SDIWD - Chapter 55
Chapter 55
Hua Mu's life so far could be roughly divided into three stages: her early childhood before the age of six, her childhood from six to twelve, and her adolescence from twelve to eighteen.
The two landmark events that defined these three stages were the succession of her aunt, the current Queen, and the awakening of her Guide abilities.
Grand Duke Hua Jian was a male Guide who, against his father's wishes, married an ordinary woman. As a result, he completely lost his right to the throne, was demoted from prince to grand duke, and was allocated an extremely meager inheritance. As the daughter of such a disgraced grand duke, the newborn Hua Mu was not looked upon favorably by most people.
But when the Queen inherited the throne, vowed to dedicate her life to the country, and restored her brother's right of succession, she transformed from an ordinary noble lady into the heir to the throne.
As a child, she didn't understand what this meant. She only knew that ever since attending the succession ceremony with her aunt, everything had changed. Her carefree life was gone forever. Her father became increasingly busy, and her aunt no longer spent as much time with her as before. Various lessons overwhelmed her, and the grievance and anger led the six-year-old girl to impulsively plan a runaway.
Because she was so young, she couldn't remember the specific details clearly. The only things she remembered were her father's tears of joy and her aunt's suffocating embrace… and nearly a month of being grounded.
After that, she began to learn etiquette and knowledge, striving to conduct herself properly and fulfill her duties. But a sliver of hope remained in her heart: if her mother was an ordinary person, then there was at least a fifty percent chance she wouldn't awaken. And an ordinary person would automatically lose their right to succession-this was what her detestable cousin had told her.
But just as one's menstrual period would eventually arrive, her awakening period was not late either. The symptoms of a Guide's awakening are much less obvious than a Sentinel's, and generally less painful. However, they usually last longer and are sometimes so mild that they are indistinguishable from common illnesses.
Of course, if Hua Mu had been at the ducal manor at the time, even a minor scratch or ache would have immediately caught the Grand Duke's attention. But as fate would have it, Hua Mu was at a summer camp when her awakening began. She endured the slight fever and discomfort, and by the time the teacher noticed her condition, the awakening had become uncontrollable.
Without the guidance of an adult Guide, Hua Mu's spirit animal escaped her mental landscape and ran rampant, first triggering the binding heat in the two young Sentinels serving as her guards at the time. The Sentinels' spirit animals quickly lost control, chasing the black unicorn with near-maniacal fervor. Fortunately, the captain of the guard team was an experienced Guide who immediately anesthetized the two Sentinels.
Hua Mu was rushed to the main Tower facility in the capital, a decision that unexpectedly led to an even greater tragedy.
To this day, Hua Mu still remembered the fear. The rioting Sentinels and their spirit animals, their crimson eyes, and the frenzied desire within them left a huge shadow on the twelve-year-old's mind.
Sentinels were terrifying, creatures without reason or morality. Those two young guards, whom she had affectionately called 'big brother,' had even wanted to lick her toes with their tongues.
She still remembered that disgusting feeling to this day!
The kind and loyal people had suddenly turned into villains, into base beasts that could not be restrained by morals, betraying her trust and reliance, looking at her with lewd gazes.
Shameless Sentinels!
Hua Mu was simultaneously enduring the torment of her awakening and being overwhelmed by fear and anger. And when the car entered the Tower, when nearly eighty Sentinels completely surrounded the vehicle, when a swarm of spirit animals began to rampage, when the accompanying Guide kept pleading with her to control her unicorn, when she heard words like 'binding heat' and 'matching' in their conversation, Hua Mu was crushed by shame and self-doubt.
Was it her fault?
Not the Sentinels, but her fault?
Even if they were the most junior Sentinels, eighty-odd of them were enough to breach an ambulance in a short time. The Guide inside the vehicle held them off for less than two minutes before the windows and doors were smashed open one after another.
Hua Mu didn't know what fate awaited her. The twelve-year-old girl even had a fleeting thought of suicide. If it was all her fault, this would surely become a royal scandal.
The two Guides in the car, despite their experience, were powerless to soothe so many Sentinels at once. The only thing buying them time was the fighting among the Sentinels themselves. To win the right to match with the Guide, this group of Sentinels had almost shed their humanity, competing like animals.
Hua Mu was hidden under the ambulance gurney by a guard, where she spent the longest three minutes of her life. The roaring of spirit animals, the shaking of the ambulance, the wails of Sentinels-everything seemed to descend into chaos.
What ended all this chaos was the howl of a wolf.
Wolves are a species with a very strict social hierarchy, possessing cunning, ferocity, and immense patience.
Hua Mu didn't like wolves; she covered her ears and trembled under the bed.
The bedsheet was lifted. Hua Mu was terrified, too scared to open her eyes. But the person made no further move for a while. Finally, amidst her anxiety and fear, she looked at the newcomer.
