The dormitory lights flickered off one by one as the night stretched deeper into silence. Ethan sat alone at his desk, his journal closed, the soft hum of rain against the windows marking the hour. Ryan's first mission had gone as planned. Derek's humiliation was delicious to watch, but it was only the opening move on a much larger board.
Ethan tapped a pen against the desk, his eyes narrowed in thought. Ryan had shown obedience, yes, but obedience born of fear. Fear alone was brittle; it could snap under pressure. What he needed was loyalty born from dependence — a puppet who believed that without Ethan, they were nothing.
He opened the Celestial Inventory again, the infinite void blooming before his mind's eye. Endless universes, endless relics, weapons, and tools whispered at his fingertips. Swords that had slain gods, tomes of forbidden knowledge, relics of forgotten empires — all within reach. And yet, tonight, he reached not for a weapon of destruction but for something subtler: a tiny surveillance orb, no larger than a marble, crafted in a distant reality where privacy had been obliterated by technology.
He rolled it between his fingers, feeling its faint hum. Perfect for what came next.
The next morning, campus life returned to its usual chaos. Derek walked the halls with forced bravado, his sycophants whispering about his disaster of a presentation. The mighty golden boy had stumbled. And stumbles drew vultures.
Ethan observed from the cafeteria, his tray untouched. He noticed who sneered at Derek, who stayed close, who drifted away. Patterns. Threads in the web.
Ryan arrived late, dropping his bag onto the seat across from Ethan with shaky hands. "It worked," he muttered, voice low. "Derek's pissed. People are laughing behind his back."
Ethan studied him. "And how do you feel?"
Ryan blinked. "What do you mean?"
"You played your first card," Ethan said calmly. "You humiliated someone who's held power over you for years. Do you feel stronger? Vindicated? Or do you feel exposed?"
Ryan looked down, fiddling with the edge of his tray. "…Both."
"Good," Ethan replied, leaning back. "That means you're not a complete fool. Power is a double-edged blade. Wield it poorly, and you cut yourself before your enemy bleeds."
Ryan swallowed hard, nodding.
Ethan let silence linger, then slid the marble-sized orb across the table, keeping it hidden under his palm until Ryan's eyes followed the movement. "Your next task is simple. Slip this into Professor Wallace's office. Somewhere discreet. Behind a book, under the desk, anywhere it won't be seen. It will do the rest."
Ryan hesitated. "What… what does it do?"
"It watches," Ethan said flatly. "And listens. Knowledge is power, Ryan. Derek can't be destroyed through humiliation alone — I need leverage. Secrets. Weaknesses."
Ryan stared at the orb like it might burn him. "If I get caught—"
"You won't," Ethan interrupted, voice sharp. "I don't waste tools that break easily. Do you want freedom from Derek's leash, or not?"
Ryan clenched his jaw, then slipped the orb into his pocket. "Fine."
Ethan smiled faintly, sipping his coffee. Another thread pulled.
Later that afternoon, Ethan crossed the quad, his hood pulled low against the drizzle. His sharp eyes caught fragments of conversation as students passed by. Derek arguing with his cronies, professors whispering about budget cuts, a girl muttering about a missing textbook. Information. All of it potential fuel.
But then his gaze locked on something — or rather, someone.
A girl, standing at the library entrance, eyes narrowed directly at him. She wasn't staring with curiosity or boredom. No, her gaze was sharp, dissecting, calculating. The same way he looked at others.
Interesting.
She turned away when he met her gaze, walking into the library as if nothing had happened. But Ethan filed her face in memory: sharp cheekbones, chestnut hair tied neatly, glasses perched on her nose. She didn't belong to Derek's circle, nor Ryan's orbit. An independent player, then. Possibly dangerous.
His lips curved faintly. Every web attracts spiders of its own.
That night, Ethan sat by the window of his dorm, rain streaking the glass. Hours ticked by before Ryan finally returned, looking pale but triumphant.
"It's done," Ryan whispered, closing the door behind him. "I put it behind a stack of old journals in Wallace's office. Nobody saw me."
Ethan nodded once. "Good. From now on, Wallace's secrets belong to us."
Ryan's shoulders sagged in relief. "So… what now?"
"Now?" Ethan's smile was cold. "Now we wait. And while we wait, we prepare."
He opened his journal, writing with precise strokes:
Experiment Log – Phase Six:
Subject R successfully infiltrated target location. Obedience increasing; hesitation reduced.
Wallace surveillance active. Awaiting valuable intel.
New anomaly identified: female student, unknown allegiance, demonstrated awareness. Requires observation.
Conclusion: Web expanding. New threads detected.
Ethan closed the journal, the rain outside a steady rhythm to his thoughts.
The board was growing. Pieces were shifting. Derek was faltering. Ryan was binding himself tighter to the leash. Wallace would soon be exposed.
And someone — that girl — had noticed him.
For the first time in a long while, Ethan felt the faint thrill of challenge.
"Let's see who moves first," he murmured into the dark.