A dense veil of mist hung low among the towering ancient trees.
But the forest was no longer silent.
The ground trembled.
Leaves rained down from the canopy.
Flocks of birds scattered in every direction.
It was as if the entire forest knew—
something that should have remained asleep...
had finally awakened.
At the center of the clearing stood Ursa Vitalis, towering like a living mountain.
Its colossal body was covered in moss, ancient roots, and weathered stone.
Its golden eyes blazed with life.
Every breath it exhaled released hot mist that bent the grass beneath it.
Arga stood several steps ahead of his team.
The MBG lunch box in his hands glowed brilliantly.
The fifteen radiant rice grains vibrated violently.
Not out of fear.
But because they recognized something.
Yet the Guardian wasn't the only threat.
On the opposite side of the clearing—
Dominion's generator was still running.
WHOOOOOOMMMMM...
Cold blue synthetic energy spread through the forest like poison.
The moment it touched the earth—
Leaves blackened.
Flowers withered.
Grass turned to ash.
Rani stared in horror.
"The plants..."
"They're dying."
Farhan glanced at the readings on his laptop.
"The synthetic energy is destroying the forest's natural life network!"
Lila stiffened.
"If this continues..."
"...the entire area will collapse!"
Ursa Vitalis slowly raised its head.
Then it roared.
ROOOOOOOOOAR!!
The deafening roar shook the entire forest.
Tree trunks cracked.
The ground split apart.
The mist was blasted away like a wall of smoke.
Bimo covered his ears and shouted,
"Great!"
"That's officially the most unbearable sound I've ever heard!"
Standing atop the armored Dominion vehicle, the Dominion Commander remained perfectly calm.
Completely unfazed.
He watched Ursa Vitalis with the fascination of a scientist observing an extraordinary experiment.
"Incredible..."
He pressed a small button on the control device.
The generator roared louder.
WHOOOOOOOMMMMM!!
A surge of blue energy pierced the air.
Ursa Vitalis instantly stiffened.
Gigantic roots erupted from the ground like living spears.
CRAAACK!
Dika barely managed to leap out of the way.
"It's losing control!"
Tono, already perched atop the tallest tree, shouted,
"The entire battlefield is changing!"
Ursa Vitalis rose onto its hind legs.
Its massive shadow swallowed the entire team.
Then it slammed both forelegs into the earth.
BOOOOOOOOM!!
A violent shockwave exploded in every direction.
Bimo was hurled several meters through the air.
He crashed hard into a massive root.
"UGH!"
He dropped to one knee.
For the first time—
he didn't crack a joke.
Rani rushed toward him.
"Bimo!"
He forced a painful grin.
"...Yeah."
"That one actually hurt."
A thin stream of blood trickled down from his forehead.
Arga couldn't take his eyes off Ursa Vitalis.
Its eyes weren't filled with rage.
They were filled with agony.
He could feel it clearly.
Every pulse emitted by Dominion's generator stabbed into the Guardian like a blade driven deep into its heart.
Arga tightened his grip on the lunch box.
"It's not attacking..."
Sinta turned sharply.
"What?"
Arga kept staring at the giant Guardian.
"It's begging for it to stop."
Sinta made her decision instantly.
"Bimo! Dika!"
"Destroy that generator!"
Bimo slowly pushed himself back to his feet, one hand clutching his aching ribs.
Even then, he managed a crooked grin.
"Now that's a language I understand."
Dika grabbed his shoulder.
"We're doing this together."
The two of them charged toward Dominion's armored vehicle.
Ursa Vitalis raised one enormous paw—
ready to crush Arga.
Sinta instinctively stepped forward.
But before anyone could move—
Pak Rahmat shouted at the top of his lungs.
"ARGA! DON'T GO NEAR THE SYMBOL ON ITS CHEST!"
Everyone froze.
Arga slowly turned around.
Sinta narrowed her eyes.
"How do you know that's its core?"
Pak Rahmat fell silent.
His face turned pale.
The Dominion Commander smiled faintly.
"Finally."
He stepped down from the vehicle.
"The old secret is finally coming to light."
Arga stared at Pak Rahmat.
His breathing became uneven.
"Sir..."
His voice trembled.
"How do you know all of this?"
No answer came.
Only a silence that lasted far too long.
Arga took one slow step forward.
"Why does everyone know the truth about me..."
"...except me?"
Silence.
The question struck harder than Ursa Vitalis's roar.
The Dominion Commander calmly looked at everyone.
Then he said,
"Because..."
"He was there."
He pointed directly at Pak Rahmat.
"During the very first project."
Farhan froze.
"The... first project?"
The man smiled.
"Ursa Vitalis wasn't born in this forest."
"It was created."
Every drop of blood seemed to freeze.
Pak Rahmat slowly closed his eyes.
Then, in a quiet voice, he admitted,
"...I helped create it."
Arga staggered backward.
It felt as though the ground beneath his feet had disappeared.
"No..."
He looked at Ursa Vitalis.
The creature he had pitied.
The creature that had become a victim of humanity.
A victim...
of the man he had trusted all this time.
Arga slowly looked back at Pak Rahmat.
"So all this time..."
"...you've been lying to me?"
Pak Rahmat took a hesitant step forward.
"Arga... please listen—"
"DON'T!"
Arga's voice finally broke.
For the first time.
His eyes filled with tears.
Not because he was afraid.
But because he had been betrayed.
Raw emotion flooded the clearing.
Arga's lunch box burst into an uncontrollable golden glow.
The fifteen radiant rice grains spun wildly inside.
Ursa Vitalis locked its eyes on Arga—
and unleashed an even more earth-shattering roar.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!
Dominion's generator surged to maximum output.
Towering roots shot into the sky.
Ancient trees crashed to the ground.
The earth split apart.
Farhan stared at the readings in horror.
"Arga's energy frequency..."
"...it's synchronizing with Ursa Vitalis!"
Lila's face turned pale.
"If Arga loses control..."
"...the Guardian will lose control too!"
Kai immediately stepped beside Arga.
"Arga!"
"Stay focused!"
But Arga didn't hear him.
He could only stare at Pak Rahmat—
his heart shattered by a truth he had never expected.
At the heart of the ancient forest—
four overwhelming forces now stood on the verge of collision.
Ursa Vitalis.
Dominion.
The Nutrition Guardian Team.
And Arga's broken heart.
Because sometimes...
the greatest disasters don't begin with monsters.
They begin with the truth.