The distinct scent of antiseptic greeted Zulfa's senses as consciousness slowly drifted back to the surface. The steady hum of a heart monitor pulsed in a calm rhythm inside the V.I.P. hospital room, facing a large window framed in modern steel overlooking the city center.

Zulfa blinked his eyes a few times, adjusting his sight to the warm, bright morning sunlight streaming through the glass. There was no more dark purple sky, no electromagnetic storm, and no anomaly tremors gripping his chest.

"Ugh... my head feels like it was just hurled out of the earth's belly," Zulfa rasped, trying to move his stiff body.

Click.

The ward door opened softly. Naya stepped inside carrying a small tray holding a cup of warm water and a damp towel. The moment she saw Zulfa's eyes wide open, the tray nearly slipped from her grip. She hurried over to the bedside, set the tray on the nightstand, and clapped both hands over her mouth, choking back a burst of happy tears.

"Zulfa... you're... you're awake?!" Naya cried with a trembling voice, her eyes wet with emotional tears. She pulled up a chair beside the bed, grasping Zulfa's left hand tightly in both of hers. "Good grief, you terrified us half to death after our capsule rocketed out of the earth's belly last week!"

Zulfa offered a faint smile, feeling the warmth of Naya's fingers against his palm. He lifted his right arm, now able to move normally without any support sling. "Last week? How long have I been unconscious, Madam Assistant?"

"Three days, Engineer," Naya answered, chuckling softly through her tears as she wiped her damp cheeks. "You slept soundly after successfully locking the earth core's ultimate seal. The rescue team found our capsule landing safely in the middle of the city park with zero major damage, thanks to the gravitational trajectory calculations you set up from down below."

Zulfa exhaled a long breath, a broad smile spreading across his face. "Thank God... then my structural architecture calculations didn't miss."

"Miss your head!" Naya protested in feigned harshness, though her wide smile gave her away. She swatted Zulfa's arm lightly. "You nearly gave me a heart attack when your heart monitor flatlined down in that underground cave! Never pull a stunt like that ever again, you hear me?"

"Yes, yes, I promise," Zulfa laughed softly. He shifted his gaze toward the window. "What's it like outside? Is the city truly safe?"

Before Naya could answer, the ward door swung wide open again. Captain Danu strode in wearing a neat military jacket, followed by Roni and several civilian representatives and community leaders from the central district carrying fresh fruit baskets and flower bouquets.

"Good morning, hero of our city!" Captain Danu greeted with his cheerful, authoritative baritone. He clapped the foot of Zulfa's bed lightly. "Seeing you sitting up fresh and chatting like this proves that magma rocket blast from the earth's core yesterday stands no chance against a hard-headed engineer like you."

Zulfa smiled warmly to welcome them. "Thank you, Captain. But I couldn't have pulled any of this off alone without all of you holding the rear line."

A civilian representative—a middle-aged woman previously evacuated from the tunnel—stepped close to the bed, handing over a bouquet of flowers with a sincere smile. "Young Zulfa, on behalf of all the citizens, we want to express our endless gratitude. Thanks to your hard work, our children can return to school beneath a clear sky without fear. This city is fully saved."

Warmth and laughter filled the hospital room. Friends and neighbors took turns chatting casually, celebrating a victory over a peace freshly reclaimed.

Though the city was entirely safe, everyone in that room knew one truth: the world had changed forever. The dividing line between modern urban civilization and the earth's primeval magical wonders had melted into a new asymmetric yet harmonious reality. The Ley-Line crystals frozen gracefully across the city parks stood as eternal monuments to the history just written.

By midday, the visitors' departures left only Zulfa, Naya, and Captain Danu inside the ward.

Captain Danu fished into his military jacket pocket, pulling out a thick envelope bearing an official stamp with the city council's seal, then placed it on the nightstand beside Zulfa.

Zulfa glanced at the envelope with a furrowed brow. "What's this, Captain? A hospital bill?"

Captain Danu chuckled lightly. "No, Engineer. This is an official decree from the city government and the post-crisis transition council."

Curious, Naya leaned in close to read the envelope cover. Her eyes widened in shock, then flicked back and forth between Zulfa and Captain Danu. "Zul... read this. It's from the mayor's office."

Zulfa picked up the envelope, opened it, and read the official text line by line with intense focus.

"SPECIAL DECREE OF THE CITY COUNCIL"

"Subject: Establishment of the Boundary Monitoring Department"

"In light of the stabilized Ley-Line core and the restored real-world spatial boundaries, the city government officially and covertly establishes a new specialized division tasked with overseeing, maintaining, and researching anomaly points bridging modern infrastructure and subterranean primeval magic..."

Zulfa read the final paragraph with bated breath, spotting his name explicitly listed there as the primary mandate holder:

"...therefore, the city government hereby summons and appoints Zulfa Arditama to hold the supreme office of the first Head of the Boundary Monitoring Department."

Zulfa sat stunned for a beat, staring at the official parchment in his hands with mixed emotions of shock and pride. He looked up toward Captain Danu and Naya.

Captain Danu grinned broadly, crossing his arms over his chest. "How about it, Engineer? The city government apparently has zero intention of letting go of the most valuable asset that saved this planet. You're officially appointed head of the new special department."

Naya smiled sweetly, pinching Zulfa's arm lightly with a soft chuckle. "Well... looks like our city renovation project manager just got promoted to border guard between the real world and primeval magic. A remarkably cool title, Head Department Arditama."

Zulfa let out a long breath, then offered a faint smile as he folded the decree neatly back upon the nightstand. A shadowless dawn had officially broken over their city, and the new chapter of his life as guardian of the border had only just begun.