⁛ Origin Year 134, 12th of GuYu.

P-SCAR rifle check.

Modified Glock 17 check.

PRANA-type AWP check.

A few PP-grenades and a machete.

“You’re going to bring a sniper?”

“It’s my favourite gun.”

“Wow, it’s huge. Won’t it be a burden to carry?”

“Part of training, I guess.”

I’m not bringing a spare magazine for my AWP. My AWP holds ten rounds, the average effective distance is between 500 metres to 800 metres. I doubt I’ll be using it during the hike but I’m bringing it because it looks cool.

Ayumi and Kim HaeLim-ssi’s loadout was much simpler. A pistol and rifle, that’s all.

“All good?”

“How about the boys?”

“Lazy pricks.”

Kim Daiki and Lin ZhenKai were still asleep. The only one currently awake was Liu ChaiWen.

“All good.”

Mr. ChaiWen said, confirming his loadout.

“Kick their butts.”

HaeLi-ssi commanded with an orc’s face.

“Okay.”

He smacked the other two boys awake with his mud-stained boots. I couldn’t help but notice a little squiggle to Ayumi’s forced smile.

¸☆▫.-⌎.- ▫☆\*: .｡ _ ▫.｡.:*

Vines and moss hung off tree canopies, colourful coral plants growing between the thick roots of massive trees. The gurgling of some of the bubble coral accompanied the clicking sounds of snapping shrimp, notifying me of the wilderness we were currently in.

Still, the hike up the mountains wasn’t that hard. There were dirt track roads that made the trail much easier to follow. It also showed that the outpost was equipped with land vehicles available should anything happen. But normally, for an inspection like this, they would do it by airship.

The only reason why they weren’t allowing us the convenience of using the airship was because we were treating this as training.

I heard the spatial tear site was right beside a shallow stream quite deep into the forest.

“You kids have become quiet. What’s wrong?”

Sergeant Pang asked.

“How much longer do we have?”

“It’s boring.”

“EunHa-nim, don’t you feel tired?”

“Not really.”

“No fair.”

We’re not even half-way there yet, and HaeLi-ssi was complaining.

“Isn’t this how it normally goes?”

“Same as marching.”

“You lot should really experience the real thing some day. Only then will you understand just how lucky you are.”

I think the sergeant is the noisy one. The only sounds we should be producing were crunching footsteps. And even that should be kept to a minimum.

“Then how about we play a game?”

Sergeant asked.

“Seriously?”

“If you don’t deduct points for our examination performance.”

“Then how about if I add points?”

“Good!”

“I don’t like the sound of this…”

“Whoever comes up with the most interesting story will earn themselves one point.”

“One point out of a hundred? Seriously…”

“That’s stingy.”

“You guys are the stingy ones.”

Sergeant Pang clicked his tongue.

“At least curb the boredom here.”

“Wait a second, aren’t we out in the open right now right? Then EunHa-nim, can you show us your flying?”

“No.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Because I’ll attract demonica.”

“There are no demonica here. Relax.”

“It’s better safe than sorry.”

“Awh…”

“Ugh. Fine. Fine. When we return, I’ll show it to you guys once.”

“Yes!”

I wish everyone would forget about it.

Heaving a sigh, Ayumi and I exchanged glances once. Her lips seemed to lift a little.

¸☆▫.-⌎.- ▫☆\*: .｡ _ ▫.｡.:*

“Alright, we’re here!”

“This is a river?”

“I don’t see anything though?”

“Look! A giant crab!”

“Be careful… those claws will come aiming at your nuts if you’re not careful.”

“Ew! What the hell are you saying?!”

Everyone seemed excited.

“I’ll take you to the spatial tear tomorrow, it’s not too far from here. For now, let’s assume you need to set up camp and take a break.”

Sergeant Pang said.

“Boo. No fair!”

“How is this unfair? I’m suggesting a break for your sake. Minus marks.”

“Ah?! Stingy!”

“Now then. Cadet Ayumi, I’ll leave the rest to you. If any help is required, you can reach out to me over there. However, I will factor that into your individual performance. So I’d suggest handling things by yourself, and only question the things that are of serious concern. Understood”

“A-Alright!”

