Dom sighed as he moved through the forest just outside of town, sneakers crunching softly against loose gravel and fallen leaves scattered across the winding dirt path. Shafts of afternoon sunlight slipped through the thick canopy overhead, breaking apart against the forest floor in fractured streaks of gold and shadow.
He kicked the same stone ahead of him, as if bruising it might somehow ease the irritation simmering in his chest.
Then he kicked it again…
And again.
The rock skipped across the dirt before bouncing off an exposed root.
"I really, really hate that guy," He muttered bitterly, finally abandoning the stone to hop over a fallen tree trunk slick with moss and dirt.
His brows furrowed as a thought surfaced, unwelcome but persistent.
Even though they were closer, they couldn't sense that guy's magic. Why?
The memory replayed itself in uncomfortable detail-- the shifting ground, the glow on the lackey's finger.
The silence afterward.
Nobody noticed… Nobody believed him.
A smirk lowly tugged at his lips despite himself.
Maybe sensing other people's magic is my special ability.
The thought lightened his mood just enough for him to finally notice the apple tree ahead.
Its branches sagged beneath the weight of ripe fruit, red apples gleaming through the leaves like polished jewels.
Dom's annoyance softened slightly. "Well…" He muttered under his breath. "Since I can't prove they cheated…"
He rolled up his sleeves and grabbed the trunk.
"I guess I just have to suck it up."
His fingers dug into the rough bark as he climbed.
"Besides," He grunted, hauling himself onto a thick branch, "… proudly facing villains like Matt is what a Great Magic Knight like the Emperor would do."
Leaves rustled softly around him as he settled onto the branch and began plucking apples one by one.
Each fruit landed below with a soft thud against the grass.
"Maybe I'll bring everyone two or three each," He chuckled, reaching for another. "Just to show how awesome I am—"
He froze as a sense of dread suddenly washed over him.
A violent eruption of wings suddenly exploded overhead.
Birds burst from the surrounding trees all at once, shrieking as they scattered wildly through the sky.
Dom's body stiffened, every muscle locking as his heart skipped a beat.
The branch beneath him creaked softly as he slowly looked around, eyes darting nervously.
Just seconds ago, everything had felt fine—peaceful, even.
But now… something felt wrong.
The air had grown heavy somehow, pressing against his skin like invisible hands.
The silence left behind after the birds' fled was worse than the noise itself. Almost as if the entire forest itself was holding its breath, and for some reason, Dom couldn't shake the sensation of being watched.
His eyes then widened once he finally remembered something…
Wait. Didn't Pops and those men say something about a wild animal?
Another burst of wings erupted deeper within the woods, like they were fleeing from something unseen.
That was enough for him.
Several apples slipped from his grasp as he hurriedly climbed down the tree, movements suddenly sloppy with panic.
"I don't care what they say," He muttered, breath quickening. "I'm not dying because of some stupid bet."
Once he was halfway down… his senses screamed.
A gust of wind slammed into him, the force ripping him clean off the tree.
He then crashed hard against the ground below, pain exploding across his back as the air blasted from his lungs.
"Ow… ow… ow," He groaned weakly, curling slightly as dirt clung to his clothes.
Then--
A familiar, grating laugh echoed through the trees.
Dom's expression darkened immediately, anger replacing fear as he forced himself upright.
"Come on, Snow White," Matt mocked as he stepped into view, hands casually tucked into his pockets. "I thought apple picking was your specialty."
His two lackeys snickered behind him.
"Seriously?!" Dom snapped and shot to his feet. "What the hell's your problem? You pick on me, you cheat, and now you won't even let me work in peace?" His fists clenched tightly at his sides. "What did I ever do to you?!"
Matt's grin faded.
Something uglier settled across his face instead as he stepped closer, towering over Dom.
"I can't stand you." He said, coldly. "You have no affinity, you're poor, you're a nobody…" His jaw tightened. "And yet everyone likes you."
The words came out sharper now.
"I have everything you don't, and nobody wants to be my friend."
Dom blinked, utterly speechless.
For a second, his anger faded into genuine disbelief.
Then--
"Seriously?" He laughed incredulously. "That's what this is about?"
He shook his head slowly, grin widening.
"Dude. You really are a royal dumbass."
Matt's eye twitched. "That's it." He snapped as he raised his arms, the wind suddenly curling around his body, tiring the leaves around his feet. "I'm tired of you always running that dirty mouth."
The air around him distorted as mana gathered.
"I'll show you what real magic is."
Dom instinctively stepped backward, noticing the lackeys also raised their hands, mana beginning to flicker around them as they prepared their own spells.
This wasn't a game anymore… it was something that could genuinely hurt him. That's what Dom quickly understood, and with no unique magic affinity of his own, he was at a disadvantage. A head-on fight would surely end in defeat.
He drew a steadying breath, already planning his escape while watching the four mages now focused on him.
Dom instantly flinched.
