Willow had always believed she had bad luck. That much was clear. The universe had it out for her. Why else would she be reborn in a world she destroyed? With no abilities, no faction, no parents.
She was a Ranger, a Dreg, and an orphan altogether. Bravo universe!
And her luck had only gotten worse since she arrived at Nexus Academy.
She stared up at Ezrik, who was casually watching her before glancing up at the tree with absolute disinterest, still puffing lazily on his cigarette.
Willow wanted to leave desperately. But running would only make things worse for her.
"Do you like this tree?" Ezrik asked suddenly.
She blinked, caught off guard. Why was he asking about a tree? "Um… I—"
"Have you changed your mind?" he cut her off sharply, his eyes snapping back to her.
Of course. Willow stiffened, then shook her head. "No. I haven't."
Ezrik's eyes darkened. "Hmm. I thought you were being polite for Navian's sake. But now you're rejecting me to my face when he's not even here? Who gave you the right?" His voice was soft, but heavy with threat. "Haven't met any of my enforcers yet, have you?"
Willow's throat tightened. She shook her head. "No."
Ezrik clicked his tongue, then stepped closer, closing the distance between them as he looked down at her, the green in his eyes darkening.
He was so pissed. Willow swallowed.
"I'll teach you your first lesson, Dreg," he said coldly. "Get on your knees."
Willow stared at him in disbelief. She searched his face, hoping that he was joking, but the seriousness in his eyes terrified her. She shook her head, her lips parting. "W..what?"
"You think you're safe because Navian claimed you?" Ezrik hissed, light smoke escaping his lips. "You're still a Dreg. And in Nexus, that means you obey. When someone like me gives a command… you don't think. You kneel. Fucking kneel."
Willow's eyes darted to the side. Her pride screamed at her to resist, to run to say no but her survival instincts told her otherwise. Ezrik was dangerous. Her research wasn't in vain. He would hurt her, and nothing would happen to him. She was just a speck of dirt in his eyes, and he would remove her without a second thought.
Still, her knees locked in place, unwilling to bend. "Navian… wouldn't approve," she whispered.
Ezrik's lips curled into a sharp smirk. "Then call for him. Scream for him. Let's see if your master will come save you."
He reached out, his fingers brushing her jaw. "Go on," he taunted. "Call him."
Willow clenched her teeth. This time, she was pissed and ready to refuse him. "Let go—"
"I said kneel!" Ezrik growled, sinking his fingers into her hair and shoving her down hard. She dropped to her knees with a heavy, shocked breath.
Ezrik withdrew his hand and scoffed at her as she lowered her head, holding back the glare she wanted to give him.
He took in his cigarette again and breathed out heavy smoke. "You are really something. Rejecting me and refusing me." He laughed deeply under his breath. "I see why he chose you."
He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him, and this time, she glared at him with her bright hazel eyes. She was really beautiful, and he couldn't help but smile at her audacity. "You're going to be my ashtray."
Willow's glare transformed into shocked disbelief. "What?"
"Shush." He tossed his small cigarette away and pulled out another from his pocket, lighting it and placing it between his lips with a wild smile.
Willow watched him in horror as he pulled the cigarette from his lips and exhaled smoke. Without saying a word, he squatted in front of her, pushed her hair away from her neck, and clicked his tongue as he pressed his fingers against her skin.
"Hold still and be a good ashtray. You can be a useful Dreg that way."
Willow felt a shiver run down her spine, her face burning red with anger and humiliation. Her whole body stiffened, and she closed her eyes, bracing for impact.
Ezrik didn't care about her fear. He smiled as she tensed, then pressed the hot ash against her skin.
Willow winced in pain, her body jerking, while Ezrik casually returned the cigarette to his lips and exhaled smoke into her face.
"Stay still," he whispered without an ounce of remorse.
Willow didn't open her eyes. Her neck burned with pain, and she refused to burst into tears in front of him. It would only feed his ego. So she kept her eyes tightly shut.
Ezrik continued smoking, dotting her neck with the ash from his cigarette. His smile grew with every wince and twitch of her body. He was enjoying himself. The red burns forming on her neck fascinated him enough to reach out and touch them, which made her jerk away with a sharp whimper of pain.
He pulled his hand back with a small frown, clearly annoyed. Just as he was about to press another burning ash onto her skin...
"Ezrik!" a voice called from behind him.
It wasn't loud enough to startle him, but it did stop him. He calmly returned the cigarette to his lips.
A boy approached, dressed in casual clothes. His shoulder-length pink hair caught in the wind, and his brown eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Hey. What are you doing here? I've been waiting for you. Training, remember?"
Ezrik rose to his feet with an exaggerated stretch, as if turning a living human into an ashtray was very exhausting. "I forgot, Quinn. Don't bug me."
Quinn's gaze shifted to Willow, who still hadn't opened her eyes. She was crouched low, trembling, her neck raw with dotted burns. He frowned, licking at the silver piercing on the side of his lip before shaking his head. "Let's go. It's just two hours," he said, turning away.
Ezrik nodded and looked down at Willow, completely unmoved. "You can leave now, Dreg." And with that, he walked away with Quinn.
The moment they disappeared, Willow's tear-filled eyes snapped open. She gasped in pain, sitting on the ground weakly. She didn't dare touch her neck. It throbbed so badly she couldn't think straight.
"That bastard," she whispered hoarsely, holding back the tears that threatened to spill. Pressing her hand against the tree's bark, she pushed herself up.
She clutched her bag tightly to her chest, checking to make sure her laptop hadn't been damaged though she wouldn't know for sure until she opened it.
Shaking with rage and pain, Willow gritted her teeth. "This... this is it. I refuse to let this happen again. I came here to get stronger, not to be humiliated by self-absorbed mutants who've had everything handed to them on golden plates!"
She stormed off, not toward her dorm but toward the Ascendants' building.
"If this is the universe's punishing me for destroying Earth," she hissed, her voice raw with anger, "I reject this punishment!"