Around 2 pm the next day…
The small restaurant buzzed with life-- plates clattering, chairs scraping, voices overlapping into a dull roar. The scent was thick--spiced meat, simmered herbs, oil hanging warm in the air, heavy enough to taste.
Dom weaved through it all, balancing a tray of dirty dishes in both hands. Grease smeared the edges of the plates, still warm against his fingers.
As he reached for an empty beer mug, he froze as he caught snippets of a nearby conversation.
"Seriously?" One customer muttered.
Another leaned in, lowering his voice--though not enough. "Their wives waited all night… but they never showed. My police friend checked before dawn and found them… in pieces."
Dom's fingers tightened slightly around the tray.
"What happened?" The first customer asked.
"No clue…"The second replied, "… but all he found was their prey, equipment…" He glanced around to whisper his next words, but the alcohol already coursing through his system made his voice even louder. "…and them in pieces."
Dom gulped, trying to quench the sudden dryness in his throat.
"A wild animal?" The first customer asked. "But those two were the best hunters in town. Only a monster would be able to take them down like that."
The second hesitated this time. His fingers tapped lightly against the table, as if debating whether to say more.
"... That's the weird part." He muttered. "My friend said the bodies weren't just torn up."
The first man frowned. "What do you mean?"
The second leaned in again. "Their chests were opened. Clean." He touched his chest to emphasize. "Like something reached in and…took something."
"Took…what?"
The second customer swallowed, his expression troubled. "I don't know. But whatever did that can't be human." He sighed, then leaned away. " The chief and police force are taking care of it in secret right now so they won't scare the tourists."
"So that's why I saw a squad head out this morning." The first commented.
The second nodded. "I also heard they called in the Knights. So hopefully, this whole thing's already over before the day runs out."
"I hope so."
Silence hung between them as they downed the rest of their drinks.
Meanwhile, Dom stiffened as their words echoed in his ears.
Hunters…Blood… Monsters… Hearts?
The words tugged at the edges of his mind. His heart began to pound--not fast, but heavy--and his stomach churned as if something inside him didn't like the shape of that story.
"Dom!"
The familiar voice suddenly broke his thoughts.
As he turned, the tension snapped instantly when he saw Devon, his chubby, cheerful friend, grinning from the front entrance.
"We're going to play Mana Ball! Wanna come?" Devon asked.
Dom grinned, his earlier fear completely forgotten as he hurriedly carried the dishes into the kitchen, dumping them in the sink with a clatter louder than he intended. "Can I go play with my friends?" He asked Pops, who was plating some food with precise, practiced movements.
Pops glanced at the clock, then responded. "Fine, but be back by three. Phil's leaving early for a school project."
Dom glanced at the teenager flipping the burgers, then nodded. "Got it. Thanks." He said as he tugged off his apron, just as Pops held up the plated meal.
"Table 3," He said.
Sighing, Dom took the meal and walked away.
"And stay away from the woods!" Pops shouted after him. "I heard some rumors of a wild animal attack this morning, and I'm not in the mood to save your dumb ass today!"
Dom paused for half a second at the word woods--just long enough for the earlier conversation to flicker in his ind--then shook it off.
"Okay, later!" He called back as he quickly delivered the meal and ran to meet Devon.
Meanwhile, Pops closed the steaming pot, the lid clinking softly, and returned to his newspaper.
He focused on finishing the surprisingly tricky crossword puzzle, brow furrowed in mild irritation, completely unconcerned by the missing criminal picture on the next page--its ink slightly smudged, the outline of a hooded figure barely visible beneath a bold headline about recent disappearances in Quirkville.
Minutes later…
The town playground was alive with energy. Children screamed from swings and slides, their laughter sharp and bright, the air thick with the scent of barbecue, dust, and sun-warmed sand.
Brightly painted structures dotted the sand, and faint wisps of mana shimmered like morning mist--barely noticeable unless you focused, like heat rippling above stone.
Dom followed Devon, weaving past kids and their colorful magic sparks. He then stopped, his grin instantly fading as he spotted a cocky, blonde boy, surrounded by a group of kids.
