Yan Ning was forced to wear special headphones for several days and then was forbidden from entering lessons, ensuring that his overworked ears got some well-deserved rest.

He hated it a lot, but there was no way of escaping it. His troop leader was still furious at him for ignoring his commands and running into the building headfirst.

Without being allowed to participate in the usual training session, Yan Ning was stuck with theory lessons and paperwork.

Irritated, he half threw, half placed down another stack of papers.

On his computer, the chat system began blinking. He checked the message with a click.

Z.H. - “It’ll only be for a week! Look at it like that, you get a break!”

Yan Ning huffed.

Zhang Heng worked in another department that took care of most administrative works. Sentinels were always in contact with someone responsible for taking care of them - sorting out contracts, sharing information and discussing missions. Zhang Heng was the one who was responsible for him, and while he had only seen the guy in person once, they were almost daily in contact through the chat.

Z.H. - “How are you feeling, btw? Better?”

Y.N. - “It’s okay. I’ve had worse.”

A lie.

Each zone was a nightmare to enter. There were enough sentinels that got traumatized after it happened even once. Just because you developed into a sentinel did not mean you had the mental endurance to be one.

Z.H. - “You gotta be more careful. What should I do if I lose you, huh? They’ll fire me for not taking care of you well enough.”

The comment brought out a - scary - smile on Yan Ning’s face.

Yan Ning’s face was an eternal frown by default, with his lips and dark eyebrows naturally downturned. It didn’t help that he was often squinting his eyes - he was sensitive to light - and that his black hair hung into his face.

He was a gloomy guy, alright. He knew that. To be fair, he wasn’t the only sentinel looking like he should belong to the mafia.

Y.N. - “I’ll try not to die on duty.”

Z.H. - “How about you try not dying at all!!! And no entering the zone again!!”

Yan Ning could very well imagine the other guy pout in annoyance and cross his arms.

The administrative department avoided directly meeting with the sentinels often - too many accidents with the aggressive sentinels in the past.

He had, however, seen Zhang Heng in passing. He had heard someone call the name and looked over, only to find a guy his age passing through the next hallway. Zhang Heng had spotted him, paused, and waved.

He was a man with a smile so bright that it was like sunshine breaking through a cloudy day. His hair was even messier than Yan Ning’s, making him look a bit more childish. 

Really, that guy looked like a boygroup idol - the type that only had to smile at the audience for people to break out into screams.

Y.N. - “I’m trying.”

Z.H. - “Your talent is too big for you. You have to be more careful, especially because you don’t have a guide.”

In front of the computer, Yan Ning swallowed hard.

Y.N. - “I don’t need one.”

It was better this way, even though every fiber of his body was screaming in complaint. He hadn’t been at the scene of the female guide’s death, but he had heard about it.

It must have been beyond gruesome. Sentinels were much stronger than humans, to the point where they were comparable to beasts. A sentinel who had snapped was no different than one from sure.

Y.N. - “I feel bad for the guides who have to deal with us.”

Yan Ning typed the words slowly, feeling a bit depressed. There was no answer for a moment before “typing…” appeared on the screen.

Z.H. - “They’re beast tamers.”

Z.g. - “Sorry. Don’t mean to offend you.”

“Nah, it’s true”, Yan Ning mumbled to himself. He lifted his head when someone entered - an older sentinel and her guide.

He could see the woman talk while the man kept on smiling wryly, obediently agreeing. It was such a familiar picture, one that he hadn’t even found odd until the first time his guide had come to help him and hidden away right afterwards.

His guide wasn’t subservient. Maybe because his guide knew that he was physically no match for a sentinel, he simply kept himself out of sight to ensure his safety.

Even the last times his guide had appeared, he was unable to see much more than a generic cloak and dark hood. There was not much more to go by then his incredibly soothing voice and the gentle way he’d hold Yan Ning to calm him down.

In fact, if he tried, Yan Ning could probably guess his height through their previous meetings-

Yan Ning violently shook his head to stop himself from thinking about it.

Behind the sentinel and guide pair was a newcomer. Another sentinel, around his age, possibly a bit younger. The young man was looking around, his expression filled with arrogance. A king in the world of humans, but nothing more than an uncontrollable liability here.

“Another one”, Yan Ning’s table neighbor grumbled. “He looks like trouble.”

Yan Ning, most certainly one of the top ten in terms of being a troublemaker, exhaled through his nose.

“Maybe he will find his guide and all will be fine”, someone joked as they always did whenever someone new joined. The chance of finding your guide was just too low.

Identifying your guide only worked when you were near overload already. That meant your guide had to be nearby and interacting with you in a dangerous situation for you to be able to spot them.

The linking from sentinel’s side was established the moment there was skin contact at the same time as mental contact, which explained why his guide had always been wearing gloves.

Apparently the situation was different for a guide, although Yan Ning wouldn’t know.

He had heard that it was like a second layer of thoughts inside your head. The guide would get linked to their sentinel the moment they spotted the other, always having a vague understanding of the other’s mood.

The guide was a mere observer. They could easily ignore the link, contrary to the sentinel, who would go nuts over it.

