Dawn had just broken when the small cargo plane pierced through the last layer of clouds.
The eastern sky glowed orange. The sun slowly rose above the horizon, its first light touching the world like a promise of a peaceful day.
But no one inside the cabin believed in peace anymore.
The engines hummed softly.
Inside, the cabin was silent.
Not because everyone was calm.
Because they all knew—
they were flying toward something even Gaia Primordia feared.
Bimo sat beside one of the small windows, his arms folded.
"Okay."
He stared outside.
"A few weeks ago, my biggest problem was worrying about exam grades."
He pointed ahead.
"Now we're chasing an alien monster into the middle of a desert."
Dika gave a faint smile.
"Character development."
No one laughed.
Lila enlarged the map of the Sahara on her tablet.
An endless sea of sand filled the screen. Dunes stretched into the distance like golden waves with no end.
"The Core resonance is coming from the central sector."
Farhan added while watching the radar.
"No cities. No help. No one for miles."
Sinta crossed her arms.
"Perfect place for the apocalypse."
Kai stared at the map without blinking.
His eyes glowed faintly.
"It isn't just the Core."
Rani turned toward him.
"What do you mean?"
Kai took a slow breath.
"There is something much older buried beneath it."
Everyone turned toward him.
But before anyone could ask another question—
a muffled cough came from the back of the cabin.
Arga.
He sat alone on the side of the cabin, slightly hunched over.
His hand held the MBG Lunchbox, but his fingers were trembling.
A single drop of blood fell onto the metal floor.
Sinta immediately stood.
"Arga!"
She hurried over.
"I'm fine."
But Arga's voice was hoarse.
His face was pale. His breathing was shallow. Cold sweat covered his temples even though the cabin wasn't hot.
Kai knelt in front of him.
"You're pushing your body too hard."
Arga gave a faint smile.
"We're all pushing ourselves."
He slowly opened the lunchbox.
Twenty-five glowing rice grains rotated gently inside.
But their light was unstable.
Bright one moment.
Faint the next.
As if they were following the chaotic rhythm of Arga's body.
Farhan suddenly stiffened.
"Wait."
Everyone turned toward the radar.
A red point over Africa suddenly surged.
Its speed dropped sharply.
"He's entering the atmosphere!"
The plane shook violently.
An alarm blared.
Bimo gripped his seat.
"I hate it when monsters can cause turbulence."
Kai looked out the window.
Far ahead in the sky—
a red streak cut through the clouds.
Not a meteor.
Not an aircraft.
Something alive.
Something angry.
And whatever it was—
it was falling toward Earth.
Several hours later—
the plane began its descent over the Sahara.
Below them stretched an endless desert.
Golden.
Hot.
Empty.
At least from a distance.
The lower they descended—
the clearer the wound in the middle of the desert became.
A massive crater.
Wide enough to resemble a small city.
The sand surrounding it had turned black and melted into something resembling glass.
The dunes had been flattened as if a giant hand had pressed down on them.
Farhan swallowed hard.
"The impact…"
He slowly shook his head.
"…was far greater than we estimated."
Lila activated the long-range camera.
An image appeared on the screen.
Everyone fell silent.
At the edge of the crater—
there were signs of a battle.
Long trails carved through the sand.
A massive boulder split cleanly in two.
And in the middle of one of the dunes—
a black spear stood embedded in the ground.
Bimo stood up.
"That…"
Sinta narrowed her eyes.
"Pak Rahmat's spear."
Arga stared at the screen.
Dark blood stained the blade.
Not human blood.
Not ordinary blood.
Kai whispered,
"He got here first."
Silence filled the cabin.
No one said a word.
Because they all knew what that meant.
Pak Rahmat—
was fighting alone.
The plane's wheels struck the hard desert ground.
ROOOOOOM!
The cargo door opened.
Heat immediately rushed inside.
The dry air burned their lungs.
Sand whipped through the opening like tiny needles.
Bimo stepped down first.
Then immediately covered his face.
"Okay!"
He shouted over the wind.
"This place is trying to kill me before the monster even shows up!"
Dika climbed down behind him, laughing softly.
"Welcome to the Sahara."
Arga stepped onto the ground.
But after only two steps—
his knees gave way.
His body nearly collapsed.
Sinta caught his shoulder.
"You're not coming."
Arga gently pushed her hand away.
"I am."
"You almost passed out!"
"If the Core falls…"
He stared toward the distant crater.
"…then all of this will have been for nothing."
Sinta bit her lip.
She couldn't answer.
Because once again—
Arga was right.
They ran toward the crater.
The closer they got—
the more violent the wind became.
Sand swirled into enormous columns.
The sky slowly turned yellow.
The sun disappeared behind the dust.
And at the bottom of the crater—
something moved.
At first, it was only a long shadow.
Then the sand began to collapse.
The surrounding dunes were pulled downward.
The ground trembled.
RUMMMMMBLE.
Farhan stared at his damaged screen, his face pale.
"The Core energy beneath us is waking up!"
Lila took half a step back.
"No…"
From the center of the crater—
a massive head emerged.
Long like an ancient serpent.
Wide as a building.
Its skin was made of ancient sandstone, covered in deep cracks.
Through those cracks—
red light burned like magma inside an ancient tomb.
Two eyes opened.
Like dying suns filled with hatred.
The creature continued to rise.
Its enormous body coiled out of the endless sand.
Every movement swallowed another dune.
Every breath created another storm.
Bimo stared blankly.
"Okay…"
"…that's definitely not a camel."
Kai stared at the creature in horror, an expression rarely seen on his face.
"Desert Colossus."
He swallowed.
"The predator of lost cities."
Rani whispered,
"A legend…"
Kai slowly nodded.
"Ancient civilizations buried it alive beneath the Sahara."
Dika stared at the enormous body still rising from the sand.
"And now it's awake."
The creature lifted its head toward the sky.
Then it roared.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
The soundwave slammed across the desert.
Sand exploded into the air.
The sky disappeared completely.
A massive sandstorm was born in an instant.
Everyone was thrown backward.
Arga crashed onto one knee.
The MBG Lunchbox slipped from his hand.
Twenty-five glowing rice grains flared wildly inside.
Sinta screamed.
"ARGA!"
But before she could reach him—
the ground beneath them cracked.
CRAAAAACK!
The entire crater collapsed.
The dunes began to move.
Not because of the wind.
Not because of an earthquake.
But because the entire Sahara…
was moving.
Farhan stared at the damaged screen, trembling.
"This is impossible…"
Lila turned toward him.
"What now?!"
Farhan pointed at the seismic readings.
"It's not just that monster waking up…"
He looked at the sea of sand rippling like a living ocean.
"…something far larger is beneath the desert."
Everyone froze.
The Desert Colossus slowly turned its head.
Not toward them.
Toward a single point at the edge of the crater.
There—
stood Pak Rahmat alone.
His body was covered in wounds.
Blood ran down his forehead.
Yet he remained standing.
His hand tightened around the black spear.
He looked at Arga.
Then at the desert beginning to split apart.
And for the first time—
Pak Rahmat's voice shook the entire storm.
"RUN!"
Too late.
The Sahara shattered like an ocean being torn apart from below.
And an enormous ancient city—
began to rise from beneath the earth.