"Not this guy again," Dom groaned with exasperation.
Devon sighed. "I know. We all hate him, but Matt's the Chief's son, so play nice."
"No promises." Dom scoffed as they approached.
Matt lifted a brown, uniquely fenestrated ball as he spoke to the others, their expressions clearly uncomfortable under his presence.
"You're really awesome, Matt." A small boy said, his eager grin stretched too wide--the textbook definition of a lackey.
"Yeah." A second lackey added. "You got everyone with just three throws."
"They're all just too weak. It's almost sad." Matt scoffed, ignoring the frustrated glares from the other kids, before finally noticing the two boys approaching.
"Well, if it isn't Snow White." He mocked, a sneer fixed directly on Dom.
Dom rolled his eyes. "Real mature, Matt."
"Don't tell me you're here to play," Matt scoffed as he tossed the ball upwards, then applied his wind magic, causing the ball to hover and spin rapidly over his palm. The air around it whistled faintly. "You don't even have an affinity, yet. So what can you do?"
Dom folded his arms, chin held high. "You don't need magic to play Mana Ball, dumb-ass,"
Some kids snickered.
"How dare you?" Matt's second lackey snapped at Dom. "Don't you know who his dad is?"
The first lackey nodded while Matt swelled slightly with pride.
"Sorry, Thing 1 and 2… but I don't care," Dom replied coldly.
Laughter broke out, sharper this time and the lackeys' faces reddened.
Matt then stepped closer to Dom, his larger frame towering over Dom. "I really hate you, Dominic," He said, his voice dangerously quiet.
Dom smirked, unfazed. "The feeling's mutual. So, are we playing or not?" He said.
Matt fumed at Dom's unbothered expression--just before an idea brought a sudden smile to his face. "Fine. Then how about a bet?"
Dom raised a brow, curious.
Matt caught the spinning ball and held it up to Dom. "One game. You and me. Three minutes. And I'll be the Hunter. If I hit you once, I win. But if time runs out--you win."
Murmurs immediately spread among the kids.
"That's not fair." A girl whispered. "Matt's throws always hit."
"Yeah, but Dom's the best target," A teen responded.
"Still… I doubt it'll be enough… especially with Matt's magic." A tall boy muttered.
A few kids nodded instinctively. Everyone here knew how Mana Ball worked.
Once thrown, the ball didn't just fly--it followed. Responding to the Hunter's will, adjusting mid-air, curving unnaturally as long as it held mana. The ball can also bear the special effects of the user's unique attribute, though it won't be harmful to the Target.
"Normally, you're allowed to block it with a brief spell, but since you don't have any attritube…" Matt added, tossing the ball up and catching it casually. "You're just going to have to dodge it."
Dom smirked, amused by the challenge. "Fine." He said, "But if I win, you give me 100 credits. Should be easy for a daddy's boy, right?"
Some kids laughed, making Matt scowl.
"Okay. But if I win…" A sly smile crept onto Matt's face. "…you never play with us again, and you have to…" He trailed off, his eyes searching for a means to humiliate Dom even more, before his gaze landed on the woods beyond the tall fence. "… fetch apples from there. For everyone."
Dom silently counted heads—seventeen, excluding himself.
Devon frowned at the unfair deal, but Dom smirked, eager to wipe the floor with this pompous child.
"It's a bet." He said, and some of the kids cheered.
Minutes later…
A space was carved out in the sand, and the children shuffling back to form a loose boundary. Dust hung faintly in the air, disturbed by restless feet and anticipation. All eyes locked onto the two boys at the center.
A tall boy stepped forward, raising an old pocket watch. Its faint ticking somehow cut through the noise.
"Three minutes." He announced.
Matt rolled his shoulder, winding his arm slowly, a cocky smirk tugging at his lips as he watched Dom stretch.
I don't have a magic affinity, so blocking is out of the question.
Dom exhaled slowly.
A faint navy-blue aura seeped from his body, thin as mist, clinging to his skin like a second layer. It shimmered subtly--unrefined, but alive.
