Chapter One:The Mysterious Guide
1108 Words
"Shuangshuang, what's that noise?"
As soon as Arya spoke, the beautiful little white cat on her shoulder pricked up its ears.
From deep in the forest ahead came dull thuds and savage snarls.
Before she could say anything else, Shuangshuang leapt down from her shoulder, its white tail held high, and darted toward the sound. Arya didn't stop it—it was fast, small, and hard to spot.
She just hoped the little thing wouldn't get too excited.
"Just a look," Shuangshuang's voice echoed in her mind, already fading away.
Arya sighed and followed.
Since arriving in this world a few days ago, she had learned one thing: arguing with a telepathic cat that ran faster than you was a waste of time.
—
Elsewhere, the battle was at its peak.
Kai slashed down another aberration, black blood splattering across his body. He was one meter ninety-five tall, his broad shoulders like a wall. His dark brown hair, damp with sweat, fell over his forehead, making his sharp, angular face look even more ruthless.
His amber eyes, sharp as a wolf's, were starting to lose focus.
Contamination Level: 91%
The number pulsed in his vision—too high, dangerously high.
Darkness crept through his mind. The madness surging inside him threatened to swallow him whole. He could feel himself slipping, that familiar fear closing in again.
Then he smelled it.
A faint, unfamiliar sweetness.
It was like an invisible hand brushing gently over his battered nerves. For a brief moment, the pain even eased a little.
"Captain?" a Sentinel's voice came from behind. It sounded distant but clear, with a barely hidden excitement. "Do you smell that?"
Kai slowly came back to awareness.
The scent grew stronger, seeping into his chaotic mind like a rope, pulling him back from the edge of losing control. The sharp pain in his head gradually faded, and his breathing steadied.
"Is that… a Guide?" another Sentinel asked in disbelief. "And… a high-level one?"
Kai's jaw tightened. He didn't have time to wonder how that was possible—the aberrations were still coming.
But something had changed.
The darkness in his mind had pulled back, just a little.
"Speed it up," his voice was hoarse but steady. "We need to find that Guide. We cannot let her get hurt."
The Sentinels exchanged glances, then fought harder, faster—like men who had just been given a reason to survive.
—
The last aberration fell.
Kai leaned against a tree trunk, eyes closed, chest heaving. Dust and black blood coated his broad shoulders, but for the first time in months, his mind felt strangely quiet.
He felt eyes on him.
He opened his eyes and looked in that direction. A few steps away, a white kitten sat on the ground, head tilted, amber eyes studying him with curiosity.
Kai's breath stopped for an instant, then a wave of joy washed over him.
A Spirit Beast. A high-level Guide's Spirit Beast.
That meant—the Guide was nearby.
He tried to soften his cold, hard expression. He really did. But a face carved by years of giving orders and fighting battles couldn't simply soften. In the end, the expression looked even more awkward than his usual scowl.
The kitten didn't mind.
It crept closer, step by step. After a few tentative steps to make sure he meant no harm, it walked right up to him and rubbed its nose against the fingers resting on his knee.
At first, Kai felt nothing.
Then he felt it—the mental instability that had been tormenting him was fading, bit by bit.
Something was being pulled out of him, eaten away. The black mist that had clung to him for months was flowing into the kitten's tiny body, strand by strand.
He stared at the kitten in disbelief. This Guide's Spirit Beast could actually lower his Contamination Level.
He quickly checked the number: 82%.
A full eleven points lower than before.
Impossible. Only a B-rank or higher Guide could barely suppress his condition. And this cat was just the Guide's Spirit Beast.
His usually sharp, wolf-like eyes softened without him noticing.
"Captain…" a Sentinel behind him lowered his voice. "Did that cat just…"
"I have a feeling," another Sentinel said hoarsely, "this Guide… she can save him."
Kai pretended not to hear.
He slowly reached out and gently stroked the kitten's fluffy ears. "Can you take me to your owner?" His voice was soft. "I want to thank her."
Shuangshuang tilted its head, thought for a moment, then nodded.
It turned and padded deeper into the forest.
Kai followed.
Behind him, all the Sentinels followed in silence, like a pack of quiet shadows.
—
Arya was sitting on a rock, staring into space, when she suddenly heard footsteps—many of them—getting closer.
Her blonde hair spilled over her shoulders, the ends curling slightly and glowing warmly in the sunset. Her features were delicate and beautiful. Her violet eyes were wide and bright, like a shallow pool in a spring forest.
She stood up slowly.
A man stepped out from the shadows of the trees, followed by several other tall, muscular men. The one in front was very tall—a full head taller than her, his broad shoulders like a wall that blocked almost her entire view. His short dark brown hair hung messily over his forehead, and his jawline was sharp as a blade. Blood covered his body, his muscles straining under his tight combat suit, like a wolf that had just finished hunting.
His eyes were amber.
Like a wolf's, they locked onto her without blinking—so intense that it made her breath catch.
Yet beneath that sharpness was something else. Disbelief. Surprise. And a deep, burning longing.
The wind passed through the tall trees, stirring the golden strands of hair by Arya's cheek.
She lifted her chin slightly and met his gaze. "Who are you?"
The Sentinels were stunned. On one hand, they could sense that this girl's Guide rank was extremely high—so high that they had to fight just to suppress their own desire and their Spirit Beasts' longing for her. On the other hand, she was simply too beautiful. In the entire galaxy, her beauty felt unlike anything they had ever seen.
Kai opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Behind him, a Sentinel cleared his throat.
He tried again. "Kai." His voice was lower and rougher than he intended. "We're… just passing through."
The Sentinels behind him fell silent all at once.
Just passing through?
Captain, your lying is as bad as your Contamination Level.
- Writer
