BEEP.
BEEP.
BEEP.
00:18
Inside the Dominion container—
the machine no longer sounded mechanical.
It was breathing.
WHRRRRRRRRRRRR—
Red lights flashed wildly.
Cables trembled—
like living veins.
Arga stood in front of the core.
His breathing was heavy.
Uneven.
The MBG lunch box in his hand glowed brightly.
Eight grains of rice spun rapidly.
Energy poured out of his body—
into the machine.
But this time—
the machine wasn't in control.
Arga was.
He could feel it.
This energy—
wasn't just power.
It came from food.
From warm rice.
From simple vegetables.
From something that was supposed to—
give life.
And now—
it was being stolen.
"…no."
His voice was quiet.
But inside himself—
it thundered.
"…I won't let you."
The machine roared louder.
More violent.
More unstable.
The screen changed:
ENERGY OVERLOAD
Arga raised the lunch box higher.
The light intensified.
But—
his legs shook.
His body wasn't ready.
The energy was too much.
PRAK!
One battery exploded.
Electric sparks burst across the chamber.
The lights turned blinding white.
00:09
Outside—
Farhan stared at the monitor.
"…this is insane…"
"The energy spike is climbing!"
Lila stiffened.
"The machine can't contain it!"
Bimo clenched his fists.
"…come on… hold it together…"
Sinta whispered softly.
Almost too quiet to hear.
"…Arga… that's enough…"
But he didn't stop.
Inside—
the cables shook harder.
One by one—
the batteries failed.
PRAK!
PRAK!
PRAK!
Panels cracked apart.
00:04
The world started spinning.
His vision blurred.
The energy wasn't only leaving him anymore—
it was being ripped out.
Dragged.
Forced.
And then—
something changed.
The eight grains spun faster.
Faster.
Then—
a new light appeared.
Small.
But brighter than all the others.
Arga froze.
"…what…"
"…is this?"
The energy surged violently.
Not twice as much.
Not three times.
More.
Far more.
As if his body—
had stopped limiting itself.
As if something—
had been forced open inside him.
The machine reacted instantly.
SYSTEM FAILURE
The lights flickered wildly.
00:02
There was no time to think.
Instinct took over.
Arga stepped back.
"I'M GETTING OUT!"
Above him—
Bimo was already reaching down.
"MOVE!"
Arga jumped.
His hand—
almost slipped.
Half a second.
He nearly fell back inside—
But—
Dika grabbed him.
Pulled him out.
And then—
WHOOOOOOM—
No explosion.
No fire.
Only—
light.
Pure white.
Then—
darkness.
The machine shut down completely.
Silence.
The sound of the ocean returned.
As if nothing had happened.
But they all knew—
something had changed.
Arga collapsed to one knee on top of the container.
Breathing heavily.
His hands trembled.
Bimo patted his shoulder lightly.
"…you still alive?"
Arga didn't answer immediately.
Sinta was already beside him.
"Arga…"
Slowly—
he opened the lunch box.
Everyone stared.
Nine.
Not eight.
Nine glowing grains of rice.
Soft light pulsed from them.
But the glow felt different now.
Deeper.
Heavier.
Like something—
had followed him out.
Rani whispered softly,
"…it increased…"
Farhan checked the data.
"…his energy level rose…"
He stopped.
"…but it's unstable."
Lila stared at Arga carefully.
"…you almost burned out in there."
Silence.
Arga slowly closed the box.
"…I know."
He stood up.
Slightly unsteady.
Looking at the dead container below.
"…that wasn't just a machine."
No one answered.
Because they felt it too.
Far away—
inside a silent skyscraper—
a screen glowed brightly.
Data streamed across it.
SUBJECT: ARGA
ENERGY LEVEL: INCREASED
STATUS: UNSTABLE
A man smiled slowly.
"…interesting…"
The man in the hat beside him asked,
"Should we terminate the project?"
The man shook his head.
"No."
He zoomed in on Arga's face.
"…now we know…"
A pause.
"…the vessel."
The lights dimmed slightly.
"…and now…"
"…we know how to open it."
At the harbor—
Arga stood facing the ocean.
The lunch box felt warm in his hand.
Nine grains pulsed softly inside it.
But this time—
he didn't feel stronger.
He felt closer—
to something
he didn't understand.
And for the first time—
Arga wasn't sure anymore—
if this power
still belonged to him.