Fragments of his mental landscape surfaced uncontrollably in Marcus Holt's mind.
They came without warning—blurred sensations, overlapping images, and feelings he didn't want to remember. Her presence was everywhere in those memories. The warmth. The touch. The way his spirit body had reacted without permission.
Again and again.
Before he realized it, a deep blush spread across Marcus's face, creeping from his neck all the way to his ears.
Beside him, the black panther lifted its head.
As his spirit body, it was directly connected to his emotions. It sensed everything he was thinking, everything he was recalling. Its golden eyes narrowed slightly, as if it, too, was reliving what had happened during the Mental Guidance.
Just then—
"Boss! You're awake!"
A cheerful voice burst in from outside. Immediately after, a thin young man rushed into the room, bending down to inspect Marcus from every angle like a medical scanner.
"Your face looks great! Your mental fluctuations are completely gone! Boss, you're really better now!" he said excitedly. "Guide Valentina is amazing!"
"Guide… Valentina?" Marcus repeated slowly.
The name echoed in his mind.
For a brief second, a familiar profile surfaced in his memory—then he rejected it outright.
Impossible.
According to everything he knew, Valentina was an uneducated girl, a low-ranking C-Class Guide, and openly resistant to the marriage arrangement with him. She had no interest in the North, no reason to come here, and certainly no reason to treat him.
And more importantly—
Marcus was absolutely certain of one thing.
The Guide who treated him was at least A-Class.
Because the stubborn, deeply rooted damage in his spirit—injuries accumulated over years of combat—had been completely erased.
Not suppressed.
Not eased.
Erased.
He felt lighter than he ever had before.
Perhaps… it was just a coincidence.
"Yes! Guide Valentina!" the young man continued happily. "Boss, you must be starving after sleeping for so long, right? Perfect timing—Guide Valentina and the others are having dinner!"
Before Marcus could respond, he was already being dragged toward the dining hall.
---
The moment Marcus stepped inside, his eyes landed on her.
Valentina was seated across from a young boy. She sat perfectly straight, her posture composed and elegant. She ate calmly, not hurried or greedy, completely different from the noisy chaos around her.
She looked… out of place.
But not weak.
The instant Marcus entered, Valentina sensed his mental aura.
She wasn't sure why—perhaps it was a side effect of the Mental Guidance—but she had become unusually sensitive to his presence.
She lifted her head.
Their eyes met.
And Marcus immediately looked away.
Valentina paused.
"…?"
He wanted to sit with his teammates, but before he could move, the person beside him had already steered him toward Valentina's table.
"Guide Valentina! You're incredible!" the man exclaimed. "Boss has completely recovered! Look at him!"
Valentina set down her utensils and examined Marcus calmly.
"Indeed."
His unstable mental fluctuations were gone. If she weren't a Guide, she wouldn't have sensed him at all.
An S-Class Sentinel.
The reputation was well-deserved.
Marcus had no choice but to face her. "Thank you."
She had guided him through his mental landscape. Gratitude was only proper.
Valentina replied politely, "You're welcome."
"I haven't received this year's list of Guides assigned to the Northern Territory from the Imperial Academy yet," Marcus said coolly. "You can follow Yu Tao later to complete registration."
Yu Tao immediately broke into a grin. "No problem, Boss! Leave Guide Valentina to me!"
"…Or," Marcus paused, his heart stirring slightly despite himself, "I'm free later. I'll register you myself."
The words surprised even Yu Tao.
His boss hated paperwork.
Marcus ignored the look of shock beside him.
"Okay," Valentina agreed calmly.
After giving the instructions, Marcus left.
Valentina remained seated for a moment, her gaze unconsciously drifting to Marcus's right leg.
Beneath the dark fabric of his uniform was a prosthetic limb.
---
After dinner, Valentina followed Yu Tao's directions to the top-floor office.
She knocked.
"Come in."
Marcus's voice sounded from inside.
She entered. Marcus gestured to the seat opposite him. "Sit."
Valentina did so calmly, watching as he activated the holographic projector—
Before he could begin registration, a black blur leaped out of thin air.
In an instant, Valentina's hand was on the dagger at her waist.
Then—
Something soft pressed against her chest.
She looked down.
Familiar golden eyes stared back at her.
"Black Panther?" she asked cautiously.
The panther's eyes lit up immediately. It lifted its front paws, clearly intending to pounce.
"Black Panther!"
Marcus's voice was sharp—and beneath it, unmistakable panic.
The moment the spirit body sensed Valentina, it had gone wild. Marcus had suppressed it with extreme effort just to keep it from appearing in the dining hall.
He had only agreed to let it out when they were alone.
And the instant he relaxed his focus, it bolted.
The panther hesitated when it heard Marcus's voice. Its raised paw lowered slightly—but it didn't retreat.
"This is what you promised me!" the spirit body protested inside his mind.
Marcus felt a headache coming on.
"I'm sorry—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
A tingling sensation spread across his scalp.
"You've gotten bigger," Valentina said thoughtfully.
Her hand rested on the panther's head, stroking gently.
The panther lifted its chin, eyes narrowing in pleasure.
Valentina examined it carefully, her hand sliding down its spine. "Your fur is smoother. Shinier. You've recovered very well."
Marcus's fingers clenched.
That sensation traveled down his neck, spine, and lower back in a way that made his breath hitch.
Suddenly—
Splash.
Her little octopus spirit body popped out.
Its tentacles wrapped around the black panther instantly, clinging from chest to back—and even its belly.
Tiny suckers adhered tightly, wriggling happily.
"Ah! Big black panther! Even better to touch!"
Valentina froze.
She hadn't meant to let her spirit body out.
As she reached for it, she noticed something strange.
It looked bigger.
Much bigger than before.
Marcus was completely unprepared.
The tentacles hugged his spirit body fiercely, the suckers clinging and moving gently.
His breathing broke.
"Mm…"
His face flushed deeply, heat spreading across his skin as weakness flooded his limbs.
He clenched his teeth hard.
Didn't she know?
Didn't she know that Sentinels and spirit bodies shared empathy?
Everything the spirit body felt—
The Sentinel felt too.
The moment Valentina heard his voice, she looked up sharply.
Seeing his flushed face and neck, her first thought was concern.
She stepped forward immediately. "What's wrong?"
Marcus yanked the black panther back into his mental space, ignoring its furious protests.
His hands clenched tightly. "Nothing."
She had saved him, yes—but she was still sent by the Imperial Academy.
And the Imperial Academy…
One could never be sure what lay behind it.
"Let's continue," Marcus said coldly, returning instantly to work mode. "Name."
Valentina was about to answer—
Her light brain vibrated.
She opened it without hesitation, enlarging the message screen right in front of him.
When she saw the sender, her brows furrowed.
> "Valentina, even if I don't like you, you shouldn't go to the Northern Territory alone. That place isn't where you belong. Come back."
The sender's name glowed clearly.
Adrian Shaw.
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