The evening sky slowly turned orange.
Inside the MBG Data Center— everything had returned to normal.
Servers hummed steadily. Green indicators blinked calmly. As if— there had never been an attack at all.
WHRRRRRRR.
And yet… the feeling never completely disappeared.
Farhan stared at the monitor. "…the system is stable."
Lila nodded. "All routes are back online."
Bimo let out a long breath. "Thank goodness…"
He stretched his arms. "…finally."
Rani smiled faintly. "At least the kids still get their lunch."
Pak Rahmat nodded slowly. "And that's what matters most."
But— not everyone felt relieved.
Arga stood slightly apart from the others.
He opened his lunch box.
Nine rice grains— glowing softly.
Calm.
And yet— his chest still felt heavy.
Sinta walked over. "You're still thinking about it?"
Arga nodded. "They got the data."
Farhan looked up. "If they can replicate it…"
He stopped.
He didn't need to finish the sentence.
Bimo tried to lighten the mood. "So… fake Nutrition Guardians?"
No one laughed.
Lila answered quietly. "Not Guardians."
A pause.
"…something close."
The room suddenly felt colder.
Far beneath the city— inside a Dominion laboratory—
everything was white.
Too white.
Bright lights without shadows. Machines humming softly.
And at the center— a glass capsule.
Inside it— golden liquid.
Moving slowly.
Like it was alive.
But— without warmth.
A scientist spoke quickly.
"Analysis complete." "Energy pattern successfully mapped."
The man in the hat glanced over. "So this is it?"
The scientist nodded. "First prototype."
Behind them, the Dominion Leader stood silently.
Watching.
"…begin."
The capsule opened.
SSSSHHHH.
Golden liquid flowed downward— through injection tubes.
In front of it— a teenage boy sat motionless.
Blank eyes. No fear. No understanding.
Just… empty.
"Subject ready."
"Does he know?" the man in the hat asked.
"No."
A pause.
"He simply accepts."
The needle pierced his skin.
Golden liquid entered his body.
Slowly.
Then—
suddenly—
his entire body convulsed violently.
Lights flickered. Sensors spiked.
"Energy levels rising!" "Instability detected!"
The teenager's eyes snapped open.
Golden light.
Cold.
Not like Arga's.
Not alive.
His fist tightened.
The metal table beside him— began to tremble.
Not because of power.
Because it was out of control.
The man in the hat smiled.
"Successful."
The Dominion Leader stepped closer.
Watching him carefully.
"…interesting."
"Power without understanding."
He stared into the teenager's empty eyes.
No humanity.
"Guardians…"
A pause.
"…without meaning."
BEEP.
Back inside the server room— Lila suddenly turned.
"We got a report."
Farhan looked over. "From where?"
The map appeared.
One red point.
Western City.
Rani read the report aloud.
"A teenager…"
"…destroyed several vehicles."
Bimo nodded quickly. "Okay yeah, that sounds like us—"
"…unregistered," Lila interrupted.
Silence.
Sinta stared at the screen. "A new Guardian?"
Farhan shook his head. "The frequency is different."
Arga felt warmth from his lunch box.
Uncomfortable warmth.
He opened it.
The nine rice grains blinked slowly.
Like…
a warning.
His chest tightened.
He looked at the screen.
"…that's not a Guardian."
Sinta looked at him. "Then what is it?"
Arga answered quietly.
Firmly.
"…a prototype."
In Western City— night arrived without sound.
The streets were empty. Streetlights flickered weakly. Cold wind drifted through the road.
And in the middle of it—
a teenage boy stood motionless.
Golden eyes glowing in the dark.
Cars around him— crushed. Twisted. Broken apart.
As if destroyed by something—
that didn't understand limits.
He clenched his fist.
Energy shook the air around him.
Rough. Unstable. Unnatural.
And for the first time—
Dominion wasn't just stealing anymore.
They were creating.
Something similar.
But—
wrong.
DOMINION FILE #01
SUBJECT: ARGA
STATUS: ACTIVE
LEVEL: UNSTABLE
Observation indicates that the subject known as "Arga" possesses the highest synchronization level among all detected Nutrition Guardians so far.
His energy is no longer merely connected to the MBG system— it has begun influencing the network itself.
A new designation has been established:
ANCHOR
Definition:
An individual who serves as the central stabilizing point of the nutritional network.
If the Anchor falls— the entire synchronization system may collapse.
However, if the Anchor can be controlled— the entire network can be taken over.
Additional Notes:
The subject has begun showing emotional resonance toward other users within the network. Pain, pressure, and instability experienced by connected users are now partially detectable by the subject himself.
Possibility:
Synchronization has not yet reached its final form.
WARNING:
Do not eliminate the subject.
Reason:
The subject is significantly more valuable alive.
DOMINION RECOMMENDATION:
Push the subject's energy capacity beyond normal limits.
Objective:
To determine whether the Anchor will collapse— or evolve.