Chapter 55: Contract

Contract

"Ready, we can begin." Chan Yi leaned against the doorway, looking into the empty room, where the petite girl and the tall sentinel sat face to face on the floor.

Both wore tight combat uniforms, all collars fastened tight, as if they might erupt into a fight at any moment.

For guide and sentinel, a contract essentially means a fight, except the battlefield is the sentinel's mental landscape, and the victor reigns supreme.

But this time, merely within the sentinel's mental landscape, a temporary mark belonging to the guide is simply etched; the sentinel restrains himself a little, the guide can keep it simple, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

"Xiao Taiyang, guard your mental landscape well, don't lose your territory." Chan Yi finally reminded, "Former Executive Director, remember to keep the promise."

She exited and closed the door, the sound of clicks echoing as protective devices activated automatically.

This room is the villa's safe house; once the door is locked, only those inside can open it.

Etching the spiritual mark is an extremely dangerous moment for both guide and sentinel, allowing no outside disturbance; any mistake could damage both of their mental landscapes.

The girl's blue eyes and the sentinel's pale gold eyes locked; neither moved, merely measuring each other's gazes like beasts vying for territory, neither yielding.

Blue curtains blocked the windows, letting only a few threads of light through the gaps, yet the dim room did not brighten from that light; instead, its corners grew darker.

Half the room was hazy, with only two breaths, exceptionally clear in the quiet atmosphere, rising and falling.

Both were so light and fine that without careful listening, one couldn't tell if it was a mishearing, or perhaps the faint wind outside the window.

After a moment, Xi Guang lowered his gaze; as per the agreement, he would serve as Fu Guang's one-year guardian of the Sentinel.

While thinking, the sentinel's aura erupted unreservedly, a sharp, killing intent filling the room—like winter sun warming the skin, yet swept by a piercingly cold winter wind.

An aura that seemed both cold and cool yet oddly fond of warmth pressed clearly toward the girl, reluctant to hurt her, entwining in delicate threads around her fingertips.

Bit by bit, it tightly wound around her body, seeking to envelop her, to take her into its still‑soft wings.

Xi Guang's slightly cold golden eyes noticed the girl's state; if she couldn't even accept this, it would be better to dissolve the contract sooner.

What comes next is far more dangerous than now.

The girl, as if her legs had gone numb, lifted them, looking at him fearlessly; her breath also began to stir, revealing a unique aura of her own.

Her breath surged like waves; after a few cycles, no matter how intense the killing intent, it was washed away like seawater.

The sentinel unfurled six wings behind him, golden radiance flooding the room to extreme brightness, brighter than any lamp.

It also illuminated the girl's face and eyes.

Shadow and light intertwined on the girl's increasingly lovely face, as if she had inadvertently fallen into the mortal world, a beloved of the gods.

Beside Fu Guang, a blue egg popped into being with a soft 'pop', and a golden figure shot forward—a six‑winged Light Sprite.

It didn't even consider its own size, trying to wrap the blue egg; the Light Sprite was a notch smaller than the egg, its wings spread wide, appearing large, yet it could barely manage to cover a bit.

The halo above its head flickered visibly twice; the Light Sprite circled the huge blue egg several rounds, the egg unmoving yet not rejecting the Light Sprite's actions.

The Light Sprite's form dissipated into a small fragment of light that fell onto the blue egg; golden tracings appeared on the egg, finally taking the shape of golden wings.

The blue egg, which normally moves by means of water, drew the water back, and a pair of golden wings sprouted from either side of its shell, wobbling as it lifted the egg into flight.

The golden outer wings kept flapping; the blue egg tilted either forward‑backward or left‑right, swaying like a roly‑poly toy.

After a moment, it swayed and turned yellow.

Fu Guang's thought reached the blue egg; the golden wings paused abruptly for an instant, then, mustering all its strength, it flew the egg more steadily.

Xi Guang also looked toward Fu Guang; in his impression, the girl was always unyielding, even when she smiled, her eyes remained cold deep down.

Unexpectedly, she would even joke.

Fu Guang waved her hand to call the blue egg back, cradling it in her arms; she first examined its cracks, which were longer than before.

The golden wings now lay lifeless, merely resembling markings on the egg itself, clinging to the shell and refusing to come off.

Fu Guang poked the wings with her fingertip, sliding along the pattern, but the lines did not budge.

A flush rose on the sentinel's face; the sensation of his spine being poked was unpleasant. He stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and grasped Fu Guang's fingertip.

He was already taller than Fu Guang; kneeling on one knee, he stood even higher than her seated height by more than a head.

Fu Guang lifted her gaze to him; the tight garment on Xi Guang's body strained with his movement, revealing the clear outline of his eight‑pack abs.

The six wings behind him unfolded into a semi‑enveloping state, sheltering Fu Guang's side.

Xi Guang lightly pinched her fingertip, sighing softly under Fu Guang's puzzled gaze.

He lifted the girl's hand, placing her fingertip on his forehead; his mental landscape unfolded fully, and the surging spiritual force drew the blue egg inside.

A blinding flash turned everything white; Fu Guang blinked, and her vision filled with gold—a golden sky and white clouds composing Xi Guang's mental landscape.

Quite comfortable.

The blue egg relayed its impression.

Fu Guang nestled in the soft, warm, constantly shifting clouds; suddenly drowsiness welled up, and she wanted to sleep.

Indeed comfortable; the sunlight wasn't intense, the temperature just right—any warmer and it'd feel hot, any cooler and it'd feel cold.

The clouds drifted slowly, and Fu Guang remained still for a while, as if asleep.

Had she forgotten why she came?

A golden Light Sprite appeared above the girl's contracting clouds, cheeks puffed; it summoned a sword that had once been in Xi Guang's hand, now much reduced in size.

Gazing at the girl sleeping soundly, the sword transformed into a golden rope that coiled around the Light Sprite; a flap of its wings sought to bind the girl and drag her back into the depths of the clouds.

"Got you." the girl's voice was soft and ethereal.

Before the Light Sprite's rope could even extend, a pale arm reached out from the clouds and seized the base of its wings.

It then saw the girl's eyelashes flutter; as darkness receded, a pair of lovely blue eyes was revealed.

"Little one, may the better win." Fu Guang cradled it in her palm; the clouds where she had lain shifted, pushing forth a slightly shrunken blue egg.

It happily swayed twice.

The pact between spiritual entities is evidently more reliable than human promises.