SDIWD - Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Both Sentinels and Guides were required to undergo a minimum of five years of training in the Tower. While some with exceptional performance could pass their assessments early, they still had to complete a minimum of four years.
The Tower emphasized practical application far more than theory, creating a significant disparity between the two. Hua Mu had completed all her theoretical coursework in just three months, but when it came to practice, she was less capable than a young Guide who had only awakened three months prior.
Guides qualified for active duty in the Tower were required to master the fundamental skill of moving their spirit animal with their will. In addition to supporting Sentinels, they sometimes needed to launch mental attacks and create interference against enemies, which demanded a level of control over their spirit animals even more refined than that of a Sentinel.
Hua Mu, however, had to rely on voice commands to control Luna.
"Flap faster! That's it, run, run, fly!"
The unicorn promptly face-planted.
Right.
Flying ability: failed.
Communication between Hua Mu and her spirit animal was a struggle; most of the time, Luna simply couldn't understand her intentions. Hati lay off to the side, watching, only stepping in to help when the unicorn took a tumble.
Hua Mu occasionally felt sorry for the little creature and wanted to comfort her, but the giant wolf usually beat her to it. She could only stand by and watch the two of them engage in their public displays of affection.
Perhaps because of Hati's attentiveness, Luna gradually lost her fear of him. She even wore a look of pure comfort whenever he licked her.
Hua Mu often had to interrupt the two animals' interactions to get her easily distracted spirit animal to focus.
She was getting nowhere. At this rate, when would she ever be able to bring Bai Zhen back?
"Alright, Luna, let's start the next exercise."
The one saving grace was that the unicorn seemed to enjoy interacting with her host. No matter how many times she fell, she remained enthusiastic, never showing the slightest sign of slacking.
After a full day of training, Hua Mu was utterly exhausted. Even though she was only giving commands while Luna did the work, she somehow felt more tired than if she had done all the running and labor herself.
But despite her exhaustion, she couldn't rest. Cooking, boiling water, feeding Bai Zhen, changing her dressings—every task seemed more arduous than before.
She didn't have to hunt for food, chop firewood, or carry another person on her back all day. Her situation was infinitely easier than what Bai Zhen had endured, so why did it feel so difficult?
Fortunately, the Sentinel's body temperature was low and her metabolism was extremely slow, so for now, Hua Mu didn't have to bathe her daily or deal with her bodily waste.
Hua Mu had worried about this, even resolving several times to pull down Bai Zhen's pants and check. But she could never muster the courage to look at such an intimate area. Instead, she would occasionally feel between Bai Zhen's legs—through her underwear—to check on her condition.
So considerate, even when she was ill. What an incredibly thoughtful Sentinel.
At night, Luna punctually returned to her landscape, while Hati remained on guard outside the shelter. Hua Mu brushed Bai Zhen's teeth—she might neglect other areas, but she insisted on this, no matter the effort. After all, she had to feed her mouth-to-mouth! Then, she would hold Bai Zhen and fall into a deep sleep.
Hua Mu's days fell into this routine for three straight days. The exhaustion piled up faster than she'd expected, and on the fourth day, she slept straight through to noon. For once, Hati didn't wake her, merely watching her with his eerie green eyes when she finally stirred.
As was her habit, Hua Mu checked on Bai Zhen first. She discovered that her temperature had dropped even lower, her breathing was fainter, and her heartbeat had slowed.
She timed Bai Zhen's pulse with her watch and was horrified to find it had dropped to fewer than twenty beats per minute. If this continued, she feared Bai Zhen might never come back.
"Luna!"
Hua Mu frantically summoned the unicorn.
After four days of being licked, Luna had grown a full size larger. Her once-plump form had slimmed down, and she now stood a meter and a half tall.
Hua Mu no longer had the energy to wonder why her spirit animal changed from one day to the next. She just hoped the little creature's growth wasn't limited to her physical form, but included her abilities as well.
The moment Luna appeared, she trotted happily toward Hati and, with a distinct lack of grace, flopped into the giant wolf's fluffy fur. Hati slowly rolled over, exposing his belly for the unicorn to nuzzle against as he draped a paw over her neck and began to lick her gently.
The ice wolf's licks were slow and tender this time. As Luna nuzzled him, she seemed to sense something was wrong and began to whimper, her cries tinged with sadness.
Hua Mu sensed something was off. Had Hati always been this small?
Luna had certainly grown, but she was only a meter and a half tall. Hati, who stood over three meters, shouldn't look only slightly larger than her. Wait a minute—had the wolf stood up at all since she'd woken?
Listening to Luna's mournful cries, Hua Mu walked uneasily to the giant wolf's side.
It wasn't her imagination. Hati had indeed shrunk. Not only that, but he seemed to have faded, his once-gleaming white fur now a dull, ominous gray.
