An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

Leander was sent flying, and for a heartbeat, everyone in the yard stood in stunned silence. Weapons slipped from soldiers’ hands and clattered to the ground, and their eyes widened in terror. Many instinctively stepped back and bumped against the wooden fence, but no one dared look down.

Nathaniel’s sword gave a sharp, buzzing tremor. He tightened his grip on the hilt, holding it so hard that the red marks of his fingertips were left on the scabbard.

The child’s earlier punch had been nothing but a blur. The small, chubby fist seemed harmless, yet when it struck Leander’s chest, it landed like a meteor.

Nathaniel saw Leander’s black armor cave in. He heard the sharp crack of ribs breaking, the grinding of bone scraping against bone.

“Captain Grimsby…”

A guard trembled as he tried to step forward and help Leander, but he froze after only two steps.

Leander, curled up beneath the fence, choked as black blood bubbled from his throat. Each breath was more ragged than the last, and his sunken chest writhed as if something were crawling beneath the skin.

The most terrifying part was his eyes. They bulged as though ready to pop out from their sockets, but his eyes were still fixed on the child on the swing. Even in death, his pupils were frozen in fear.

The child pumped his legs as the swing rose to its peak. His short jacket lifted in the wind, showing his chubby arm with soft rolls.

The dark shine of his eyes reflected the morning glories on the wooden fence. Suddenly, he pointed at one half-opened bud and said, “That one’s about

out in a cold sweat. His battle robe clung to his

demons were

It was probably more terrifying than

didn’t mean to disturb you. Please forgive us,” he said, dropping to one knee. He was unable to hide the tremor in his voice. “We’re just ordinary people who

to their knees. The armor clattered loudly and

a single punch from this child, what kind of being were they dealing

swing rose higher, and the sturdy branches creaked softly. The child seemed oblivious to Nathaniel’s apology, or perhaps simply didn’t bother to

humming that tuneless nursery rhyme again. Strange as it was,

his teeth and looked

something when he saw

wind swept from deep within the grove. It carried countless leaves that sliced across their

slam into his chest. He was thrown backward and collided with the

rose one after another as everyone was swept away like dust before an invisible broom.

splitting their heads open instantly. Others tripped over vines and rolled down

his vision went black. He struggled to lift his head