Kneeling outside was a woman. Although she was a bit too tall for a typical woman, her curvaceous body was undoubtedly female.
The mere fact that she was a woman gave her a great sense of security.
"W-who are you…"
She heard herself ask in a trembling, pitiful voice.
The person replied, "I am a Sentinel from the Inner Tower, here to protect you."
A stiff and uninteresting tone.
"You're a Sentinel?"
To Hua Mu, Sentinels had become the most dangerous of beings.
"Yes."
"Do you want to do terrible things to me too?"
The other person seemed to be trembling, but her tone was firm.
"No, I will never offend you."
The incident from six years ago, known as the "Fall of the Tower," is still spoken of like a legend in Sentinel-Guide circles. Nearly eighty young Sentinels were sent to various branch institutions after the incident and were punished with a ten-year ban from returning to the capital.
It happened to be during the holidays, and these were almost all the Sentinels left in the Tower at the time. Except for a few bonded teachers who escaped, even some newly appointed instructors were caught up in it.
Bai Zhen had heard her seniors mention this matter, their lingering fear evident. Although the royal family had issued a gag order and even taken certain measures to block the news, there's no such thing as a perfect secret in the world, and Bai Zhen still heard about the incident from various sources.
As for her-she remembered she wasn't in the Tower at the time. But what was she doing? She couldn't recall it very well-which was quite rare for her.
And now, Bai Zhen was finally experiencing firsthand the terrifying power that had caused the "Fall of the Tower." Especially when the unicorn began to cry, she ultimately couldn't resist the temptation.
The white wolf, as if finally unable to resist, cautiously extended its tongue to lick the tears from the unicorn's face. The nearly three-meter-tall white wolf practically enveloped the unicorn in its embrace, using the most tender and gentle licks to soothe its fur.
Luna shivered and immediately understood, wagging her tail and happily responding. When their rough, agile tongues touched, the bodies of the two spirit animals emitted a bright light. Luna loved the big white wolf's licks; they were tingly and numbing, and never tiring.
Hua Mu loved it too.
The touch between spirit animals was almost equivalent to touching a nerve directly. Moreover, the two were currently in a state of reverse possession, making the comfort they felt even more intense. But it wasn't a purely sexual pleasure; it was more tender, more content, more reassuring.
It was as comfortable as when the Sentinel usually held her, served as her cushion, and gave her massages. The fatigue and pain from her earlier overexertion gradually disappeared under the licking, leaving only pleasure.
Her tail swayed involuntarily, and her ears and horn felt itchy. She subconsciously tilted her head, asking the other to lick a different spot. The white wolf held her tightly, licking her dutifully.
The rims of her ears, her nose and horn, her neck, back, and belly-every inch of her body seemed to have been licked.
A little harder, a little lower.
But the white wolf didn't seem to hear her cries, remaining diligent yet restrained-even in wolf form, it was still so very Bai Zhen.
Although Hua Mu felt it wasn't quite enough, she also felt inexplicably at ease.
It wasn't her fault. When Bai Zhen knelt before her and said she would never offend her, Hua Mu finally found self-affirmation and salvation.
That incident wasn't her fault for awakening. Bai Zhen was the best proof. She didn't offend her because of it; she even protected her. Why couldn't the other Sentinels do the same?
Ah, if it were now, being offended a little would be… acceptable.
Hua Mu was so comfortable she was about to fall asleep. The fatigue from using her abilities to enter the mental landscape for the first time finally erupted after she felt safe.
"Bai Zhen…"
But why are you acting like nothing happened? That was clearly you. Did you forget? Or do you really not care?
If back then it was merely out of loyalty, what about now?
Hua Mu gasped for air as if she had been suffocating for a long time and sat up from the ground. There was no giant wolf, no unicorn; only she was on the beach.
No snow, no mountains, no cave. She was back. Damn that stupid Luna, attacking her from behind when she was completely defenseless.
Hua Mu stumbled to her feet and hurried towards the shelter.
The Sentinel was still lying on the bamboo bed without any movement, showing no signs of waking. Hua Mu knelt beside her and first checked Bai Zhen's heartbeat.
It was much faster than even a normal person's usual state, and her body temperature had clearly risen.
A surge of joy filled Hua Mu's heart. She patted her face and said, "Bai Zhen, wake up!"
She felt like she had just had a dream. Many details from the dream became incredibly blurry the moment she woke up, but she was certain of the fact that she had been to the other's mental landscape.
She did it! She managed to bring Bai Zhen back!
"Bai Zhen, Bai Zhen!" Hua Mu anxiously and excitedly shook the Sentinel. Just as she was about to lift the other's eyelid to check her condition, a pair of strong hands suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace.
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