The lights in the underground chamber flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
they became unstable.
Shadows danced across the stone walls.
Around the core, Dominion's devices began to activate.
BZZZZZZ—
Cold blue light burst to life.
Sharp.
Artificial.
Not alive.
They Weren't Taking It—They Were Opening It
Farhan stared at the monitor.
His face immediately tightened.
"They're draining the core's energy—"
"No."
Lila cut him off.
She zoomed in on the data stream.
"They're redirecting the flow."
A pause.
"They're trying to open it."
Silence.
Bimo stepped forward.
"Then let's stop them before they do."
A Swift Clash
"Team—destroy every device!"
—Sinta.
WHOOSH!
Bimo and Dika moved first.
CRASH!
One machine shattered instantly.
Rani and Nisa followed.
CLANG!
Metal fragments flew across the room.
Tono dropped from above—
and crushed two more devices in a single strike.
One.
Two.
Three.
The Dominion machines—
began shutting down.
Their Mistake
Yet—
the Dominion leader didn't move.
No panic.
No anger.
He simply smiled.
"You're all too focused on the surface."
Click.
The floor trembled.
The walls shook.
And from hidden cracks—
something emerged.
Cables.
Thin.
Countless.
Far too many.
They slithered forward—
straight toward the core.
Farhan froze.
"...Those aren't extractors."
Lila whispered,
"...They're force-unlock mechanisms."
The Core Was About to Be Forced Open
The atmosphere changed.
Heavier.
Deeper.
Like an invisible pressure settling over the room.
Arga tightened his grip on the box.
The twelve rice grains inside pulsed rapidly.
Not anger.
Not fear.
A warning.
Kai Steps Forward
He walked ahead.
Slowly.
Yet no one could stop him.
Golden energy emerged around him.
But it was different now.
Not wild.
Warmer.
More...
human.
"You will not touch it."
The Wrong Way of Thinking
The Dominion leader slowly shook his head.
"You still think it belongs to someone."
He pointed at the core.
"Power like this..."
A pause.
"...is meant to be used."
Kai met his gaze.
"But not by you."
Pressure
Click.
A wave of energy erupted.
KRAAAAAACK!
Kai was blasted backward.
His feet scraped across the floor.
The golden aura around him cracked.
Nearly shattered.
An Answer Without Words
Arga appeared beside him.
No words.
No shouting.
Only—
light.
Warm.
Unified.
Kai took a deep breath.
His energy stabilized.
And this time—
it became stronger.
Something Wrong... or Right?
"Wait."
Farhan stiffened.
Lila stared at the monitor.
"...It's changing."
This Isn't a Reaction
The core—
began spinning faster.
But not because it was being drained.
Not because it was being forced open.
Instead—
it was responding.
RUMBLE—
The vibration spread.
Through the floor.
Through the walls.
Through the air itself.
Kai whispered,
"...It's waking up."
Not Energy. Not a Machine.
The light inside the containment vessel grew.
Brighter.
Deeper.
As if something—
was opening its eyes for the very first time.
For the First Time... He Stopped
The Dominion leader froze.
Completely froze.
"...This wasn't in the data."
An Explosion That Didn't Destroy
BOOOOOOOM—
Light erupted outward.
Yet—
it wasn't hot.
It wasn't destructive.
It was warm.
It swept through the entire chamber.
Every Dominion device—
died instantly.
Without a trace.
A Different Kind of Silence
The lights stabilized.
The machines stopped.
No voices.
No resistance.
Only—
light.
The Core Was Now...
Brighter.
More alive.
And—
no longer silent.
The One Being Called
Arga didn't move.
His eyes were open.
Yet he wasn't seeing the room.
He was seeing—
something else.
The energy touched him.
Not physically.
Directly.
Deep inside.
Like a voice—
without words.
Like a question—
without language.
Arga inhaled slowly.
"...You..."
He never finished the sentence.
Yet—
he understood.
The Team Realizes
Bimo spoke softly.
"...This isn't an ordinary fight anymore."
Rani remained silent.
Sinta stared at Arga.
Because—
she felt it too.
Dominion Begins to Understand
The Dominion leader looked at the core.
Then—
he smiled.
But this time—
the smile was sharper.
More dangerous.
"So this is its true form."
His eyes shifted toward Arga.
"It wasn't us who opened it."
A pause.
"...It was you."
At the center of the chamber—
the energy core pulsed.
Slowly.
Steadily.
Like a heartbeat.
Like a living creature.
Like—
something making a choice.
The air grew heavy.
Everyone stood still.
Waiting.
And for the first time—
the question changed.
It was no longer:
"Who will control this power?"
But instead—
"Who..."
"...is worthy of being touched by it?"