SO ANGRY

Once they reached the Tainia stronghold, Marshall felt no better than a chewed up shoe. He dragged his feet into the castle and set Sun Hayden down on a bench, tucking the tapestries around him.

"What's exactly wrong with him?" Sentinel Lichen questioned, poking the blond disciple's cheek.

"He overextended his spiritual energy," Marshall explained, plopping down on another bench.

She tapped her chin, wondering. "Should I transfer him some of my energy?"

"If you're willing to do it," the disciple shrugged. "But Hayden quickly bounces back even without any external boosts. It's his tendency to overspend into unconsciousness. His body is used to it."

"I will do it. I think it's a better decision," Sentinel Lichen grinned, tucking her hair behind her ears before leaning over the unconscious disciple.

She placed her hands on Sun Hayden's chest, channeling her spiritual energy. Her deep green robes fluttered as a light breeze surrounded them.

"You sure took the advice to heart, eh?" Marshall murmured, then bowed his head lightly in gratitude before standing up. "Anyway, there are some more tapestries laid out on the desk. You can use them as blankets and sleep on one of the benches."

The eucalyptus-colored eyes followed him across the main hall. "Are you going somewhere?"

"I won't go far," he assured. "There's something I need to check."

The castle door creaked shut, followed by the groaning gate closing. Marshall paced around for a bit, then sat down on a rock near the stronghold, the river gushing behind his back. It was a cold night, but not freezing enough to clear his mind.

Marshall's eyes scanned the dark forest left and right, anxiously awaiting for a white figure to emerge. If Wyn had escaped, he should have appeared soon.

The sound of the river's waves constantly rushed over each other, providing a steady rhythm. He was bouncing his leg, waiting. Gusts of wind shoved him from behind, unpleasantly gluing his sweaty inner robe to his back. Minutes ticked by, dragging into what felt like hours.

Marshall stood up, pacing around anew. He couldn't shake the gnawing feeling that Wyn hadn't managed to escape. Had he been caught? At which point did he disappear from the crowd? 

What could Marshall do now? The next time Lai Rylan and Calla Akeya would visit for a meeting was in three days. Was there nothing he could do but wait? But it didn't feel right to sit around twiddling his thumbs without knowing the situation.

The disciple left the river behind, wandering into the forest. Maybe Wyn was still on his way, then Marshall could meet him halfway.

He weaved his way between the trees. A menacing muttering, followed ear-piercing chortling echoed in the distance. They had been lucky not to run into any wandering demons that day, but now that the night was inching towards the middle, the forest buzzed with sinister aura.

Marshall gritted his teeth, letting anger fill his body before tapping into demonic energy. The demons approaching were small and fast—sharp teeth and shiny claws launched at him in a flash.

Instead of dodging the attacks, Marshall seized their minds, forcing them to halt. The crimson claws hung by their sides obediently, but their eyes were glaring at the disciple with a hateful sheen.

Coming to think of it, the enraged expressions weren't normal. It hadn't happened the first time he controlled the demon One Eye after leaving Gi Gaia's cavern. So why were all demons who fell under his control these days so... angry?

"Calm down," Marshall's tone chopped the air, but the command was ignored.

Writhing and muted grumbling followed as the demons itched to relieve their aggression on an external enemy. Their limbs jerked and twitched, attempting to break free from the disciple's mental hold. 

"Stay calm!" Marshall ordered, his anger rising in response to the demons' disobedience. Yet, they only broke into more vicious movements, growing and hissing.

Marshall's brows furrowed, his breathing turning agitated. Why weren't they calming down? What was wrong with his control? Was he just incompetent or was there something else? Why was nothing going his way?!

The creatures seemed to breathe heavier as well, trembling with rage.

The disciple paused, catching up to the pattern. Were they copying him? Was his mental state directly affecting the demons' states?

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Gradually, the breathing of demons slowed to normal speed as well. His lips parted in realization.

"That's why Rime Herald became aggressive!" Marshall exclaimed, grabbing his head. "Why didn't I notice it earlier?!"

Gi Gaia's warning came to the surface. This was why she had advised him against strong emotions over and over! Demons were known to feed on fear, anger and other intense emotions. Even now, they seemed to draw energy from his anger.

Unlike the Stygian Overlord, who held full authority over all sinister creatures, Marshall had none. But he had something the demons wanted—anger. Instead of a power dynamic, this had turned into a give-and-take situation.

He groaned, ruffling his hair. If he had known sooner, he wouldn't have ignored Gi Gaia's warnings! If she had explained things properly, he would have known the risks and listened!

Marshall crouched, simmering in exasperation. Despite it all, he couldn't deny that regardless of what Gi Gaia had or hadn't told him, he should have caught onto it sooner.

It couldn't get any clearer than this—when he got mad, the demons under his control got mad as well. In the end, he could only blame his own incompetence.

Marshall turned to the huffing creatures. He wanted to try a different approach, but his demonic energy was hanging by the last thread. It had barely recovered enough to keep them under his command.

Unwillingly, Marshall gave a command, "Disperse."

The demons scattered into the undergrowth like leaves blown away by wind. After staring into the woods for a bit longer, he trailed back to the stronghold.

Exhaustion clung to his heels, dragging his steps. It had been a long day, but sleeping after screwing up the plan seemed like a selfish thing to do. Especially while not knowing where Wyn was, whether he was alright or not. For all he knew, the snow deity could have been locked up in the basement prison.

The time Marshall had been locked up, Wyn had broken him out, but now there was nothing the disciple could do to help. Going back and trying to get inside the tower would've only added to the trouble. He was helpless. 

The disciple cracked the door to the castle open, and the sound of an argument slapped him in the face.

Sun Hayden was awake, yelling at Sentinel Lichen with wild hand movements, "We don't need any suspicious partners, get out!"