Chapter 3 – Beyond the Frequency
The dark passage was damp. The stairs were rusty—but solid. With each step, an echo of the forgotten past struck the walls. Mizue, Makoto, and Itsuki descended, holding their breath. Silence was no longer just silence;in this world, it had become a way of listening. Makoto reached toward an old panel. "There should've been… a recording system here. This wasn't just a classroom. It was also… a monitoring center."Itsuki narrowed his eyes. "The students were being watched?" Makoto shook his head. "No. The students… were the watchers." The lower level ended in a hidden lab, its walls lined with acoustic panels. On the desks—unfinished devices, faded printouts of soundwave graphs. At the center, a capsule. Inside, a cylindrical music archive device. It read: "S.D.S. – Sound Distortion System." With trembling fingers, Mizue touched the edge of the device. And… her mother's voice echoed again. But this time, she wasn't alone:"Code 96-B: Mizue-Ann. Phase Two preparation begins. The voice fields beyond Echo are expanding. VANT has gone quiet for some time. But they're listening." Makoto stepped back. "This recording… it's not old. It's a… live broadcast echo." Just then, the ground trembled slightly. Itsuki lunged for his guitar, turned the frequency slider on the neck. "Cut the sound!" he shouted. "Someone traced the signal!" Just then, from a corner of the ceiling, the darkness unraveled. An Echo-drone model—eyeless—slipped silently into the room. Its metallic body hovered a few centimeters above the floor, emitting a droning hum. But it wasn't music. It was a suppression frequency. Mizue dropped to her knees. A ringing in her head— like a scream stabbing through her inner ears. Makoto quickly tore one of the acoustic panels from the wall, bringing it in front of Mizue. "Silence shield! We can only defeat them with sound!"Itsuki slung his guitar over his shoulder. His eyes were locked in place now. "This isn't a performance. This is resistance."The sound from his strings struck the frequency suppressor, and for a brief moment, it trembled. The device lost balance. A distorted voice crackled from inside: "Code M-4. Mizue, we hear you. The time to return is near."Makoto lunged forward and unplugged the capsule device. In that instant—everything stopped. It was as if the world had gone silent for the length of a single note. Then… a curtain on the wall slowly drew back. Behind it—a rusted door. And on it, a worn-out symbol: "Chord Zero"Makoto's voice was almost a whisper. "It was a legend. The system that could reset music completely… Start it all over. Older than VANT."Mizue closed her eyes. She listened. Her mother's whisper. Makoto's warning. Itsuki's defiance. All of it converging inside her. And the door opened. A blinding white. A space. Empty. Silent. But there, on the floor—a child sat. Wearing headphones. He looked up. And said just one word:"Mizue?"The child stood. About thirteen. But his eyes— they held more than years. They carried centuries. He stepped closer, silently. Removed his headphones. From them leaked a sound— not quite a note, not quite a melody—but the feeling of a song that could no longer be remembered. Makoto stepped forward. "Wait." "Who are you?"The child fixed his eyes on Mizue. "I... am a sound. A dropped frequency. My code is 'E0'. But my mother gave me another name: Lavi."Itsuki took a step back. "E0... That code was the core of the old system. 'Echo-zero' — the first lost sound. It was legend."Mizue instinctively stepped closer. "Did my mother know you?"Lavi lowered his head. "We were born on the same frequency. But they sent you up, and kept me down. Because… my voice awakens."Makoto's hand trembled. "What do you mean?"Lavi didn't look away as he continued. "The state erased emotions from sound. But they remained in me. They believed every sound carried memory. And I... preserved them. They hid me from everyone. Because I am the child of the songs that were never forgotten." The walls trembled faintly. A small red light blinked in the corner of the ceiling. Itsuki understood. "They found us. We're out of time."Mizue decided in a heartbeat. "We have to take him with us."Makoto hesitated. "He's not just a child. His voice... could start a revolution. Maybe that's why they silenced everything."Then came the sound of footsteps echoing from beyond — metallic, armored. VANT units were approaching. And Lavi turned to face them. "If you're ready... I'll show you a song. Actually... it's the last lullaby this world has forgotten." He closed his eyes and began to hum."In the silent place of nightStars that have never heard your nameOne falls and whispersHope is in your voice"Lavi's voice stirred the dormant systems hidden within the walls. Ceiling lights flickered. Hidden panels slid open. Makoto's eyes widened. "This child is a key!"Itsuki slung his guitar over his shoulder. "Come on, we need to move. Lavi's coming with us."Lavi nodded slowly. "But before we go up... there's something you need to know. Everyone who comes with me... must rediscover their own voice. ''Makoto's voice softened. "Anything else would be surrendering to silence."
And the four of them… walked not from darkness into light — but into a new frequency. Outside, the rain was still falling. But this time… it carried not only silence, but hope.