Chapter 4
At 0630 on the dot, Aurora opens her eyes, lying in the bed. Her hands on gently feeling her cheeks, confirming her suspicion, she was crying in her sleep again, like the last five years.
For a moment, she lay still, staring at the ceiling. The room was quiet, too quiet. All alone, in her room. She let out a sigh, lightly slapped herself, and darted up. Another day had just begun.
The bathroom light flickered on. Cold water ran over her face, sharp enough to ground her. Toothbrush. Rinse. Repeat. Every movement was precise and practiced. She tied her hair into its usual crown—braids wrapped neatly around her head, not a strand out of place.
At 0700 exactly, Aurora stepped into the backyard, taking a whiff of the cold morning air. She began stretching, each motion held for the exact same duration as always. After precisely fifteen minutes of dynamic and non-dynamic stretching. She got ready for the Synarc control practice.
"4.99% release. Cast—bubbles." Synarc particles around her glowed, forming nodes on a circuit board, a faint hue of blue light drifting toward her palm and then to the tip of her hand. Water condensed around her as they created small round droplets.
"Cast—freeze." The bubbles she was forming froze immediately in uniformity. Consistency was proof of stability when controlling Synarc. The same can be said for her day-to-day life…
"Cast—icebreaker." She closes her eyes, imagining reshaping every droplet around her slowly and carefully, all to be cut to the exact same dimensions and size.
A person's ability isn't just measured by their Synarc resonance but also their ability to maintain and control the Synarc. The difficulty to control Synarc particles increases exponentially with its percent release. At one percent, a person would only be controlling one percent of Synarc particles in a 0.01 km radius. However, at full release, a person would be controlling one hundred percent of particles in a kilometer radius. With that much strain it's not if you can achieve 100 percent release but how long you can control it without losing your sanity. Hence, for Aurora, she is trying to be precise and in control while still maintaining 4.99% release.
"Cast—shatter." All the ice crystals she meticulously created shattered into dust.
She took a breather and a sip of water before repeating. "4.99% release, cast—bubbles."
Five years, she's everyday without fail, she's been doing this routine. Every day, she's been pushing her limit, since being able to release 0.01% to now. Without a rest day, without a break, never once has she stopped; she can't afford to stop.
The moment the clock hit 1000, she wrapped up her practice. The shower was next, washing off her sweat and fatigue she built up from using 4.99% release. It has definitely become easier over time; back then she would be completely sore and exhausted, but now it feels like a long hike.
Aurora didn't like long showers; it made her remember the incident, her past, and her family. Just a fast, cold shower and done.
1130: Lunch. It was measured and calculated. Carbohydrates, calories, and proteins. Lunch was meant to fuel her for what's to come, not for comfort or for taste.
"Knock, knock!" Someone was at her door.
"Come in, Auntie," Aurora said unphased.
The door opened gently, Bumi's mother stepping in, offering a tired smile. "Good morning, Aurora."
"Good morning."
Although this exchange has been happening every week for five years, it hasn't always been this calm and peaceful. There was a time when, the moment that door opened, little Aurora and Ms. Tiang would collapse into each other. Both are grieving with tears pouring out without like rapids. They are clinging tightly in embrace out of sorrow, as if letting go meant falling apart. Those days were years ago.
"I'll start with the living room," Auntie said softly as she started cleaning Aurora's abode.
"Thank you." Aurora responds as she takes the last sip of her coffee before standing up. She walks to her room and returns with an envelope. She placed it on the table. "Auntie."
"I told you," the older woman said gently. "I won't take it."
Aurora's fingers tightened slightly. "I can't keep having you clean my house for free."
"It's not free; I'm repaying for my husband's wrongdoing, darling."
Silence lingered between the two.
"…Alright," setting the envelope aside.
Aurora needed a place to direct her hatred. However, she refused to aim it at the wrong target. It wasn't Ms. Tiang; it wasn't the Tiang family. It wasn't Mr. Tiang either. Instead, she directed it to the root cause, the stim. The drug that pushed people beyond their limits, the substance that made them lose control. The same drug that Mr. Tiang used and caused him to undergo synapse psychosis, resulting in her parents' demise.
