Chapter 5 – Echoes Along the Silent Line第5章 ー 静寂の線路に響く余韻
Footsteps echoed... cold, metallic steps striking the stone floor. Daiki moved deeper into the tunnel, clutching a special signal jammer strapped inside his backpack. But what gripped him tighter than his gear was a feeling he hadn't known since childhood—an uneasy, heavy pull in his chest. 「これはただの任務じゃない」 "This isn't just a mission," he murmured under his breath.The camera feed had gone silent minutes ago. That meant only two things—either the device had been destroyed or it was being jammed. Either way, it was a clear message: The enemy was no amateur.
At that very moment, somewhere unknown and beneath ground level, Meyra opened her eyes. Her head ached slightly. Beside her lay an old, worn notebook. On its cover: "Operation Zümrüd – Code: The Shadow Link" Beneath it, a faded line in Japanese: 「目覚めた時,お前は既ばれている」 "When you awaken, you will have already been chosen."She flipped through the brittle pages. Among a scattering of old photos, one face stopped her. Hayato—Asami's husband. Back in the tunnel, Daiki reached the sealed-off section. His handheld radioactive scanner emitted a faint beep. Something was here. Buried beneath a layer of dust and metal fragments, he uncovered a flash drive. Plugging it into his portable reader, a short video began to play. It was Hayato. "If you're watching this, Daiki... then time's already run out. We couldn't protect him. But the girl... she might still be saved." The image froze on Hayato's face. Daiki clenched his fist. Hayato's name. He had seen it once—long ago, hidden in the archived files that followed the destruction of his own family. It had been marked with one word: deceased. But that was a lie.
Meanwhile, far from the tunnel, Asami sat by her window, wrapped in the hush of night, sipping her tea. Her phone buzzed. Unknown caller. She didn't answer.Then— A message: "Have you ever wondered who your husband truly was?" Her face drained of color. She rose, knelt beside the bed, and opened the lockbox beneath it. Inside—an envelope. No sender. No date. Only one word written on the paper inside: Zümrüd.
In the basement room, Meyra stood alone. She turned her head toward the corner camera on the ceiling, her throat dry, her pulse steady. She whispered to herself: "Dad… what were you involved in?" "And now... I have to gather the pieces." She reached into her pocket. A small folded note. No signature. Just five words: "Find Daiki. Time is short."
But she recognized the handwriting. Her mother's. At that very hour, Daiki was certain of one more thing: Meyra's abduction was no coincidence. She was at the center of a chain that stretched back years— The Zümrüd Operation, His mother's disappearance, His father's silence, And even his brother's death. "I made you a promise when we were kids," he whispered to himself. "I remember it now. I swore I'd protect you. I swore I'd protect Meyra."
Rain whispered rhythmically across the town, falling in delicate threads. At her kitchen table, hands clasped as if in prayer, Asami still hadn't heard a word from Meyra. At first, she hadn't been worried. She'd assumed Meyra had gone for a walk after the event. But now… a different silence had settled. One that pulsed in her chest. "Would she really just leave... without a word?" Her fingers trembled as they reached for her phone. She dialed.Daiki's phone buzzed as he was walking near the Central Station. He answered instantly."Meyra's gone... Daiki, she might be missing." Asami's voice trembled—fear laced with something deeper. Guilt. "She didn't tell me anything, but… I knew something was wrong. I stayed silent anyway."Daiki stopped in his tracks. A weight sank into his chest. He already knew Meyra was in danger—but Asami's tone chilled him. "I'll find her. But you need to be honest with me now. What do you really know about your husband?" Silence. Only the sound of quiet tears on the other end. Then, in a voice low and unsteady: "There's something I need to show you. But… you'll have to come."Night had deepened. Daiki now stood in Asami's home. Asami walked to the wall and revealed a hidden compartment. From inside, she pulled out a small black box. Daiki watched, eyes sharp. Inside the box were classified-looking documents. One of them revealed that Hayato had once worked for Japanese intelligence. But after the "Zümrüd Operation," he had been declared dead—and vanished."I thought he died… But I think he came back. To the other side... the dark side." Tears slipped from her eyes. Her voice trembled, but her words were clear. Daiki scanned the documents. Then—a detail caught his eye. On the back of an old photo: (Target: M.K. / Protected Asset: Zümrüd Carrier) "Meyra's name isn't written… but the initials… and the necklace…" Realization hit him like lightning."I was the one assigned to protect her. But because I couldn't remember the past… I failed."He stood. A new determination surged across his face. "This isn't just a war of the past anymore. It's the battle for the future. I will find her."
Just before dawn, Meyra opened her eyes— Only to meet the dim light on the ceiling. Silence. As if the world itself had fallen mute. Everything looked the same— except the damp stains on the walls— but the storm inside her refused to calm. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, a melody floated up from within. For a fleeting moment, she lingered between dream and reality.Istanbul. The edge of the Bosphorus.Wind tugging at her hair.Meyra stood, gazing at the silhouette of Galata Tower, whispering a poem of her own making:"Do your eyes hold an autumn that never spoke?The loudest memories now fall into silence.In a time I can't name—O Istanbul, the sky holds echoes of undying hope."Her voice melted into the air, into the water.Beside her: a camera bag.A small notebook tucked into her black coat's pocket. She wasn't alone. There was a child beside her. She couldn't see his face—just his presence. He had said something.「忘れないで,光を探して.」 "Don't forget. Seek the light."Suddenly—a scream. She jolted awake, breath uneven. The words from the dream echoed in her mind like a heartbeat. "Seek the light."Her eyes scanned the room, searching for anything she hadn't noticed before. Then—by the bedside pipe, something wedged inside. A small piece of paper. One symbol: 三 And beneath it: "When the time comes, the camera watching you won't record your eyes— it will record your heart."This wasn't about the surveillance camera. She knew that now. Her own camera—the one missing from her bag—might still be active. Someone was sending her a signal. A plan began to take shape in her mind. First, she mapped the blind spot of the ceiling camera. She had observed carefully during the day. She cataloged everything she could find in the room. There was no pen, but she removed a metal piece from inside her shoe sole— and began scratching marks onto the wall. A mental map took form: The time the guards passed by, The echo of their footsteps, The muffled voice of a distant radio... From all of this, she concluded: She was underground. And the child from her dream— Whether a memory or just her subconscious— Had become a source of strength. Her father used to say: "Staying calm is stronger than being brave." Now, that truth guided her.She memorized even the faintest trace of light filtering into the room. She noted the guard who brought food—The time he arrived, the slight limp in his left foot... Every detail became part of her plan. And inside, she kept repeating:"You can't stay still in darkness.When I am lost—I do not see with my eyes, but with my heart.You are my melody, Istanbul…"