On the Brink of Insanity

*I was either threatened or angry. Surely there's a better way?*

In the past, his bo-staff troupe would sometimes drag him to yoga classes on the weekend. During the lessons, he'd feel a little silly at the whole 'connect with yourself spiritually' speeches given by the instructors. What if he used those techniques?

Hyeon closed his eyes and relaxed his muscles. He cleared his mind to produce some sort of mental equilibrium within himself. Hyeon concentrated on his heartbeat, the steady flow of his breathing, and the spots on his body where fire seemed to emerge such as his hands and spine. After ten minutes of trying to light up the torch above, the only result was some tingling in his head and chest. Nothing else was happening beyond that.

Hyeon let out a frustrated huff. When his phoenix was in control, it could summon his powers in an instant. The other spirits could light a simple fire with the snap of their fingers, so why was this so challenging for him?

He meditated for another fifteen minutes, forgetting all about his work shift. Servants would come soon.

It was ridiculous. Hasn't he been through enough shit? Literally. His murdered birth parents were replaced by neglecting assholes, he was responsible for the car accident that killed half of his bo-staff team, he was wanted dead by mythical gods for being some rare half-species…

There were so many other things that went wrong in his life:

A mysterious entity causing his chronic insomnia.

Constantly being tested by other spirits to see where he fell in the pecking order.

When he was bullied by his classmates when he was a kid.

Online harassment.

His nervous stutter.

Almost being eaten by demons and a wolf god.

And where was the phoenix that should be guiding him?

As he thought about his misfortunes, Hyeon failed to notice his core temperature increasing. The tingling became more intense in his chest. Simultaneously, his head developed a crazy bad headache. He grabbed his head and clenched his lightened hair in his fists. If he pulled any harder, the strands would fall out. *It's all my fault!*

When he bit his bottom lip, his top canine teeth punctured the plump skin. A tiny dribble of blood ran down his chin. *THIS FUCKING SUCKS!*

The headache turned into a splitting migraine. Actually, this was worse than a migraine. It felt like someone was drilling into his brain. His heart was beating dangerously fast. Everything was so hot. The butler uniform was absorbing sweat like a sponge.

The goal to bring forth his ability with a clear head was abandoned. Negative thoughts and experiences overpowered Hyeon's emotions.

"Hyeon? Are you okay?" A hand touched his shoulder.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Hyeon roared. When he turned around to swipe the hand away, a hot explosion filled the grand room. The steaming burst would've caused anyone to run away and shield themselves. Instead, he stood there unfazed. The fire didn't burn him. The scorching heat felt like a warm blanket.

The grand hall was ablaze. Curtains and furniture were roasting away, pruned flowers in the vases became ash, and the marble floor and hand-carved entrance door were smothered in black filth from the blast. The source of the explosion came from the diamond chandelier's candles and wall torches. They acted as mini bombs. The torches had melted, and the diamonds scattered below in pieces.

"Jesus Christ, Hyeon!" someone yelled in disbelief. "What the fuck are you trying to do?!" Shika stood in a defensive stance multiple meters behind Hyeon. Both of their uniforms were in awful shape, especially Hyeon's since he didn't dodge the fire.

He looked at Shika with a cocked head and blank expression. Hyeon wasn't registering that this was his friend whom he hasn't seen since the hotel in Stewart Island. His awareness was mixed up from the inner turmoil and flowing powers coursing through his veins. His breathing was heavy.

Hyeon was a feral animal.

"Hey," Shika said carefully. He walked closer. "Just chill, okay? It'll be fine."

Shika inched forward until he was right in front of him. To attempt to calm Hyeon down, the deer spirit wanted to use his ability to put the unpredictable intern to sleep. He slowly extended out his hand to touch Hyeon's forehead.

When Shika was only centimeters away, Hyeon quickly grabbed his friend's wrist with a death grip and kneed the elbow. Hard. The sound of bones cracking echoed through the room.

Shika howled in pain.

Hyeon released the broken arm. He watched indifferently as the injured servant fell to his knees and cradled his elbow. "Kuso, anata wa teme, sore wa hontou ni itai!" (Shit, you bastard, that really hurt!). The Japanese curses mumbled by Shika afterward were too 'colorful' to be written in words.

The destructive haze that clouded Hyeon's judgment lifted. He looked around and groaned at the damage he made. Did…did he actually do this? Upon seeing the torches, he thought, *At least I know I can light them up but how do I tone it down? I'm in BIG fucking trouble!*

That was when he noticed Shika sitting on the floor. He was glad to see him free from the unknown basement, but how did he get hurt? Actually, why do their clothes look like they've been through the grinder?

Hyeon went to go help him stand up. He gasped when he saw the guy's burns and mangled arm. The elbow was twisted unnaturally. Even though it was dark, Hyeon could see the ulna protruding from his forearm skin. The white bone glistened with pieces of muscle matter stuck to it. Blood streamed from the wound. Spirits can heal quickly, but Shika couldn't heal as fast as Hyeon. It would also take medical intervention to put the bone back inside. Otherwise, Shika's arm would heal with his ulna sticking out.

"Oh my God, what happ—"

"Stop. Please stop. Just leave me alone." Shika looked at him in pain. There was so much disappointment in his expression. Like he was betrayed.

Hyeon trembled when he realized it. *I did this. I hurt my friend.*

To Hyeon, the scariest part of this situation was how Shika's soul was glowing in his chest. The beautiful cloud was a root beer brown color.

And he craved to drink that swirling nebula of soul energy.

Hyeon's out-of-control powers were causing him to care more about sucking this spirit's life force instead of worrying about his friend's condition.

It scared him. This wasn't who he was.

*Right?*

"I—I'm so sorry," Hyeon choked. His body wanted to suck the energy. If he stayed any second longer, he'd kill Shika. *I need to get out of here before I...*

"I'm sorry." Before Shika could reply to the desperate apology, Hyeon ran and disappeared into the hallway's darkness.