Her fake smile is failing. Okay, let’s do a quick check.

“We all brought our basic camp supplies, right?”

“Here is mine.”

“Then we’ll start with setting up a base.”

The sky was ripening into an orange hue.

“It’s getting dark.”

I hinted. I’m afraid that we wouldn’t make it for a meal if we don’t cook now.

“We still need to create a campfire.”

Campfire… in the original curriculum, nothing was said against building a campfire. However, Chief Wang’s explanation still rang clear in my mind.

“Sergeant Pang, I have a question.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I know we’ve been taught to set up a base with a campfire to prepare our meals, however, I was told once by a sergeant that creating a campfire will only attract the attention of demonica. Do we assume this is a demonica free zone as it currently is, or do we actually assume it is an unexplored region?”

Minimal light would be used to blend in with the night. Avoid attracting any unnecessary eyes.

“What do you think?”

Fuck you and your smirk. I need proper answers here.

“Sergeant, I’m not trying to joke. Serious here.”

“We’ve done checks just a week earlier. There were no signs of demonica anywhere. Even recent reports would suggest so.”

“Alright.”

Then I’ll assume that this is a demonica-free zone, judging from how confident the sergeant was with his info.

“Guys, I’ll go find some firewood. You guys set up your tents first.”

“Alright!”

“What? Will you be alright going alone?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Then I’ll help you set up your tent.”

“I don’t think it’s wise to go alone so… I’ll go with you.”

“I don’t mind.”

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I dropped my bags and only brought my Glock with me. I need the extra hands free to scavenge for dry materials. Ayumi and I entered the woods with an expandable bag and rope strap each.

Most coral are calcium-based, so they weren’t suitable for combustion. However, some species of sponge could help, those are flammable like cotton.

Or maybe dry seaweed or kelp. Yeah. I remember seeing those.

“I think we can head straight for that to collect dry seaweed. I know a kelp forest nearby.”

Nightfall was approaching, time was of the essence, we didn’t have time to try our luck finding sticks.

Ayumi stopped just when I was about to enter a shadowy field.

“Did you bring a flashlight…?”

She asked, her voice hesitant.

“No. I didn’t.”

“Uh… maybe we should go back and bring a flashlight?”

“Are you afraid of the dark by chance?”

She was accountable, but also rather timid. This wasn’t the first time she stopped me because of fear.

I held her hand.

“EunHa… sorry.”

“No. It’s not your fault. Let’s go together.”

I’ve been with her for so long, yet I didn’t know anything about her past.

It was because of her brother that I’m alive today.

It wasn’t right to assume anything. It wasn’t right to find fault with someone I should be thanking.

We reached the kelp forest quickly. The thick canopy made the place dark as if night had already fallen.

With my ears scanning, I held my eyes shut for a full minute, allowing them to get accustomed to the dark. The grounds became scarcely visible after that.

“Ms. Ayumi, we’ll be picking up the dry seaweed now.”

“O-Okay.”

She was afraid. She had always been afraid. Yet she chose to work in this field.

As I wrapped the dry kelp into a bundle, I glanced over in her direction.

She was entranced by the small puddle of glowing coral. The small plankton, usually invisible to the naked eye, began to glow as they fed on the microparticles being released by the coral.

Seeing the sight, I came to the thought that sincerely… Ayumi really wasn’t suited for the bloody nature of war.

“Ayumi, can I ask… why exactly did you join the military?”

“…”

She was silent. But after a bit, she spoke. Her response was… somewhat as I expected.

“It’s not like I wanted to.”

She was forced into the field. Being the only child left in her family.

“My brother promised me that he would support my dreams. I was… actually going to leave the military.”

Born into an authoritarian family that idealised military achievements, Ayumi wasn’t interested in fighting.

She was interested in design. She liked beautiful things. She admired gadgets like guns, the way the pieces function, the way things are put together.

She wanted to support the world with her ideas. Still part of the military, but from the back lines.

Inventions and ideas that would save the lives of those that risk their own in the battlefield.

Her dreams were noble but far out. Like the galaxies and stars in the unreachable skies. She could never attain it. She could never attain it because she lost her only hope.

