An Understated Dominance Novel (Dahlia & Dustin) by Marina Vittori updated 2025-26 - An Understated Dominance Chapter 2636

Chapter 2636

Nathaniel stood at the side of the ship, staring at the dreamlike island ahead, his breathing shallow and restrained.

Sunlight filtered through the branches of towering ancient trees, scattering mottled light across the moss-covered ground. The air was thick with the fragrance of strange blossoms—sweet like honey, yet carrying a crisp coolness that made every breath feel unreal.

Behind him, the soldiers were no longer able to restrain themselves. Weapons clattered to the ground as hands reached out to touch dangling vines, each one strung with crystal-clear fruits that glimmered like amethysts in the sun.

“Your Highness, look at that tree!” a soldier cried, pointing.

The distant trunk was etched with spiral patterns, winding upward like a natural staircase. Pale fungi glowed faintly within its hollow knots, spreading a soft radiance that washed the ground in daylight.

Above, several winged squirrels leapt from branch to branch. As their wings beat, tiny sparks of light scattered in the air, landing on soldiers’ armor and sticking like faint stars.

Nathaniel descended the springboard, his boots brushing over moss that rustled underfoot. He bent, plucked up a wide leaf—edges traced in gold, veins fine as embroidery—and turned to hand it to the general.

But a sharp scream cut the moment apart.

Nathaniel spun around.

A young soldier crouched before a clump of enormous pink flowers, each blossom as wide as a bowl, layered with petals and crowned with golden stamens. They were dazzling, impossible to ignore.

The boy stretched out a hand. His fingers hovered inches from the petals—when the flower shuddered.

Its layers tore open. Inside was not softness but row after row of white serrated teeth, glistening like honed blades.

The bloom snapped forward. With one bite, it closed over the soldier’s head. His body convulsed once. Blood sprayed, only to be instantly absorbed into the petals. Their pink hue deepened, their golden cores pulsing with a sickly red glow.

“It’s a Piranha Plant!” someone screamed.

Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed to pinpoints. His sword was in his hand before the cry finished. The blade flashed once, cleaving the cluster in two.

Dark green fluid erupted, splattering across the moss. The earth hissed, smoldering, until the bright green turned black and brittle.

The ground trembled. White tendrils shot from the severed roots, writhing like snakes and snapping toward the nearest men.

The surrounding forest awakened. Vines that had dangled harmlessly now hardened like steel whips, thorns erupting along their lengths. They lashed out with brutal force.

One soldier ducked—too slow. A vine looped around his neck and pulled tight. His eyes bulged, his tongue forced out, his body dragged screaming into the trees. His voice cut off as the forest swallowed him whole.

“On guard! Be on guard!” Nathaniel’s voice cut sharp through the chaos.

He slashed again and again, severing vines, only to watch new shoots grow instantly from each cut, writhing back to life as if mocking death itself.

To their left, the grass lifted. Ferns taller than men unfurled themselves and stood upright. Their roots shifted into gnarled legs. Edged leaves gleamed, jagged like saw blades, as they advanced step by step.

A general lunged forward, striking a fern. The moment his fist connected, serrations sliced through flesh to bone. Dark sap dripped into the wound. He screamed—his arm swelled black, rotted, and crumbled into purple ash within breaths.

“Burn it!” Nathaniel shouted.

Men scrambled for tinderboxes. Sparks flared—

But the trees exhaled. Countless tiny pores opened in their trunks, releasing a pale green mist. The moment it touched fire, it ignited. A soldier lit his spark—and blue flame erupted across his body, consuming him in a heartbeat. His screams merged into the chorus of horror.

The island had become a nightmare.

Nathaniel’s blade blurred, weaving light into a wall before his men, but even his steel couldn’t stop the forest pressing in on all sides.

A root speared upward, skewering a guard clean through the chest. Its fibrous strands quivered as it sucked the blood from him, the bark flushing red as if feeding on his life.

“Fall back! Retreat to the lake!” Nathaniel roared, forcing a path with every stroke.

The survivors stumbled after him, stepping over broken bodies as they fled.

But even the ground betrayed them. The moss shifted beneath their boots—no longer plants, but countless writhing insects. They surged into boots and armor, biting deep.

One man shrieked, collapsing. He clawed at his legs, tearing at himself as the swarm devoured him alive. His screams dwindled into dry, rasping gasps until only a husk remained where he’d stood.