Chapter 42 – After the Collapse - THE BEGINING OF NEW ERA

The corridor was a mess of dust, cracked walls, and flickering lights.

Medics and security units rushed in seconds later, weapons half-drawn but unsure who to point them at.

Om Sai raised a hand, snapping, "Stand down! He's stable!"

The soldiers hesitated—then lowered their rifles, though their eyes never left Arin.

Arin sat slumped against the wall, blood still dripping from his nose, shirt torn, knuckles split open. He looked more human than monster now—but the fear in everyone's faces said otherwise.

Shivani finally spoke, her voice quiet but trembling. "That… wasn't just Astra, was it?"

Om Sai's jaw tightened. He didn't answer immediately.

"It was something else," she continued. "Something heavier."

Om Sai met her eyes, then looked back at Arin. "Yeah," he said finally. "Zarn. But not any normal form."

One of the soldiers—new recruit, probably—stepped forward nervously. "Sir, we… we detected energy spikes across the entire sector. Even the main command sensors went off. Whatever that was—it reached the whole building."

Shivani's eyes widened. "The whole building?"

"Not only that," another medic added, voice low. "Half the personnel lost consciousness. Some… aren't waking up yet."

Om Sai froze for a second. Then his gaze snapped to Arin.

Arin's hands trembled slightly. "…That was me?"

No one answered. They didn't need to. The silence was enough.

He looked down again, voice breaking. "I didn't mean to—"

Om Sai cut him off, sharp but calm. "You stopped it yourself. That's what matters."

"But they—"

"Are alive," Om Sai said firmly. "Most of them, at least."

The words hung heavy in the air. Shivani turned away, hiding the unease in her face.

Arin shut his eyes, whispering to himself, "Then next time… I won't let it spread."

Om Sai exhaled, rubbing his forehead. "Next time, kid, just try not to bring down the entire building when you sneeze, alright?"

That earned a faint, broken laugh from Shivani—and a weak smirk from Arin.

But behind Om Sai's easy tone, something colder lingered. He'd felt that power before.

And he knew what it meant.

If Arin's Zarn could affect an entire building now…

the next time it awakened—

it might level a city.

Alarms blared through the facility. Red lights pulsed like heartbeats across the shattered corridor.

But no one was dead. Not this time.

Om Sai's aura wrapped around the area like an invisible barrier, pressing back the last traces of Arin's energy before it could spread further. Shivani moved fast—half carrying, half shielding him as the walls cracked under the fading pressure.

"Containment squad, move!" she shouted.

Within seconds, armored units appeared, surrounding the corridor with mana suppression fields.

Arin's head hung low, blood dripping onto the floor as his breath came in slow, broken gasps. He wasn't resisting. He couldn't. His body was shaking too much.

Om Sai pressed a glowing seal against Arin's neck—one designed to dampen his aura output. The air lightened almost instantly.

"Easy, kid," Om Sai said quietly. "You're done for today."

Shivani knelt beside him, checking his pulse. "Stable," she said, relief washing across her face. "We have to move him before the next surge."

Om Sai nodded. "Already ahead of you. Facility E-9 is prepped."

The soldiers hesitated. "E-9? That's restricted. No one's ever—"

Om Sai's glare silenced him. "He's not 'no one.' He's Arin."

They moved fast, wheeling him through dim, echoing corridors deeper underground than most people in the base even knew existed. The further they went, the colder the air became—like walking into the lungs of the earth.

Finally, they reached it.

A huge chamber—circular, reinforced with thick layers of mana-infused alloy. Runes lined the walls, glowing faint blue, pulsing in rhythm with Arin's heartbeat. At the center stood a transparent containment pod—large enough to hold a tank, humming with stabilizing energy.

Om Sai gave a quick signal.

The team placed Arin inside gently, sealing the chamber with a deep metallic hiss.

The lights dimmed to soft white.

The pressure vanished.

And for the first time since the surge, silence returned.

