Loud murmurs of complaints, disappointment, and excitement filled the hall. The professor frowned.
"Silence!"
The room went quiet at once, and his smile returned.
"In the whole of the first year, we have five Ascendants. You five are free to choose your own groups. I'm sure whichever groups you choose will be lucky."
Willow scoffed openly. The professor's sharp eyes immediately locked with hers, and her confidence vanished. She forced a nervous smile and gave a quick, apologetic bow.
Other students noticed, and Korra kicked the back of Willow's chair again. Willow ignored her completely, which only seemed to make Korra angry.
"Everyone, mingle with your group members. We'll officially begin soon." With that, the professor walked out of the class.
The hall became a flurry of chatter as students formed groups of seven. Ascendants moved carefully among them, selecting the groups that caught their interest.
Feeling holes burn into her skin, Willow finally turned. Sage was still staring. The moment their eyes met, Sage flinched, looked away, and stood up so abruptly her chair scraped the floor. Without a word, she walked off.
Willow blinked, caught off guard. "Is there something on my face?" she muttered under her breath, lifting a hand to rub her cheeks.
Nothing...
Her lips pressed into a thin line. Sage seemed to have taken a sudden interest in her. Willow was she must have done something... but what?
With a sigh, she shoved the thought aside. She didn't have time to dwell on it. Pushing herself to her feet, she scanned the crowd for her assigned group members.
Willow drifted through the crowd, searching faces. Eventually, she spotted Ashar with his arm draped over Payton's shoulder. Ashar was laughing haughtily, while Payton looked tense and uncomfortable. Three other boys and a girl stood with them.
When Willow approached, Ashar's grin widened. "Hey! It's the dreg!" He released Payton and moved closer. Willow tightened her grip on her bag.
"It's great to see you too, Ashar," she said dryly.
He snorted. "You've been popular lately." His gaze swept over her with curiosity. "Are you really Navian Grimm Fodder?"
Willow still didn't understand why it mattered so much.
"I'm not sure we were grouped together to talk about that," she replied calmly.
Ashar winked and slung his arm back around Payton's shoulder.
"Nice to see you again," Payton said shyly, waving. He still looked uneasy with Ashar hovering beside him, though Willow suspected that was just his nature.
She waved back, then noticed the others staring at her like she was some sort of alien.
"You said it at orientation, dreg," sneered Jett Frost, the second enforcer.
Willow only stared back. "I don't know what to say to that."
The black-haired girl, Ivy Knight, shifted uncomfortably and placed a hand on her hip. "Let's focus on what we are here for and hope an Ascendant joins."
Willow followed Ivy's gaze and saw Indigo approaching, a bright smile lighting her face.
Dressed in all white, with her curly black hair gathered into a messy bun and loose strands framing her face, Indigo radiated energy.
"Willow!" she called, rushing forward and hugging her tightly without warning.
Willow froze. Everyone else was stunned except Ashar and Payton, who looked neutral.
"Can I join your group? I'm sure the mission will be fun with you in it!" Indigo pulled back just long enough to grip Willow's shoulders and beam into her eyes.
Willow blinked, dumbfounded, but Indigo only laughed and hugged her again.
She couldn't help but wonder who Indigo really was. An Ascendant, and likely the same age as her… what were her abilities? What kind of mutant was she?
"I can join, right?" she asked eagerly.
"You don't have to ask. You just have to choose." Willow gave a nervous laugh. She couldn't understand why Indigo acted like they were old friends, completely oblivious to the awkwardness.
"Oh." Indigo laughed, then turned to the others and waved. "Hello! I'm Indigo Scathe. I hope we all get a passing grade."
They waved back in stunned silence, everyone except Ashar, who was laughing again. Indigo didn't seem to care about hierarchy at all. Instead, she clung to Willow's arm happily.
Once the groupings were confirmed, the students went their separate ways.
Willow felt exhausted. She hadn't slept, and her body ached for rest. Every sound, every scent, every detail of the world around her felt painfully sharp, overwhelming her senses. She just wanted to lie down, so she decided to skip the rest of her classes for the day.
As soon as she stepped into the hallway, heading out of the academic building, a harsh voice called out.
"Hey, Dreg!"
Willow froze. Slowly, she turned to see three third-year enforcers blocking her path. Two boys and a girl, their smug, dark expressions revealing hostility.
Clutching her bag, she instinctively stepped back. "I… um…"
"Shut up." One of the boys lunged forward and grabbed her arm, his grip cruel. With a sharp tug, he dragged her back into the building.
Willow gasped and struggled, her voice breaking. "Let go! Please, you're hurting me."
Their laughter echoed in the corridor, making her stomach twist with fear.
A first-year Dreg being hauled away by third-year enforcers could only mean trouble. She racked her brain for a reason. She was wearing her uniform properly, she hadn't spoken out of turn. So why—
"Hey! What's going on here?"
Relief washed over her at the sound of a familiar voice.
The enforcers halted, turning to see Indigo standing there. Her Indigo eyes burned as she narrowed them on the group.
The boy holding Willow snorted. "I know you're an Ascendant, but you don't have the authority to defy a third-year enforcer."
"I'm not commanding you." Indigo scoffed, striding forward until she reached them. She took hold of Willow's other arm protectively. "I'm just asking why are you trying to take her?"
Warmth bloomed in Willow's chest. Indigo was standing up for her… but that could be dangerous if these enforcers were acting under the orders of a higher-ranking Ascendant.
She didn't want Indigo to get into trouble. Not when she was planning to leave Nexus anyway.
The girl enforcer shoved her hand onto Willow's arm and glared at Indigo. "That's none of your business."
Indigo's lips parted, her frown deepening, but before she could speak, Willow quickly cut in.
"It's fine, Indigo. Don't worry."
Indigo's eyes widened slightly. She knew Willow was lying. But after a pause, she forced a small smile and slowly released her arm. "...Okay. I hope you're right."
With that, she reluctantly turned away, leaving Willow behind.
The enforcers wasted no time, dragging Willow into an empty classroom.
The guy hurled Willow to the floor, the impact stealing her breath. Before she could even recover from the thud and friction against her skin, the female enforcer crouched and landed a harsh slap across her cheek.
"Get up!" she snarled, fisting Willow's hair and yanking her to her feet.
Willow cried out in pain, which only seemed to amuse the girl. She laughed cruelly and tugged Willow's head back harder.
"Shut up!" Another enforcer stepped forward and he slapped her across the face, layering fresh pain on top of the first.
"What were you thinking, dreg?" the second guy spat as he kicked Willow's legs out from under her. She crashed to the ground again, but the girl refused to release her hair, dragging a raw scream from Willow's throat.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" the female enforcer sneered, finally shoving her away. She stepped back, grinning, as the others descended on Willow with a storm of kicks and punches.
Her body jolted with every blow. The pain became so consuming that even her screams broke off. Her voice gave way to silence, her ears ringing with nothing but her heartbeat and strangely, theirs.
"You're just a weak dreg."
"Do you think you're special?"
"How dare you?"
Their words were as hard as their fists.
And in the chaos, one thought spread through Willow's mind. Is this what I turned Earth into… or has Earth always been like this?