Chapter 11
"Okay… we're just about done… and… alright, all set, Bumi."
"Thanks, Doc!" Bumi replied, rotating his arm and wrist to make sure everything was working properly.
"Now scram! I don't want to see you injured again." The doctor gave Bumi a light slap on the back, sending him on his way.
A month since enlisting, and ever since the Synarc obstacle course training began, Bumi had become a frequent visitor to the medical centre.
The obstacles were brutal, but rarely fatal. With Synarc, most injuries could be healed relatively quickly. Unfortunately, healing an injury didn't mean the pain experienced beforehand simply disappeared from memory.
Bumi could still vividly recall the sensation of having his left arm dislocated by a water jet. He shuddered at the thought.
Checking his watch, Bumi realised that his next lecture was about to begin.
"Crap, I'm going to be late!" He hurried towards the lecture theatre.
At the lecture theatre
"Hey! Look who's back!" One of his platoon mates called out as he entered.
"Zero! Nice to see you! It's about time!"
Bumi looked around the room. Most of his platoon mates were already seated. Some waved at him, while others avoided eye contact. A few, however, were glaring at him with obvious irritation. He could hardly blame them.
Bumi made his way towards the back of the theatre, where Yuko was enthusiastically waving for him to sit beside her. She wasn't exactly difficult to spot.
Just as Bumi settled into his seat, Sergeant Liam entered the room.
"Alright, alright, settle down, everyone…"
Liam scratched his head as he walked towards the front of the lecture theatre. Judging by his expression, whatever he was about to announce wasn't particularly pleasant.
"Okay, so I've got some good news and some bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"
"Bad news!" someone shouted.
Liam let out a sigh. "Bad news it is, then…"
"As you all know, we've been progressing through the obstacle course for the past week. Unfortunately, we're falling quite far behind the other platoons." He turned towards the screen behind him.
"Platoon 1 has already reached obstacle twelve. Platoons 2 and 3 are both on obstacle ten…" He paused. "And we're still stuck on obstacle five."
A wave of murmurs spread throughout the theatre.
"It'd be faster if we didn't have to reset the entire course every time someone gets evacuated!" one of the cadets shouted.
"Yeah! Can't we just continue while the casualty gets stretchered away?" another chimed in.
Liam let out another audible sigh. "Look, I understand your frustration, but the moment someone requires evacuation, the entire course has to stop. That's standard safety procedure."
"What's the point of that?"
"Think about it. If someone gets injured, I have to attend to them. Now, imagine another person gets injured while I'm dealing with the first casualty."
Liam folded his arms. "I'd have to split my attention between two people. Worse still, someone could get seriously injured further down the course without anyone noticing."
He looked around the room. "That's why everyone has to stop, withdraw from the course and be accounted for before training can resume. We need to make sure nobody is missing."
The platoon responded with a collective sigh.
Bumi remained silent. He knew exactly why they were frustrated. Every time he got injured badly enough to require medical attention, the entire training session had to be paused. Everyone would be called out of the course, accounted for, and forced to wait until the obstacles had been reset. With only two hours allocated to each training session, every interruption meant valuable time lost.
Unfortunately, Bumi had been responsible for quite a few of those interruptions. Feeling guilty, he lowered his head slightly.
"Anyway," Liam continued, "I also want to remind everyone just how important this obstacle course is, especially for those of you aiming to enter Synarc Officer School. And since we're behind, I'm going to give you all some advice on how to tackle—"
Yuko turned towards Bumi, looking puzzled. "Wait, isn't the test at the end of the first and second years what determines whether we get into SOS?"
"Not exactly," Bumi whispered.
"Huh?"
"The end-of-year assessments determine our platoon's ranking relative to the other platoons. That ranking decides how many SOS places each platoon gets." He leaned slightly closer so he wouldn't disturb the briefing.
"For example, the platoon that finishes first gets four places. Second place gets three, third gets two, and the last platoon only gets one."
"Only one?!"
"Shh!"
Yuko quickly covered her mouth.
Bumi continued. "But every assessment also gives us individual points. The sixth- and eighteenth-month tests carry more weight because they're mainly designed to assess our individual skills, problem-solving and adaptability."
