"When we first started training, everyone jealously watched our upperclassmen, already using the gear," he remembers with a certain amount of fondness, "from afar, the acrobatics were very impressive. We all wanted to fly with those wings."

Armin sits down on the branch with the ease of someone who has no fear of heights.

"It's true. But living in a world that's constantly in conflict keeps innovation from happening as well. Living here has taught me that."