What an irony that the public thought of sentinels as the master and guides the servant. Wasn’t it the other way around? The ones losing their heads and throwing tantrums weren’t the guides, for sure.

Yan Ning let his head fall onto the table.

Still.

Still, he desired to be around his guide again. He missed him, painfully so. It was like losing your home and being forced to stand in the rain, locked out.

The sentinel sighed audibly. A couple of others glanced over, but no one asked what the guy with house-arrest was worrying about.

It was three days later that the newcomer, Wei Chen, first started making a mess.

Sentinels were territorial by nature. Everyone in the department knew their place, like wolves in a pack, but newcomers were prone to challenging the hierarchy. Wei Chen had managed to butt heads with a sentinel much more experienced than him, resulting in one room getting thrashed.

Everyone else helped pulling the fighting pair apart. It didn’t take long for the troop leader to appear with someone in tow.

“Ahh, what a mess”, Zhang Heng lamented, messing up his dark hair even further. “Luo Fan, I want a written statement that this is not due to my negligence in telling him about the rules! I’ve got nothing to do with this.”

Wei Chen wanted to bare his teeth at the men who entered the room, but ended up surrendering under Luo Fan’s heavy gaze.

Yan Ning, meanwhile, was staring at Zhang Heng. It had been so long since they last met.

Zhang Heng probably noticed his stare. He looked over, and his eyes narrowed a bit as he smiled widely enough to show off his canines. He gave a little wave before hurrying off into the other direction of the room where Wei Chen was sitting.

Most sentinels inside the room expected Wei Chen to flip out again at being scolded, but the scene did not happen.

Instead, Wei Chen winced several times, his head hanging lower and lower while all sentinels within natural earshot started looking rather awkward.

Luo Fan checked on the other sentinel involved in the fight.

“Sir, he provoked me”, the woman growled.

Luo Fan merely glared at her. “I know he is the one who started the fight. It will be reflected in his punishment, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get away with taking the fight.”

The woman shut her mouth in irritation.

A pleased Zhang Heng came over, stopping comfortably next to Luo Fan. “He should be quiet for a while now.”

“I don’t understand why you try a soft approach when you can deal with them like that”, Luo Fan complained under his breath.

Zhang Heng looked fakely offended. “I’m not planning on riding Dad’s coattails! I have to learn how to manage this place in my own way, you know?”

“You’re the boss’ son?”

Yan Ning blurted the question out, alerting Zhang Heng to him listening. Embarrassed, he lowered his head with a frown, but Zhang Heng merely chuckled.

“I am. I didn’t get here through the backdoor, though! I’m working my way up, starting from a formal job application with an interview!” Zhang Heng proudly raised his head. He didn’t appear arrogant when doing so, maybe due to his playful grin. “Leading a facility filled with sentinels is a dangerous job after all, I need the experience.”

Luo Fan raised his eyebrow. “Aren’t you a bit too rude, saying that in a room full of sentinels?”

“What, you don’t think you guys are dangerous?”

Luo Fan had no way of denying the claim.

Next to Yan Ning, even the female sentinel and a couple of others were observing the talking men.

Where the facility’s owner was more of a heavy force controlling the sentinels, Zhang Heng was like warm sunlight. Clearly the young man didn’t take after his father, although that was neither positive nor negative.

Everyone reacted to different teaching methods. Wei Chen, for example, only caved in after Zhang Heng casually listed off the numbers of rules he had broken and the punishment for every single one.

Yan Ning felt a bit bad. He was also a troublemaker, but Zhang Heng had been very tolerant with him so far.

The moment the situation was settled and Zhang Heng was about to leave for the upper floor again, Yan Ning called out to him. “Hey!”

“Yes?”

Zhang Heng stopped and took two steps back. There was not a single hint of tension in his body, making Yan Ning relax as well.

“That… I…” Yan Ning frowned. “About the latest issue-”

“Don’t worry”, Zhang Heng interrupted him. “I know the full story. So far, you’ve been much more manageable than most younger sentinels. It’s just that you overestimate yourself and are too eager to fulfill your duty. You need to learn to value yourself more.”

“I know we are rare, but that doesn’t matter when I don’t do anything-”

“No.” Zhang Heng took a large step forward and tapped a finger against Yan Ning’s forehead. “You’re valuable not because you’re a sentinel, but because you’re human. You’re alive, just like those you try to help. I don’t want to see you die.”

Yan Ning rubbed his forehead even though it didn’t hurt. 

“If nothing else, try not to die so that my dad can’t say I’m doing a bad job?” Zhang Heng broke out into good-natured laughter, teasing him. 

“It’s not like I enter the zone on purpose”, Yan Ning grumbled.

“More practice for you then! I’ll increase your lessons, no problem at all. You can do it!” The manager raised both his thumbs up and started walking backwards. “Alright, I’m gonna go back now. See you around!”

The sentinel hummed a vague reply. He didn’t move until Zhang heng was gone, then slowly returned back to seat.

Actually, if he didn’t lose his mind over his guide because the other was staying away from him…

…Did that mean he was free to try and pursue someone else?