He glanced towards the front, where Sergeant Liam was still speaking. "The end-of-year assessments award individual points, too, but fewer. They're more focused on how well we work as a platoon, particularly our teamwork and leadership."
"So even if our platoon does badly, I could still score well individually?"
"Yeah. But if we finish last, there'll only be one SOS place available. So even if you score well, you might still not make it."
"That's rough…"
"And this obstacle course is part of our first individual assessment."
"So we're being tested on how many obstacles we can clear?"
"That's one part of it. Completing the course earns points, and so does finishing it quickly. But we're also assessed on things like problem-solving and adaptability."
"I see…" Yuko nodded thoughtfully.
"Yuko!" Sergeant Liam's voice echoed through the lecture theatre.
"Huh?!"
"I'm not 'huh'."
"Sorry, Sergeant! Yes, Sergeant!"
"What was the advice I just gave?"
Yuko froze. "Errrr…"
Liam folded his arms, waiting.
"Don't… d-d-die?"
A few cadets began giggling.
"Very good…" Liam replied sarcastically. "Drop. Give me twenty."
Yuko immediately got into position. "Permission to continue, Sergeant!"
"Hold on…" Liam turned towards Bumi. "Bumi. Same question."
"Ummm…" Bumi glanced at Yuko, then back at Liam. He had absolutely no idea. "I'll just drop, Sergeant."
"Excellent. Both of you, forty."
"Permission to continue, Sergeant!" the two loud mouths replied.
"Carry on."
As Bumi began his punishment, he couldn't help noticing the different reactions from his platoon mates. Some were grinning at the spectacle. Others seemed indifferent. A few didn't look particularly amused.
He was well aware of the growing divide within Platoon 4. Those who were naturally gifted at Synarc control generally had an easier time progressing through the course. While Bumi's repeated injuries were certainly annoying, they were still confident in their ability to outperform the other cadets.
For those who were already struggling, however, the situation was different. Every interruption meant less time to practise, fewer opportunities to improve, and a greater risk of falling behind their peers, and with only a limited number of SOS places available, every point mattered.
To the stronger cadets, Bumi was an inconvenience, to the weaker ones, he was becoming a serious problem.
What made matters worse was that Bumi technically had the option to sit out. Nobody was forcing him to participate in the obstacle course. He could simply withdraw from training and allow the rest of his platoon to continue without interruption.
However, doing so would mean forfeiting the individual points awarded for completing the obstacles, and without those points, his chances of entering Officer School would become even slimmer.
For Bumi, that wasn't an option. He needed to become an officer if he wanted the authority to investigate cases, and without that authority, he would have no way of pursuing the truth behind his father's incident.
"Alright, now for the good news!" Liam announced. The platoon looked up.
"Since we're falling behind, I've managed to secure another obstacle course booking for this evening!" The lecture theatre was filled with stunned faces. Liam let out a small chuckle at the complete lack of enthusiasm.
"Well… when I say I've managed to secure another booking, what I actually mean is that Officer Lucian wants Platoon 4 to get some extra practice." He gave an awkward thumbs-up. "So… congratulations! More training!"
A collective groan filled the theatre. The announcement meant that what little free time they had that evening would now be spent on the obstacle course.
Judging by Liam's expression, he wasn't particularly thrilled about it either, after all, extra training for the platoon also meant extra work for him.
The obstacle course itself was designed to test more than just a cadet's ability to control Synarc.
Each of its fifty obstacles presented a different challenge. Some required cadets to manipulate objects using Synarc, while others could be solved through physical strength or creative problem-solving.
There were barriers to deploy, incoming attacks to dodge, and traps that could be deactivated using the appropriate spells.
The difficulty wasn't simply overcoming the obstacles; it was figuring out what they were in the first place.
Since most obstacles were created using Synarc particles, their mechanisms weren't always visible until activated. A cadet could be walking through what appeared to be an empty corridor, only for a spell to activate without warning.
Every new obstacle was effectively a puzzle.
The first encounter could take several minutes, sometimes even longer, as cadets experimented with different ways of clearing it, but once they understood how an obstacle worked, they could complete it much faster during subsequent attempts. That was the purpose of the repeated training sessions.
