4. The All-Nightier

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 18:12:27 +0000

The evening deepened over the academic block as the flurry of daytime activity began to drain away. Outside the frosted glass panels of Systems Lab 332, the long, polished corridors of the Computer Science department grew quiet, filled only with the low hum of central air conditioning and the rhythmic clicks of a cooling server rack. Most research scholars and faculty had already packed their bags, but in the far corner of the lab, bathed in the sharp blue glare of a workstation monitor, Akshita sat entirely rooted to her chair.