So I'll just boost my body and dodge like usual.
He smirked, his eyes glowing brightly.
Matt's expression darkened slightly, irritated by Dom's confidence.
Yellow mana flared to lie around his arm, brighter, sharper--controlled. It funneled into the ball, threading through its hollow gaps until it glowed from within.
The ball began to buzz.
A low, vibrating hum.
"Get set…" The umpire announced, his arm raised-- then it dropped. "GO!"
Matt launched the ball with a surprisingly explosive force.
The air shrieked as it tore through it, a sharp whistle cutting toward Dom's face--
Dom's glowing eyes widened as he dropped instantly.
The ball skimmed his hair--close enough for him to feel the wind drag across his scalp--before blasting past him toward the spectators.
A girl gasped as the projectile headed straight for her, but with a twist of Matt's wrist, the ball stopped.
Mid-air.
It trembled for a second, then spun again as it snapped back.
Dom twisted hard, his shoes scraping through sand as he dove sideways. The ball tore past him again and flew straight into Matt's waiting hand.
The ball's glow flickered. Faded. Then died as it exhausted the last of Matt's incorporated mana.
Dom rolled, then sprang back up to his feet, grin wide--breathing just a little heavier than before. "Easy peasy," He muttered, despite his pulse racing.
Matt clicked his tongue, irritation flashing across his face as he pumped mana back into the ball again before hurling it.
But this time, the ball stopped mid-flight.
It then spun rapidly as it began to haphazardly move around, like a hummingbird.
Then jerked sideways at Dom from an unnatural angle, cutting across the space like it had changed its mind.
Dom's eyes flashed blue as it tracked the ball's terrifyingly fast course--
--but his body moved faster.
With a grunt, he kicked off the ground, leaping back as the ball sliced through where his chest had been a split second earlier.
Sand burst beneath his feet as he landed.
Matt swung an arm, his wind magic redirecting the ball up, and then slammed it down like a thunderbolt.
But Dom leapt backwards, evading the ball once again as it snapped into the ground with a harsh crack.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Time blurred, tension rose, and the excited spectators watched with rapt attention.
Matt threw everything he had into each shot--his arm snapping forward, mana flaring brighter with every attempt. His wind was scattering dust in every direction.
But Dom flowed.
Duck. Step. Twist. Leap.
No matter what trick Matt used, Dom navigated the field like an untouchable force. His sharp, agile movements inconceivable for a child, even with the existence of magic.
His senses were also heightened.
He could hear the whistle of the ball as it cut through the air in front of him… feel it as it displaced air, tickling his skin. He could even smell the dust it kicked up as it tore past him once again.
"Thirty seconds left!" The umpire shouted.
Matt's head snapped toward him, panic flickering on his face.
Dom saw it and suddenly burst forward. His feet kicked across the dirt as he ran directly towards the startled Matt.
The crowd gasped as the ball whipped back toward Matt's hand, but before he could react, Dom was already there, slipping past him in a blur of motion.
"Time's almost up, daddy's boy!" Dom shouted, grinning as he slapped Matt's shoulder in passing.
Matt's teeth clenched.
"Shut up!"
He hurled the ball again--
--But Dom flipped out of the way.
A clean cartwheel, his palms slamming briefly into the sand before he kicked off and landed lightly on his feet.
His surprising agility and theatrics drew amused cheers from the spectators.
Matt's blood boiled.
His grip tightened around the ball as it snapped back into his palm, the faint hum of mana vibrating against his skin. His jaw clenched, teeth grinding as the cheers for Dom echoed louder than they should have.
As he prepared another throw, his eyes drifted-- for a second--to his second lackey.
The boy met his gaze.
A pause.
Then a subtle nod.
As Matt launched his next shot, the lackey's finger lifted slowly, almost nervously--
--and rippled with mana.
It was faint. Controlled. Easy to miss if you weren't looking for it.
As Dom landed another flip, sand crunching under his shoes--
The ground beneath him shifted.
Not naturally or from impact.