Her brother… died because of me.

“I know I don’t belong here. I know I’m incompetent, unhelpful… but what can I do? I can’t do anything. I have no other options.”

I don’t know how to put into words this feeling tearing away my heart. But one thing was for certain: fate plays tricks with people.

“Thanks for telling me.”

“I should be thanking you for listening to me.”

“Ayumi. I promise.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, I promise.”

After this mission, I will do everything in my power to help you achieve your dreams.

My father should know of people that are part of the weapon processing industry. If not him then the Saint.

The world is in need of creative minds like…

Chills.

My head snapped in the direction of the dark. Further… somewhere further, just beyond the visible boundary… something.

It was the same sensation I felt back during the reconnaissance mission. I touched the handle of my Glock.

“…Ayumi. We shouldn’t stay here too long.”

“Ah, yeah!”

“And lower your voice.”

“…”

She shuddered, probably catching on to my hint. I held her shivering hand.

With rolls of dry kelp on our shoulders, we fled. I kept glancing back, kept questioning, kept wondering.

We came out of the kelp forest and entered the sparse coral-woodlands. Out of the dark, the evening rays of orange light were like a grand welcome back to safe haven.

We both heaved a sigh.

“We’re out. Thank God.”

“Yeah. Thank God.”

The chills I felt… they had never been wrong.

But it didn’t attack us. I never saw any hints of movement or any bristle of sound, which made it hard to debunk my intuition. Either way, I have to notify Sergeant Pang about this.

At camp, HaeLi-ssi and Daiki-ssi were complaining about who should start the fire. The tents had all been raised, the bonfire’s base had been built with chunks of rock.

In the end, I decided to do it. The dry kelp Ayumi and I procured made the process much easier. Then we began preparing our MRE.

We didn’t exactly actually need the campfire to warm the food as it came ready with an exothermic pack. In a way, the campfire was only built for comfort purposes.

“So you don’t suggest starting a campfire?”

“No. Which is why I’m in a dilemma. Why would they still recommend building a fire when it’s dangerous?”

“So should we extinguish it?”

Everyone turned to Ayumi.

“Let it naturally die out.”

For now at least, her suggestion was for the best.

“Here’s the bag for the trash.”

“Thanks!”

Daiki-ssi opened up a gelatin-based plastic bag and threw his stuff inside before handing it out to us.

“Looks like you guys are doing well. Good. Keep it up.”

Sergeant Pang came to our camp and nodded with delight.

“Have you eaten, Sergeant?”

Mr. ChaiWen asked.

“I’ll do it later.”

“Where are you going to sleep?”

“There. Don’t you see my tent?”

Sergeant pointed to an elevated rock formation not too far away.

I then turned to Ayumi and asked.

“Ayumi, do you want to sleep with me tonight?”

We each had individual tents, but considering what she just went through…

“Ah, no it’s alright…”

“What’s this? What’s this?”

Mr. ChaiWen dug his nose in between our conversation.

“Nothing to do with you.”

This matter is between us girls.

“Remember to arrange your shifts tonight. I won’t be awake all night, so don’t just rely on me if a night eel shows up to steal your stuff.”

Sergeant advised.

“Then could we be in the same shift… Hwang EunHa-nim?”

Ayumi asked.

“Since you’re our leader, it’s fine for you to decide right?”

“Yes!”

The pair was decided on a biassed whim.

Me and Ms. Ayumi.

HaeLi-ssi and Mr. ZhenKai

Daiki-ssi, and Mr. ChaiWen.

“EunHa-nim, I’ve been meaning to ask but… Can I just call you EunHa?”

“Yes? Of course, I don’t know why you even call me using an honorific to begin with. We’re the same age.”

“Then… thanks EunHa.”

Ayumi giggled. Cute and cheeky, like an axolotl.

Yeah.

Some people are just built differently.

Ayumi and I took the first shift. Taking this opportunity while the rest were already asleep, I went to Sergeant Pang. I left Ayumi behind for a short while. I didn’t want to create panic.

“Sergeant, I have something to report.”

“Oh, what is it?”

