A Guide to Raising Snake Spirits - Chapter 8

When Guanyue Xi opened his eyes, he was staring at the ceiling of the guest bedroom. He could hear his own uneven breathing, and the steady thrum of his heartbeat echoed in his ears.

He was in a daze, his consciousness seemingly still tangled in the remnants of that dream.

A faint scratching sound came from outside the door, like something brushing against the wood.

Then, it all came rushing back: last night, he’d been bitten by the wild Sentinel, and they were now in the middle of an initial bond.

Thanks to the newly formed link and their high compatibility, he could easily sense that the Sentinel was right outside the door.

Guanyue Xi rolled over and pulled the duvet over his head, not quite ready to face the music.

It was a bizarre sensation as if his mind was tethered to someone else’s. Even through the door, he could feel Shiraishi Hare’s presence, his fluctuating emotions, and even the small movements he made while staring at the entrance. Being shut out of the room had turned the Sentinel into something resembling a persistent cat.

This was different from actively projecting mental energy. Projecting was like using radar; being bonded was like being passively tied together.

Guanyue Xi had majored in Mental Offense specifically because of his pride—he didn’t want to just be an assistant to others, and he rarely bothered with Sentinel compatibility. He’d only passed his Mental Soothing classes because he thought failing would be embarrassing.

An initial bond usually lasted three months. This meant he and Shiraishi would be stuck in this state for at least the next ninety days.

The Guide rolled around on the bed in frustration, twisting himself into a cocoon of blankets.

Fine! Three months it is. It’s not like we’re married. Besides, this was his house; there was no reason for him to be the one hiding.

Having made up his mind, Guanyue Xi scrambled out of bed.

Man cannot live on pride alone first things first: breakfast.

Guanyue Xi got up with confidence, put on his neckband with confidence, and opened the door with confidence.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

His hand froze on the doorknob. He couldn’t believe his eyes, standing there like a statue. For a Guide, seeing this first thing in the morning was a bit too much stimulation. He began to wonder if he was still dreaming, or perhaps still trapped in the Sentinel’s mental realm.

His Black Mamba slithered out from the living room to watch from a distance. It hadn’t shown its face even when its master was being attacked by the Sentinel last night, but it was apparently very keen on joining the crowd for this particular spectacle.

“Mental Fusion” wasn’t unheard of, but it was extremely rare, and full-body fusions were almost non-existent. For someone like Guanyue Xi, the most he’d get during a peak emotional state was a few scales appearing on his skin.

Bird-spirit users might grow a few feathers; cat-spirit users might get sharper nails.

But a transformation like Shiraishi Hare’s—where his entire lower half had become a serpent’s tail was something Guanyue Xi had never even heard of.

The Sentinel blocking his doorway was covered in scales from his neck up to the side of his face. Below the waist, he had a brownish-green tail with dark circular patterns exactly like the Green Anaconda’s, stretching for over ten metres.

Propped up by the tail, Shiraishi stood half a head taller than his purely human form. His clothes had been reduced to a few tattered strips of cloth hanging off his lean, explosive frame. The only thing marring his physique were the several savage scars etched across his torso.

The scratching sound Guanyue Xi had heard earlier was likely the sound of that massive tail brushing against the door.

“Morning.”

Shiraishi moved a bit closer. Up close, Guanyue Xi could clearly see the green, slitted pupils of his eyes. As he spoke, a flick of a forked tongue was momentarily visible.

Guanyue Xi opened his mouth, but his throat felt tight. He managed to squeeze out a dry greeting.

“Uh, morning. where’s your Anaconda?”

“Right here,” Shiraishi said, pointing down at his own tail.

“…”

While the manifestation of spirit traits on a human body was called “Mental Fusion,” it didn’t literally mean you became the spirit body.

Spirit bodies were an extension of a person’s soul—two sides of the same coin. Even in a state of fusion, the spirit body should still be able to move independently.

Guanyue Xi opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again.

“How did you end up like this?”

Shiraishi: “I woke up like this this morning.”

“Oh.”

Guanyue Xi nodded. He should have controlled his curiosity, but he couldn’t help himself. “Did this happen to you before?”

“I don’t remember. Maybe.”

Guanyue Xi thought about it and decided it made sense. To control a tail that long with such fluidity, and to be able to “stand” and walk with it, required a significant amount of muscle memory.

The two of them lapsed into a brief, awkward silence.

Technically, they were strangers. They’d known each other for less than half a week, and Shiraishi had been unconscious for at least half of that time. Their actual conversations could be counted on one hand, and Guanyue Xi had done most of the talking.

The Sentinel was clearly still in his rut; the scent of coffee pheromones was everywhere. But thanks to the initial bond, Shiraishi hadn’t lost his mind like he had last night. He could “stand” there calmly without lunging at Guanyue Xi to bite him again.

However, Guanyue Xi could sense a sticky, lingering intensity in the way Shiraishi looked at him, and that tail was looking a bit too restless for comfort.

The Guide decided he needed to change the subject. He asked, “Did you know you hit your rut yesterday?”