A water-jet obstacle that initially took several minutes could eventually be cleared in two or three. Some of the more physical challenges could be completed even faster once the cadets understood their mechanisms.
With enough practice, clearing all fifty obstacles within the two-hour limit was entirely achievable.
Unfortunately, Platoon 4 had another problem; whenever a cadet required evacuation, everyone would have to withdraw and wait for the course to reset before starting again.
That meant even the cadets who had already progressed further would have to repeat the earlier obstacles, losing valuable time they could have spent experimenting with new solutions, and with Bumi's frequent injuries, Platoon 4 had spent considerably more time restarting the course than actually progressing through it.
No wonder they were falling behind, and no wonder some of his platoon mates wanted him gone.
Later that evening at the obstacle course facility
Bumi found himself facing a familiar obstacle, obstacle three, the very obstacle that had sent him to the medical centre earlier that day.
Before him stood a long corridor lined with Synarc-powered water jets. Normally, cadets would use Synarc to create a barrier, allowing them to advance against the powerful streams of water.
Crawling beneath the jets was another option, but it was painfully slow. With sufficient control, a cadet could clear the obstacle in just a few minutes. Bumi, however, would have to crawl the entire distance without any protection.
At that rate, it could take him close to an hour. That wasn't an option.
During his previous attempt, Bumi had noticed that the water jets took several seconds to activate. The Synarc crystals would begin humming, followed by the appearance of light-blue spell circles resembling the nodes of a circuit board.
Seeing an opportunity, he had charged forward, hoping to reach the end before the jets activated.
Unfortunately, he had severely underestimated their power. The resulting impact had dislocated his shoulder and wrist, leaving him with an extremely painful trip to the medical centre.
Looking back, it had been a desperate attempt rather than a calculated decision.
This time, Bumi knew better. There was no way he could outrun the jets. He looked around, searching for another solution.
In the neighbouring lanes, his platoon mates were already making progress. Some had moved on to the next obstacle, while others were still advancing behind their barriers.
'Come on, Bumi. Use that big brain of yours.' His eyes wandered towards the neighbouring lane. Something caught his attention. Small pieces of stone lay scattered across the ground, presumably left behind by one of the cadets who had used Synarc to manipulate the terrain.
Bumi looked at the stones, then back at the crystals powering the water jets. An idea began to form.
He waved his hand towards the control tower, where Sergeant Liam was supervising the course.
"Ser-geant! Per-mis-sion to cro-ss la-nes?" Bumi mouthed the words slowly.
Liam looked down at him. 'What is he doing?'
Liam gestured towards Bumi, indicating that he couldn't understand him.
Bumi pointed towards the stones, attempting to communicate through charades.
Liam followed his gaze. "Cross lanes? He wants to cross lanes?"
He gave Bumi a thumbs-up.
Bumi quickly crossed into the neighbouring lane, gathered several pieces of stone, and returned to his starting position.
Up in the control tower, Liam watched him through the monitoring screen. "Huh… Let's see what you're planning."
Back on the course, Bumi waited, his eyes narrowed.
The Synarc crystal began to hum, and a faint blue glow appeared around it as the spell circle slowly formed.
'Now!' Bumi hurled a stone towards the spell circle in front of the crystal.
"Crack!" The stone struck the crystal's spell circle, disrupting the crystal from finishing and casting the spell. The blue light flickered before disappearing entirely.
Bumi's eyes widened. "It worked!"
He immediately rushed forward.
Unfortunately, the system wasn't going to let him off that easily. Behind him, the crystal began flashing again as the spell circle slowly reconstructed itself. The water jet was preparing to fire once more.
'It resets automatically, huh…' Bumi tightened his grip around the remaining stones.
While most cadets relied on barriers to withstand the water jets, it was possible to interrupt the casting process itself.
As long as he continued disrupting the spell circles before they fully activated, he could advance without taking a direct hit. Of course, that was easier said than done. The timing had to be precise, and he had only a limited number of stones.
Still, for the first time since beginning the obstacle course, Bumi had found a solution that didn't require Synarc.
Up in the control tower, Liam watched as Bumi disrupted another spell circle. He glanced at the other lanes. Most of the cadets were still using the same barrier technique they had seen others demonstrate during their first few attempts.
