Dust motes danced in the anemic afternoon light, illuminating the fine layer of grime coating Rian’s kitchen floor. His eyes, sunken from too many sleepless nights, traced the bold red numbers on the electricity bill. One thousand five hundred dollars. A gut-punch. A cruel joke pinned to his crumbling wall, mocking his perpetually empty wallet. Rian stared at the number for several seconds, hoping that somehow his eyes had misread it. They hadn't. “Seriously...?” His voice came out hoarse. Sweat beaded on his forehead, cool despite the humid Semarang air that pressed down like a wet blanket. Another month, another struggle, a relentless treadmill of debt. He’d skipped lunch again. The aroma of a neighbor’s fried chicken drifted through the thin walls, tantalizing and unreachable. Rian's stomach twisted painfully at the smell. Pinched features tightened. His threadbare T-shirt, once white, now a faded grey, clung to his lean frame, a testament to too many missed meals. A gnawing ache resonated in his stomach, a familiar companion. Across the kitchen, Jojo, his orange cat, lay sprawled on a patch of less-grimy linoleum. The cat looked completely at peace. Utterly oblivious to the financial apocalypse looming over his owner. Rian glanced at him. “You're lucky.” Jojo opened one eye. “You don't have electricity bills.” Jojo closed his eye again. “Or rent.” Nothing. “Or debt.” Jojo's tail twitched once. Rian sighed. “Yeah. Must be nice.” Yesterday’s meager nasi goreng money had gone to cat food. Jojo’s contented purr, a low rumble from his chest, was a small, almost forbidden luxury Rian couldn't deny himself. Not when Jojo was his only company. His furry, indifferent confidant in this tiny, suffocating apartment. Rian picked up the electricity bill again. He flipped it over, hoping for a hidden rebate, a magical discount code, anything. Nothing. Just the unforgiving stamp of: OVERDUE. “Of course.” He dropped the bill onto the counter. His gaze drifted around the cramped kitchen, searching for answers in the peeling paint, the ancient, sputtering gas stove, the chipped ceramic sink. There was nothing. Nothing except old things that were slowly falling apart. Then his eyes stopped at the corner. The antique trash can. Rian stared at it. It was a ridiculous impulse buy from the flea market, just last week. He'd paid twenty thousand rupiah for it, a sum he couldn't really afford, but the vendor’s insistent chatter about its “ancient magic” and “historical value” had charmed him. That, and its ornate, tarnished brass, vaguely colonial feel. And the strange, almost imperceptible warmth it seemed to radiate. At the time, Rian had thought it was merely because the metal had been sitting beneath the afternoon sun. Now, looking at it, he wasn't so sure. “Stupid, Rian,” he muttered, running a hand through his perpetually messy hair. “You bought a fancy trash can instead of instant noodles.” He stared at the object. “Genius move.” The faint scent of rotting vegetables and fruit peels, its usual aroma, seemed particularly pungent today, adding insult to injury. Rian wrinkled his nose. “Maybe I should just sell it.” He took a step toward the trash can. Then— Hmmm... Rian froze. A faint hum vibrated through the floorboards. He slowly turned his head. “What was that?” The refrigerator? He glanced toward the ancient machine in the corner. It gave a familiar cough and sputter. No. The sound was different. Rian stood completely still. Hmmm... The hum came again. Stronger this time. A low thrumming resonated deep in his chest. It felt less like machinery and more like... Something alive. Jojo lifted his head. His ears swiveled toward the trash can. The orange cat's pupils narrowed. His tail flicked once. Then again. Rian's expression slowly changed. “Jojo?” The cat stood. That alone was strange. Jojo normally needed at least three attempts from Rian to convince him to move when he was comfortable. But now, the cat was completely focused on the antique trash can. Green light bled from the seams of the object. Rian's breath caught. It wasn't a soft, ambient glow. It was vibrant. Neon. Almost impossibly bright. The light pulsed rhythmically, like a frantic heartbeat. Thump. The kitchen walls flickered green. Thump. The old sink glowed. Thump. Rian's face was illuminated by an eerie emerald light. His jaw dropped. “What...?” A faint warmth radiated from the can, pushing back against the oppressive humidity and chasing away the stale air. Then something even stranger happened. The putrid smell of rotting organic waste vanished. Completely. In its place came a faint, clean scent. Like rain on freshly tilled earth. Like new growth after a long drought. Rian stared. “What the hell...?” Within the can, the usual detritus of his meager existence began to move. Withered kangkung leaves. Bruised banana peels. Gritty coffee grounds. A few limp chili stems. They began to churn. Not slowly. Not lazily. But with a rapid, controlled vortex. The trash spun around the center of the can, illuminated by the emerald light like a miniature whirlpool. Rian stumbled backward. His knee struck a stack of empty instant noodle cups. Clatter! They tumbled across the grimy linoleum. Rian barely noticed. His heart hammered against his ribs. This wasn't possible. Trash didn't glow. Trash didn't hum with a life of its own. Trash definitely didn't churn with internal energy. His mind screamed against the unreality of it all. Yet his eyes remained glued to the spectacle. Slowly, unbelievably, the solid organic matter began to liquefy. The banana peels didn't merely disintegrate. They dissolved. The kangkung leaves melted into a verdant mist. The coffee grounds dispersed into swirling motes. Nothing rotted. Nothing burned. Everything transformed. The contents seemed to be broken down and refined at the most fundamental level. A viscous, shimmering liquid began to fill the bottom of the can. It rose steadily. The