Willow stared at Ezrik, her eyes wide with shock. He was dead serious about getting the video footage which meant she was doomed.
Why didn't I rush to erase the footage? I could've just mixed the cryo cells later. She scolded herself, her heart racing with panic.
Ezrik released her wrist, his lips pressed into a thin line. "You're such an annoying dreg."
"I have a name." Willow rubbed the sore spot, glaring at him as she put on a tough front to hide the dread curling in her gut.
She wondered if there was any way to stall him or better yet, a way to distract him entirely from getting the footage.
She was still thinking when a small knock sounded at the door. It creaked open to reveal a first year student who waved at her.
"Hi, are you Willow? Navian Grimm asked me to get you. You're his Fodder, right?"
Willow had never felt so relieved in her life.
She nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, I'm his Fodder. I'm coming with you right away." She hurried past Ezrik only for him to grab her necktie and yank her back.
"Not so fast, Dreg." His smirk shattered the relief and excitement she was feeling, wiping the smile right off her face. Then he looked at the student. "Tell Navian she's occupied. If he needs her, he can meet us in the surveillance office."
The girl nodded hesitantly, giving Willow a worried glance before leaving.
"Now—" Ezrik released Willow's necktie and turned away, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Let's go, Dreg."
Willow stared at his back, fighting the urge to scream. Taking a deep breath, she dragged her feet behind him until they reached the surveillance building which was a whole structure on the other side of campus.
Inside, they approached the guard watching the massive wall of monitors. Ezrik spoke sharply. "This Dreg infiltrated my room. I want to check the footage."
The guard glanced at Willow with wide eyes, as if asking, Are you insane? Then he smiled at Ezrik and stepped aside, letting him take control of the monitors.
Ezrik tapped the screen, entered some kind of code, and set the date. Willow's eyes narrowed. So Ascendants had their own private access to monitor their rooms?
Dregs, on the other hand, didn't even have cameras in their dorms. No one cared what happened to them.
The footage of Ezrik's room began to play, but after five minutes there was no sign of Willow.
Ezrik's glare snapped to the guard. "What is going on? Where's the footage of this thief entering my room?"
The guard quickly cut off the feed. "Let me check that myself, sir."
But even as he searched, the result was the same. There was no trace of Willow in Ezrik's room. Only footage of Ezrik returning with his phone in hand, looking worried, then storming out.
Willow blinked. There's really no footage of me? But she hadn't erased anything yet.
Her mind went to the curly blonde Ascendant. She stiffened. Could it be him? Could he have wiped the footage? He's the only one who knows I took the cryo cell… What's in it for him? Does he need it too?
Her fingers trembled. She didn't even know who he was. He wasn't in her database like Ezrik or Navian.
If he needed Nex-9, then what was the point of me coming to Nexus Academy, getting registered, putting myself on Ezrik's radar… only for someone to take it from me and disintegrate the box?
But why would an Ascendant want Nex-9? He was clearly powerful. He was able to make something vanish with a touch.
"Maybe I can get him to give me a portion," she muttered under her breath.
"Are you serious right now?" Ezrik growled, pulling out his phone and waving it in the guard's face. "Something happened here. I got a signal my suitcase was no longer in my room, and I followed it to her room. How is it that you can see me going to her room but nothing from before?"
The guard looked uneasy. "Mr. Veyne, I wasn't the one on duty. I just got here a few minutes ago. But… I am picking up traces. I can't be sure, but it might have been tampered with. We can't say for certain."
"Fuck your excuses," Ezrik snapped. "Send all the video footage from today to my faction."
Willow's heart skipped when his glare finally landed on her. Even with his frown darkening his expression, his face was still untouchably handsome. Bastard.
"And you—" Ezrik grabbed her necktie, yanking her forward so hard she dipped her head, coughing. The sound brought him no amusement.
"Look. At. Me." His deep, layered voice was a quiet, dangerous drawl.
She obeyed, meeting his dark eyes as his grip tightened. "I've hurt you before, Dreg, but those small burns on your neck are nothing compared to what I'll do when I find out you're lying to me."
He released her, and she stumbled back, rubbing her sore neck. Why is he so obsessed with my neck?
Ezrik eyed her like she was dirt and walked past. "Enjoy your last days of freedom, Dreg, because when I get the original footage, not even the head of the Syraxis faction will keep me from ending your life."
Willow didn't flinch. After all, she'd already been killed once. But she kept that to herself, offering him a polite smile and a small bow. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Veyne. I'm certain when you see the video, you'll realize I'm completely innocent."
Ezrik narrowed his eyes but said nothing, striding out of the room. Willow let out a long, heavy breath. His presence and threats were so suffocating.
"Hey," the surveillance guard called. She turned as he held out a small tube.
She stared, surprised, and he gave her a small smile. "Take it. Apply it to the burns on your neck. They should be gone by morning."
Her heart warmed slightly. She accepted it with a faint smile. "Thank you."
The guard nodded. "I don't know what you're up to, but stealing from Ezrik Veyne is a bad idea. There's a reason he's one of the most feared Ascendants at Nexus Academy."
"I know," Willow whispered, opening the ointment and rubbing it onto her neck. "But I'm ready to risk it all." Then she walked out.
By the time she'd finished applying the ointment and shoved it into her pocket, darkness had settled over campus, though the distant voices of students still carried through the night air.
"I need to find that guy," she muttered, heading toward the Ascendants' building only to stop.
Navian. The girl he'd sent to fetch her... "Does he know I went back to my room and sent someone to watch me?"
She immediately changed her direction, making her way to the third-year training building. Students lingered around, some staring openly shocked to see a first year Dreg in their space.
Inside, she headed for the gym. Just as she reached the door, someone grabbed her arm.
"Hey! What's a Dreg doing here?" The man's wristband marked him as an enforcer. His look made her skin crawl.
She jerked her arm free. "I'm looking for Navian Grimm."
The enforcer's eyes widened. "Why would a Dreg be looking for Navian Grimm?"
Willow ignored him. The moment she entered the gym, her eyes swept over the training students but it was impossible to miss Navian.
Wearing a black tank top stretched over his frame and loose black sweatpants, his pale skin gleamed with sweat. Intricate symbols like runes covered his arms. He was doing a flawless handstand push-up, his muscles straining and flexing with each movement.
Willow swallowed. He was distractingly attractive, and for a moment, she hesitated. But the stares of nearby students pushed her forward.
Just as she reached him, Navian lowered himself from the handstand, towering over her.
With a small smile and a flushed face, she said, "You called for me."