Shivani stood outside the glass, staring at the boy floating inside the containment field.

His expression was calm now—almost peaceful, like the storm inside him had finally fallen asleep.

Om Sai crossed his arms, leaning against the console. "No casualties," he muttered. "Lucky."

Shivani glanced at him. "You make it sound like it won't stay that way."

He didn't answer immediately. His eyes lingered on Arin's reflection. "Because it won't," he said finally. "Next time, this place might not hold him."

Shivani's hand pressed lightly against the glass, her voice a whisper:

"Then we make sure there is no next time."

Cold.

That was the first thing Arin felt when consciousness returned.

His body floated weightlessly in pale-blue fluid, wires and seals attached to his arms, chest, and temples. The faint hum of mana generators pulsed through the air like a heartbeat. His vision was hazy—only blurred lights and moving silhouettes beyond the glass.

For a second, he panicked—instinctively trying to move—but the fluid pressed him down gently, almost soothingly, like invisible hands saying stay still.

Then memory hit.

The pressure.

The screams.

The building shaking.

Him punching himself just to stop.

Arin's heart clenched. Did I… hurt anyone?

The glass hissed as the containment field adjusted. A voice came through the speaker—familiar, calm, and slightly irritated.

"Finally awake, demon-ass."

Arin blinked. "Om Sai…?"

The blurred figure outside came into focus—Om Sai, leaning casually against the control panel with a half-eaten sandwich in hand. His eyes, though, carried the weight of a man who hadn't slept in hours.

"Relax," he said, chewing lazily. "You're not in trouble. You're just grounded from breaking the damn building again."

Arin exhaled slowly, relief and guilt mixing in his chest. "Did… anyone get hurt?"

Om Sai shook his head. "No one died. Shivani and I handled it. A few soldiers passed out. Nothing permanent. You just scared the piss out of everyone—including me."

Arin closed his eyes. "I didn't mean to—"

"I know," Om Sai cut in gently. "That's why you're still breathing free air instead of containment gas."

Arin opened his eyes again, staring at the ceiling of the chamber. "Where am I?"

"Underground Facility E-9," Om Sai said. "Special unit containment. Built for people who can blow up cities when they sneeze. Congratulations—you're the first resident."

"…Lucky me."

Om Sai smirked faintly. "Yeah. Welcome home, glass boy."

A soft beep interrupted their exchange. The door behind Om Sai slid open. Shivani stepped in, her uniform neat but her expression tired. Dark circles framed her eyes—proof she hadn't slept either.

Her gaze softened slightly when she saw him awake. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got hit by a train and the train felt sorry afterward," Arin muttered.

Shivani exhaled, the faintest hint of a smile ghosting her lips. "Good. You're still sarcastic."

She walked closer to the glass. "Listen, Arin. What happened wasn't your fault. But from now on, we have to monitor your energy output constantly. This room will keep your presence under control until you can stabilize it yourself."

Arin stared at her through the glass. "So… I'm a prisoner now?"

Om Sai scoffed. "Prisoner? Kid, you've got the biggest suite in the whole base. It's got air conditioning, mana baths, and no annoying recruits to bother you. Be grateful."

Shivani shot him a glare. "Not helping."

Om Sai grinned. "I'm trying to make him laugh. That's called therapy, Snow Queen."

Arin chuckled faintly despite himself. "You two really never change."

The room fell quiet for a moment. Shivani's expression softened. "Get some rest. You're safe now."

She turned to leave, but before the door closed, Arin spoke again—voice low, serious.

"Shivani… Om Sai… if it happens again—if I lose control—don't hold back."

They both paused.

Om Sai's grin faded. Shivani didn't turn around, but her hand tightened on the door.

Om Sai finally said quietly, "We'll deal with that if it happens. Till then… you're still my pain-in-the-ass student."

The door slid shut.

Arin leaned back against the glass wall, staring at the faint ripples of blue light surrounding him.

He was alone—but not lost.

He could feel Perin's faint presence somewhere above, resting nearby.

