Fifth Prismatic

January 12, 2126.

Every nation had already exhausted every possible solution to escape the ongoing catastrophe. Nearly 74% of Earth had become uninhabitable. Earthquakes, global warming, and rising sea levels had brought devastation to vast regions across the planet.

Amid this chaos, a Turkish scientist, Professor Mert, published a journal about a planet he named Earth.02—a world he believed could save humanity from extinction.

He submitted his research to space agencies and the Turkish government.

It was rejected.

His discovery was deemed inconclusive, lacking solid evidence. A second Earth—an alternative for humanity—was nothing more than a theory they refused to believe.

Professor Mert tried to submit it again, but it was already too late. No one trusted him anymore.

Two weeks later, he fell into severe depression.

And then… he took his own life in his apartment.

His documents were left behind, archived within a server—its location unknown.

And by the time anyone realized its importance…

it was already too late.

Ten years later.

The world had reached a dead end.

Panic spread everywhere. Governments were overwhelmed with pressure and demands from their people.

In the midst of desperation, Turkey proposed retrieving Professor Mert’s lost research.

But it wouldn’t be easy.

They formed an alliance with Indonesia and Japan.

Five individuals were selected:

Two from Turkey—Aylin and Deniz.

One from Indonesia—Yonata.

And two from Japan—Tatsuya and Yukiko.

Together, they formed a specialized unit known as Fifth Prismatic.

The operation would be led by the Japanese government, with Turkey and Indonesia acting as support.

February 1.

The team was officially assembled and flown to Osaka.

Each of them was escorted by their respective agencies to a futuristic facility belonging to Japan’s space and Earth observation division. They were gathered inside a sealed room—empty, silent, and strangely isolated.

Ten minutes passed.

No one came.

Confusion began to spread.

Yonata was the first to speak.

“This is a test.”

“A test?!” the others responded.

“Yeah. We’ve been here for ten minutes doing nothing. This is definitely a test. They’re checking whether we’re worthy.”

He sat down and began examining the advanced computer in front of him.

The others watched closely.

“Look. This computer is locked. If this place was meant for us, it shouldn’t be. They want us to unlock it.”

Realization hit them all at once.

“Oh, I see.”

“Hah, this is easy.”

“Alright then.”

Each of them took a seat—five people, five machines.

They were all top graduates from elite universities, selected through countless tests before joining this team.

And yet…

Even Yonata struggled.

Yukiko spoke up, “This is impossible to hack. We’ve been trying for almost ten minutes, and none of us have succeeded.”

Yonata frowned.

“What language is your computer using?”

A strange detail emerged.

“Japanese.”

“Turkish.”

Yonata narrowed his eyes.

“Wait… how does it know our languages? We sat randomly.”

“Deniz, switch seats with me.”

They exchanged positions.

Moments later—

Deniz froze.

“The language… changed.”

“It did,” Yonata said calmly. “Which means… we’re being watched.”

Elsewhere, in a separate room, a well-dressed man observed them through a massive screen.

“I like that Indonesian guy… Yonata, was it?”

Back in the room—

Tatsuya suddenly spoke.

“Deniz, is the content inside the computer the same as before?”

Deniz checked.

His eyes widened.

“No… it’s different.”

Tatsuya nodded.

“Then try working on that one together. Maybe each system is tailored to our abilities—but they didn’t tell us where we’re supposed to sit.”

Everyone quickly switched seats again.

One by one—

they began solving it.

“I did it!” Tatsuya exclaimed.

Soon after, Deniz succeeded.

And finally—

all five of them cleared their systems.

Suddenly, the screens glitched.

A man in a suit appeared.

“You are truly impressive… Fifth Prismatic.”

Aylin stepped forward. “Who are you?”

“Let me introduce myself. My name is Kaito. I’m from the Japanese government, assigned to lead your operation in retrieving Professor Mert’s documents. I may not look fully Japanese—I’m of mixed American-Japanese descent.”

Yonata crossed his arms.

“Wouldn’t it be better if you came here and spoke to us directly?”

Kaito smirked slightly.

“I’m actually not far from you.”

Zzzeet—

A sliding door to their left opened.

Behind it was another room.

Kaito stood up from his chair, adjusted his suit, and began walking toward them.