Dominic's hands didn't rise into a stance.
Not yet.
They hung loose, calm—like he wasn't preparing for a fight, but for a demonstration. His eyes, however, were sharp. Not cold. Not warm.
Just exact.
They met Damien's without wavering.
"You've killed a monster," Dominic said softly. "A real one. Not a simulation. Not a training golem. Not a sparring partner under mana suppression."
His voice wasn't proud. It was factual.
"And you didn't just kill it. You stayed standing in its pressure. You walked through it. You even let it burn you a little."
Damien said nothing, but his jaw flexed once. Acknowledging.
Dominic took a step forward.
"That means your Partial Awakening is real. It's not some misfire. It's not just an anomaly from contact with the Vault. It's taken root. Started evolving. You've already integrated enough Authority to stabilize your core under live threat."
He didn't say "impressive." He didn't need to.
Because Damien knew what that meant.