Liam turned back towards Bumi. 'I wonder…'
He made a brief note on his tablet before continuing to monitor the course.
Six minutes later, Bumi finally reached the end.
"Haah… haah…" Bumi rested his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. He looked up at the sign above the next entrance.
OBSTACLE 4
A wide chasm stretched before him, approximately fifteen metres across.
Bumi approached the edge and peered down. "Seriously…?"
He looked towards the other lanes. Several of his platoon mates had already crossed by using Synarc to construct temporary stone bridges.
Bumi glanced at the chasm, then back at the bridges. He couldn't create one himself, but perhaps he didn't need to. He crossed into a neighbouring lane and approached one of the bridges left behind by another cadet.
The structure appeared stable enough.
Bumi cautiously placed one foot onto it. Nothing happened. He shifted his weight forward. Still nothing.
'Alright… it should be fine.' He began crossing.
What Bumi hadn't considered was that the bridge had originally been held together by Synarc. Although the cadet who had created it was no longer maintaining the spell, the bridge remained standing, just barely able to support its own weight.
However, Bumi stepping onto it changed everything. His additional weight placed more stress on the already weakened structure than it could withstand, and unfortunately for Bumi, he was about to find that out the hard way.
A faint crack appeared beneath his foot.
"Huh?"
Another crack followed, then another.
Bumi looked down. "Oh, you've got to be—"
The bridge collapsed. For a brief moment, he felt completely weightless. The ground seemed to rise towards him.
Or rather—he was falling.
"Oh, fu—!"
At Aurora bunk
Aurora sat at her desk, quietly writing in her diary.
It had been another long day at the academy, and she had decided to spend what little free time she had reflecting on her training. Her pen moved steadily across the page.
Then something outside caught her attention.
Through her window, she noticed a group of medical personnel leaving the obstacle course building. They were pushing a stretcher.
Aurora narrowed her eyes. She recognised the person lying on it almost immediately.
"Bumi. Again." She let out a sigh. 'What on earth happened to you?'
It wasn't just his injuries that bothered her. It was how different he had become. There was once a time when Bumi would throw himself into trouble for someone else's sake.
Aurora could still remember one particular incident from their childhood.
Back then, some of the other children had made fun of her for spending so much time playing with boys. It was childish teasing, the sort of thing children did without understanding how hurtful their words could be, and at one point it escalated.
Aurora, after being shoved onto the ground, was silently enduring the bullying.
But, Bumi hadn't. He had stepped directly in front of her, arms spread wide, and told the other children to leave her alone. He wasn't particularly intimidating.
In fact, looking back, Aurora found the memory almost amusing. But he had stood his ground, and from that day onwards, the two of them became inseparable. They played together, studied together, and spent almost every day in each other's company.
Until the incident.
Aurora's pen stopped moving. She stared at the unfinished sentence in her diary.
After losing her parents, she had spent days waiting for Bumi to visit. She knew things would never return to how they had been. How could they? But she had hoped that, at the very least, she wouldn't lose her best friend as well.
Instead, it was Mrs Tiang who came. Aurora's parents had left instructions in their will that, should anything happen to both of them, the Tiang family would become responsible for her care, as the two families had always been close.
Mrs Tiang could have moved into Aurora's home to look after her, but she chose not to. Perhaps it was guilt. Perhaps she believed Aurora wouldn't want to live under the same roof as the family of the man responsible for her parents' deaths.
Whatever the reason, Mrs Tiang continued visiting during the day, helping Aurora with meals, household chores, and anything else she needed.
Aurora appreciated everything she did, but there was still someone she wanted to see.
"Is B-Bumi coming?" she had asked one day.
Mrs Tiang hesitated. "He… hasn't been leaving his room much lately."
Aurora remembered nodding. She hadn't thought much of it at first. After all, Bumi had lost his father too. Perhaps he simply needed time.
But days turned into weeks, and whenever they did happen to cross paths, Bumi would avoid her.
Sometimes he would turn around before she could even greet him. Other times, he would pretend not to notice her.
Eventually, Aurora had enough, so she confronted him. "Bumi, why do you keep running away from me?"
