The aftermath of the explosion— hadn't completely faded yet.
Thin dust still hung in the air.
The streetlights flickered slowly.
As if unsure—
whether the night was truly over.
In the middle of the street—
Kai stood alone.
In front of him—
the two Dominion prototypes.
Their golden light glowed.
Not warm.
Not alive.
Cold.
Like fire—
that gave nothing.
Three Energies
Arga didn't blink.
His lunch box pulsed softly.
The nine rice grains inside—
glowed brighter.
But this time—
deeper.
As if responding to something—
that had just been born.
Sinta whispered,
"Their energies are pushing against each other…"
Farhan stared at the screen.
"…not just that."
"…their frequencies are changing."
Lila added quietly,
"Kai's energy… is becoming more stable."
A Different Movement
Without warning—
the first prototype lunged forward.
BOOM!
The ground cracked.
A wave of energy swept across the street.
But—
Kai wasn't thrown back.
He moved.
Light.
Precise.
Faster—
than before.
Bimo let out a low whistle.
"…he's leveling up in the middle of a fight."
Dika half-smiled.
"…and that's definitely not good news."
Two Directions
From behind—
the second prototype attacked.
But—
WHOOSH!
Tono dropped from above.
A powerful kick.
Impact.
The prototype slid backward.
Not defeated.
Not shaken.
Only—
adjusting.
Like a machine.
The Team Moves
Rani shoved a wrecked car forward.
CRASH!
The road was blocked.
Andra hurled a traffic barrier.
Dominion's movement slowed.
Bimo and Dika—
moved quickly.
Distracting them.
Breaking their rhythm.
Sinta kept watching carefully.
"We help…"
"…but don't disrupt his flow."
Farhan stared at the readings.
"The second prototype is destabilizing."
Lila answered quickly,
"If we keep pressuring them—"
"…they might collapse."
Something Unexpected
Kai suddenly stopped.
His hand rose—
gripping his head.
"…I…"
The world around him—
began fading away.
White.
Too white.
Cold.
Laboratory lights.
The sound of machines.
And—
someone's voice.
"The Dominion Project must succeed."
Kai gasped sharply.
His breathing broke.
"I… remember…"
The Missing Fragments
Arga stepped closer immediately.
"What did you see?"
Kai stared blankly—
as if looking at something far beyond the street.
"…capsules…"
"…so many…"
"…too many."
Silence.
Bimo tried to joke—
"…okay, that sounds like a mov—"
He stopped himself.
Because nobody laughed.
An Impossible Number
Farhan swallowed hard.
"…how many?"
Kai looked at the two prototypes ahead.
Then answered—
without emotion.
"…dozens."
The air suddenly felt heavier.
Colder.
Cracks
One of the Dominion agents spoke quickly.
"We're retreating."
"Subject Kai is unstable."
The first prototype looked at Kai.
For the first time—
for longer than before.
"You have changed."
Kai stared back steadily.
"…no."
He took a slow breath.
"…I just chose."
Silence.
One second.
Two.
For a brief moment—
the prototype stood still.
As if thinking.
As if—
it almost understood.
But then—
it stepped back.
Dominion retreated.
One by one.
Engines roared.
The vehicles disappeared into the night.
And for the first time—
they chose to withdraw.
Not because they lost.
But—
because they had seen enough.
Aftermath
The street became quiet again.
The wind passed softly.
Kai still stood there.
His golden energy—
fading.
Not gone.
But—
controlled.
Arga approached him.
"You okay?"
Kai nodded slowly.
But his eyes—
were no longer empty.
"They still have many more."
Realization
Farhan closed his laptop.
"…this isn't an experiment anymore."
Sinta looked toward the dark sky.
"…this is production."
Bimo muttered quietly,
"…that's way worse."
Something New
The box in Arga's hand—
glowed brighter.
He opened it.
Everyone stared.
Not just nine.
There was another grain now.
Smaller.
But—
its light was different.
Deeper.
More…
alive.
Lila stepped closer.
"…it increased."
Bimo gave a half-grin.
"…seriously? Another level up?"
But Arga didn't smile.
He could feel it.
This energy—
wasn't just powerful.
It was—
connected.
"…this isn't only power."
Kai looked at his own hands.
Arga stared at the new rice grain.
And far away—
very far away—
lights began turning on.
One.
Two.
Dozens.
Inside glass capsules—
golden eyes opened.
At the same time.
Without emotion.
Without choice.
Dominion was no longer testing.
They were no longer trying.
They—
were creating.
And this time—
what was coming wasn't two.
Wasn't three.
But
a wave.
DOMINION FILE #02
SYNCHRONIZATION FAILURE
LOCATION: WEST CITY
STATUS: TERMINATED
CATEGORY: EARLY-GENERATION NUTRITION GUARDIAN
The subject connected to the MBG network at 09:14.
Initial synchronization was successful.
Stable duration: 00:03:11
After that—
an abnormal energy surge occurred.
The subject began receiving resonance from other users within the network.
Symptoms:
increased body temperature
emotional instability
loss of focus
irregular heartbeat
At the fourth minute—
the subject began hearing "voices" from the network.
Content could not be confirmed.
Last recorded statements:
"…too much…"
"…I can feel all of them…"
"…please make it stop…"
Synchronization collapsed 17 seconds later.
Network energy throughout the surrounding area immediately became unstable.
Three additional users collapsed shortly after.
CONCLUSION:
Not all Nutrition Guardians are capable of enduring full network connection.
Most human bodies—
fail to withstand the burden of synchronization.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Subject "Arga" displays a different pattern.
He does not collapse.
He does not disconnect.
Instead—
he continues adapting.
DOMINION RECOMMENDATION:
Do not focus on destroying the network.
Focus on: The Anchor.