IN HER OWN SHADOW

On a crisp yet sunny October morning in the Aegean, the Ege University campus in İzmir was buzzing with life. The cafe garden across from the Faculty of Engineering was packed with panicked students frantically skimming their notes before class.

Mira, however, leaned back comfortably, a cup of coffee in one hand and a metallic Zippo lighter casually flipping between her fingers in the other. She wore an oversized khaki jacket, black jeans, and a backpack with a small military patch slung over her shoulder. On the blank notebook before her, she was idly sketching the blueprint of a cast cannon barrel. She was only nineteen, but her effortless beauty and carefree, confident aura set her sharply apart from the anxious crowd around her.

"Seriously, you drive me crazy..." her close friend Deniz groaned, furiously flipping through the heavy pages of her statics textbook. "Everyone else rots in the library until dawn just to pass these midterms, while you flip a lighter in a cafe, walk into the exam, and pull the highest grade. How do you even do that?"

Mira closed the lighter lid with a sharp metallic CLACK and set it on the table, a slight smirk playing on her lips. "School formulas are way too theoretical, Deniz. Once you see how those angles and pressures actually detonate on massive steel in the field, solving questions on paper becomes child's play."

"Right, of course," Deniz rolled her eyes. "Since your weekend activities are a little different from ours... Anyway, the bus list for Friday's Edirne trip is finalized. I put your name down. Mimar Sinan bridges, the Tunca River, old foundry ruins... We can easily pull our Materials Science project grade from there."

"Good call," Mira replied, taking a sip of her coffee. "It beats staring at slides in a lecture hall for hours. Plus, we get to inspect the old casting furnaces on-site and knock out the assignment. A little breather before midterms won't hurt, right?"

Just as Mira was about to slip her lighter into her pocket, her phone began to buzz incessantly on the table. The screen lit up with a barrage of breaking news alerts from news apps and social media.

Mira glanced down at the screen. As her eyes caught the headline, she slowly set her coffee cup back down:

"BREAKING NEWS: Heavy Engagement at the Southern Border! The Army Launches Massive Midnight Operation, Clashes Intensify..."

A slight tightness gripped Mira's chest, but a fierce smile, mixed with unmistakable pride, crossed her face. While Deniz was caught up in the general panic of the news, Mira knew the hidden details beneath the surface. She knew exactly who gave the order for the howitzers shaking the southern line at that very moment, and who was personally leading the armored units in the hot combat zone—her own father, General Hakan Pasha.

The army had entered a grueling battle in the south, and her father was once again on the frontline, right in the heart of the fire.

Mira took a deep breath and lightly shook her head.

'Classic Hakan Pasha...' she thought to herself. 'Even when all hell breaks loose in the south, he leads the army into the fire without batting an eye.'

She slipped her phone into her pocket and casually slung her backpack over one shoulder. "Alright guys, I'm taking off," she said in a relaxed tone.

Deniz looked up from her notes in surprise. Next to her, their classmates Burak and Ceyda stared at her as well. "Where are you going? We have the statics lab this afternoon, the professor is taking attendance!"

"You guys can sign in for me," Mira replied with a shrug. "Today is my dad's birthday. He's deployed out of town, and I'm not letting him spend his birthday alone. I'm going to surprise him."

Burak's eyes widened. "Woah, out of nowhere right before midterms? Where is your dad anyway?"

"Somewhere in the east," Mira deflected smoothly. Refusing to give details was an instinct ingrained in her since childhood as an officer's daughter. She adjusted her backpack, leaned toward the table, and waved. "You guys handle things here. On Friday, on my way back, I'll catch a bus from Istanbul and crash your group straight in Edirne."

"Alright, mystery girl, take care!" Deniz laughed.

"You too. See you in Edirne, babes—don't tear down those historical foundries without me!"

As Mira left the table and blended into the sunlit pathways of the campus, she was completely composed. She put on her headphones, blasted a heavy rock track from her playlist, and headed toward the İZBAN station. She hadn't leaked any military secrets, nor had she created an atmosphere of panic; with the relaxed stride of a free-spirited college student devoted to her family, she set off first toward Kemeraltı to pick up a gift for her father, and then toward their home in Urla.

After buying her father's birthday gift, as she walked hurriedly through the crowded alleys of Kemeraltı Bazaar, she saw a man bump into an elderly woman who had spread her makeshift cloth blanket on a street corner. The woman's small trinkets scattered all over the pavement. By instinct, Mira stopped and bent down to help her gather the items.

Straightening up slightly, Mira placed a few banknotes on the cloth to offer support. "Here you go, ma'am, just a little something to help out."