Bumi froze, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Bumi lowered his head. "Aurora… I'm sorry."
Aurora waited.
"I'm sorry that my dad—" He stopped, his hands trembling.
"My dad…" Bumi shook his head. "No. My dad's not that kind of person. He wouldn't do something like that!"
Aurora stared at him. "Bumi…"
"Everyone keeps saying he did it, but he wouldn't! You know him too, don't you?"
"Bumi, please. I don't want to talk about that…"
"Why does everyone keep saying it's his fault?"
"Bumi!"
Bumi fell silent.
Aurora hadn't meant to raise her voice. She lowered her head.
"I just…" Her voice became quieter. "I just wanted to talk to you."
She then looked back up at Bumi, but immediately regretted it.
Aurora remembered the expression on his face when they first learnt that his father had been involved in the Synarc psychosis incident.
The disbelief. The tears. The strange, almost hysterical smile that had appeared as he desperately tried to convince himself that what he was hearing couldn't possibly be true. 'It can't be him. Dad's not like that. It can't be.'
The day itself was a blur. She remembered very little of what happened immediately after learning about her parents. But one thing that was ingrained, burnt into her, was Bumi, his expression, the shock in his eyes, and the shakiness of his voice.
Now, standing before her, he was saying the same things again, wearing the same distressed expression she remembered. The sight brought back memories she had desperately tried to forget.
Aurora took a step backwards before she turned and ran. Even after all these years, hearing Bumi insist that his father was innocent still brought her back to that day.
It had become easier to bear over time, but she wished he would stop. She wished he could simply let go.
Aurora looked out of the window once more. She didn't blame Mr Tiang for what happened to her parents. She knew Stim was responsible, but sometimes, she couldn't help resenting the incident for what it had done to Bumi.
It had taken away the kind boy who used to stand up for her, the boy who would spend hours playing with her without a care in the world.
The boy she had once considered her closest friend was replaced with someone who seemed unable to live for anything other than proving his father's innocence.
Even now, he was getting himself hurt over a man who had been dead for six years.
Aurora sighed. 'What are you even trying to accomplish anymore?'
She knew she couldn't bring back the Bumi she remembered. Their friendship had deteriorated to the point where calling each other acquaintances was probably more accurate.
In fact, after seeing Bumi react that way, she had eventually started avoiding him herself, fearful of being reminded of her past.
And yet… She remembered something Mrs Tiang had told her. 'Please look after Bumi.'
Aurora leaned back in her chair. For a while, she simply stared at the ceiling. Then she closed her diary. "Honestly…"
She stood up. "I need a walk."
On her way back to the dormitory, Aurora stopped by a vending machine. She stood in front of it for a moment, looking through the selection of drinks.
Aurora hesitated. 'Should I? No, I shouldn't.'
She let out a small sigh before making her selection.
A few minutes later, she arrived outside Bumi's dormitory. She looked at the door, and for a moment, she considered knocking, but what would she even say? 'I saw you getting injured again, so here's a drink? No, absolutely not.'
She didn't want him thinking she supported what he was doing, and she certainly didn't want to encourage him to continue. She wanted him out of the academy before he got himself seriously hurt.
Aurora crouched down and placed the can beside the door. "There."
She stood up and checked her surroundings to make sure no one saw her, not wanting people to get the wrong idea.
It wasn't much, and being assigned to different platoons meant she couldn't exactly watch over him all the time. But at least she was doing something to honour her promise to Mrs Tiang. That was all.
"Ah, Aurora!"
Aurora turned around to see one of the girls from Platoon 1 approaching her as she was making her way back to her bunk. "I was hoping we could go over obstacle twelve together. I'm still trying to figure out how to clear it properly."
Aurora glanced briefly towards Bumi's door. Then she turned back. "Alright."
Not long later at Aurora bunk
By the time Aurora returned to her room, Yuko was drying her hair. Coincidentally, the two had been assigned to the same bunk and had gotten to know each other over the past month.
"Aurora!" Yuko greeted her enthusiastically, raising one hand while holding the hairdryer in the other. "How's your day been?"
"Not bad. We managed to reach obstacle twelve today. How about you?"