"Hati, what's wrong?"
Hua Mu had never dared to approach him before, let alone touch him, but this time she reached out and placed a hand on the giant wolf's forehead.
A whimper rumbled in Hati's throat, and his body flickered as if he were about to disappear.
"Hati, what's wrong?" A problem with a spirit animal meant its host was in danger. Hua Mu grew tense, throwing her arms around the ice wolf's neck as if to keep him from leaving. "Don't scare me. You still have to take me to Bai Zhen's mental landscape…"
Hati whimpered twice, and tears began to stream down Luna's face.
"Eee~ eee~"
She cried out sorrowfully, rubbing her face gently against the giant wolf's fur and licking the corners of his mouth, as if trying to help.
It was no exaggeration to say that Hati's presence was the only reason Hua Mu had remained so calm these past few days. His massive, powerful, and fierce form had given her an immense sense of security, both for Bai Zhen's sake and her own.
"Hati, Hati, don't disappear! I won't let you! Bai Zhen isn't back yet…"
Hua Mu was as helpless as her spirit animal, able to do nothing but cling desperately to the ice wolf's neck. But the solid feel of him was fading, his form growing blurry and indistinct.
Just then, the unicorn suddenly backed away. She ran about ten meters from Hua Mu, then turned and charged straight for her.
Hua Mu was in the middle of a sorrowful cry. "Hati, Ha—eee~"
Huh?
She was suddenly plunged into darkness. One moment, she had been weeping, clinging to the giant wolf's fading form; the next, she had no idea where she was.
Where was this?
It was pitch-black all around, but surprisingly, Hua Mu felt no fear. She only felt a sense of freedom she had never known, as if she were soaring through the sea, the sky, and the cosmos.
She had a light body, nimble hooves, and powerful wings, able to go anywhere she pleased—like into that point of light.
She saw a bright point of light and flew toward it without hesitation. It expanded before her, and after she broke through a thin, membrane-like barrier, she tumbled into a world of snow.
Fat, white snowflakes drifted down from the sky, blanketing the ground in a thick layer of white. It was a world of white, yet she didn't feel cold. Her four hooves left small, round prints in the snow as she ran joyfully, sticking out a pink tongue to catch the falling flakes.
Cool, sweet, and so tasty… No, wait, she had important business to attend to!
She had to find… find Hati. She had to find the big white wolf who would lick her and help her grow.
"Eee~ eee~"
Not the big white wolf, it's Bai Zhen!
Why am I so stupid? Hua Mu thought, annoyed with herself.
Big white wolf, big white wolf!
The little black unicorn bounded toward the center of the white world.
No two mental landscapes were exactly alike, but every Sentinel and Guide's had a landmark—an object their partner could instantly recognize as the center of the landscape, a place where they could "build a nest" during a mental bond.
The center of this mental landscape was a massive, snow-covered mountain, and the unicorn had been flying around it for… well, for a very, very long time!
Big white wolf, big white wolf!
"Eee~ ya, eee~ ya."
Bai Zhen, Bai Zhen!
Hua Mu felt her thoughts were sluggish. Something felt very wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.
Was she always this dense?
Fortunately, even if she couldn't think straight, she could fly fast. She finally found the cave she was looking for on the massive mountain.
Don't ask how she knew. She just knew this was where she needed to be. Bai Zhen was here.
"Eeya, eeya!"
The cave was bright, though the source of the light was unclear. It was also deep, its end out of sight.
Bai Zhen, Bai Zhen, Bai Zhen!
Hua Mu galloped anxiously through the cave, charging heedlessly into its depths.
It felt as if she were running downward, yet also upward; she couldn't tell which direction she was headed.
Bai Zhen!
"Eeya!"
Luna suddenly spread her wings and flew toward the cave's ceiling.
She's up there. Luna knew!
But… wasn't she Luna?
She didn't ponder it for long, because a massive, sleeping white wolf appeared before her.
It was Bai Zhen!
"Eee-eee-eee~"
Luna let out a series of joyful cries.
The big white wolf! It's the big white wolf!
What big white wolf? This is Bai Zhen!
Hua Mu could have died from exasperation at herself.
Luna paid her no mind, nuzzling affectionately against the wolf. She whimpered softly, licking the white wolf's nose with the tip of her pink tongue.
Wait, wait, wait, what was she doing? How shameless! Why was she always so quick to use her mouth? When had she become so forward?
But the giant wolf seemed completely oblivious. No matter how much Luna licked him, he showed no sign of waking.
"Eee-woo-woo-woo…"
Luna cried out, unwilling to give up, and rubbed her horn against the tip of the giant wolf's nose.
Big white wolf!
Her little black face scrunched up with effort, and a bright, ethereal light finally flashed from the short horn on her forehead.
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