You don’t even register his shadow until he’s already crashed down on the curse.

Blade meets flesh in the air, and in a flash, what was nearly your assailant is flung across the street. The boy attacking it sticks it with his sword repeatedly across its mangled face, stomping back down upon it when it moves again. The look in his eyes is harrowing, an empty, utilitarian gaze accompanied by a tiny smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

The moment is over nearly as soon as it began. He withdraws his sword with a breath, then turns to you, demeanor flipping on a dime. His face melts into a friendly smile. “Sorry! Did I scare you?”