After class, Willow returned to the dorm and dug into her bag of gadgets, pulling out a small wristwatch with a grin stretching across her face.
She grabbed her laptop and settled in, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she hacked into the Ascendants' building security. One by one, the cameras froze in an endless loop.
She should've done this yesterday, but Ezrik had pushed her buttons so badly she couldn't resist stealing the cryo cell first.
Now, using the location from the schedule message Navian had sent her last night, she pinpointed his room.
"Perfect," she murmured, cracking her fingers.
She pulled a sleek pair of glasses from her bag and slipped them on. "This won't take long."
As soon as she weakened the door's security protocols, she shut her laptop, and slid it beneath her pillow before leaving the dorm without a second thought.
Willow entered the Ascendants building, making her way through its halls until she arrived in front of Navian's room.
The door's security was just like Ezrik's except for the firewall guarding it. And this one had to be hacked on-site.
She pressed her fingers to the watch, and instantly a holographic screen and keyboard flickered to life above her wrist.
Without hesitation, she began typing, taking apart the firewall's defenses one keystroke at a time.
Suddenly, the door shifted and slid open only for Willow's face to twist in disbelief. There was another door.
"That bastard." she hissed.
This door was pure black metal, adorned with deep-blue glowing wires embedded in its surface.
Her eyes twitched, and she held back the urge to scream. "What the actual hell?"
She moved forward and pressed her fingers against the door. "This is a whole different lock. How did I not detect it?"
Her face darkened. "He's a damned sadist. He never intended to let me use this room. He just dangled it in front of me like I could stroll in anytime."
She stepped back, her hands trembling with frustration. "Unfortunately, he doesn't know what I'm capable of."
As she clicked the small button on the side of her glasses, the world shifted. Lines of security code came to life along the wires. It was like a glowing network of defense, and she had to admit, it was impressive.
"Definitely Syraxis faction tech." she smirked.
But Syraxis or not, they were no match for her. She would take Nex-9 and no one was going to stop her.
Willow's eyes moved back to the holographic screen and keyboard hovering over her wrist, her fingers flying as she dove into the firewall.
But this security was tighter than anything she had ever hacked before. It was smart, adaptive, and shoving her out at every turn.
The door suddenly crackled, sparking violently before wrapping itself in a web of harsh electric currents.
"What is this?" Willow stepped back fast, her lips curling in irritation.
Navian had done an excellent job of killing her earlier excitement, but there was no way she'd give him the satisfaction of winning.
"I'm getting in there." She went in again, deeper this time slipping past the first layer of defense.
But then the deep-blue security lines engraved in the door to flare into a molten, lava-orange glow. The sparks increased, snapping and hissing like a beast warning her to back off.
Willow groaned in frustration and stepped back. This door wasn't just keeping her out. It was actively trying to kill her. Every time she broke through its defences, it upgraded itself.
"I'll have to double the output," she muttered, taking a deep breath.
Her fingers plunged into the holographic monitor hovering over her wrist. The interface rippled, splitting into two screens, each with its own keyboard.
Through her glasses, the lines of code lit up in sharp detail. She scanned them, her brow furrowing.
"Huh? Stage Two?" she murmured. "Four stages before the main attack…"
Her eyes widened as the logic clicked into place. "First stage, electricity. Second stage, lava. Third stage, acid. Fourth—" she stopped, her pupils dilating. "Yeah, I don't even want to know."
She swallowed hard. "I have to break through before it hits acid."
Her fingers flew over the first keyboard, sweat beading at her hairline. She switched to the second, doubling her speed. "Come on, come on, come on!"
A sharp hiss came from the door. Willow froze, watching thin streams of liquid seep from the tiny space that held the wires. It didn't melt the metal. Instead, it released a sharp, acrid smoke that stung her nose.
She laughed nervously. "Why is this so intense? It's an academy, Navian." Then, she exhaled. "On second thought… maybe I'll just make sure I never reach Stage Four."
Willow's fingers flew across the holographic keys, tearing through each firewall faster than the system could adapt. One by one, the barriers fell until they were all completely gone.
"Finally!" Willow tapped the side of her wristwatch. The screens blinked out, the holographic keyboard vanished, and the door shuddered.
"Come on. Please work." Her heart kicked against her ribs.
She took a cautious step back, her eyes locked on the vibrating metal. Any second now, it could actually blow and she didn't want to die like this. Not as a Dreg. Not before proving to the world that Riven Callis had never meant to destroy Earth….
"Please . Please?" She begged softly.
Blue sparks danced along the edges of the door. With a sharp hiss, it slid open. Relief punched the air from her lungs. She swiped sweat from her brow and stepped inside only to freeze.
The door closed up behind her.
Navian Grimm was sitting on a chair facing the entrance, one leg crossed over the other on the study table, his silver eyes gleaming. An unnerving smile tugged at his lips.
"Hello there, pretty thief," he drawled. "That was… impressive."