Morning came, but nothing felt awake.
Ryo and Zain spoke in low voices, careful even with the walls. Skyla had a routine—too precise to be innocent. Tonight, she would move again.
Zain should've been the one to follow her. Any other time, it would've been him. But Skyla's damik would sense him instantly.
Ryo was different.
Whatever lived inside him didn't announce itself. It erased him.
So Zain stayed behind.
Night fell like a lid sealing a secret.
Skyla walked the halls, stopping at every door, listening. One by one, she checked on them. All asleep. All vulnerable.
Ryo's breathing stayed even. Zain didn't stir.
Satisfied, Skyla stepped outside.
Moments later, Ryo rose and followed.
He kept his distance, feet light against the snow, presence folded inward. Skyla walked beyond the town, past the last dim lights, into open cold. Minutes stretched endlessly—ten… twenty… thirty.
Where are you going? Ryo wondered, unease creeping in.
The river finally appeared, black water slicing through white snow. Skyla stopped at its edge.
Ryo slipped behind a tree, heart slowing.
Then the air shifted.
A masked figure stepped out of nothing, cloak rippling unnaturally.
Ryo exhaled.
At least it's not one of us.
His damik drifted beside him, voice amused.
"Hey, kid. Go kill him. He's right there."
Ryo whispered back, jaw tight. "Even if I wanted to, I don't know how to use your power."
"So boring," the damik muttered. "You could've died if you listened to me earlier."
Crack.
The branch snapped.
The sound was tiny.
But the reaction wasn't.
Skyla turned instantly. So did the masked figure.
"I thought you were coming alone," the man said calmly.
"So did I," Skyla replied, eyes narrowing on Ryo. "Strange… neither I nor my damik sensed you."
Ryo stepped forward, cold biting his skin. "Skyla," he said quietly. "What are you doing?"
The masked figure laughed. "Oh? She didn't tell you?"
He faced Ryo. "The Rolencian soldier sent here—he's dead. She killed him. Took control of the kingdom."
Skyla didn't deny it.
"One condition," the man continued. "She follows my orders. In the name of Rolencia."
Ryo's fists clenched. "What about Scarlet?" he snapped. "Do you not care about her?"
Skyla smiled.
"I don't," she said. "She'll be with me forever. Just like all of you."
Her smile twisted darker.
"Ever wonder why there are so few people without damiks here?"
Ryo's chest tightened.
"They're underground," Skyla said softly. "Slaves. Producing goods and services for other kingdoms."
Something inside Ryo broke.
Not anger.
Not rage.
Something colder.
His damik's voice dropped to a whisper, thrilled.
"Oh… this is fun."
Dark matter stirred.
At first, nothing happened.
Then the river trembled.
Snow lifted slightly from the ground, as if unsure whether gravity still applied. Ryo's breath slowed—not by choice, but because the world demanded silence.
Stage Two.
The masked figure frowned.
Invisible pressure wrapped around him—not hands, not force, but intent. His feet left the ground inch by inch, body dragged forward as if space itself had turned against him.
Ryo stepped once.
The air screamed.
He punched.
There was no flash. No sound at first.
Just absence.
Then the shockwave came—trees bending, water exploding upward—as the masked figure vanished, hurled a kilometer away in a single heartbeat.
Silence followed.
A heartbeat passed.
Then—
He was suddenly behind Ryo.
A blade of killing intent aimed for his neck—
—and the world froze.
Zain crashed in, moving so fast it felt like light itself had paused out of respect. His hand clamped onto the masked figure, stopping him mid-motion.
The battlefield erupted.
The others arrived. Scarlet stood frozen, eyes wide, horror carving into her face as the truth finally surfaced.
Snarling, the masked figure activated Stage Three.
Space folded.
Everyone using damik power was ripped away—dragged underground in an instant.
Ryo lunged for another punch—
—and vanished.
Rolencia.
Again.
The backlash hit immediately, crushing, merciless.
Now only Skyla remained above.
Below the surface, slaves waited in chains.
And standing against her—
the S-Ranks.
Team Z of Alulencia.