The crack finally gave way.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The frozen valley erupted from within.
A glacier that had endured for thousands of years burst apart, its massive sheets of ancient ice soaring into the sky like shattered crystal. A pillar of light shot upward, piercing through the raging storm and tearing open the swirling black clouds above the mountains.
The sky screamed.
WHOOOOOOSH!!
The wind slammed into them from every direction. Snow became countless white blades, slicing across exposed skin.
Farhan dropped to his knees, clutching his laptop against his chest.
"The energy..."
His voice trembled.
"...it's too much."
The numbers racing across the screen spiraled out of control—
then everything went black.
Lila stared at the widening fissure, her face drained of color.
"The sensors are dead..."
Kai narrowed his eyes.
"It's not the sensors."
His gaze remained fixed on the pillar of light.
"This place itself refuses to be measured."
On the opposite side of the valley—
the Dominion generator continued to roar.
WHOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!
Blue energy conduits plunged deep into the fissure, draining the light from the heart of the earth like parasites feeding on the world's own heartbeat.
The Dominion Commander stood calmly before the armored vehicle.
Snow lashed across his face.
He didn't even blink.
"Magnificent."
The man in the cap swallowed nervously.
"Sir... the energy output has exceeded every prediction."
A faint smile appeared on the Commander's lips.
"The greatest discoveries always do."
At the center of the valley—
the Ice Guardian stood before the widening crack.
Its colossal body was covered in burns left by Dominion weapons.
Frozen blue blood stained its white fur.
Its breathing had become heavy.
Yet it remained standing between the abyss...
and everything beyond it.
It wasn't guarding.
It was holding something back.
GRRRRRRRRR...
Its growl no longer carried intimidation.
Only exhaustion.
Arga stared at the giant creature, his chest tightening.
A being as massive as a mountain...
had been fighting alone for far too long.
He slowly opened the MBG Lunchbox.
The sixteen glowing grains of rice rotated weakly.
One of them—
was cracked.
Arga froze.
The fractured grain pulsed with an unstable light, like the fading breath of someone on the verge of death.
Kai noticed immediately.
"Arga..."
Without a word, Arga quickly shut the lunchbox, almost as if he were ashamed for anyone to see it.
For the first time since all of this had begun—
he was afraid of his own power.
If one grain had already broken...
how many remained before he could no longer protect anyone?
Bimo staggered over, rubbing his frozen shoulder.
His face was pale.
His lips were cracked from the bitter cold.
Even then, he forced out a crooked grin.
"If this is the moment we're supposed to panic..."
He let out a short breath.
"...can we schedule it for later?"
Arga almost laughed.
Almost.
Then—
the light within the fissure changed.
Not blue.
Not gold.
Transparent.
Cold...
made visible.
The entire blizzard stopped.
Completely.
No wind.
No sound.
Not even a single breath.
From within the pillar of light—
something stepped forward.
Tall.
Slender.
Its body was formed from flawless crystal ice, with rivers of blue light flowing beneath its transparent surface.
Veins of radiant light spread across its body like living arteries.
It had no mouth.
Only two glowing white eyes—
ancient...
and utterly empty.
It didn't walk.
It glided.
Everywhere its feet passed—
the ground instantly froze into flawless ice.
Farhan whispered, his voice barely audible.
"That's not a creature..."
From behind him, Pak Rahmat finished the sentence.
"It's a punishment."
Everyone turned.
Pak Rahmat stood motionless, staring at the crystalline figure with an expression none of them had ever seen before.
Fear.
Recognition.
Sinta narrowed her eyes.
"Mr. Rahmat..."
"You know what that thing is?"
He didn't answer.
His eyes never left the crystalline being.
Then, in a voice so quiet it sounded like he was speaking to a memory he wished had died, he said—
"We once believed..."
"...that a Core was nothing more than a source of energy."
He swallowed hard.
"We were wrong."
The Dominion Commander heard those words and smiled.
"So..."
"You still carry that guilt."
Kai turned sharply toward Pak Rahmat.
"Still?"
Pak Rahmat slowly closed his eyes.
That alone was answer enough.
The air began to move again.
The Core Manifestation slowly raised one hand.
Instantly—
the entire valley froze even harder.
CRAAAAACK!!
The surrounding ice cliffs split apart.
In the distance, the helicopter was swept away by an avalanche before rolling helplessly down the mountainside.
Bimo stared at it.
"Our..."
His voice caught in his throat.
"...our way home."
It had just been destroyed.
Lila instinctively stepped back.
"No..."
The Core Manifestation slowly turned toward the Dominion generator.
Then—
toward the Nutrition Guardians.
It made no distinction between them.
To that ancient being...
every intruder was the same.
The Ice Guardian roared and charged first.
ROOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!
Its enormous body crashed into the Core Manifestation.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The entire valley shook violently.
Yet the crystalline figure merely shifted back half a step.
Nothing more.
Then—
it gently placed one hand against the Ice Guardian's chest.
No force.
No violence.
Just a single touch.
And instantly—
a layer of crystal ice spread across the Guardian's body.
Its white fur froze solid.
Its colossal movements slowed.
Kai's face turned pale.
"It's freezing..."
"...its own guardian."
Arga took a step forward.
"No!"
Sinta grabbed his arm.
"You can't fight that!"
Arga kept his eyes on the kneeling Ice Guardian.
The ancient jailer slowly turned toward him.
Within its glowing blue eyes...
one final plea remained.
Don't let me fail.
Arga shivered.
Not from the cold.
But from the unbearable weight of that silent request.
Across the valley, the Dominion Commander let out a quiet laugh.
"Magnificent."
He raised the device in his hand.
"If we can capture a form like this—"
Pak Rahmat cut him off sharply.
"You can't imprison a storm."
The Commander looked at him.
"You said the same thing..."
"...back then."
Silence.
Sinta turned toward Pak Rahmat.
"Back then?"
No one answered.
The Core Manifestation slowly shifted its gaze toward Arga.
The MBG Lunchbox in his hands began trembling violently.
The sixteen glowing grains spun wildly.
The cracked grain fractured even further.
Golden light seeped through the crack...
like blood.
Farhan shouted,
"Arga!"
"Don't let it synchronize!"
Lila turned to him in confusion.
"What do you mean?!"
Farhan glanced once at his lifeless laptop before looking back at Arga.
His face had gone completely pale.
"The Manifestation..."
His voice trembled.
"...isn't searching for energy."
He swallowed hard.
"It's searching..."
"...for a living vessel."
No one moved.
The Core Manifestation slowly raised its hand toward Arga.
Snow across the entire valley rose into the air.
The heavens split apart.
Then—
a voice that was not a voice echoed inside every mind at once.
LET ME IN.