An Understated Dominance (Dustin Rhys)

“Ms. Linsor, look out!” Sadie shouted. She had been watching Lauren’s every move. The moment the iron chains binding Lauren snapped and scarlet mist poured from her body, Sadie immediately jumped in front of Grace to shield her.

However, the mist was pervasive. It engulfed several people in the room within seconds before expanding outward in all directions at breakneck speed.

The scarlet mist was laced with deadly poison. Wherever it touched, flowers wilted and the ground turned black, as if it were consuming everything in its path.

Lauren laughed maniacally.

“Every last one of you deserves to die. This world is steeped in corruption, and God has turned his back on us. Only our Skull Lord will outlast it all.

“I shall cleanse your sins with his blood and offer your lives as a sacrifice. The Skull Covenant shall rise, and the Skull Lord shall reign eternally.”

Her crazed proclamations echoed through the swirling scarlet mist.

As more mist poured out from her body, her figure began to shrivel rapidly. It was as if her very life force was being drained away.

Even so, she kept laughing hysterically as if death meant nothing to her. In her eyes, death wasn’t the end but a pathway to eternal life. It would finally allow her to embrace the Skull Lord and serve at his side forever.

“Ms. Linsor, we need to leave now. There’s something strange about this scarlet mist, “Sadie said urgently.

She grabbed Grace’s hand and bolted without a second thought. She’d noticed that the mist corroded everything it touched, including their biohazard suit and respirator.

be useless in under two minutes. And when that happened,

used to purify the sin that stains your souls. Once it touches you, there’s no escape until you’re completely

if picturing their corpses. She wouldn’t have

would finally receive the purification it deserved as the blood spread to every corner it touched. The devastation wouldn’t stop at this small village because entire

ground, where he would be resurrected to lead the

a deep rumble cracked

stunned disbelief as the crimson mist-just seconds ago spreading like wildfire-abruptly reversed course as though it had struck an unseen barrier. The mist rushed backward with blinding speed, like a tide being pulled back

had retreated into the small cabin and condensed into

inside her body as its vessel. She had just released the mist, only to watch some mysterious force compress it

the hell

maniacal laughter died

tried to comprehend what force could make Skull

at the floating crimson orb and lunged for it without hesitation. Nothing else mattered

being. Once

as though yanked by some unseen hand. Lauren made a desperate grab but caught nothing but air. Fighting through her

found herself face-to-face with

couldn’t tell when he’d arrived or how he’d gotten there first. He appeared young and strikingly handsome, with an almost magnetic presence that made her feel at

was facing a formidable opponent. Every muscle in her body tensed as wariness crept across her features. The man was holding

to me,” Lauren said