“There’s a possibility that there are demonica nearby.”

“What?”

Rather than immediately denying it, he asked for details.

“What did you see?”

“I didn’t see anything. I felt them.”

Sense and sight. In the battlefield, the former triumphs the latter. His expression deepened.

“I’ll take note of it.”

“Will you do anything about it?”

“We can only wait and see how things progress. It shouldn’t be possible for the military to have missed something. We only recently cleared the area for threats.”

“And how recent is that?”

“Two days ago… regardless, anything could happen out here. If they are nearby, then it’s better to not provoke them.”

“What if they find us first? That demonica I felt most likely sensed me too.”

“Seriously? Just when I thought this would be a light trip, this happens…”

He ran his hand through his hair again out of habit. That’s really unprofessional.

“I’ll let the authorities know. Let’s just pray we pass the night without problems. After seeing the fracture first thing in the morning, we’re leaving using the main road.”

He agreed to apply easing measures despite the fact that I had no proof for my claim. It was clear he didn’t take my words simply for naught.

Still, in better judgement of the situation, there was a feeling telling me to defy his order. A feeling that we should treat this as an emergency.

But I didn’t listen to it. I swallowed it back down.

-☆▫.-▫.｡.:* ▫⌎.☆\*: .｡ ▫.-

I woke up feeling the chills wracking my body. My eyes snapped open. A drop of dew on my nose fell off.

I grabbed my P-SCAR rifle and aimed towards the forest.

Crap. I actually dozed off.

White mist condensed as I breathed out an icy breath. My hands were shaking.

The night had passed undisturbed. I propped myself up from a leaning position to scan the surroundings of the camp.

Kim Daiki-ssi, and Mr. ChaiWen who were supposed to be on guard during the last shift were asleep. This would warrant a punishment in the real army.

I planned to stay up all night but it seems I failed. I stood up with the rifle still in hand as I walked towards the sleeping dudes.

I was about to knock them lightly with the stock when I noticed the already opened MRE packaging from yesterday.

The trash from our previous night’s meal created a trail towards an opening between two trees, where the deflated trash bag was sitting… completely shredded.

Something had been here.

◜\⌝▫◆▫.

The light of dawn scattered across the forest grounds. Gravel and small boulders in the stream sparkled with dew.

Sergeant Pang, like me, had chosen to stay up during the night right up till the last few hours in the morning.

So he looked dead. The dark circles under his eyes told as much.

“Did you not sleep well?”

Ayumi asked, looking alternately between the sergeant and me.

“I’m fine.”

Thanks for the concern. I’m good. Really.

“Everyone freshen up and pack your bags. We’ll head to the fracture site in ten minutes. Check your weapons, and the MRE, bring them along.”

“““Yes Sir!”””

I dipped my face into the cold water, and patted my hair down. The stream was too shallow to be used to take a proper bath… though, it’s not like I would.

I exposed my clothes a little to wipe down parts of my body.

“Wow. You sure have a sexy body. I’m envious.”

HeaLi-ssi, who was also washing up beside me, quipped with a scrutinising gaze. I felt like I was in the sight of a pervert.

“Is that what you have to say after looking at yourself?”

I replied.

While I am aware of my well portioned body shape and attractive appearance, I still think HeaLi-ssi’s overall figure was more seductive. Her every motion was like a tantalising performance. Heck, I wonder how soft her breasts would feel if I tried groping them.

◜\⌝▫◆▫.

Ayumi’s expression hardened.

“This morning.”

Her voice was shaky.

“You noticed the trash bag right?”

“I did.”

I wasn’t the only one.

“What do you think it was?”

By chance some creature had slipped by and noticed the scent of food. How would Daiki-ssi, and Mr. ChaiWen, those on guard shift at that time not have noticed?

Upon closer inspection, the trash wrapper had obvious claw marks. The MRE packaging inside seemed to have gone missing too.

“Maybe it was a small creature.”

I dozed off during the time it happened, yes. But even so, I didn’t sense anything unusual. I would’ve woken up if it was anything serious.

“A small dandy shrimp.”

“Perhaps.”

“Wheewh. I was so concerned about what Ayumi said I thought for a second there something had actually passed by our camp.”

