Miru inclined its head, its outline wavering like distorted air.
"My name is Miru," the damik said. "I am Rimazu's damik. My ability is invisibility."
It lifted a single hand.
Rimazu vanished.
Gasps rippled through the room. A heartbeat later, he reappeared in the same spot, untouched, as though reality itself had blinked. For a brief moment, no one spoke.
Then Ryo asked the question that shattered the awe.
"How did Miru awaken?"
The air shifted.
Everyone except Skyla shared the same unease. Damiks did not awaken without cause.
Skyla waved it away. "Don't dwell on it."
Moments later, her damik, Romaka, revealed herself, smiling lightly.
"This calls for a celebration!" Romaka said. "You're the only awakened damik I've seen in this kingdom so far—except the Travelers, of course."
Laughter followed, but Ryo felt none of it.
Hours later, the sun shone brightly over the only hot spring in the snowy kingdom, steam rising gently into the crisp air. Zain stood in the warm water, letting it wash away the day's fatigue. Ryo joined him, the contrast between the cold snow outside and the steaming water biting pleasantly at his skin.
"The others?" Ryo asked.
"With Rimazu," Zain replied. "Helping him control the invisibility."
Ryo hesitated, then said quietly, "About the damik… how did it really awaken?"
Zain exhaled slowly. "I've been asking myself the same thing. A damik awakens only through extreme emotion—or in the presence of overwhelming power. Neither happened today."
"It woke up this morning," Ryo said. "That doesn't add up. There was no surge. Neither me nor my damik sensed anything."
Silence stretched.
"…It had to be during the night," Zain muttered.
Ryo's eyes narrowed. "When I went outside last night, I saw Skyla carrying two barrels to refill the water."
Zain turned sharply. "That makes no sense. The barrels were already full."
Ryo shook his head. "No wonder she was struggling."
Zain's expression darkened. "No wonder…"
Ryo's thoughts snapped together. "And my damik didn't react until the masked figure released his power."
The hot spring's steam swirled silently around them.
"Rimazu's damik didn't awaken near me," Ryo continued. "Or near Skyla. And Skyla carried two full barrels for no reason."
Zain's voice dropped. "Ryo… do you think the theory is becoming reality?"
Ryo stared into the steaming water.
"Yes. There are only two possibilities."
He didn't look back.
"Either she met a Rolencian that night…
or the masked figure was already among us."