"Well, I finally figured out how to clear obstacle five, but just as I was about to finish it, there was another safety pause!" Yuko continued speaking over the loud whirring of the hairdryer. "We keep getting stopped because one of our guys keeps getting hurt!"
Aurora nodded. "Must be tough."
"What?"
"I said it must be tough."
"WHAT? YOU HAVE TO SPEAK UP! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
Aurora took a breath. "I SAID, IT MUST BE DIFFICULT FOR—"
"Click." Yuko switched off the hairdryer. "Geez! No need to shout! I can hear you!"
"Ah…" Aurora stared at her, completely dumbfounded.
An awkward silence followed. Then Yuko burst out laughing at Aurora's reaction.
Aurora tried to maintain a straight face, but seeing Yuko's laughter, she couldn't keep it in. Before long, both girls were laughing at the ridiculous exchange.
"Anyway," Yuko continued, setting the hairdryer aside, "yeah, it is tough. But honestly, I feel bad for my platoon mate."
Aurora raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"He can't use Synarc, but he's incredibly hard-working." Yuko picked up her hairbrush. "And he's smart too! Honestly, I don't think people give him enough credit."
Aurora tilted her head. "Hmm? Do you have a crush on him?"
"Nahhhh." Yuko waved the suggestion away. "I've already got my eyes on someone else."
"Oh? Who?"
A mischievous grin spread across Yuko's face. "Ehehehe…"
Aurora immediately regretted asking.
"I'm glad you asked!" Yuko grabbed her phone and practically shoved it towards Aurora. "Behold!"
Aurora looked at the screen. It was a picture of a young man posing for the camera, dressed in an elaborate stage outfit. "Isn't that the pop star?"
"YESSS! IT'S YONGBEK!" Yuko practically squealed.
"Look at him! He's so stunning! And that smile! Ugh, I swear it could kill!" She hugged her phone against her chest. "I still can't believe I missed his concert last year!"
Aurora stared at her roommate. "Yuko…"
"Hmm?"
"You do realise he doesn't know you exist, right?" Aurora was beginning to worry that her roommate had developed a rather severe parasocial attachment.
Yuko blinked. Then she tilted her head. "He was my classmate."
"…Oh." Aurora hesitated. "Um… why do you like him?"
Little did Aurora know that this was one question she would soon regret asking. Once Yuko started talking about YongBek, there was apparently no stopping her.
Meanwhile, at Bumi's bunk
Bumi had finally returned to his dormitory.
After another trip to the medical centre, all he wanted was to lie down and get some rest.
The doctor had not been particularly pleased to see Bumi return with a twisted left ankle and a sprained right ankle.
As he approached his room, however, something caught his attention. A can of energy drink was sitting beside the door.
"Huh?" He picked it up. He looked around the corridor. Nobody was around. 'Did someone leave this here? Perhaps it's Justin?'
He opened the door.
Justin was sitting at his desk, reading a book, minding his own business.
"Yo, Justin!"
Justin glanced over. "What do you want?"
Bumi held up the can. "Is this yours?"
Justin stared at him before looking back at his book. "No. Don't bother me."
"Okay then… thanks for the drink?"
Justin looked at the can, then back at Bumi. "Why would I buy you a drink?"
"Oh." Bumi paused as a moment of silence passed between them.
'He's such a tsundere,' Bumi thought to himself. Unfortunately, he accidentally said it aloud.
"I'm a what?"
"U-uh, nothing…"
Justin turned back towards his desk. "Tch. Don't act like we're buddies."
Even though they had been bunkmates for a while now, the two of them hadn't spoken much.
At most, they had exchanged a few brief questions or clarifications. They were still just acquaintances.
Bumi had hoped the tense atmosphere between them would eventually fade, but that seemed unlikely. After all, Justin was Jake's brother. The very same Jake whom Bumi had defeated during the entrance examination.
Bumi lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He glanced towards the energy drink sitting on his desk. 'I wonder who left that there…'
He shrugged. Whoever it was, he appreciated the gesture.
His thoughts soon drifted back to the obstacle course. He had finally figured out how to clear obstacle three, only to end up back in the medical centre because of obstacle four.
'Well… at least I made some progress.' Bumi let out a sigh.
Tomorrow would be another day of training and another chance to try again.