Mr. ChaiWen and Daiki-ssi both exhaled in relief.

But… something had…

We were aware. We just took it for granted.

¸☆▫.-⌎.- ▫☆\*: .｡ _ ▫.｡.:*

“Here is the spatial tear. Please have a look, and don’t walk past the red line.”

“Oh wow, this is so trippy.”

The thing sparkled when our flashlight hit it at an angle. Under normal light, it looked just like a pure black void.

If you looked at it 90∘ from the side, you would see nothing. But as you shift closer towards the perpendicular surface, it expands into a jagged shape.

Like a mirror, there were a lot of black cracks running along the ridges. It really did look like a fracture in space.

HaeLi-ssi picked up a rock and threw it into the portal.

Voooouppppp. A mysterious sound, like a slowed vacuum was emitted as the rock entered.

“Private Kim HaeLi.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t do that.”

Too late sergeant. The rock hath gone.

“I wonder what happens if we try to put a long stick through it.”

Would we be able to pull out the stick afterwards? I for some reason wish to know the answer to Mr. ChaiWen’s question too.

“What do you think would happen?”

“I don’t know Ayumi. I really don’t know.”

Unless the Sergeant goes away, we won’t have any chance of testing it out.

“Right. Everyone brought their MRE here right? We need at least 30 minutes of observation, that’s protocol. So while observing, we’ll have our breakfast.”

Said the sergeant as he cracked open his MRE. Following after him, everyone did the same.

The conversations were light. The air was refreshing.

The gentle sounds of flowing water accompanied our breakfast. It was peaceful.

“Guys. I need to go for a bit.”

HaeLi-ssi suddenly stood up.

“What?”

“Bathroom break.”

“Pfft. Sure, sure.”

“Um, I’ll go with you.”

HaeLi-ssi and Ayumi.

The two of them slipped behind a large boulder a distance away, out of sight. I eyed the three boys who were eyeing the rock.

Daiki-ssi looked at me.

“What?”

“Oh you know. It’s not like we’re going to peek or anything are we? Why that gaze?”

Boys were always on the lookout for anything lewd. That’s what I don’t like about them.

I finished my MRE and checked the time. Exactly 30 minutes had passed.

We cleared up our items and waited for the two to return. Five more minutes have passed.

“Hey. EunHa-nim.”

You don’t need to tell me.

I stood up from where I sat and went to look behind the boulder to check. My brows furrowed at the discovery.

“They’re not here.”

“What?”

“Seriously?”

“Maybe they went back to camp. You know, because of that.”

Periods? No way.

“Seriously. I’ll have to deduct points for not being clear about their instructions.”

Sergeant Pang told us to return to camp first in case they were still around the fracture site. He would search the parameters in case they were anywhere around.

While waiting for his return, estimated time: ten minutes, we were to pack up all our items in preparation of our return to HQ, that included both Ayumi and HaeLi’s items. We’ll meet him back here at the fracture site before heading off towards the main road.

“EunHa-nim. Why were you sleeping outside last night?”

“So you were the one who put a blanket over me?”

“Uh, well, obviously?

Mr. ChaiWen, a playboy, noted. But not my type.

“There might be demonica around. So I was concerned.”

I said.

“What? How?”

“Wasn’t this a safe outpost?”

“Hold on, hold on. We can’t just brush off her assumptions. She’s been to the battlefield, she knows her shit which means…”

The four of us went completely silent. Ayumi and HaeLi-ssi had gone missing. Was there any better proof than this?

Mr. ChaiWen was the first to speak about his observations.

“Did someone move our bags outside our tents?”

The hair on my arms stood upright. A churning feeling in my stomach.

“Private EunHa. We give you full command.”

Mr. ZhenKai declared, and we readied our weapons.

Something… my eyes kept shifting between the tents.

The crevices between the corals, the spaces between the trees, the gaps between the leaves. I tightened the grip on my rifle. Something…

“Kikiki.”

I quickly turned towards the gap between two trees.

A distorted silhouette. Peeking out from behind.

Skinny hands. Fins. A grin. Blood. I pulled the trigger.