Tides of the forgotten

The silence in Room 1047 was comforting.

Saurai lay on his back, hands folded beneath his head, staring at the softly glowing ceiling light. The dusky hue mimicked the end of a long day, but in reality, there was no real sunset only carefully managed light cycles aboard Artemis-5.

Despite the warmth of the bed and the fatigue in his muscles, his mind refused to settle.

It wasn't the combat drill tomorrow. Not entirely. It was… everything.

His fingers tapped lightly against his chest. Whose life am I living now?

He had Saurai Lian's memories or at least some fragments. But also there were many gaps and too many inconsistencies. It was Like watching a movie where several crucial scenes had been erased. His face, his name, even how the watch worked and it all came back as if learned long ago, not lived.

The first memory that had snapped into clarity was when he saw his brother Varuna.

That moment… it hadn't just stirred something. It had ignited it.

Saurai turned his head to the side, eyes narrowing in the dimness.

Varuna. A combat prodigy. Already a name known across the Artemis-5 fleet. People whispered about his record-breaking performance during the academy's mock trials and also how he was the top cadet of his year, how he might join the military early and how he now even served as one of the junior guardians protecting one of the outer expeditions.

And Saurai—this Saurai had once asked Varuna to keep his distance.

He didn't know if it had been a good or bad decision, but maybe time would tell.

He remembered the words now, clear as day:

"I want to be low profile in academy and If people know you're my brother, I'll never be able to live peacefully. Please... pretend I'm not here."

And his kind older brother Varuna had agreed.

Saurai exhaled slowly.

He had pushed away the one person who might've protected him most in this academy. Protection from whom, he didn't know yet but maybe, if needed, he could ask for his brother's help in the future. Atleast he got some reassurance.

But why would Saurai have done that?

Was it because I didn't want to live in his shadow? Or because I already felt I didn't belong here? He was not sure.

It wasn't just that he didn't remember what the old Saurai liked or hated and also he had no idea what this version of him excelled at. No clear hobbies. No favorite subjects. No record of his own abilities.

"I need to know who I am," he whispered to the quiet air.

Rolling over, he opened his bag and started rummaging again.

Maybe there was a report card. A personal diary. Notes or anything. But the bag was depressingly clean: some standard-issue clothes, one hygiene kit, and an ID backup card.

Nothing else.

Frustrated, he sat up again.

Maybe… maybe if I talk to people this Saurai knows, the memories will come back. Conversations, shared history that might trigger something.

He made a mental note: Start connecting with people his current self used to know. Not just Bryn and Coral but others too.

His gaze shifted to his watch again.

So far, he hadn't slipped too badly. But he couldn't afford to make mistakes. He quickly replayed the events of the day in his mind: the classroom, the lunch hall, the auditorium, the dorm.

Did I say anything strange? Act out of character?

Then one detail hit him. the moment he asked the AI about how to charge his watch.

He grimaced. Wouldn't a normal citizen of Artemis-5 already know that?

He hoped it was way too small to matter. But this was a world built on surveillance, AI, and ranks. If those AI logs were monitored…

He was not sure.

I have to be more careful. One wrong question, and someone might start investigating.

He had heard rumors: people sometimes infiltrated ships like Artemis-5 for research data, or worse, to sabotage operations. He couldn't risk drawing suspicion just because he didn't understand how things worked here.

Saurai rubbed his face, sighing, and decided:

Top priorities:

1. Learn about himself more. who he used to be.

2. Learn about this world and how it works, and what the dangers there are.

Because like it or not, this was his reality now.

And adaptation wasn't a luxury. It was survival.

He glanced at the wall panel.

Still a while before dinner.

He didn't want to sleep. Maybe Just little rest is necessary.

But his eyelids had other plans.

The moment he let himself relax, drowsiness flooded in. His thoughts slowed, blurred, faded.

And just like that, he slipped into a tangled dream full of fractured voices, blurred faces, and the soft rhythm of ocean waves hitting invisible shores.

---

Buzz. Buzz.

There was a soft buzzing from the door panel.

He stirred, disoriented.

The panel glowed faintly. Someone was outside. It displayed the visitor's face and it was Bryn.

He was Still little groggy, Saurai walked over and tapped the panel.

The door slid open with a soft hiss.

Bryn stood there, looking as lazy as ever, his thick hair tousled, wearing his standard dormitory uniform.

"Yo," Bryn said, stretching. "Thought you fell asleep for good. Let's go eat. My stomach's eating me now."

Saurai blinked a few times and nodded. "Right. Yeah. Just resting. Let me change."

He stepped back inside, quickly changed into his uniform, then returned.

"Okay, let's go."

They began walking down the corridor together, guided again by the glowing arrows projected by their watches. The hallway was quieter now. Most students were either in their rooms or already at the cafeteria.

Bryn yawned as they walked. "Man, these rooms are so sterile. Like, I get it's efficient, but couldn't they throw in a poster or something? I feel like I'm living in a toothpaste tube."

Saurai chuckled. "You can always request a decor upgrade."

"Yeah, if I had the points." Bryn snorted. "I already lost a ton last month. We all started with 500, right? I'm already down to 214."

"Wait, seriously? How'd you lose so many?" Saurai asked.

"Let's just say… ordering five desserts a day adds up real quick. Also, maybe… maybe I accidentally broke the console during orientation day," Bryn admitted with a bit of shame.

"Points for property damage?"

"Yup. They're brutal about it." He said it as if it was the academy's fault for deducting points.

Saurai shook his head. "So you get 500 points every month?"

"Yup. That's your base unless you're penalized. High performers get bonuses. Low performers… suffer."

Saurai asked, "Do you know what they'll do in tomorrow's combat training?"

"I'm not sure," Bryn replied. "But hey, maybe we can ask a senior."

As they turned a corner, a group of older students stood chatting near the stairwell.

Bryn approached them. "Hello, brothers, can you help us with something?"

A tall cadet with golden-brown hair and a third-year stripe on his uniform glanced their way.

"First years?" he said with a smirk.

Bryn gave a little wave. "Yes. Evening, senior. I'm Bryn from the first year."

Saurai also greeted them with a small bow.

"Ohh, polite enough," the tall cadet said. "What do you want to know?"

"Can you tell us more about our first combat training?"

"Oh, that. Don't worry. Your first combat training is conducted by Mr. Bruce. He's good, easy going and a helpful instructor. So don't stress about it much."

Bryn smiled. "Thanks for the help, senior!"

Another shorter cadet beside him added with a grin, "Keep your watches handy. Sometimes they test your reaction speed with dummy alerts during dinner. Fail to respond fast enough, and " He made a dramatic slicing motion across his throat. Boom. Minus ten."

The seniors laughed at his joke.

Saurai and Bryn didn't understand but Saurai bowed again. "Thanks for the warning."

The older cadet chuckled. "No prob."

As they moved past the group, Bryn leaned in and whispered, "See? Not all seniors are bullies. Some are just sarcastic sadists."

They both laughed lightly and continued toward the cafeteria.

Bryn tapped his watch and contacted Coral. "Hey, where are you?"

She replied instantly: "Already at the cafeteria. Waiting for you fatty, I saved spot for you and your friend so, hurry up!"

"Let's go then," Bryn said, and they picked up the pace toward the glowing arrows leading to the dining hall.