337 RTYY 334 - Absolute Control

A distant rumbling-like-thunder made Snow frown, disturbing his rest. He was too tired. He needed to sleep. And the fact that he had been practically living off roots and mushrooms for the last fifteen days or so didn't help it either. But the sound only got louder, as if something massive and large was quickly approaching him, the disturbing sound getting louder and louder. So loud that now Snow could clearly identify the different sounds that made that thunder-like noise. Voices. Thousands and thousands of voices, screaming and crying in pure desperation.

Open his eyes with a startle, Snow sat up, his back very straight, his heart beating hard against his chest.

The warm, appeasing hand that covered his head made him turn back to look at ZaiWin. And his serious, alarmed expression immediately chased away the softness that had warmed his blue eyes, quickly transforming them into two cold, hard stones.

Scooting closer to the wooden bars, Snow grabbed them with both hands and did his best to see what was happening outside.

They had been traveling non-stop since that morning, after they had crossed another of YunZen's portals, and the cart was moving at a steady pace, softly rattling like always. The others also seemed relatively serene, YunZen completely passed out atop his horse. Using some rope, HuaQin had tied him to his saddle, since he was now constantly unconscious, only barely opening his eyes to swallow that strange medicine and open new portals. But, that apart, everything seemed completely normal, just another morning on the long road that seemed to never reach its destination.

Even so, Snow quickly wrapped himself, and ZaiWin, in one of his golden shields. Purifying, yes, but this time he also added cleansing and healing, even though doing so would inevitably drain his energy even faster. And yet, even shielded from the defiled world around them, Snow's stomach still turned, making him feel sick.

ZaiWin's warm presence told him that he too, was peering outside, right next to him. And then they both heard it, the sound of something heavy making its way across the forest, coming from the dead trees flanking the road.

Raising his hand, MaoHan brought the entire group to a halt, the prison cart shaking a bit harsher before it finally came to a stop. Now everyone seemed aware of what had caught Snow's attention, every head silently glancing towards the trees.

"Is it one of them?" RyuXin asked and MaoHan nodded, dismounting his horse.

"Three. You all know what to do. Secure the horses and pull them back."

Everyone dismounted, surprisingly quickly following MaoHan's instructions.

Reaching up to his own saddle, MaoHan picked RimJan up and gently placed her on the ground.

"Keep HuaQin quiet. We don't need her adding any unnecessary fuel to the situation," he instructed her, and the little girl nodded, running to catch up with the others.

ZaiWin wrapped an arm around Snow's waist and pulled him back against his chest, his eyes glued to the dead trees from where the heavy-sounding footsteps were coming. If what was coming their way was what he thought it was, he wouldn't care about anything else besides getting Snow to safety. He felt sorry for the two kids that would probably die if he just dragged Snow away like that, but he wouldn't think twice before making a decision. He had always known that there were only so many things one could hope to protect, and, right now, Snow was definitely at the top of his priorities.

Stepping closer to the edge of the forest, MaoHan raised his head and waited. He suddenly looked very small, Snow thought, cold shivers running down his spine as whatever was approaching them grew even closer, the cracking and squeaking sounds of dead wood breaking under extreme weight reaching his ears.

The others had all taken refugee on the other side of the cart, holding their horses, trying to calm them down when the animals started prancing nervously, pawing the dark dirt beneath their hooves, shaking their heads as if ready to bolt at any moment.

And then there it was. A huge mass of darkness suddenly appeared from amongst the trees. It walked on two legs, but it was otherwise round and slimy. Like with all the feimao Snow had seen before, its body was covered in bright-red markings. And the darkness dripping from its slimy body raised dark fumes when it touched the ground.

ZaiWin's body immediately tensed up, as he readied himself to burst out of that cart no matter the means. But MaoHan just stood there, much closer to it than anyone else, looking almost like a small ant facing a huge monster.

Like MaoHan had told the others just a moment ago, two other, equally large, equally dark feimao followed the first one. They seemed slow, Snow thought, pressing his lips shut so he wouldn't gag. But he had been deceived by their initial sluggish appearances before.

Recognizing MaoHan for what he was, a small, frail, sliver of life, the first feimao bent down and slowly raised its huge arm, obviously ready to squash him to pieces. But then … it stopped!

Snow's eyes widened in disbelief.

MaoHan hadn't said a word, hadn't moved a muscle, hadn't done anything but stand there, staring up at that horrible creature. But the feimao still stopped, slowly straightening its back again. For a moment its bright red eyes focused on the small man standing before it, and then it open its mouth, showing two rows of sharp, rotten fangs. And yet, even as Snow readied himself to endure its terrible heart-wrenching screaming, it simply closed its mouth again, a huge drop of that dark slime that covered its entire body landing right next to MaoHan.

MaoHan didn't move. Didn't even blink. Completely immune to the poisonous fumes raising from the ground, clearly indifferent to the foul stench that, even at a distance, was making Snow sick, he just stood there. And then the most amazing thing happened. The huge monsters, that should have probably been able to kill them all in just a few swings, simply turned around, and slowly made their way back, towards the trees again.

ZaiWin's arm, still wrapped around Snow's waist, squeezed him unconsciously. Snow could easily understand what he was feeling. If Snow was right in his assumptions, what they had just witnessed was truly amazing, nothing short of a true miracle. But, at the same time, it was terribly dangerous, placing the lives of every living creature on the Continent at risk. The man before him, the one they called MaoHan, held the ability to control the feimao at will. Worse. Not only he had that ability, but he was also clearly used to using it, the others obviously trusting him to successfully deal with the situation. And then it dawned on him!

Snow urgently turned back to look at ZaiWin, his cold blue eyes still fixed outside, his face a hard, impenetrable mask, as if he were staring at his mortal enemy.

That's why MaoHan was able to control him as well! MaoHan could probably control all of them!, Snow thought, peering at the others standing on the other side of the cart. Even the children. He could probably control many other people as well, as long as their daitai got tainted. If he had survived drinking that horrible concoction, he too, by now would be under his control. In fact, as things stood, from the people around him, the only one free from his control, the only one who didn't have any dark energy flowing through his body, was Snow.

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Author's Note: In a way, this MaoHan is actually pretty special himself. And imagine all the good he could do, if not for his extreme views of the world 😔

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