A shallow pothole formed in an instant, the sand collapsing inward like it had been hollowed out from below… and his foot dropped right into it.
His balance snapped, and his body pitched backward--
But in that instant, his eyes widened, every sense firing at once as his head jerked toward the crowd and he immediately spotted the faint glow around the boy's finger.
"You litt—" Dom started, anger flashing sharp and immediate--
--but he was too late.
The ball smashed into his cheek, the sound cracked through the air--loud, flat, undeniable.
His head snapped sideways as pain exploded across his face, hot and blinding for a split second, while his footing finally gave out beneath him.
And just like that--
Silence.
Laughter died. Cheers vanished.
The entire playground seemed to freeze around that single moment.
A few seconds later--
The umpire's watch chimed, marking the end of the match. But it didn't matter anymore.
Matt threw both arms into the air, his grin wide--too wide. "Yes! I win!" He declared, voice cutting through the silence with forced triumph.
Only his lackeys cheered.
The rest didn't move. Didn't speak.
They simply stared in awkward silence as Dom's hand rose to his cheek, pressing lightly against the spot where the ball had struck. The skin throbbed under his fingers, heat spreading outward in dull pulses.
"What's wrong, Dom? No more jokes?" Matt mocked, stepping closer, riding the moment.
To his surprise, Dom didn't answer. Not even a single glance.
Instead, he silently picked the ball up, got up and walked deliberately toward the crowd, his fingers steady, his expression unreadable… and stopped in front of the second lackey.
"You cheated," He said, low and calm.
The faint blue glow in his eyes flickered just enough to make the kids nearby stiffen without knowing why.
The first lackey blinked, confused.
But the second shrank back instantly. "I… I… I didn't! You're lying!" He stammered, voice cracking under the pressure.
Matt moved quickly, stepping between them like a shield. "No need to be a sore loser, Dominic." He said, smoothly, a smirk settling back onto his face. "I won fair and square." He turned slightly, addressing the others. "Or did anyone see anything different?"
Dom's gaze followed.
One by one--
Faces turned away. Eyes dropped. Feet shifted in the sand.
Silence… Heavy and Complete.
Not a single kid saw what happened. To them, he just tripped and fell. It was a clean hit. And even if something felt wrong… no one wanted to say it.
But Dom understood it anyway.
Matt's grin widened. "See?" He shrugged, satisfied, before looking back at Dom. "Now, be a good boy and pay up. Or were you lying about that, too, huh… Future Monarch?"
Devon stepped forward, anger flashing across his face. "Hey! That's going too f—"
"Fine," Dom cut him off, his eyes still fixed on the second lackey cowering behind cover. He exhaled quietly, acknowledging the loss, his anger buried but intact.
"Good boy," Matt said, extending his hand. "Now, my ball?"
Dom didn't respond.
He simply stepped forward… and shoved the ball into Matt's gut.
Hard enough to make him grunt and stumble half a step back.
Then he turned and walked towards the fence without a word.
Devon moved to follow. "Wait, I'm--"
Dom raised a hand, stopping him immediately without a single word or glance. He didn't need to.
"What a sore loser," Matt grumbled, recovering as he rubbed his stomach. Then, louder, forcing the moment back under his control-- "So who wants to pay next? While the loser brings our snacks?"
"I'm good." Devon scoffed, throwing him a glare before turning and walking away.
The others lingered. Uncomfortable.
They didn't notice the cheat, but something about the outcome sat wrong in their chests.
One by one, they drifted off, their earlier excitement gone.
Until only Matt and his lackeys remained.
"Don't worry about them, Matt," The first lackey said quickly.
"Yeah." The second added, trying to recover. "We'll play with you,"
But Matt wasn't listening.
His gaze stayed fixed on the fence, a tall structure specifically to prevent these magically enhanced children from crossing over.
Yet Dom scaled it quickly with just his bare hands. Another testament to his impressive physicality.
At that moment, Matt's mana flared, his jaw tightened.
The victory didn't feel as good as it should have.
If anything--
It irritated him more.