Wait. Four?
His eyes widened once he consciously realized that someone else was standing behind Matt and his two lackeys.
A tall, cloaked figure.
Silent. Menacing.
"Sounds like fun," The stranger said pleasantly, his voice startling the three boys as they spun around to find such a large figure standing right next to them. "Can I join in?"
Matt glared at the stranger, fingers trembling as he failed to sense this man until after he spoke. "And who the hell are you?" He demanded.
The man smiled beneath his hood, his disfigured, rotten teeth catching the faint sunlight through the trees. "Just an observer." He answered.
The boys exchanged uneasy glances.
Meanwhile, Dom backed away shakily, his eyes locked on the stranger.
What… what is that? He thought as heavy, green mana poured off the man's body like poison. flooding all of Dom's senses so violently that his stomach twisted.
He quickly covered his mouth, forcibly suppressing the urge to vomit. He glanced at the others, who appeared fine… because they failed to notice it.
"Whatever, weirdo," Matt scoffed, trying to sound confident. "You'd better stay away from me, or I'll tell my dad. He's the town Chief."
The lackeys nodded quickly, eager to get distance from this uncomfortable individual.
"I think not," The stranger said as he straightened to his full height, the wind kicking up his cloak, instantly drawing their attention to fresh blood dripping down its fabric.
"I had just finished preparing my lunch when I sensed your presence and…" He tilted his head slightly, dragging his tongue over the blood stains on his teeth. "… I've always wondered what young mages taste like."
Those words finally unsettled their nerves.
"Matt…" One of the lackeys whispered nervously. "This guy's creepy."
The second lackey nodded, hiding behind the first.
As the man stepped closer, Matt raised an arm, irritation flashing across his face. "Back off, weirdo!" He shouted, his voice now shaky.
The man took another step, and Matt's mana flared as he swung his arm forward.
"Matt, Stop!" Dom shouted.
But his spell had already fired.
Wind exploded outward from his hand, the blast slamming into the man hard enough to shake nearby trees, leaves spiraling violently into the air.
"I said… go away," Matt declared as he prepared another spell—then froze once he realized that the man remained still, his appearance completely unharmed.
As he stepped forward, Matt snarled and fired again, this time stronger, the bushes behind them shaking violently, cuts digging into the tree bark.
Still, the man remained untouched, his already damaged cloak, however, shredded… revealing his scarred, tattooed skin streaked with dried blood.
They all trembled at the sight.
"Wind magic…" The man murmured. "Just like me." His emerald eyes glowed as he tore the remains of his cloak away completely. "My turn."
He causally swung his arm… just like Matt did, and a whistle ripped through the forest in an instant.
Dom barely processed it before the massive tree behind him split clean in half. The upper trunk slowly slid sideways and crashed into the ground with a deafening thud.
But Dom's eyes weren't on the tree.
They were locked onto Matt.
Or rather… what was left of him.
Matt stared blankly at the space where his left arm had been. Blood then sprayed from the stump a second later, just as the severed limb hit the ground with a wet thud.
For one horrible moment--
Nobody moved.
Then Matt screamed.
The sound tore through the forest.
"MY HAND! MY HAND!" He collapsed into the dirt, clutching the bleeding stump as blood soaked through his fingers and splattered across the leaves beneath him.
Then, either driven by terror or loyalty, the second lackey screamed as he turned to the stranger, conjuring a jagged stone from his shaky hand and firing it like a bullet.
But the stranger casually slapped it aside like a harmless pebble and immediately sent another wave.
Wind screamed through the gap, severing both the boy's attacking arm and head clean off. Blood sprayed across the air in a violent arc as his body collapsed lifelessly into the dirt.
The remaining lackey broke instantly.
"MUMMY! HELP ME!" He screamed in horror, tears and snot dripping down his face as he ran blindly through the woods.
Then the stranger suddenly threw a sharp upward swing, and the wind obeyed.
The boy's body split vertically mid-step, blood exploding outward as both halves collapsed separately into the mud.
As blood soaked the ground, the stranger sighed contentedly. "It's always nice to watch prey run." He said, then turned back to Matt.
"Daddy! Daddy! Please!" Matt screamed, his voice slightly weakened by the blood loss.
The stranger chuckled in amusement, the sound low and wet beneath the rustling trees. Then, suddenly, his expression shifted.
A pause.
A twitch in his glowing emerald eyes once he realized that one of them escaped.
Then, for the first time since appearing, genuine excitement crept into his voice.
"At least one of you knows how to give a good chase." He murmured, lips slowly stretching into a grin.
Matt's terrified sobs filled the clearing.
"Please… my dad… he'll give you anything you want… just please don't kill me…"
The stranger didn't even look at him. He simply flicked his fingers dismissively, and the wind tore Matt's body, his blood sprayed across the trees, wet chunks of flesh slapping against the dirt, and his scream ended before it fully left his throat.