The moment the shadow moved, Arga didn't think.
He ran.
The back door slammed open behind them.
Cold evening air rushed in—sharp and clean—but it did nothing to slow him down.
Ahead, the figure from the window came into full view.
A man in a gray jacket.
And in his hands—
the box.
"He's got it!" Bimo shouted.
Arga didn't answer.
The energy inside him had already surged.
It flowed from his chest, down through his legs, then exploded into motion.
He ran.
Faster than before.
Faster than he should have been able to.
"Arga—faster!" Sinta called.
They turned into the narrow street behind the school.
Empty.
Too quiet.
An alley stretched ahead, tight and narrow, walls rising on both sides like a trap.
The man slipped into it without hesitation.
Arga followed at once.
Bimo hesitated for half a second.
"…What if—"
"MOVE!" Sinta snapped.
Too late for doubt.
They ran in.
Their footsteps echoed through the alley.
Sharp.
Rhythmic.
The man's shadow flickered ahead of them.
Still distant.
But getting closer.
Arga leaned forward.
The energy responded immediately.
His speed increased.
The gap shrank.
Closer.
Closer—
The man glanced back.
His eyes narrowed.
"…Persistent."
Then he stopped.
Abruptly.
Arga's eyes widened.
Too late to slow down.
The man turned—
and moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
WHOOSH!
His arm sliced through the air, and a violent gust burst outward.
Arga reacted on instinct.
He threw himself backward.
The force slammed into the wall behind him.
CRACK!
Dust rained down in chunks of concrete.
Sinta froze for a split second.
"…That's not normal."
The man tilted his head.
"So you really are active."
Bimo charged forward before anyone could stop him.
Too fast.
Too reckless.
"HEY!"
The man stepped aside with effortless precision.
Bimo missed him completely and nearly crashed into the wall.
"I CAN'T STOP!"
Arga moved at once.
"TURN LEFT!"
Sinta jumped ahead, landing directly in Bimo's path.
"NOW!"
Bimo twisted sharply.
Just enough.
Too much.
He hit the ground and rolled hard across the alley.
"Ugh!"
The man watched without expression.
Calm.
Unbothered.
"…Unrefined."
Arga stepped forward.
The heat inside him surged again.
But this time, it didn't explode wildly.
It focused.
"You're not taking that box," he said.
The man smiled faintly.
"…You already lost."
Then he moved.
Straight at Arga.
The distance vanished in an instant.
Arga reacted—
too slow.
THUD!
The strike hit his chest and sent him sliding across the ground.
Pain shot through him.
Sharp.
Real.
"Arga!" Sinta shouted.
He caught himself and forced his feet under him.
Breathing hard.
"…He's stronger."
"No," Sinta said quietly.
Her eyes never left the man.
"…He's controlled."
Silence followed.
That was worse.
The man adjusted his stance.
"You can feel power," he said.
"But you don't understand it."
He stepped forward again.
"Let me show you."
Arga clenched his fists.
"No."
The energy rose inside him again.
But this time, he didn't chase it.
He shaped it.
Not speed.
Not strength.
Control.
He inhaled once.
Slow.
Deep.
Then he moved.
Fast.
But steady.
The man's eyes flickered—
just for a second.
Arga closed the distance.
Shifted.
Dodged.
And grabbed the box.
The man yanked backward.
Hard.
But Arga held on.
Their strength collided.
For one tense moment, neither of them moved.
Then Sinta moved.
She leapt higher than before—
but perfectly controlled.
She came down between them.
BANG!
The ground cracked beneath the impact.
The shockwave forced the man backward.
Bimo pushed himself up, wincing.
"…Okay."
He spat dust to the side.
"…I'm done running like that."
He inhaled.
Focused.
Then moved again.
Fast—
but controlled.
He circled wide through the alley, cutting off the man's escape.
The stranger's gaze shifted between all three of them.
Then he smiled.
"…Good."
A pause.
"…You learn fast."
And then, suddenly—
he let go.
Arga stumbled backward but kept hold of the box.
The man stepped away.
"That's enough."
Before any of them could react, he moved.
One step onto the wall.
Then another.
Then he was gone.
Vanished into the dark above them.
Silence fell over the alley.
Only their breathing remained.
Heavy.
Uneven.
Real.
Bimo dropped to the ground.
"…I almost hit a wall again."
Sinta didn't move.
Her eyes remained fixed on the place where the man had disappeared.
"…He wasn't trying to win."
Arga looked down at the box in his hands.
"…He wanted to see what we could do."
He opened the lid slightly.
The smell hit instantly.
Sharp.
Bitter.
Wrong.
He shut it at once.
"This isn't MBG."
Sinta nodded.
"…It's something else."
Bimo looked up from the ground.
"…Then why bring it?"
No one answered.
Then Arga's own lunch box reacted.
Warmth spread through his hand.
Then intensified.
He opened it.
At the bottom lay one glowing grain of rice.
Then another.
Two points of light.
Pulsing in sync.
Like a heartbeat.
Arga froze.
"…It increased."
Sinta stepped closer.
"…We got stronger."
Bimo blinked.
"…By fighting?"
Arga didn't answer.
But he felt it.
Something inside him had changed.
Not just power.
Growth.
He lifted his gaze to the wall where the man had vanished.
His expression sharpened.
Calm.
Focused.
"Next time…"
A brief pause.
"We catch him."
For the first time, this wasn't fear.
It wasn't confusion.
It was something else.
Resolve.