The streets of Western City— had finally gone quiet.
The streetlights glowed steadily now.
Yellow light reflected across the cracked asphalt— like scars that hadn't fully healed yet.
Damaged cars remained motionless along the roadside.
Silent witnesses—
to something that had almost happened.
But now—
there were no screams.
No explosions.
No chaos.
Only—
silence.
A silence that felt… wrong.
As if the storm from earlier—
was still there.
Just—
waiting.
After Almost Breaking Apart
The golden-eyed boy sat on the sidewalk.
His shoulders slumped.
His breathing was heavy.
Like someone—
who had barely survived something…
without understanding what it even was.
Arga stood in front of him silently.
The MBG lunch box in his hand— glowed softly.
The nine rice grains— were calm now.
No longer wild.
No longer demanding.
Just…
there.
Sinta knelt beside the boy.
"Can you still stand?"
The boy nodded weakly.
"…I'm just tired."
Rani handed him a bottle of water.
He drank it—
too quickly.
As if his body had forgotten how to slow down.
Only afterward—
did he stop.
"I…"
He stared at his own hands.
"…I can't remember anything."
Empty
Bimo frowned.
"…seriously? Nothing?"
The boy shook his head slowly.
"I only remember…"
He closed his eyes.
Trying.
Forcing himself.
"…light."
"…gold."
Silence.
Because everyone knew—
those weren't memories.
Just remnants.
Not the Same
Farhan stared at the readings.
"His energy is stable."
Lila added quietly,
"…but not like ours."
Sinta spoke softly.
"Synthetic energy."
Arga said nothing.
He already knew.
He could feel it.
Not from the outside—
but from within.
Like two melodies—
almost identical.
But never truly in harmony.
The Question That Shouldn't Exist
The boy looked at them.
One by one.
Like someone trying to understand the world—
for the very first time.
"I…"
His voice was small.
"…who am I?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Because there was no answer gentle enough—
for a question like that.
A Truth Too Heavy
Pak Rahmat finally spoke.
Quietly.
"Dominion may have turned you into part of an experiment."
"…that's probably why you can't remember anything."
The boy repeated the word slowly—
as if tasting it.
"…experiment…"
His face showed no anger.
No fear.
Only—
confusion.
And somehow—
that hurt even more.
Bimo let out a long sigh.
"…yeah… it's exactly as bad as it sounds."
The cold night wind passed through the street.
The boy looked at his hands again.
The golden light—
was still there.
But now—
it looked fragile.
"…I don't even…"
He stopped.
"…have a name."
The sentence wasn't loud.
Wasn't dramatic.
But—
it hit harder than the explosion before.
Giving Him a Name
Sinta looked at him for a long moment.
"Then…"
"…we'll give you one."
Bimo immediately raised his hand.
"I have an idea."
Sinta instantly replied, "No."
Bimo: "Goldy—"
Sinta: "No."
Rani smiled softly.
"That's way too obvious."
Arga's Choice
Arga didn't joke around.
He simply looked at the boy.
More deeply.
Not as a threat.
Not as an experiment.
But as someone—
who had just been "born"
without ever asking to be.
"…Kai."
The boy looked up.
"Kai?"
Arga nodded.
"It means…"
He paused briefly.
"…a new beginning."
Silence.
The seconds felt longer.
Then—
a small smile appeared.
Thin.
But real.
For the first time.
"…I like it."
He took a slow breath.
As if accepting something—
that finally belonged to him.
"My name…"
He looked at Arga.
"…is Kai."
And for the first time—
he wasn't "something."
He was someone.
Something Approaches
BEEP.
Everyone turned.
Lila had already opened her tablet.
"There's a signal."
Farhan stepped closer.
"From where?"
A map appeared.
Red dots.
Many of them.
Moving.
Fast.
Toward one location.
Them.
Sinta understood immediately.
"…Dominion."
Farhan nodded.
"More than one vehicle."
Bimo sighed heavily.
"…of course they wouldn't stay quiet."
The Memory That Remained
Kai stared at the screen.
His eyes narrowed.
Different from before.
More focused.
"…I know that signal."
Arga turned instantly.
"You remember something?"
Kai didn't look at him.
He stared far ahead.
Far beyond the street.
"…they're coming…"
He swallowed slowly.
"…for me."
Silence.
And this time—
everyone felt it.
This wasn't coincidence.
This wasn't patrol activity.
This—
was retrieval.
Decision
Sinta stood up.
"Team."
One word—
was enough.
"…get ready."
Everyone moved immediately.
Bimo. Rani. Dika. Tono.
Without hesitation.
Without questions.
But Kai—
didn't move.
His body trembled slightly.
"They won't stop…"
Arga looked at him calmly.
Without panic.
"We won't either."
The box in his hand— glowed once more.
The nine rice grains pulsed slowly.
Quietly.
But—
strong.
At the end of the street—
headlights appeared.
One.
Two.
Then—
more.
Black Dominion vehicles moved closer.
Their engines tore through the night—
like something that didn't care about peace.
And for the first time—
this wasn't about the system.
Not about food.
Not about the network.
This—
was about one boy.
A boy with no past.
But—
with a power everyone wanted.
The hunt—
was no longer about to begin.
The hunt—
had already begun.
And this time—
the target wasn't the world.
But—
Kai.