Same as Always

Three days earlier — February 11, 2274:

I didn't know where I was.
I couldn't tell if I was dreaming either.

I only heard a man say the following:

"What would you wish for? To always know what to do? Or to know how much you can do?"

I had no idea how to respond, but before I could say anything...

A familiar-looking figure appeared before the man: messy hair, tired eyes, exhaustion written all over him.

And he answered the questions in a calm voice:

"It sounds tempting... but it's a trap. Because if I always knew what to do, I would never try anything new. And if I knew how much I could do, I would never go beyond my own limits."

The man laughed out loud after hearing that and began approaching the other man in a challenging, almost threatening manner.

"It seems you've chosen the path of uncertainty. We'll see if you're willing to walk it." the man said with a knowing smile.

Looking more closely, I realized that this other man, the familiar-looking one...was me! But I couldn't understand the expression on his face, or was it my face!?

His gaze confronted me, as if he didn't recognize me, even though he was me.

I don't fully understand the reason, or the meaning at all, but since I chose that path...

I could no longer feel my feet.

And that's the only thing I know.

"Harper! Come this way, please!"

A woman's voice suddenly burst into his head.

Wait... that's another voice... is someone calling me?

Seth's eyes snapped open.

A wave of lethargy floods him, leaving his body numb and stiff. He stirs awake and slowly begins to scan his surroundings.

Tick, tock, tick...

The hands of a clock echo throughout the entire room, a consultation room where only a few people sit, scattered across cold and apathetic seats.

"Harper!" A shout is heard again from the reception desk.

Uh, I fell asleep... how long was it? That dream was… strange.

Seth gets up from his seat, still dazed from waiting, and starts to walk across the room toward the reception desk.

"Yes... uh, excuse me."

In front of him is a receptionist, a woman who looks quite used to her job, but at the same time, completely tired of it.

Well, here goes nothing...

"We checked your application," says the woman, leafing through a couple of pages without looking at him.

"You don't meet the combat requirements... but, apparently, your grades allow you to join a basic reconnaissance mission."

"I see... thank you. Even so... Is there still a chance I could join a brigade or something?" He lowers his head.

"In your case... it depends on your performance on the mission. If your teammates report positively on you, you could join one of this year's brigades."

"Um...I understand."

"Any other questions?" she asked dismissively, typical of reception protocol.

"Mmm, no, that's fine."

"Good," she says with a clearly forced smile. "Let's finish the registration."

February 11, 2274 -Rem Force Academy 04, Tantra Sector:

Mission Registration Form

The receptionist opened the registration form on her monitor and wrote, going over each point aloud:

"Let's start with the basics."

●Name: "Seth Harper."

"Is that spelled right?"

"Yes."

●Rank: "D."

"Hmm... your rank is below average..." She pauses for a moment. "Even for a basic mission, it is recommended to be C-rank, at least. Do you still want to continue?" she asks, turning her head toward Seth.

"Well, you have to start somewhere, right...?" he replies uncertainly.

If I kept waiting until I met all the requirements… I would never even be here. I have to push through all of this.

"Sure... then let's continue."

●Rem Body Amplification: Adequate.
●Rem Imbuement: Inadequate.
●Rem Manipulation: Inadequate.

Seth sighed heavily upon hearing this. The receptionist paused briefly and continued typing.

●Equipment to request: Auxiliary tools.

"Is that okay? Or do you have something to request?"

"No, that's fine..."

●City sector: Hibüra-Tantra- FLOOR 45.

"Alright, that should be everything."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Well," she says, sliding the details on a printed sheet toward him. "The mission is in three days, and you will be temporarily assigned to the highest-ranking team brigade, so your role will be to provide support."

Support… at least it's better than nothing…

"We will send you an email telling you which stand in your sector you should go to collect your auxiliary tools, and the day before, you'll have to come back here between 10 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon to confirm your participation and receive your mission briefing."

"Okay, I'll be back the day after tomorrow then." Seth nods, puts the sheet away, and stands up with a blank look on his face.

That's it, I'm officially registered on a real mission.

He makes his way through the consultation room toward the exit, but stops for a moment, his gaze suddenly fixed on the clock:

13:34

My first mission at the Rem academy, and my last chance to prove that I'm not just a waste. These three years won't be for nothing… or at least I'll try.

Hypnotized in the middle of the room, he feels that those clock hands are conveying something to him, perhaps a sense of urgency, as if time were running against him.

"Um, excuse me, I'm coming through," says a young girl, heading toward the reception desk.

Seth reacts, snapping out of his trance.

"Oh... sorry, go ahead."

Seth walks toward the exit through the academy hallways, his eyes involuntarily drift to the window, where he watches the students training their combat skills:

Same as always, huh? I missed another training session, but at least this time it wasn't due to incapacity.

He takes out his phone and creates a reminder in the calendar:

"02/14/2274—Recon mission."

"Seems like any other day..." he murmurs to himself while the screen reflects his blank face.

Around him, young people laugh, train, and chat carefree, as if they naturally belong to this place.
Even here, at the same age and in the same place, he feels like a stranger to everything and everyone.

Seth keeps walking until he leaves the academy.

FWOOSHH.

He carelessly unwraps his headphones, then swipes his phone screen, presses it, and the music starts playing.

At the academy exit, he comes across a mural that reads:

Rem Force Academy 04, Tantra Sector: Strength, Unity, and Hope.

He barely gives it a fleeting glance before moving on.

Outside the academy, the city hit him all at once:

A cascade of intricate buildings, flashy signs, and extravagant billboards, while vehicles flowed through the streets like water through channels. Unlike the stifling consultation room, the city pulse felt alive beneath his feet.

"Hibüra... the tailor-made city, or so they say."

Yet, in the same glance, he saw the other side: drivers knotted in frustration, office workers with faces soured by routine, and beggars hollowed of hope.

At street level, some of the oldest buildings still bore carved characters in a language no one bothered to read anymore.

"A perfect fit... but only for those at the top."

He takes his phone from his pocket. Squinting against the sun's glare, he reads the screen:

13:51

"Time to go. I only hope getting involved in this was a good idea…" he slips the phone back into his pocket.

"In three days, we'll see if I can change anything. After all these meaningless years."

Seth takes a few more steps... The dark screen's reflection shows his own face back to him: tired, expressionless, utterly ordinary.

The city follows its course, a day like any other.

But then, a sudden, sharp heat flares across the soles of his feet.

He freezes.

"Hm...?"

His eyes dart to the pavement. There's nothing there.
He shakes his head, dismissing it as fatigue or a trick of the nerves.

Never mind...

He walks on, and the camera holds back, watching him dissolve into the flow of the crowd.

Each of his steps falls with a steady, almost metronomic rhythm, and those steps resonate in his mind.

The three-day countdown had begun.

"There's no time to doubt, I really have to change something, no matter what," he says to himself, just a fragile spark of faith he clutched tight.