The sky was still filled with eyes.
Dozens of cosmic rifts hung above Earth's orbit like wounds that refused to close. Violet light spilled from them into the ocean, making the sea look unfamiliar.
There were no stars.
No night.
Only countless gazes.
And a tension that pressed against everyone's chest.
On the half-destroyed research vessel, Arga stood frozen.
That voice—
the voice from one of the colossal eyes—
still echoed inside his head.
Arga.
It hadn't merely called his name.
It felt as though something had reached deep into his very core.
Bimo glanced around nervously.
"Okay... I officially hate the sky."
Dika didn't answer.
He was watching Arga.
"Something's wrong."
Sinta immediately moved closer.
"Arga?"
He didn't respond.
His hands were trembling.
The MBG Lunchbox in his grip emitted a golden glow that rose and fell like a heartbeat. All thirty glowing grains of rice spun wildly inside.
Farhan checked the data on his still-functioning tablet.
"His biological energy levels are rising!"
Lila turned toward the display.
"No... that's not it."
She stared at the rapidly fluctuating readings.
"His readings are going haywire."
Arga finally managed to draw a ragged breath.
"I..."
He clutched his head.
"...I can hear something."
Kai immediately stepped closer.
"Whose voice?"
Arga closed his eyes.
Beneath the crashing waves.
Beneath the thunder of the sky.
Beneath the screams of cosmic energy—
there was another voice.
Distant.
Deep.
Ancient.
Yet strangely warm.
Like the echoes of mountains, forests, and oceans speaking as one.
Awaken.
Arga's eyes flew open.
His entire body stiffened.
"There's a voice... inside me."
Everyone fell silent.
Kai stared at him without blinking.
"What is it saying?"
Arga swallowed hard.
"...Awaken."
Silence settled over the deck.
Bimo slowly raised a hand.
"I don't want to panic, but that sounds seriously unhealthy."
Kai, however, looked more serious than ever.
He glanced at the MBG Lunchbox, then turned back to Arga.
"That voice isn't coming from the sky."
Arga looked at him.
Kai spoke quietly.
"It's Terra Ultima."
The wind suddenly picked up.
The ocean pulsed once.
BOOM.
Far out at sea, Terra Ultima slowly raised its colossal head. Its enormous green-gold eyes turned toward the vessel.
Arga's knees weakened.
"Why... can I hear it?"
Kai answered without hesitation.
"Because its energy exists within you."
Farhan frowned.
"Wait. Are you saying Arga is directly connected to something as massive as an entire planet?"
Kai didn't take his eyes off Arga.
"Not connected."
He paused.
"Chosen."
Everyone turned toward Arga.
Even Arga himself took a step backward.
"I never asked for this."
His voice cracked.
"I just wanted to protect everyone."
The MBG Lunchbox shone brighter.
All thirty grains spun faster and faster.
Then the voice returned.
Closer.
Stronger.
Awaken fully.
Arga dropped to one knee.
"AAAAH!"
Sinta immediately caught him by the shoulders.
"Arga!"
His body was burning hot.
Fine cracks of golden light spread across the skin of his hands. They weren't wounds—not exactly. It was more as if an energy far too powerful for his body was struggling to break free.
Farhan stumbled backward in alarm.
"His energy output is unstable!"
Lila typed frantically.
"If a human body is forced to withstand resonance on this scale..."
She stopped.
Bimo stared at her.
"Finish the sentence."
Lila swallowed hard.
"...he could be torn apart from the inside."
Silence gave way to terror.
Arga bit down on his lip until blood filled his mouth.
He could feel his heart pounding far too fast.
His blood felt as though it had turned into fire and lightning at once.
Inside his head, Terra Ultima's voice continued to call.
Awaken.
Awaken fully.
Time is running out.
"I DON'T WANT THIS!"
Arga screamed at the sky.
"I DON'T WANT TO LOSE MYSELF!"
The waves surrounding the vessel erupted upward.
BOOOOM!
The entire ship shuddered.
Bimo fell onto his backside.
"Okay! Now he's making tsunamis out of his emotions!"
Kai dropped to his knees in front of Arga.
He gripped both of Arga's shoulders and looked straight into his eyes.
"Listen to me."
Arga trembled violently.
"I can't hold it back..."
"You can."
"I'm scared."
Kai drew a breath.
For the first time, his voice softened.
"Being afraid doesn't make you weak."
Arga stared at him, his eyes bloodshot from the pressure of the energy surging through him.
Kai continued.
"Fully awakening doesn't mean losing yourself."
He pressed two fingers against Arga's chest.
"It means choosing who you are... when you possess the power to destroy everything."
The words pierced through the chaos in Arga's mind.
Terra Ultima's voice fell silent for a moment.
Silence.
Arga struggled to breathe.
Once.
Twice.
The golden light shining through the cracks in his skin began to fade.
Bimo let out a relieved sigh.
"Thank goodness."
Then—
Arga screamed louder than before.
"AAAAAAAH!"
His body lifted several inches above the deck.
Golden light exploded from his back.
His hair rose as if caught in an invisible storm.
His eyes transformed, blazing with green-gold radiance.
Ancient glowing symbols appeared across his arms and neck.
The air around the vessel warped.
Everyone was thrown backward.
Sinta slammed against the railing.
Farhan crashed into the control table.
Lila dropped her tablet.
Bimo shouted at the top of his lungs.
"WHY IS THERE ALWAYS A SECOND PHASE?!"
Kai remained motionless.
His expression was taut with tension.
Because he knew—
this wasn't an ordinary energy surge.
It was an evolution.
Arga opened his eyes.
But that gaze...
wasn't entirely his own.
When he spoke, two voices emerged from his mouth.
Arga's voice.
And the voice of something far, far older.
"The Gate has opened."
Every eye in the sky blinked simultaneously.
And behind Arga—
something resembling wings of light began to take shape.