A CIVIL DEMON

Marshall jolted up in his seat, snapping his head around to look out the window.

The sun was midway down, which meant his slumber had lasted half of the day. He had helped Wyn take care of his wounds, then kept an eye on his condition through the night.

Only when the sun had risen for another morning, had he closed his eyes for a few minutes.

"A few minutes..." he grumbled, the chair creaking as he leaned forward, "what a scam."

Marshall stared at the empty bed, scratching his head. How could the snow deity just get up and leave without making any sound while his leg was severely injured? Just how high was his pain threshold?

The disciple circled the empty house, then went to look for him outside. He found Wyn sitting on one of the flat stones, his eyes shut tight. It seemed he was meditating to recharge his spiritual energy. Impatient, Marshall stomped around, trying to draw his attention. It didn't work.

"Hey, Wyn," he called out.

No response. The snow deity didn't even budge. It was as if he hadn't heard a thing.

Marshall grew restless at the lack of reaction, and poked him, but as he did so, Wyn tipped over.

The disciple hastily propped him back up as if he were straightening a knocked-over vase back onto the shelf. 

"Whoops—"

A frown appeared on Wyn's face, and his eyes opened wide, frosty smoke rolling through his sharp gaze.

The disciple took a step back in case the other decided to pierce a real icicle through him.

"Why are you still here?" a biting question was shot at Marshall.

"Eh?" he gaped at Wyn, at a loss. He hadn't planned to leave without the snow deity in the first place.

"You should be able to reach the Chastity Tower on your own with no issue. The military must have dealt with the demons around its vicinity by now. What is holding you back?"

Marshall's face twitched in offense. "Why are you kicking me out? I don't think I'm that annoying to have around. I haven't even pried into the reasons Muyang had your sword that night, although I was curious."

They stared at each other in silence, a guarded gaze meeting a frustrated one. Wyn relented, "Cheimon was locked inside the Chastity Tower when I was forced into seclusion. After I told him to beware due to the increasing demonic presence, Muyang acted without my knowledge and took Cheimon from the Chastity Tower to bring it to me."

"Heh, how lucky," Marshall commented. "You got your sword right before the demons showed up."

Speaking of the devil... A nearby flock of crows bolted up. Anxious flaps of wings echoed above the trees. The two turned simultaneously, staring into the woods.

Marshall spun around his axis, but couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary. After exchanging a brief glance with Wyn, he went to check. The disciple entered the woods, threating carefully towards the suspicious area. Yet, he found nothing. Dead silence hung in the air, not a single animal around.

As he was about turned back, a beast with the legs of a goat emerged, unusually calm for a demon.

"Oh—"

Marshall stepped back, reaching for his bow, only to find out it was not on his back. He had left it in Wyn's house. 

Two unsettlingly self-aware eyes peered at the disciple, who took another step back with an awkward laugh.

Fortunately, Marshall hadn't walked too far from the secluded area, so he took off and ran like his life depended on it.

He shouted a warning as he flew back into the secluded area. "A demon! Behind!" 

The disciple crashed into the house and hurriedly retrieved the bow, getting back out as fast as possible. Wyn sat still in the same spot on the flat stone, his eyes shut in blissful ignorance. 

"Meditating at a time like this? Are you kidding me?" Marshall stepped in front of him, shielding the snow deity as he summoned an arrow. He drew it on his bow right on time.

The goat-legged beast showed up between the trees, and he fired the shot. However, the demon dodged, and the arrow flew past it with a disappointed whoosh.

He immediately drew another arrow, but the beast had stopped right before entering the field. Marshall frowned, the hair on his neck standing up. It was almost scarier to see a calm demon instead of an aggressive one.

The disciple slowly lowered his bow, watching as a clawed hand raised, beckoning Marshall to come closer with a sharp nail. The demon repeated the movement a few more times before settling on peering at the disciple with a determined stare, the yellow eyes peering into his soul. What on earth was this?

A white object flashed up above, and he looked up. The snowy owl glided across the field, lingering over the spot where the beast was standing. It must have sensed the presence of demonic energy too.

Marshall could have sworn the bird looked at him for a split second, but the moment the thought crossed his mind, the owl turned and flew away.

"You should have eliminated the demon. Why did you lead it here?" Wyn's voice startled the disciple.

Marshall turned to face the snow deity. He gestured between the large beast and his weapon.

"As you can imagine, I couldn't kill this fluffy guy without my bow."

"Lack of foresight," Wyn remarked.

The disciple's head fell in an unimpressed sideways tilt. "You're criticizing me now?"

Wyn narrowed his eyes. "Why could you not defeat it without a bow?"

"Huh?" Marshall raised his arm in question. "Are you telling me to go fight that thing with my bare hands?" 

Wyn shook his head with an expression that made it seem like the disciple was about to receive a lecture. "How do you form arrows?"

Marshall shrugged. "By materializing my spiritual energy."

"Precisely. The arrows are nothing more than your spiritual energy. Which makes your bow a mere middle tool. You should be capable of striking the demon using only your energy." Wyn explained.

"And how do you expect me to shoot arrows without a bow? Should I flick them with my fingers?"

The snow deity shook his head. "Hold an arrow and strike down. It is not a difficult technique of managing spiritual energy. The power does not lie in the bow, it lies within you. You do not need an external object to use your strength."