substance was thick, almost like molten jade, yet it possessed an internal luminescence that defied explanation. Neon green. It swirled hypnotically. Terrifying. Beautiful. Impossible. Tiny bubbles, like miniature emerald pearls, rose to the surface and popped silently. Rian stared, wide-eyed. His mind struggled to process the impossible. Science fiction? A prank? Some kind of chemical reaction? An elaborate trick? Or something supernatural? He pinched himself hard. “Ow!” Pain bloomed across his forearm. Rian stared at the red mark. “This is real...” His voice trembled. Terrifyingly, exhilaratingly real. Then, slowly, another emotion began to rise inside him. Hope. A fragile, trembling thing. It fought against the fear, the bewilderment, and the sheer absurdity of what he was seeing. Rian looked at the glowing liquid. Then at the overdue electricity bill. Then at the empty kitchen. Then at the refrigerator that contained almost nothing. His throat tightened. What if this... What if this glowing, viscous goo was an answer? A ridiculous, unbelievable answer. But an answer nonetheless. A way out of the suffocating grip of his crushing debt. His breathing became slower. His eyes narrowed. For the first time in weeks, something other than desperation filled his mind. Possibility. Maybe this wasn't trash anymore. Maybe he'd just stumbled onto something valuable. Very valuable. Jojo, meanwhile, had hopped off the floor. His tail was held high, twitching slightly at the tip, a feline antenna sensing the inexplicable energy. He approached the glowing can with cautious curiosity. His whiskers bristled. His eyes widened. He circled the can once. Then twice. Sniffing the air. There was no longer any smell of decay. Instead, something about the liquid seemed to attract him. Jojo made a soft chuffing sound. A low rumble vibrated through his chest. Rian had never heard him make that sound before. “Don't even think about it.” Jojo ignored him. The cat leaned closer. “Jojo.” The cat's nose almost touched the edge of the can. “That's not food.” Jojo glanced at him. Rian pointed at the liquid. “I don't know what that is.” Jojo stared. Rian stared back. “Exactly. So stay away from it.” Jojo slowly sat down. But his eyes never left the glowing substance. Rian took a hesitant step forward. The light pulsed again. Shadows stretched across the kitchen walls, making him and Jojo appear like figures standing inside some bizarre ancient ritual. The air felt charged. Almost electric. Rian swallowed. He had spent most of his life avoiding risks because he couldn't afford the consequences. But now? His life was already collapsing. His electricity bill was overdue. His wallet was empty. His refrigerator was nearly barren. And the only thing of value he possessed might have been an antique trash can he'd bought for twenty thousand rupiah. There wasn't much left to lose. Rian slowly reached out. His hand trembled. The closer his finger came to the liquid, the stronger the strange warmth became. It wasn't hot. It was comforting. Almost alive. His fingertip hovered just above the surface. A tingle ran up his arm. A faint static shock without physical contact. The hairs on his skin stood on end. Rian hesitated. Was he about to dip his finger into toxic waste? Or something far stranger? Something that could change everything? Curiosity warred with self-preservation. Curiosity, as always, won. “Here goes nothing.” Rian gingerly touched the glowing goo. The instant his fingertip made contact— WHOOM! The entire kitchen exploded with emerald light. Rian shouted and stumbled backward. “AAAH!” The stack of noodle cups flew in every direction. Jojo jumped nearly a meter into the air before landing on the countertop. The hum vanished. The swirling liquid stopped. Everything became completely silent. Rian stared at his hand. Nothing. No burn. No wound. No pain. Then— A strange warmth spread from his fingertip. It traveled up his hand. His wrist. His arm. And then— BOOM! A pulse of energy surged through his body. Rian gasped. His knees nearly gave out. For a moment, his entire world disappeared. There was no kitchen. No electricity bill. No debt. No hunger. Only darkness. Then something appeared within that darkness. A faint green interface. Words formed one by one. [Unknown energy detected.] Rian stared. “What...?” Another line appeared. [Analyzing...] His breathing stopped. [Organic matter conversion detected.] [Conversion efficiency: 100%.] [Result: Nutritional Restoration Liquid.] Rian's eyes widened. “Nutritional... what?” The words vanished. For several seconds, nothing happened. Then another message appeared. [Would you like to establish a connection with the Restoration Vessel?] Rian's mouth slowly opened. “Restoration Vessel?” He looked toward the antique trash can. The brass surface had stopped glowing. It looked exactly as it had when he'd bought it. Old. Tarnished. Completely ordinary. Except for the faint green liquid inside. Rian swallowed. “Okay.” He raised his trembling hand. “Either I'm finally losing my mind...” He looked at the overdue electricity bill. “...or I'm about to become very rich.” A soft purr came from the countertop. Rian looked over. Jojo was sitting beside him, staring intently at the can. The orange cat's tail curled around his paws. “Don't look at me like that.” Jojo blinked. Rian sighed. “You're hungry too, aren't you?” “Meow.” “Yeah, yeah.” Rian looked back at the glowing liquid. His stomach growled. He suddenly realized something. If the system was telling the truth... Then the answer to his hunger might be sitting right in front of him. And perhaps— Just perhaps— The answer to his electricity bill was sitting there too. A slow grin spread across Rian's face. For the first time in a very long while, his empty wallet didn't seem quite so frightening. He reached for an old metal spoon. “Let's see what you can really do.”

Chapter 1: Trash, Glow, and a Whisker