BITTER CONSEQUENCES

Marshall's eyes snapped open, his body drenched in sweat. For a moment, he didn't know where he was, the events of the battle blurring with his dreams.

As his senses sharpened, he realized he was lying in a bed, a firm mattress beneath him and a soft blanket on top.

The room was dimly lit, the glow of a few candles casting flickering shadows on the walls. The wallpaper was peeling in places, and the floorboards were chipped. Another bed sat by the opposite side of the wall, neatly made.

Marshall turned to look out the window. A few branches of bushes poked into the room though it, swaying lightly in the breeze. He recognized it all. He was in one of the rooms of Chara Town infirmary.

"How do you feel?" Wyn's voice came from next to him, followed by a quiet thump of a bowl being set down on the nightstand. A strong scent of a herbal mixture filled the room.

Marshall swallowed uncomfortably, peeling his tongue from the roof of his mouth to answer. "Hot." He pushed himself to sit up, the dull pain pulsating through his back.

Wyn arched a brow, reaching to help him lean against the bedframe. "Only hot? No pain?"

Memories of the battle flooded back. The carmine-scaled beast, the desperate leap from the roof, the arrow piercing its eye with a sharp sound. He remembered the intense pain, the searing exhaustion, but couldn't remember anything that happened after.

"Did the beast die?" Marshall asked, his voice coming out hoarse.

As if to answer his question, a woman with fawn brown hair stepped in, carrying a tray of food. It was Mei Lihua was the daughter of the physician, and Marshall's childhood friend. She was barely two years older yet acted like his big sister.

"I thought you were a goner for sure this time!" she exclaimed, walking over to his bed. "Acting like a bait to lead a massive demon away from the safe zone? I mean, we're all grateful, but you're insane, Marsh."

Marshall chuckled dryly. He hadn't intended to act as a bait, but the scaled beast left him no choice. He still couldn't wrap his head around why the scaled beast had targeted him specifically.

"The beast is dead," Wyn confirmed. "Your arrow struck its brain, killing it."

Mei Lihua set the tray next to the bowl and sat on the side of the bed to check on Marshall's condition.

"Your friend's got good senses," she sent Wyn a quick smile. "If he hadn't transferred you some spiritual energy on time, you would've ascended to heavens."

Once the check-up was done, she shook her head with a disbelieving huff. "First you fall down mountain caverns, and now you damage your spiritual flow..."

Marshall's brows furrowed. "It's damaged?" he echoed. "I know I used my energy before it had recovered after the spiritual bars drained it, but..."

"Spiritual bars do not drain the energy, they suppress the flow," Wyn corrected him. "The instant you left the prison cell, your energy should have been restored..."

"...if not, it means the damage is severe and could be permanent. In which case you will struggle with basic skills, forget about generating arrows."

Mei Lihua's jaw hung open upon hearing about prison. "You were locked up too?! What have you been doing?!"

Her exclaim went over Marshall's head as he turned to the snow deity. "Wyn, what do you mean? I felt my energy draining while in the cell. It were the bars, it had to be the bars."

"The whip mark on your back was the reason," the snow deity stated. "As I said, spiritual bars do not cause lasting complications."

Marshall's heart sank. Without his spiritual flow, what about continuing the training with the Four Season disciples? No, what about simply surviving? He couldn't afford to lose the ability to create spiritual arrows.

The disciple shifted in the bed impatiently, crossing his legs. He closed his eyes and focused on channeling his spiritual energy.

Hot flashes deep within hindered his attempts. Whenever he thought he reached his spiritual energy, the connection snapped like a burning branch. The longer he persisted, the more it burnt.

Marshall opened his eyes with a grimace, not knowing what to think of it. "It's like trying to pull the energy through fire..." he murmured.

"Come on, don't lose hope," Mei Lihua placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Nothing's certain yet."

"However, there is a high chance the damage is irreversible," Wyn clarified.

"He'll bounce back," Mei Lihua tried to sound confident, but her eyes betrayed the uncertainty.

Marshall shook the doubt out of his head. "It will heal. And even if it doesn't, I'll figure something out."

The snow deity rested his forehead in his hand, sighing. When he looked up, there was a sharp, unforgiving look on his face.

"The doors of the Chastity Tower were sealed, you had nowhere to run. There was no reason to use violence to detain you. What the officials have done is immoral."

Marshall let out an awkward chuckle, scratching the back of his head. Was this the first time he had seen the calm snow deity so angered?

"It's fine, I'm still alive. Take it easy, eh?"

"It is not simply about being alive," Wyn's voice was cold with anger. "Do you not realize that you might never fully recover?"