The next morning—
everything looked normal.
Too normal.
Laughter echoed across the schoolyard.
Students ran.
Voices overlapped.
Life continued—
as if nothing had changed.
But Arga felt it.
Something—
was coming.
Inside his bag,
the lunch box pulsed.
Alive.
"…I still don't like this feeling," Bimo muttered.
Sinta glanced at Arga.
"…it's not just you."
Arga didn't answer.
His gaze had already shifted—
searching.
BRAAAM—!
A vehicle screeched to a halt at the gate.
Too sudden.
Too loud.
All eyes turned.
A white minibus.
Pak Rahmat stepped out.
And behind him—
a girl.
She moved slowly.
Carefully.
As if she was holding something inside—
that could break at any moment.
"This is Rani," Pak Rahmat said.
Rani looked at them.
Uncertain.
"…my box… it has the mark too."
She opened it.
Three grains.
Glowing.
Sinta's expression softened.
"You're safe here."
But Rani shook her head slightly.
"…it doesn't feel safe."
Arga felt it.
The shift.
The heat.
Wrong.
"…something's off," he said quietly.
BRAK!
The school gate slammed open.
Two motorcycles burst in—
fast.
Too fast.
Men jumped off.
Boxes in their hands.
Junk Dominion.
No disguise.
No hesitation.
"Come get your food!" one of them shouted.
Students hesitated—
then curiosity pulled them forward.
Arga moved instantly.
"DON'T EAT THAT!"
Too late.
A younger student took a bite.
Silence.
"…it tastes—"
THUD.
Everything stopped.
Chaos broke instantly.
Sinta rushed forward.
"HEY! Stay with me!"
Bimo froze.
"…this is bad—this is REALLY bad—"
But Arga—
turned.
Toward Rani.
And his chest tightened.
She was shaking.
Violently.
"…I can't—"
Her voice cracked.
"…hold it—"
CRACK!
The ground beneath her split.
Energy surged outward—
wild.
Uncontrolled.
Students screamed.
"RUN!"
Desks toppled.
Footsteps scattered.
Fear spread—
fast.
Rani moved.
Too fast.
Too strong.
She pushed—
WHAM!
A desk flew across the room.
Bimo rushed in.
"RANI—!"
"DON'T!" Arga shouted.
Too late.
She struck.
THUD!
Bimo was thrown back.
He hit the ground hard.
"…I regret everything—!"
Pak Rahmat stepped forward.
"RANI! FOCUS!"
No response.
Her eyes—
wild.
Unfocused.
Gone.
Arga stepped in.
Slowly.
Carefully.
The energy inside him rose—
but stayed controlled.
This time—
he remembered.
Breathe.
Guide.
Don't fight.
"Rani."
His voice was steady.
Not loud.
But firm.
"Look at me."
No reaction.
Sinta stepped beside him.
"You're not alone."
Her voice softened.
"We felt this too."
A pause.
"Follow your breath."
Silence.
The chaos around them faded—
just for a moment.
Rani trembled.
The energy still raged—
but something shifted.
Her breathing.
One.
Two.
Three.
Slower.
Her eyes flickered.
"…I…"
The glow weakened.
The pressure dropped.
And then—
she collapsed.
Arga caught her before she hit the ground.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Real.
Across the yard—
the fallen student groaned.
Pak Rahmat checked him quickly.
"He's alive."
Relief came—
but not peace.
Never peace.
Bimo pushed himself up, wincing.
"…I just got hit by a human tornado…"
Sinta sank to the ground.
"…we almost lost control."
Arga looked at Rani.
Still unconscious.
His hands trembled slightly.
"…we almost lost her."
He opened his lunch box.
The glow expanded.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Six grains.
Brighter.
Stronger.
But this time—
he didn't feel pride.
Only pressure.
"…this isn't enough," he said quietly.
Pak Rahmat stood.
His expression darker now.
"This is happening everywhere."
Silence.
"Unstable Guardians…"
"…and Junk Dominion pushing them."
Sinta clenched her fists.
"…they're creating chaos."
Arga nodded.
"…and waiting for us to fail."
Far away—
in a dark room—
a screen flickered.
Footage replayed.
Rani.
Arga.
The surge of energy.
The moment of control.
A man watched in silence.
Then—
he smiled.
"…good."
A pause.
"…they're breaking."
He tapped the screen.
"…increase distribution."
New locations appeared.
More schools.
More targets.
Back at the school—
Arga closed his lunch box.
Six grains.
Pulsing.
Alive.
He looked at Sinta.
Then Bimo.
Then Rani.
"…we don't have time to grow slowly anymore."
Silence.
Then—
resolve.
Because now—
it wasn't just about surviving.
It was about saving others—
before they broke.