The masked figure had vanished.
Again.
The forest was quiet now—but heavy.
Ryo dropped to one knee.
Stage 2's backlash hit him hard. His breathing was uneven, vision slightly blurred. Zalam's presence receded into silence, letting the drawbacks settle into his body like chains.
The others had already pushed through theirs and regrouped.
Zain's expression changed.
He went still.
"…We're not alone."
His senses sharpened. There was someone nearby.
He looked at Sulaiman.
"Head north. Someone's watching us. Bring them here."
Sulaiman nodded and disappeared into the trees.
Inside his own mind, Zain analyzed.
The king… Every time Rolencia was mentioned, his eyes shifted. Dilated. Nervous.
Ryo felt it too. I saw it in his face.
If the presence I'm sensing is the king… then we're getting answers tonight.
Minutes passed.
Branches snapped in the distance.
Sulaiman emerged from the forest—
With a man slung over his shoulder.
The group froze.
It was the King of Vilamon.
Sulaiman dropped him gently onto the ground.
"I found him. But… why did you need him?"
Zain stepped forward, eyes cold.
"It's over. Spill it."
The king trembled.
For a moment, he tried to maintain dignity.
Then it collapsed.
"I… I made a deal," he admitted.
Silence fell over the forest.
Sulaiman stepped forward slowly.
"So my brother left… because of you?"
The king shook his head.
"Not exactly."
Everyone listened.
"Your brother wanted to join the Reathagon. Not for the kingdom… but for status. Power. Recognition."
Sulaiman's jaw tightened.
"To join them… he had to prove loyalty."
The king's voice cracked.
"He was ordered to kill your parents… and surrender your family's fortune."
The words hit like a physical blow.
"The day before their deaths… the masked man told me about the arrangement. If I handed over the strongest soldier and allowed the fortune to be taken… Rolencia would leave Vilamon alone."
He dropped to his knees.
"For the sake of my people… I accepted."
Tears streamed down his face.
"I am a coward."
Sulaiman stood frozen.
The forest felt colder.
Ryo, barely able to stand, forced himself upright.
"Don't say that."
Everyone looked at him.
"You had a choice," Ryo said, steady despite the pain. "And you chose your people."
His eyes darkened.
"It's the Reathagon that's going to pay."
The name lingered in the air like a curse.
Hours passed.
The group recovered.
Damages to Vilamon were repaired with Leona's earthwork and Benjamin's wind clearing debris. Scarlet sealed scorched areas. Life slowly returned to the town.
Before leaving—
Abraham planted the flag once more in Vilamon's soil.
With the king's permission.
A symbol.
They were moving forward.
Days later, they reached the next kingdom.
Mirumania.
Zain stopped at the gates.
"Oh. I forgot to mention something."
The group looked at him.
"This is the only kingdom where damik users and non-damik users live together."
The atmosphere shifted.
Different laws.
Different tensions.
Different dangers.
Zalam stirred faintly inside Ryo.
Something about this place…
Felt unstable.