"…I'll control it," he whispered. "Next time… I'll control it."

And deep within the chamber's humming silence, something stirred inside him—

—not darkness,

—but determination.

The door sealed behind them with a metallic hiss, cutting off the faint hum of Arin's containment chamber.

Om Sai stretched his shoulders with a tired groan. "I swear, if that kid keeps waking up like that, I'm gonna start carrying tranquilizers instead of snacks."

Shivani didn't answer immediately. She stood before the observation glass, arms folded, eyes still fixed on the faint glow of the chamber below. From this level, Arin looked like a shadow floating in blue light—peaceful, fragile, almost innocent.

Almost.

Om Sai's smirk faded as he noticed the look in her eyes. "You're worried."

She nodded once. "You felt it too. That presence wasn't just Astra. It wasn't even close."

He walked up beside her, tone serious. "Yeah… his Zarn level spiked off every known scale. The monitors recorded readings higher than S Form One. And he wasn't even trying."

Shivani's jaw tightened. "That's what scares me. He didn't choose to use it. It just… happened."

Om Sai leaned against the railing, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "So what now, Commander Ice Queen? You planning to report it?"

Her silence was answer enough.

He sighed. "If you tell the higher-ups, they'll lock him in a deep vault and never let him out again. You know that."

"I know," she murmured.

The lights above flickered once, reacting to the energy readings pulsing below. Shivani turned slightly, her voice quieter now. "He's not a threat, Om Sai. He's a child who's been through too much."

"Yeah," Om Sai said. "But power doesn't care who holds it."

They both fell silent, watching the soft blue light pulse with Arin's slow breathing.

After a moment, Om Sai crossed his arms. "You think it's Astra evolving? Or something else?"

Shivani's expression hardened. "No. This isn't Astra. Astra can't grow without the user's will. This… was something older. Like something inside him wanted out."

Om Sai nodded slowly, eyes serious now. "You think… Kalkin?"

Her breath hitched. "Don't say that name so casually."

He shrugged. "What? If the legends are true, Kalkin's spirit's been wandering for centuries, looking for a vessel strong enough to handle his power. Maybe it finally found one."

Shivani looked at him sharply. "And if that's true, then Arin isn't just dangerous—he's cursed."

Om Sai gave her a faint smirk, though his eyes were grim. "Then we'll just have to make sure the curse learns some manners."

She didn't smile. Her hand rested against the observation glass, fingers trembling ever so slightly. "If he loses control again… even we might not be able to stop him."

Om Sai looked at her, voice quiet but steady. "Then we teach him not to lose control. That's all we can do."

They stood there for a while longer, the hum of the facility filling the silence.

Below, the boy in the chamber turned slightly in his sleep—peaceful, unaware of the storm he carried inside.

Om Sai glanced at him once more. "You know, for a demon kid, he's kind of likable."

Shivani sighed. "You just like him because he reminds you of yourself."

He grinned. "Yeah… reckless, loud, good hair—what's not to like?"

Shivani rolled her eyes but didn't argue.

The lights dimmed slightly, switching to night mode. Both officers turned to leave.

But as they walked down the corridor, the containment chamber flickered—just once.

And inside, Arin's sleeping face twitched—his lips moving in a whisper none of them could hear:

"Kalkin… what are you…?"

The pulse monitors flared red for a split second—then went still again.

The door sealed behind them with a metallic hiss, cutting off the faint hum of Arin's containment chamber.

Om Sai stretched his shoulders with a tired groan. "I swear, if that kid keeps waking up like that, I'm gonna start carrying tranquilizers instead of snacks."

Almost.

Om Sai's smirk faded as he noticed the look in her eyes. "You're worried."

She nodded once. "You felt it too. That presence wasn't just Astra. It wasn't even close."

He walked up beside her, tone serious. "Yeah… his Zarn level spiked off every known scale. The monitors recorded readings higher than Subject Seven's Form Two. And he wasn't even trying."