Team Z finally reached Vilamon.
Unlike the frozen lands they had just left, Vilamon was warm. Dust floated in the air instead of frost. The sun shone over stone houses marked with cracks and patched rooftops. The damage was there — but not devastating. With Team Z's help, repairs were completed in less than an hour.
What surprised them more than the damage…
Was the ruler.
Vilamon's king was not a Rolencian.
Nor was he controlled by one.
He welcomed them into his hall and offered them rooms to rest.
"But before you settle in," the king said, his voice heavy, "I must ask a favor."
Ryo leaned against a pillar. "Go on."
"There is a boy. Around thirteen. His name is Sulaiman. He lives alone."
Aisha's expression softened instantly.
"His parents died long ago," the king continued. "His older brother was the only one caring for him."
"Was?" Ryo asked flatly.
The king nodded slowly.
"He was our strongest soldier… but he left. He joined the Reathagon."
Benjamin frowned. "Reathagon?"
Zain answered calmly.
"It's a unit made of the strongest warriors from each kingdom. They serve Rolencia. In exchange, their kingdoms are spared destruction."
The room went quiet.
"They approached me once," Zain added. "I declined."
The king's eyes widened.
"Wait… you're Zain Akashi?"
Zain gave a small nod. "Yup."
The king straightened immediately. "It is an honor."
Ryo pushed off the wall. "Enough with the chit chat. Let's find the kid."
The Back of the House
Vilamon's lower district was quieter. The houses were smaller. Tighter together.
As they walked, Aisha noticed something unsettling.
The children staring at them weren't curious.
They were afraid.
She slowed slightly. "Why do they look scared of us…?"
Ryo didn't hesitate. "Doesn't matter. We're here for one thing."
They arrived at the small house the king described — wooden door, cracked walls, uneven roof tiles.
Ryo stepped toward the entrance.
Then—
A loud thud came from behind the house.
A groan.
Another impact.
They rushed around the back.
And stopped.
A massive teenage boy — easily twice Sulaiman's size — was stumbling backward, face bruised.
And in front of him stood Sulaiman.
Thin. Sharp eyes. Knuckles scraped raw.
He threw another punch straight into the bigger boy's stomach.
"Say it again!" Sulaiman shouted. "Say my brother's a coward!"
The bigger boy tried to shield his face.
Sulaiman grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
Benjamin blinked. "That's the kid we're supposed to protect?"
Aisha whispered, "He's not scared at all…"
Zain watched silently, studying him.
Ryo stepped forward, calm but firm.
"That's enough."
Sulaiman froze mid-swing.
Slowly, he turned toward them.
His eyes weren't soft.
They weren't broken.
They were defiant.
"You here to talk about my brother too?" Sulaiman asked coldly.
Ryo's face remained unreadable.
"We're here because the king asked us to check on you."
Sulaiman scoffed. "I don't need checking on."
The bigger boy scrambled away, running down the alley without looking back.
Sulaiman didn't even watch him leave.
He kept his eyes locked on Ryo.
"And I don't need help either."
The air between them tightened.
This wasn't a broken kid.
This was a dangerous.