The old woman didn't even glance at the money. With her frail hand, she picked up a heavy, brass antique pocket compass—engraved with ancient script and intricate direction lines—from among the items on the cloth. She refused the money. She extended the compass into Mira's palm.

"Take this instead, child," the woman said, her voice raspy yet clear. "I don't want money. Consider it a gift for you, please accept it."

Mira stared in surprise at the heavy compass resting in her palm. Examining it with an engineer's sharp eye, 'Well now... an antique directional compass. Interesting,' she thought. "Thank you, ma'am," she said with a faint smile. Tossing the heavy compass into her bag alongside her father's gift, she hurried on her way.

When Mira arrived at their detached home in Urla, there was a pleasant hustle and bustle inside. Her mother, Selen—a physics professor at Ege University—was zipping up a small carry-on suitcase laid out in the middle of the living room while handing over her lab duties to her assistant over the phone wedged against her ear.

"Mom, I'm home," Mira said, dropping her bag onto the couch.

"Hurry up, don't stall," Selen said, hanging up the phone and looking over her reading glasses. "Your father said, 'Things are active here, don't come,' but we all know where we get that stubbornness from. We're not ruining the surprise. Grab Efe's jacket, the taxi is at the door."

Just then, thudding footsteps echoed down the stairs. Mira's eight-year-old little brother, Efe, burst into the living room holding a toy F-16 jet. He was wearing a mini camo t-shirt custom-made for him by his father.

"We're going to see Dad, Sis! I'm gonna eat his cake and ride the tanks and howitzers!" Efe shouted, jumping up and down with excitement.

Mira smiled and ruffled her brother's hair. "You can't ride a howitzer, little mister. But maybe I can show you those giant computer screens."

By the time the three members of the Kaya family boarded a flight from Adnan Menderes Airport and landed in Gaziantep, late afternoon had settled in. Taking a regular taxi from the airport, they headed straight to the main gate of the 5th Armored Brigade. Since they were the Kaya family, their security clearance was processed swiftly, and an officer on duty escorted them to the General's private office right next to the command center.

Despite the heavy military traffic outside, the office was exceptionally orderly and quiet. Only faint signal beeps hummed from the massive encrypted radio stations lined against the wall.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Major General Hakan Pasha walked in. His field uniform was sharply pressed, and his combat boots were immaculate. As he slowly set his military tablet on the desk, his face carried the stern, razor-focused expression of someone who had been directing operations in front of giant screens for hours.

But the moment he looked up and saw his wife, his daughter Mira, and his little son Efe standing in the room, his stride slowed. The official armor of a commander melted away within seconds, replaced by raw human astonishment and a warm, genuine smile.

"Dad!" Efe yelled, throwing his arms around his father's legs. Hakan Pasha scooped him up with one arm, lifting him into the air. "What on earth are you all doing here?" he asked with a chuckle, pulling his wife and daughter into a hug.

"Credit to our stubborn genes," Mira smirked. "We couldn't let you turn fifty-two drinking tea out of a paper cup."

Selen pulled a tiny cake with a single candle from her purse, placed it on the edge of the executive desk, and lit it. "Come on, make a wish quickly so we don't keep you from your work," she said softly.

As Hakan Pasha shook his head with a smile and blew out the candle, a gentle knock sounded at the door. An entering officer spoke in a completely calm, professional tone: "General, pardon the interruption. The drone feeds have been updated; they're waiting for you in the briefing room."

There was no panic or chaotic shouting; it was simply the routine of a highly professional environment. Hakan Pasha nodded and turned to his family. "I need to step into the briefing. Head over to the guest quarters; I'll see you at dinner."

"Focus on your job, Dad," Mira shrugged softly.

As Hakan Pasha left the room, Mira placed her backpack on the side table. Smiling with the warmth of being with her family, she was entirely unaware of how her upcoming trip to Edirne in a few days would change her life forever.

Time flew by after that brief yet warm family reunion in Gaziantep. Her mother, Selen, had to attend an international physics symposium hosted at Istanbul University. Taking little Efe along, they all flew to Istanbul together. Since Mira had a few hours before her train to Edirne departed, they decided to spend the time together, soaking in the autumn air of Istanbul.

After strolling through the cool breeze of Gülhane Park, they moved on to the open-air exhibition at the Istanbul Archaeology Museums. Under the shade of centuries-old plane trees, they walked at a slow pace among Byzantine and Ottoman marble columns, stone sarcophagi, and weathered inscriptions. Eight-year-old Efe zoomed through the marble blocks with his toy F-16 jet, making jet engine noises to himself.

Selen paused by an old stone inscription that bore the marks of wind and centuries, glancing at it with a soft smile as she drew a deep breath.

