The Shadow Messenger is a military fantasy novella exploring the impact of a lack of maternal affection and how a daughter copes with it. The writer employs Karen Horney’s neurosis theory to explore the central issue. Horney’s neurosis theory explains how a lack of parental affection as a child ultimately results in neurotic anxiety. A child who develops this specific anxiety will develop three main types of coping mechanisms: moving towards others, against others, or away from others. In this creative work, Daphne, the main character, is experiencing neurotic anxiety due to the lack of affection from her mother. As a result, she develops two of the main coping mechanisms. The first is moving against others, which is shown by her rebelling against her mother. The second is moving away from others, which is shown by her distancing herself from her fellow cadets in the Liberation Corps. This military fantasy novella dramatizes Daphne’s struggles through a war setting, in which a human army conflicts against an army of sorcerers. This choice of setting is a foil to Daphne’s conflict with herself and with the people around her.