As they walked home, Branch and Poppy laughed about what just happened. As they walked, it seemed like just another normal night until,

"Ahh!..." Branch grunted as he fell on the ground to his knees. He held his head in pain. "Branch? Branch!" Poppy yelled as she tried to help him. But it was no use, Branch could hear nothing but a high-pitched ringing noise. His back started stinging aggressively. His whole body was soon covered in a stinging pain. Branch yelled cries of pain which caught the attention of many other trolls. And soon the whole kingdom was running out of their homes towards the painful cries of their king. They all surrounded King Branch but also gave him space.

Poppy held Branch's head as he laid down on his side, holding himself in a tight embrace. Then all of a sudden, the cries stopped. "Branch?" Poppy asked out loud. Branch slowly rose from the ground with his eyes closed. Then a bright red light surrounded him. His eyes whipped open, revealing a whitish-red glow, as giant, red, bat-like wings grew from his back. "Branch...is leaving...and when he's gone...I will replace him..." A deep and creepy voice stated. Coming out of Branch's mouth, but he wasn't the one talking.

Poppy could only watch her husband in fear. His eyes a glowing red, not his usually great blue colour. Those wings that reminded her of...well...a demon! All she was able to do was watch his as he rose higher and soon fly away into the woods. She looked around at all the other trolls, all of them having the same expression as her. She knew what they were all thinking. What were they going to do? What just happened? Who was that? What did it mean? And the only thing Poppy could say was,

"I don't know."

With Branch/Demon, In The Woods

"Why? Why are you back? What do you want?" Branch asked out loud, to no one specific. A rhetorical question, a question that he wasn't expecting to be answered, but he was answered.

"Why are you so positive all of a sudden?"

"Wait, what?" Branch looked around but couldn't see anyone. He turned around as he felt a shadowy figure behind him. He turned around and gasped at the sight. A dark figure twice his size.

"You, why are you so positive now? Last time you didn't care about anyone other than yourself, it was great."

"Wait, excuse me, who are you?"

"Why I'm a demon of course. And we used to have such fun times together!"

"No, you had fun. I had no control over what I was doing!"

"But you enjoyed it."

"I did, but that was when I didn't care about anyone."

"Whatever, just face it. You still don't care about anyone."

"No! I care about my friends, I care about my kingdom, I care about my beautiful wife who you left back there confused and scared!" Branch yelled on the edge of crying. He held back the tears that threatened to fall as he continued to speak. "Why, me? Why did you chose me, why did you even come back?" Branch stared at the shadow in question. The shadow remained silent until an evil smirk was placed on his lips.

"Because you're the only troll with enough energy to make me strong."

"...What?"

"That's right, I'm draining you of your strength! And you're becoming weaker each time I do it." The shadow slowly floated around Branch as he spoke. "Your stubbornness, your anger is was makes you strong."

"No..."

"Your feelings for your friends aren't real!"

"No!"

"Not even for your precious stupid wife!"

"NO!" Branch screamed as tears rolled down his face. He stretched his hair to grab the shadow but the shadow just disappeared into thin air. Branch looked around trying to find him as voices echoed in his mind, he put his hands on each side of his head as he breathed heavily. He shook his head and screamed, "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" As he ran deeper into the forest.

As Branch reached a small area in the forest, he thought he was alone. He fell to his knees and cried his heart out. "Oh Poppy..*sniff*..please Poppy...forgive me..." He put his head down as he continued to sob. "I don't want to hurt you..."

"But you will."