[FLASHBACK CONTINUES - May 2057 - Two Weeks Before the Sunflare Scorch]
6:00 AM - Yamashiro Institute Dormitory, Tokyo
The earthquake woke me, maybe 3.2 magnitude. Tokyo was used to them, but lately they've been increasing in frequency. The scientists on the news called it "normal tectonic activity." The encrypted messages on my father's phone suggested otherwise.
Two weeks since Professor Chen had mentioned the committee. Two weeks of pretending everything was normal while watching my classmates plan futures that would never happen.
I rolled out of bed and into my morning routine. The Yamashiro Institute's dorms were spartan but functional—everything a student needed, nothing more. I'd been here sixteen months, one of the few international students in the advanced combat program.
My phone buzzed. Father.
"It's midnight in Copenhagen," I said by way of greeting.
