The emergency command center had been established inside a former international conference building in Jakarta.
The massive holographic screen at the center of the room displayed a map of Earth. Seven red points pulsed across the planet, each marking a World Core.
Lila stood before the screen, her expression grave.
"They're attacking all seven World Cores simultaneously."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
The seven locations were scattered across the globe:
The Sahara.
The Arctic.
The Amazon.
The Fire Continent.
The Pacific Ocean.
The Sun Sky.
And the Deepest Core.
"What's going to happen if they succeed?" Farhan asked, his fingers moving rapidly across the control panel.
Lila took a breath.
"If one World Core falls, the surrounding region will suffer an ecological collapse."
She pointed toward the red markers.
"If three fall, Earth's climate system will undergo permanent changes."
Her voice grew quieter.
"And if all seven fall…"
She paused.
"Earth will die from within."
No one spoke.
Arga stared at the holographic map. Seven fronts. Seven World Cores. Seven places that needed protection.
"We have to go," he finally said.
His eyes moved from one red point to another.
"I'll go to the Sahara. Then the Arctic. The Amazon. Wherever they need me."
"That's suicide."
Kai's voice cut through the room.
Arga turned toward him.
"You can't be everywhere at once," Kai continued. "Even with the resonance inside you, your body has limits. Trying to protect all seven fronts by yourself will only get you killed."
"Then what do you suggest?" Arga asked.
Before Kai could answer, Sinta stepped forward.
"We're not one person."
Her gaze swept across the team.
"We're a team."
She pointed toward the holographic map.
"Arga, you go to the Amazon. Your resonance has the strongest connection to that World Core."
Arga nodded.
"Bimo. Dika. You're heading to the Sahara. Aurelion needs support on the front line."
Bimo straightened.
"Understood."
Dika gave a firm nod, despite the bandage still wrapped around his injured shoulder.
"Farhan. Lila. You stay here."
Farhan looked up.
"Wait. You're leaving us behind?"
"Not at all," Sinta replied. "We need your eyes and brains here. Someone has to monitor all seven fronts, analyze the enemy's movements, and coordinate our responses."
Lila nodded slowly.
"I'll track the condition of every World Core. If there's a change, I'll inform you immediately."
Farhan sighed.
"Fine. I'll make sure none of you disappear from the map."
Sinta then turned toward Kai.
"And you?"
Kai stared at the seventh marker.
"The Deepest Core."
His answer was brief.
Arga frowned.
"You know how to get there?"
"I have access."
"What kind of access?"
Kai didn't answer.
His eyes remained fixed on the holographic point.
"That's all you need to know for now."
Sinta studied him for a moment, but she didn't press further.
Farhan opened a compartment beneath the control panel and took out several small devices.
"Before everyone leaves, take these."
He distributed a quantum relay wrist device to each member of the team.
"They'll keep us connected across long distances. At least, that's what the system is supposed to do."
Bimo examined the device on his wrist.
"So, basically, if the universe hasn't completely collapsed, these things will keep working?"
"That's the idea," Farhan replied.
Bimo gave a weak smile.
"Romantic way to say, 'Hope we don't die.'"
No one laughed.
Not because the joke wasn't funny.
But because everyone understood how real that possibility was.
For a moment, the room fell quiet.
Bimo approached Arga and grabbed his shoulder.
"Don't die before I do, okay?"
Arga smiled faintly.
"You too."
Dika stepped forward and extended his hand.
Arga took it.
"See you again," Dika said.
"Definitely."
Farhan handed Arga a small data module.
"Everything I've gathered about the Amazon's energy fluctuations is inside. Don't make me regret spending all night analyzing this."
"I won't."
Lila approached Arga next.
She didn't say anything at first. She simply wrapped her arms around him.
"Come back," she whispered.
Arga gently returned the embrace.
"I will."
Then Sinta stood before him.
For a moment, the two of them said nothing.
There were too many things they wanted to say, and too little time to say them.
Finally, Sinta looked into his eyes.
"Come home."
Arga nodded.
"Yes."
Kai had already turned toward the exit.
Before disappearing through the doorway, he stopped.
"One more thing."
Everyone looked at him.
His expression was unusually serious.
"Don't trust everything you see tonight."
Arga frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Kai didn't explain.
He simply walked away.
The door closed behind him.
And the countdown to war had begun.
---
"Wait!"
Farhan's voice suddenly rang through the command center.
Everyone turned toward the main screen.
"I'm detecting something."
His fingers moved rapidly across the holographic interface.
"Hundreds of enemy motherships are moving into position above the seven World Cores."
Lila stepped closer.
"What are they doing?"
Farhan enlarged the image.
The enemy vessels were forming a massive circular formation above each targeted region.
Then something appeared beneath them.
Seven enormous structures emerged from the clouds.
They looked like colossal cannons.
Their barrels were pointed directly toward the World Cores.
Lila's face went pale.
"Those aren't ordinary weapons…"
"What are they?" Sinta asked.
Lila stared at the screen.
"Planetary cannons."
Farhan's eyes widened as he examined the readings.
"They're preparing to fire simultaneously."
The entire room seemed to grow colder.
"Can we stop them?" Arga asked.
Farhan shook his head.
"I don't know. Their energy output is beyond anything I've ever recorded."
On the main screen, a series of numbers appeared.
30.
29.
28.
The countdown continued.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Then the display changed.
A single message appeared across the screen.
HARVESTING PHASE BEGINS.
Outside, the sky above Earth was filled with the silhouettes of colossal enemy vessels.
Seven World Cores trembled beneath the approaching weapons.
And somewhere across the planet, the first shot of a war unlike anything humanity had ever known was about to be fired.
Earth held its breath.