Night in West City— didn't feel like an ordinary night.
Not because of the darkness.
But because—
something was moving.
Silently.
Unseen.
But real.
After the Battle
The MBG kitchen was still lit.
White fluorescent lights.
The hum of small machines.
The monitors never shut down.
No one was truly resting.
Lila and Farhan—
remained in front of the screens.
Graphs kept moving.
Rising.
Falling.
Never stable.
As if the system itself—
could no longer calm down.
Farhan spoke quietly,
"I checked everything again…"
"…this isn't leftover damage from the attack."
"…this is something new."
Something Changed
Arga stood behind them.
He opened his lunch box.
Ten rice grains—
glowed brightly.
Brighter.
Deeper.
No longer light.
Like something…
was beginning to awaken.
Bimo smirked faintly.
"Okay…"
"…this is definitely more than a normal upgrade."
But Sinta didn't smile.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the light.
"This energy is changing."
Not a guess.
A certainty.
Kai
In the corner of the room—
Kai sat silently.
His eyes looked empty—
but not lost.
Occasionally—
golden light flickered within them.
Then disappeared again.
As if something inside him was still trying…
to find its shape.
Rani approached carefully.
"Did you remember anything else?"
Kai nodded slowly.
"…I'm starting to remember."
The entire room fell silent.
Broken Memories
Arga stepped closer.
"What did you see?"
Kai took a deep breath.
"…a long hallway."
White lights.
Too bright.
Too cold.
No voices.
No people.
Only—
capsules.
Many of them.
Lined up endlessly.
Inside—
children.
Silent.
Motionless.
Waiting.
Kai opened his eyes again.
His expression—
was no longer the same.
"…there were a lot."
Bimo tried to joke,
"…yeah, you already said th—"
Kai shook his head slowly.
"…not dozens."
He looked at them one by one.
"…hundreds."
The Silence That Followed
No one spoke immediately.
Because everyone—
understood.
This wasn't an experiment anymore.
This—
was production.
Farhan finally moved.
His hands trembled slightly.
"If that's true…"
"…then this is a massive facility."
Lila zoomed in on the map.
Red dots appeared.
Not one.
Not two.
Several.
Like a network.
Sinta pointed at one of them.
"This one."
Farhan scanned the data quickly.
"…Dominion research facility."
"…outside the city."
Bimo muttered quietly,
"…their headquarters."
Direction
Kai stared at the location.
His eyes narrowed.
"…I've been there."
Arga immediately understood.
"The place where you were created."
Kai nodded.
Without hesitation.
Without fear.
"…and where the others are."
That sentence—
was more dangerous than the rest.
Pressure Rising
The door opened.
Pak Rahmat entered.
His expression wasn't normal.
Harder than usual.
"There's a new report."
Sinta reacted immediately.
"What is it?"
"Several cities—"
"…are reporting increased Dominion activity."
Lila stared at the screen.
"They're moving simultaneously."
Farhan added,
"Synthetic energy production is rising."
Bimo exhaled slowly.
"…this isn't preparation."
"…it's a countdown."
A Feeling That Couldn't Be Explained
Arga stared at the map.
He felt it again.
Warm—
but heavy.
His lunch box pulsed softly.
The ten rice grains—
synchronized together.
As if—
responding to something.
"Dominion isn't waiting anymore."
Sinta looked at him.
"For what?"
Kai answered quietly.
But with certainty.
"…to wake them up."
Decision
That sentence—
changed everything.
Bimo immediately stood up.
"If they really have hundreds—"
"…we can't just sit still."
Dika nodded.
"We destroy the lab before they wake up."
Rani added,
"If the facility falls—"
"…everything stops."
Sinta looked deeply at Arga.
"This isn't a normal mission."
Arga nodded.
"We know."
He closed the lunch box.
The light dimmed.
But the energy—
didn't.
"…if they're building an army…"
He looked at everyone.
"…then we destroy it before it becomes a war."
The One Who Leads the Way
Kai slowly stood up.
Golden light appeared in his eyes again.
But—
not wild anymore.
Focused.
He pointed at the map.
"…I know the way there."
Everyone looked at him.
For the first time—
not as a victim.
But as—
the key.
Kai spoke softly.
"…I'll take you there."
"…to the Dominion laboratory."
Far away from them—
lights began turning on.
One.
Two.
Dozens.
Inside the capsules—
motionless bodies—
began to move.
Fingers—
slightly twitched.
Eyes—
slowly opened.
Golden light—
glowed all at once.
For the first time—
the Nutrition Guardians were no longer waiting.
They moved first.
But—
they weren't heading toward a battlefield.
They were going—
to the place
where the war itself…
was created.