Diary entry #1 (September 24th, Year 3523)
Author: 北依 琉川 (Peni Araka), SAIR Central Division 2 Intern (Provisional 3 Clearence), Compiled with the assiatnce of Artificial Intelligence Assitant Tesa (泰薩).
Title: My First Entry
It was another typical afternoon, the sun remained high, gently spreading its light onto the sprawling city of Bakju. While the centre of the city was bustling, on the further east end, where the highrises and historical buildings giving away to the lower density newer townhouses, an expansive complex with grey roofed low lying buildings laid in the middle of roofs and greeneries. For those who didn't pay attention, it may look like another military or police complex. But for me, this is the place I would call the second home, or the second school - the one which may not as fancy and glamourous as my actual ones, but everything here is just as expensive as sportcars, oil paints, and premium cutleries gilded in gold.
Instructor, no, Captain Huashin asked me to use this application to leave some memories here for future reference. I, to be honest, wasn't really into it. After all, outside of this complex, I'm still a high school student who just turned Grade 10, or Second Year two weeks ago. To be honest, if Huashin asked Tenka to record that, she would think it's crazy, as if it would be her final words while she's still enjoying her life, haha. But still - the past year in the SAIR could be considered eventful. Everything - shootouts, shrine spells, Ma - no, resonance waves, Sha- no, animals possessed by radiocative anomolies, car chase, lightsaber combat, cults with ambigious origin, mind readings, debates within the federal cabinet - just became the norm of my life here.
At this point, I was not even sure if I were still that Araka, the runner Araka who won State Tournament 1k race, and will compete in the upcoming Grand Chin Youth Meeting, the one who came from a well off household and always wear the shiniest sneakers, the one who is somewhat good at video game. I hope so, at least Azuteka (兆音) and Anikara (安仁) still saw me like that, even this year being Azuteka's final year in high school. Some people though, even out side of the SAIR, started to sense the difference, as I'm more becoming someone known as Sara, Peni Sara. Even though Sara is my official given name on many files, it still feels different - the one that was veiled, the one who had special quirks, the one who knew more than average people - hell, even the records about her age was inconsistent.
Anyway, as for today, I would think of one of thing worth remembering was the experimentation of the integrated combat suit and goggles, along with some fancy stuff like a jetpack and portable laser weapons, which was still in experimental stage. It was rather straightforward - just another layer of skin, like the swimsuits my mom makes, but everything, every movement seemed a bit heavier. Still, I didn't like it, and even Director Ninfo seemed to be as well - after all, who knows where would this to be used. In some way, my name, Sara, just became a certification - of anything that somewhat related to resonance.
--- (Simulated Audio and Memory Image here)
"Nice job, Araka!" Huashin greeted me as I stood straight inside the training chamber A3, the one typically reserved for more intensive testing, "At this point, you've practically mastered the gear faster than those even in the headquarters - that's a new record."
I took off my goggles with steam fogging at the edges. With my vision stablized, I stepped back from the target wall. The beam from the small gun had punched clean through the alloy target without splintering the structure.
It felt… natural now, even without the lightsaber, I thought. Though I was rather disgrunted by the behaviour of the man who run this business.
I wiped my hands on my inner wear - still the SAIR zipped hoodie, and glanced at the readout further away.
"Matake Resonance Pairing: Stable."
One year ago, I wouldn't have understood half of those terms - Matake, field distortion, shard. Before that, I was just a high school girl who was good at running. Saving people? Maybe, but never about fighting off Matake sorcery through mind battles and lightsabers.
"Want to take a break, Araka-cha?" Huashin called out. She had that half-smile - the one she only wore when she's in mood. "We're good for today."
After the training, we made our way to the main canteen of SAIR Central Division 2 Complex. I made a ice coffee the way I typically go - all black, no sugar.
"It's still funny to me," she said, pulling her juice from the fridge, "how you're 16 and already drink coffee like a technician in their thirties."
"I just… I just don't like things too sweet," I replied and took one sip from the straw.
In the distance, I could hear Instructor Anawa's machine doing scanning on shards, or the new trainee under the guidance of Captain Haseku, the head of the Combat and Rescue branch of Division 2.
Then Huashin spoke: "You know, Araka-cha… I still can't believe it. Just one year ago, while during the entrance exam, you didn't even notice you have Matake. Now you're stabilizing fields, charging through spells, syncing gears, and fighting of shard possessed entities. You've changed more than anyone I've ever trained."
I looked down at the table, glancing at the condensation on the rim of my glass.
"I feel different too," I said. "But not just from training."
My eyes drifted to the coaster under my drink, which I always kept one in the pentry. It was a silly one: a printed image of Ms. Possible - the long running cartoon on the OBN channel, known for her bright smile and endless optimism; but nowadays, there was another thing that I always resonate with: her unrealistic superpower - especially the "purification beam", a light beam that was meant to clear every single sign of evil from the world.
Huashin noticed me staring: "Is she still your favorite?"
I nodded.
But in my head, a thought echoed quietly: I'm getting closer now to becoming someone like her: not because I smile all the time, but I'm a carrier of something that matters nowadays more than ever, the ancient power, the puriest form of Matake, the one that turned into blue light whenever I recall the strength of Hekon, the matriarch of all Matake users.
--- (Simulated Audio and Memory Image Ended)
But as I sort through my thoughts, I started to question: while the light I'm carrying shined brighter, I always asked the question: at which point my light became too bright? At which point would Huashin's protection became overwhelmed by the sheer brightness of my power? What if the darkness, the crises, the deeper entities, retaliate even stronger? If I were getting closer to Ms. Possible, how would she do if she needs to keep a closer attention of her words? Did she have to keep certain part of her thoughts in her mind, while pretending to smile as always?
Guess I'm thinking too much again. But, if my home country - the Great Chin Federation (大青聯邦), and even our planet, Esteria, turned upside down and bust into flame with the return of the Mat- sorry, the crises, I know - I'm one of those who can flip everything around, who can restore the brightness even within the encroaching darkness!
>Diary entry #1 Ended
"So here you are," Huashin took a look at Araka, who was still looking at the screen and thinking about what she just put inside.
"I'm sorry, I put too much here," Araka said, "I just don't really think I can speak like a typical high school girl anymore."
"That-that's alright," Huashin said softly while looking at Araka's face one more time - the same natural skin. "I mean, now with all the technologies here and with you being a Matake user, all these processes were more straightforward."
"And how about the memories you asked me to recall earlier," Araka asked, "The one about my entrance exam?"
"It's on the way," Huashin checked her tablet, "Ah, here we are. It's surprisngly shorter, like a 3 hour movie. Surprusingly, it even had all the voices corrected."
"That's still quite long," Araka shrugged.
"I guess we can check it out inside the mini cinema," Huashin said, while pulling two consoles from the draws.
Araka nodded. It was where everything started, she thought, the one with Tenka, Sukeo, Okuri, three of her best friends, as well as the origin of her journey. Maybe that's something worth saving, even if the darkness was creeping back, she told herself.