"That won't happen again." She muttered under her breath. "I won't let it."
Aurora thanked Ms. Tiang again as she watched her softly close the door.
The house fell silent. Only the ticking of the clock echoed in the house. Aurora stood still for a moment as she recalled her past: the good, the not so good, the bad, the very bad, the grief, the loneliness, the sorrow, the funeral, the lifeless body of her, the site of the accident, and the flashing lights of the police car and the cold air of the street. A memory she so wishes to forget. Her fingers curl against her head as tears start welling up.
"…Stop, please." She cries; it didn't help. She looks around frantically, her eyes darting. She grasps for air; it feels like she's drowning.
"Beep… beep… beep…" the warning alarm on her phone began ringing, adding to her overloaded brain. She glances at it.
"Breathe in and hold. In… 1… 2… 3… 4… 5… and out… 1… 2… 3… 4… 5…" Her mind follows the instructions instinctively written on her phone. No longer hyperventilating and coming back to her senses, she goes to her room to lie down. Fortunately for her, she has her smart watch monitoring her breathing. Unfortunately for her, it's being used often.
On her bed she hugs her pillow; she wants to tear up. However, she sees her book on the table.
"No time to feel sad; I have to move forward." The mentality that has kept her going springs to action as she wipes her tears, opens her book, and starts to study.
"Aurora, you're amazing." "As expected of Aurora Ling." "Top scorer again?" Recalling the praises of her peers and teachers keeps her going. It keeps her sharp and focused. It helps her feel like she is moving on with her life, leaving the incident behind. To her, doing well elsewhere means that she was fine. If she weren't doing well, someone would have called her out already.
At 1700, Aurora leaves her house, heading for the Synarc practice range. Like an archery range for archers, this practice range allows for people to fire their destructive Synarc spells in a controlled manner.
Students, office workers, law enforcement, and people from all walks of life would come to release steam. For Aurora, it was target practice.
"Lil miss, you back?" The range owner, buff and muscular around his 40s, welcomes Aurora.
"Yup. Mr. Irfan, can I get the usual?"
"Sure, I'll reserve a spot for you, lane 18. Your 2 hours of lane usage will come out to—"
"$16, I know." As Aurora taps her phone to pay. She then turns and heads to her lane.
A mixture of people chanting cast and sounds of explosions echo through the hall.
Aurora, at her range, steps forward. She puts on some sunglasses and her earmuffs.
"4.99% release. Cast—Lightning" The particles gathered instantly. The yellow hue of nodes gathers around her palm. As quickly as a burst of lightning, so bright it blinds the whole room, shoots out, turning the target to ashes. The spell grabbed the attention of all those in the range. Then came the thunder, shaking the whole hall.
"What was that?"
"Such destructive power…"
"Show off."
Comments from others came pouring in; she let down the earmuffs slightly to hear the praise, the jealous remarks, and the awe, letting out a smirk. She really wanted to stick her chest out asking for more praise, but alas, she knows it would be improper and make her seem attention-seeking and egotistical. The store owner Irfan let out a chuckle, having seen Aurora do this every day.
"Cast—flaming arrow!" She continues with various other spells. Every spell hits the target, as expected.
After those 2 hours were up, she went back home, washed up, and had salad for dinner, like every other day. She then studies some more before sleeping.
By 2300 she was ready for bed. She turns off the lights as she lies in bed. Her eyes still opened as the silence returned. She recalled her panic attack earlier that day and reflected; she let something slip into her train of thoughts. Her grip tightened against the sheets. "I need to be busier."
Tomorrow would come, and she would repeat the whole routine all over again: wake up, train, study, train, study, sleep.
"I'm fine," she tells herself. "I'm doing well in all aspects." Aurora closed her eyes, letting out a tired sigh and a forced smile. She was a Ling, the only Ling in her family. She can't stop now, for her family and for herself.
If she stopped… if she paused… she believes that others will feel what she felt that day. However, deep down, she knew that she was not running to chase her dreams but running from the past. But that's for another day.