The library's silence snapped with the sharp flip of pages.
Slanting afternoon light streamed through the tall windows, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. Maria sat at a table at the far end of the hall, surrounded by a fortress of thick, ancient tomes.
The titles before her were far too dense and complex for a first-year: "Security Protocols of Ancient Fortresses" and "Intelligent Identification Circuits."
With deep, intent eyes, Maria traced complex mana flow diagrams.
Sarah, seated in the chair beside her, rested her chin on her hand and gazed listlessly out the window.
"It's been a week..." Sarah whispered.
Her voice barely reached Maria from behind the wall of books.
"Since the night the shadow creature got trapped and we helped him escape, he hasn't shown up. I haven't seen even an unusual shadow."
Maria didn't lift her head from the book. Her finger trembled on a line of text: "Mana Signature Detection based on Core Frequency."
" It makes sense. He's smart. Magical beasts don't forget easily. He realized the dormitory's invisible walls shock him. He's scared."
Sarah sighed and fiddled with the hem of her sleeve.
"Maybe... maybe it's better he doesn't come back. Thank God he's gone. Last time, we nearly had a heart attack getting him out the door. If he returns, it'll be the same trouble all over again."
Maria slammed the book shut. It made a dull thud.
She fixed Sarah with a steady look.
"We can't count on that, Sarah."
Her voice was calm but firm.
"He's out there. It's getting colder. The forest is crawling with hunters. He'll get hungry, he'll get hurt... and he'll remember that our room was the only warm, safe place in the world."
Maria narrowed her eyes, as if plotting a war strategy.
" He'll come back. Instinct will make sure of it. And when he does, the new security system will be a problem again. I have to be ready before then."
***
The scrape of metal, the tap of a hammer, the faint buzz of circuits—the workshop's familiar music.
Maria was sitting behind her usual workbench again. The feel of cool metal tools and the scent of machine oil steadied her. Her suspension was over, but she still felt the heavy gazes of the Master and classmates.
Master Jovan stood at the front of the class, speaking excitedly about the lesson topic:
"Basic Magical Equipment Repair! A vital skill for any battlefield mage. Notice how the mana crystal..."
Maria wasn't listening at all.
Secretly, under the table and behind her toolbox, she was busy with her own personal project.
She had opened an old, scrapped "Student ID Card Circuit" (probably belonging to a graduated student she had found in the warehouse).
Tiny crystal parts and thin gold and silver wires of several small circuits were scattered on the table.
Maria picked up the fine tweezers and, under her magnifying eyepiece, began operating on the ID Card's circuit.
The dormitory security system identifies the mana core wavelength. If I overlap the creature's mana core wavelength with an 'Authorized Device Signature'...
She cut the main wire of the circuit and connected it to a small piece of leather.
I can't hack the whole dormitory system—it's too big.
But I can make a key.
She was extracting the "Identification Signal" and mounting it onto a new miniature circuit. A circuit small enough to be hidden inside a black leather collar.
If the security system thinks the creature is a student, it will open the way for it.
Maria fitted the tiny crystal into the heart of the leather with the precision of a watchmaker.
Just one problem...
I have to copy my own mana frequency into it. This way, the system thinks the creature is 'Me'.
The final result was a simple black leather collar.
Inside it, however, was a key to the Academy's most impenetrable walls.
***
In the eerie silence of the night, the faint hum of the hallway's magic lights echoed.
Maria, in cotton pajamas and soft slippers, tiptoed down the stairs. Her shadow danced on the walls.
In her hand, she tightly gripped her handmade leather collar.
She reached the ground floor landing. The large lobby was plunged in darkness, and decorative statues stared at her like stone guards.
Maria went toward the corner of the lobby. Where she had tampered with the control panel that fateful night.
The metal box of the "Environmental Control Panel" was on the wall. A small red light flickered on it, indicating the system was in "Night Alert" mode. She opened its door.
Time to test.
Maria held her breath. She raised the collar and connected it to the panel circuit.
Beep... Beep... Beep!
The panel's red light started blinking rapidly.
Not recognized. Damn... the frequency isn't precise.
Maria quickly took a delicate tool resembling a watchmaker's screwdriver from her pocket. She opened the back of the collar.
Still kneeling, with a trembling hand, she turned the circuit adjustment screw and simultaneously injected a very small amount of her own mana into the collar.
Sync up... sync up...
A rhythmic, heavy sound was heard from the east corridor.
Clack... clack... clack...
The sound of the patrol guard's boots.
Maria froze.
If she was seen here now, with tools to hack the system, her expulsion was certain.
She closed the device door and quickly threw herself behind a large decorative palm pot, curling up in the shadow. She covered her mouth with her hand.
The guard's magic lantern beam fell on the lobby wall. Passed over the panel. Passed over the pot...
Maria closed her eyes and felt her heartbeat in her throat.
The guard paused. Yawned and continued on his way. The footsteps faded.
Maria exhaled her held breath with a shudder.
I must be faster. I won't get lucky next time.
She lunged toward the panel again.
She made the final adjustments. Placed her fingertip on the collar circuit and sent her mana pulse.
She connected the collar to the panel circuit again.
A moment of pause.
The blinking red light stopped.
And then...
The panel light turned green.
The Academy's complex, multi-layered security system had been deceived. It thought this leather collar was an authorized student (Maria).
A triumphant smile settled on Maria's lips.
It worked.
She put the collar in her pocket and ran quickly and silently toward her room like a ghost in the dark.
Now the key to the castle was in her hands. Only waiting for the "Prince of Darkness" to return.