised two fingers to his forehead in a mock salute.
Adam: Thanks again, Luci.
Lucian gave the faintest nod, watching him walk away, the salute lingering in his mind longer than expected.
Inside his home, Lucian went straight for the shower. Minutes later, he climbed up to his room and powered on his computer. He started deleting the PDFs of midterm test papers, cleaning his PC of now unnecessary junk.
Lucian(muttering): Based upon what I decided, I did make obvious mistakes, along with giving vague correct answers in all my tests. It won't stand out, but at the same time, growth in my grades would be there.
Lucian looked at the tabs on the top of VaultOS.
Lucian: I did notice it before, but because of all the other things, I just never checked it. I do know Linux is far different than any other OS, but never knew how much—
Lucian hovered the mouse over the Application tab.
Lucian: I know about the terminal, but the description I still remember said something like other things.
***
Click.
Lucian's eyes widened as his head tilted with confusion as multiple applications came forward, all combined into three categories.
_________________________________________
Wifi Pentesting
1. Aether Crack
2. SkyJack
Web Pentesting
1. Phantom Eye
2. Netspire
Password Breaking
1. HashMelt
2. Passforge
_________________________________________
Lucian was confused, and his first instinct was to search on the web.
Lucian(muttering): What is Pentesting?
[Pentesting (Penetration Testing) is the practice of testing a system, network, or application to find security weaknesses before attackers do.]
Lucian(smiles, muttering): So like— Hacking!
Click.
Opening the Aether Crack application from the Wifi Pentesting category, Lucian seems overjoyed; maybe he thought it was going to be very simple.
It didn't open like the apps in the phone or like the browser; rather, it led to opening the terminal with something, unlike just a bland black background.
_________________________________________
[*] AetherCrack: initializing runtime...
:: env.handshake -> OK
:: wlan.pipe ↪ established
:: modules.load(all) ... done
:: entropy.buffer: high
>> Awaiting op_str directive:
_________________________________________
Lucian tilted his head. Unlike before, it wasn't just about clicking around and finding things — now, he needed something different, something like a code to input. He knew it. So, he began reaching out to people he had spoken to in the past.
Lucian(muttering): packtforge.com
_________________________________________
.Login: Hey you guys, how do I use the applications in use the applications from Vault OS?
JJJJOY: Look for tutorials online.
_________________________________________
Lucian(whispered): Tutorials! Right... I feel like I am becoming dumber and dumber.
_________________________________________
BrotherisSixFeet: Do you wanna learn it?
.Login: yes, I guess
BrotherisSixFeet: Then learn either by starting with Linux commands/Linux basics. Then maybe Learn Networking.
NewMan: start by doing free courses, or if you have money, go for Nex Courses.
_________________________________________
Lucian wasn't confused; rather, he took notes. He had some knowledge, not particularly about this, but something similar. He searched and searched.
Lucian: Institutions like MIT put their courses online, and if I can collect some, then maybe I can find something useful.
Lucian scoured everything he could find—pirated lectures, official course videos, outdated PDFs—anything that could teach him. Each discovery fed into a growing web of plans, meticulously mapped out in his notebook.
Lucian(muttering): If I can learn this, I could definitely create something—Cool!
***
But there were some things he realised, the things he collected on the Internet, most of which were not for his level.
Lucian(whispered): There's a library two blocks away—maybe they'll have something. And there's that bookstore too... I might be able to buy a few.
Lucian stood, and he ventured off...
Lucian(screams): Mom I am going out... To the Library.
Door slams.
Lucian walked, feeling that rush again—after months, he'd finally found something. At first, it was just a normal walk, but it didn't stay that way. He picked up the pace. Then faster. And then, without meaning to, he was running.
Lucian stepped into the library, breathing heavily. Inside it was quiet, cooled by old ceiling fans and that faint smell of paper and plastic covers. Behind the main desk sat a middle-aged woman in her forties. Her hair was tied into a neat bun, and she wore a pale green cardigan over a faded floral kurta, the kind of outfit that said she'd worked here long enough to memorize where every book lived.
Lucian calmed himself as he stepped forward.
Lucian: Do you have any books related to Linux?
The woman looked confused, though she calmly looked at the Computer.
Librarian: We do have some. It's on the 2nd floor, aisle 2, on the top shelf.
Lucian nodded as he immediately went upstairs. There were many people still he made his way past, reaching the shelf.
Lucian: This is the one—topshelf, those ones! Fck... I can't reach it.
Looking around and finding a stool, Lucian finally takes a look.
Lucian(whispering): Huh? These are different. Running Linux by Matt Welsh.
To be continued~