SENTINEL LICHEN'S TRIAL (2)

"No, no, wait a minute! That man was standing here all this time," he pointed to Rime Herald. "You know this! I didn't bring him in!"

Everything Marshall said fell on deaf ears. The officials were closing in on him. He swallowed hard as the cold eyes of Lord Chioni settled on him.

It felt like there was a thick wall between him and Marshall, one that was impossible to penetrate. At that moment, a bitter realization washed over him—Lord Chioni might've been undefeatable. 

But this was not the end of it. The disciple gritted his teeth and pushed forth as much demonic energy as he could find. Finally, Rime Herald submitted and stopped targeting Marshall, although he seemed more enraged than before. 

As the guards charged at the burly man, they were hauled far away. Rime Herald harmed anyone who got in his way, now shielding Marshall. But no matter how strong Rime Herald was, he was one against many. Marshall was being cornered, more guards showing up to block the exit.

An awfully familiar crackling sound echoed through the hall. When Marshall turned his head, a golden whip was cutting through the air, flying right at him. By the time he noticed it, it was too late to dodge. 

He braced himself for the strike, shielding his head. But the whip never reached him. A yellow ribbon had wrapped tightly around the whip, wrenching it out of the way.

Sun Hayden stood by his side, whipping one of his Solar Sashes around both of them in a three-meter diameter. It sat midair, forming a circle which grew into a bubble of spiritual energy to shield them from any further attacks.

Marshall was torn between gratitude and regret. "I told you not to take my side!" he huffed.

"Do you expect me to watch you get hit and do nothing?!" Sun Hayden retorted, tightening his grip on the ribbon.

A guard stepped forwards, grasping the ribbon to tear it out of the way. The corners of Marshall's lips tightened. Touching the ribbons was a bad idea.

The second the guard yanked it, he recoiled with a scream. Blood dripped from his hand in a trickle, staining the pure tiles under his feet.

"Aw, man!" Sun Hayden stomped, glaring at the bloodstain looming in the place the guard had grabbed onto the ribbon. "Now I'll have to clean that!"

The razor-sharp Solar Sashes fluttered lightly, feigning innocence to lure more unsuspecting individuals. However, no one dared to touch them with bare hands again. Blasts of spiritual energy began pelting the shield one after another.

"What do we do now?" Sun Hayden yelled over the noise, holding the shield together with all his might.

"We have to get out of the tower," Marshall replied, his eyes frantically searching the crowd for Wyn, who was nowhere to be seen.

Lai Rylan emerged in the distance, gesturing for them to leave. Calla Akeya was no longer in the Decorum Hall either. It clicked for the disciple. She must have gone to open the doors with Wyn, waiting for Marshall downstairs.

He subtly nodded at Lai Rylan and tapped the drained Sun Hayden, who was at his last effort, "Let's go."

Marshall sent the last order at Rime Herald, "Free the exit!"

Rime Herald jumped forward, easily beating down the guards blocking the exit. But before the two disciples could make it to the staircase, an overwhelming frost snapped through the hall.

The demonic official crumpled, perishing before everyone's eyes. Lord Chioni stood above Rime Herald, his sword dripping with black blood. Marshall's jaw dropped. He killed his own subordinate!

Shouts echoed as the crowd of officials chased after Sun Hayden and Marshall. But the two were already sprinting down the marble stairs.

Marshall could feel the spiritual energy lagging behind in Sun Hayden. He had overexerted himself, reduced to an ashen, wobbly figure that could barely keep up. The usual spark in his eyes seemed to have temporarily gone out.

"The shield... took everything out of me," the blond disciple muttered, tipping over.

"Get on my back," Marshall directed, gathering demonic energy for strength before lifting Sun Hayden up.

It was even better if he carried him down—nothing could beat the speed of demonic energy. He would make it down much faster than if they had run down normally. After adjusting Sun Hayden's weight on his back, they bolted down in a blur.

As expected, Calla Akeya was holding the door open for them. But Wyn wasn't there. Marshall halted, panting as he looked around for the snow deity. Dread settled over his shoulders, layering like damp blankets, each heavier than the last.

"Where's Wyn?"

Calla Akeya's blue eyes flickered with confusion. "Is Chioni Wyn not with you?"

Marshall shook his head, looking around in hopes he would see Wyn moving down the stairs right behind. "No! Where did he go?"

"Chioni Wyn can take care of himself," Calla Akeya assured. "You must leave immediately. If you hesitate, it will put all of us in danger."

"I can't..." Marshall glanced back at Sun Hayden's face. The blond disciple had passed out to recharge his spiritual energy. His arms limply hung over Marshall's shoulders with the Solar Sashes wrapped around them. 

"Hey, hey," he nudged him, trying to wake him up. If Sun Hayden could run away first, Marshall would be able to stay behind to look for Wyn.

Calla Akeya pressed, her tone grave, "Shei Marshall, you have to go. Do not make me take the fall for a plan you did not discuss with me before deciding on it."

Panting, Marshall stared at the staircase anxiously. Wyn had to come down. They were supposed to leave together.

The footsteps were approaching speedily, only few sets of stairs away. 

"Shei Marshall, go!" Calla Akeya snapped, pushing him out the door.

Marshall stumbled out, his feet reluctantly picking up the speed as he fell into a run. A few meters after, he could hear the doors heavily sliding shut behind his back with a cold thud.

Guilt sank over him as he moved away from the tower. How had it all gone so wrong? Had the plan been faulty since the beginning? No, it would have worked if he had better control over Rime Herald!

Did he give a faulty command to Rime Herald? When he commanded the demon to tell everyone who he was, he hadn't meant 'kill the officials'. 

Marshall ran into the forest, leaving behind a trail of confounded frowns and strained huffs of "Damn it, damn it, damn it!"