"Your father and I used to wander around here all the time when we were engaged..." she said, her voice drifting into memories of years past. "He was just a young lieutenant back then. Whenever he got weekend leave, he'd come to Istanbul to find me. We would walk for hours among these historic stones in the museum garden, dreaming about the future. That's actually where we first heard and fell in love with your name... Time really flies."

Mira adjusted her backpack strap on her shoulder and let out a soft laugh toward her mother. "Where did you guys even find it, honestly? How did Dad come up with it?"

"Oh, don't even ask," Selen giggled. "You know how obsessed your father was with old Ottoman script and historical details. As we were walking around, he spotted it somewhere around here and insisted, 'If we ever have a daughter, her name has to be Mira.' I loved it too, of course, so I didn't object at all."

Mira threw an arm around her mother's shoulder and kissed her cheek. "Good thing you didn't object, Mom. I don't even want to think about Dad's other military-style name alternatives."

"Oh yes, you are absolutely right about that," Selen laughed.

After those peaceful hours in the museum garden, it was time to part ways. Selen and Efe walked Mira to the train station.

"Alright then," Selen said, giving her daughter a tight hug. "Make sure to text me as soon as you reach Edirne and settle into the hotel, so I don't worry. And don't slack off on your three-day field project!"

"Don't worry, Mom, I've got this," Mira replied, ruffling Efe's hair before climbing the stairs onto the train.

As the Istanbul-Edirne train glided through the endless yellowing plains of Thrace during the four-hour journey, Mira sat by the window. With music playing through her headphones, she jotted down notes for her Materials Science project in her notebook, while her mind drifted between her father in Gaziantep and that mysterious talk about the stone inscription.

By late afternoon, as the train pulled into Edirne Station, she met up at the hotel with her classmates Deniz and Burak, who had arrived by bus from Izmir. After a long, tiring night, they set out the next morning with the group to explore the historic streets of Edirne.

The harsh autumn wind of October howled through the streets as gray clouds gathered across the sky. While the tour guide loudly recounted the city's history, Mira grew restless among the crowd. "I'm going to check out these side alleys for a bit," she whispered to herself, quietly slipping away from the group.

She turned into a quiet, deserted dead-end shaded by old buildings. Wanting to grab something from her backpack while hurrying to catch up with her friends, her hand brushed against the heavy brass compass deep inside the bag. Curious, she pulled it out, pushing its lid open with her thumb as she continued walking.

She glanced at the strange geometric notches and intricate rings inside. But before her mind could process what she was looking at, a sudden, inexplicable wave of icy dread washed over her. Her heart began to hammer violently against her ribs, and her breath caught in her throat. Goosebumps broke out across her skin for no apparent reason; a strange, toxic restlessness gripped her mind, as if she were touching something venomous.

Stopped dead in her tracks by this sudden, irrational chill, she instinctively snapped the lid of the compass shut with a heavy CLACK!, desperate to rid herself of the unsettling dread. She raised her head, searching for the modern street she had been standing in just a second ago.

But the modern world was gone. The voices of the crowd nearby, the tour guide's chatter, the paved asphalt, the contemporary buildings... every trace of the 21st century vanished in a fraction of a second with that heavy metallic CLACK.

Mira's pupils dilated in sheer horror. In place of the modern buildings she had leaned against stood raw, newly built wooden structures of the 15th century. The asphalt was replaced by uneven dirt paths, and the hum of automobiles gave way to the distant sounds of horses and wooden wagons. A thick, milky-white fog settled over the street.

A deafening silence engulfed her surroundings. There wasn't a single trace of modern civilization. Tucked away in a secluded corner of the alley, no one had noticed her yet; she was standing completely isolated in the middle of a raw, quiet 15th-century street.

Her back pressed against the wall, Mira slowly slid down to a crouch, her knuckles white around the closed compass. Her breathing turned rapid and shallow, her chest heaving violently. She closed her eyes tight and opened them again—this had to be a nightmare.

"No way... No freaking way, I'm losing my mind!" she whispered, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

Forcing herself up, she leaned against the wall and took a few hesitant steps, trying to make sense of her surroundings. She stared at the mud in the middle of the path, the tattered cloth hanging from wooden window frames, and the thick, suffocating smell of woodsmoke and damp earth hovering in the air. Her brain rejected the evidence of her senses, desperately trying to rationalize the moment.

"Deniz? Burak?" she called out, her voice weak and fragile. The call echoed faintly through the deep, misty 15th-century alley, only to be swallowed by the silence. No modern answer came. There was only the distant, eerie echo of a call to prayer floating through the fog and the relentless howling of the wind. As Mira stared in terror and hatred at the brass compass in her hand, the terrifying reality began to sink in: time itself had fractured, and she was completely alone in this medieval world.