“I’m sorry.” Shiraishi apologized so quickly and cleanly that the Guide didn’t even have a chance to get angry. “I bit you last night. You smelled too good; I couldn’t help myself.”

…Guanyue Xi really wanted to ask if he looked like a snack, but under the Sentinel’s focused gaze, he found himself speechless.

“Fine. Put some clothes on first. Once you’re dressed, I’ll explain everything about bonding and ruts.” Guanyue Xi covered his eyes. “You can at least manage a shirt, right?”

“My clothes are in there.”

Shiraishi pointed to the guest bedroom behind Guanyue Xi.

Guanyue Xi realized his mistake. No wonder the Sentinel was standing half-naked at his door first thing in the morning; all the new clothes they’d bought were in the guest room wardrobe. He’d had no way to get a change of clothes. Of course, the root of the problem was the Sentinel breaking into the master bedroom in the middle of the night. Guanyue Xi rubbed the back of his neck, which still throbbed. This bite mark would take days to heal.

The two of them went about their business—washing up and getting dressed. Guanyue Xi even gave Shiraishi a hair tie to help him pull his messy, naturally wavy grey hair into a high ponytail. With his handsome face fully revealed, the stray locks at his temples gave him a wild, rugged charm. Guanyue Xi nodded in satisfaction; it was much easier on the eyes.

Passing the master bedroom, Guanyue Xi peered inside at his mangled bed and the door leaning pathetically against the wall.

Thank God the bed was high quality. It had supported two grown men and half a giant python last night without collapsing. The door hadn’t been so lucky—the hinges were half-snapped and the wood was cracked.

A dressed Shiraishi slithered over and saw the carnage. “I’m sorry,” he said with genuine regret. “I’ll pay you back later.”

Guanyue Xi waved him off with a weary hand, signaling for him to forget it. What kind of compensation could he expect from a “wild man” who didn’t even have a terminal?

“Can you change back?”

The Guide stepped over the massive tail blocking the hallway.

Shiraishi shook his head.

“Alright then.”

With that settled, the two sat across from each other at the dining table—or rather, Guanyue Xi sat while Shiraishi coiled his tail beneath him. It was the most compact position he could manage after much adjustment.

Teacher Guanyue’s private classroom was now in session.

“Ruts happen about once every six months and last for a week. It’s the same for Sentinels and Guides,” Guanyue Xi said seriously, looking as if he were one blackboard and a pointer away from a full lecture.

“Symptoms vary. Generally, a Sentinel in rut becomes fiercely possessive of their Guide. They’re more sensitive, irritable, aggressive, and prone to fighting.”

“As for Guides, some become extremely dependent on their Sentinel, feeling insecure and needy. But because Guides have stronger mental control, our symptoms are usually much milder than a Sentinel’s.”

“What are your symptoms?”

His only student, Shiraishi Hare, asked the question out of nowhere.

Guanyue Xi recalled his previous cycles memories he’d rather leave buried. He decided to stay silent on the matter, giving a vague answer instead.

“Nothing special. Pretty much the same as everyone else.”

Based on their mental link, the Sentinel didn’t seem to doubt the explanation.

“Now, about bonding. It’s divided into Initial and Permanent. An initial bond is, well…”

The Guide felt a flicker of awkwardness. He cleared his throat before continuing.

“An initial bond involves the Sentinel biting the scent gland on the back of the Guide’s neck. A Sentinel’s canines are hollow, somewhat like a snake’s, but instead of venom, they store pheromones.”

“An initial bond usually disappears automatically after three months. A permanent bond, as the name suggests, is for life. Once bonded, a Sentinel and Guide cannot be separated except by death. When one dies, it’s rare for the other to survive long, and usually, it’s only the Guide who manages to carry on.”

“Breaking a permanent bond causes irreversible damage to the mental realm. Beyond the physical trauma, the mental agony is unbearable. If the Guide dies, even if the Sentinel doesn’t take his own life immediately, many can’t handle the mental torment. They spiral into a frenzy or a mental black hole, eventually becoming little more than a vegetable.”

Guanyue Xi noticed Shiraishi looking quite thoughtful.

“I won’t go into the specific ‘process’ for a permanent bond for now. You won’t be needing that yet, and you’ll learn all about it in physiology class once you’re in the Tower.”

The Guide raised a finger to his temple, adding:

“Also, establishing a link with a Guide is very beneficial for a Sentinel’s mental realm. For example, check your mind right now. Doesn’t it feel a bit more stable than before?”

Shiraishi nodded.

“That’s the gist of it. You’ll learn the finer details once you start at the Tower.”

Afterward, Guanyue Xi ordered interstellar takeout. Shiraishi’s unretractable tail was a bit of a squeeze at home, but if he went out like that, he would definitely be arrested.

Guanyue Xi was glad he’d added the Guide Physician’s contact info earlier. While the Sentinel was focused on his meal, he opened his terminal, found the recent contact and typed out a message.

Guanyue Xi: Doctor Xudian, do you know how to reverse a Mental Fusion state?

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