Ryo's breath caught in his throat.
"Judging by the way you're staring," Lieutenant Zain said quietly, stepping forward, "that's the masked figure… isn't it?"
Ryo nodded. "Yeah. Different mask. Same presence."
His voice dropped. "The same one from that night."
Shock rippled through the group like a sudden chill.
Benjamin broke the silence. "Is he… is he the one who killed the commander?"
Zain answered before anyone else could.
"Yes."
The masked figure stood unmoving, cloak whispering against the air. Slowly, he tilted his head, as if tasting their fear.
"The strongest one you knew?" he said calmly. "Yes. I killed her."
A pause.
"And I enjoyed it."
The words sank deep, poisoning the space between them.
Zain's eyes hardened. "She may have worn the title of commander," he said, voice steady but cold, "but she only stood there because I refused it."
Light exploded from Zain's body.
Not fire. Not flame.
Pure radiance—ancient and overwhelming—washed across the land, swallowing rooftops, towers, and sky alike. The kingdom itself seemed to bow beneath it.
The masked figure laughed softly. "How fascinating," he murmured. "So that's your Damik."
Zain stepped forward, forcing the others back with the sheer pressure of his presence. "I see yours," he said. "Now show me what you're hiding."
Darkness answered.
Black matter poured from the masked figure like a living void, thick and endless, devouring the light as it surged forward. When the two forces collided, the world screamed—air split, stone cracked, and soldiers were thrown aside like leaves.
And then—
Something awakened.
Ryo staggered as a presence rose beside him.
Tall. Silent. Watching.
His Damik unfolded slowly, stretching as if from a dream that had lasted a lifetime. Power hummed around it—quiet, restrained, dangerous.
Ryo stared, heart racing. "What… what is that?"
Before anyone could answer, another voice echoed—deep, ancient, and wrong.
The masked figure's Damik spoke.
"If you fight that man now," it warned, "you will suffer greatly."
Zain heard it.
His Damik heard it too.
Both smiled.
The masked figure clicked his tongue. "Tch. Whatever. I only came to see if the boy was still breathing." His gaze locked onto Ryo. "I wanted to kill him. He disgusts me. I was hoping to find him alone."
Zain didn't flinch. "Then you're unlucky."
He took another step forward.
"Because he's the one who's going to kill you."
The others attacked at once—Damik after Damik erupting into motion, power tearing through the air.
All except Ryo's.
It didn't matter.
The masked figure vanished.
Teleportation—Stage One of his Damik's main ability.
The darkness withdrew instantly, but not without cost. His presence weakened sharply as he retreated, leaving behind only silence and shattered ground.
"Is everyone still alive?" Zain asked.
Voices answered yes.
All except Ryo.
He stared at the being hovering beside him. "What the hell is that?"
Then he looked around. "And… what's next to all of you?"
Laughter broke the tension, uneasy but real.
"You don't know what a Damik is?" Leona asked.
"I'm shocked you survived this long without one," Aisha said.
"Is this normal?" Ryo asked.
"Yes!" they answered together.
Benjamin crossed his arms. "We always wondered why yours never woke up."
Zain stepped closer. "A Damik is a companion spirit everyone is born with. It awakens through emotional impact—or overwhelming power." His gaze lingered on Ryo. "Yours chose today."
Ryo turned sharply. "Then why didn't it help me when I attacked?"
He glared at it. "Why didn't you?"
His Damik looked down at him, eyes cold.
"And why should I?" it replied. "You're just a human I'm bound to until death. I'll wait."
Ryo's blood ran cold. "Wait… for what?"
The other Damiks recoiled.
"That's cruel," one whispered. "I've never met a Damik like that."
Zain exhaled slowly. "You will learn each other," he said. "Eventually."
He turned toward the horizon. "Next kingdom—Bakundar."
"Let's eat first," one of the boys muttered.
They agreed.
Ryo stayed silent.
Bakundar was already broken.
Not just by war—but by rule.
Its king lay overthrown, replaced by a Rolencian like so many lands before it.
Ry'ak sat in his palace, resting comfortably atop a pregnant woman, her breath shallow beneath his weight.
"I can feel it," he said calmly.
His Damik hovered close. "Sir… it's Zain. He's near."
"And he isn't alone."
Ry'ak smiled slowly.
"So he finally comes," he murmured. "I've waited far too long to see his face again."
Outside the palace, the sky darkened—not suddenly, but deliberately.
As if the world itself were holding its breath.
And far away, something ancient shifted—
aware that the next move would decide far more than a single kingdom.