Chapter 20
Feral Sentinels Obey Only Her
Chapter 20 Don’t Stay After Dark
La peered through the service window and spotted Felix curled weakly on the cold floor, his usual eerie grin long gone.
Thin beads of sweat coated his pale face. His lips, normally a rich, vivid shade, were drained white from harsh biting, with a stark glint of fresh blood welling at the split skin.
Right then, he looked as fragile and broken as a flower battered half to pieces by wind and rain.
Lyra’s brows knit tight with worry.
She tapped the window pane, trying to signal Felix to explain what pained him, but he was trapped deep in unseen agony. He clutched his skull rigidly, his body locked stiff and unmoving on the concrete.
Nothing about his state resembled the teasing, playful man who’d pestered her nonstop earlier.
Dread coiled in Lyra’s chest. She set the raven down on the window ledge and turned to fetch medical help -until she froze mid–step.
The raven fluttered back onto her shoulder and shook its head, a strangely human gesture of warning.
Lyra tilted her head in confusion, gesturing toward Felix to signal his owner was suffering terribly.
The raven made no croak, just shook its head again, its glossy black eyes calm and unwavering as it held her
gaze.
Lyra stood lost, confused.
Why stop her from calling a medic? Did some secret pain hold him back from receiving aid?
She hurried over to Cell 101 and knocked gently on the service shutter before sliding it open, slipping a handwritten note through the gap.
“Felix suddenly collapsed and can’t move. He’s clutching his head like he’s in brutal agony and his face went completely pale. But his spirit animal stopped me from getting a doctor. Do you know what’s wrong with him p>
Arthur finished reading the slip and wore a matching look of bafflement.
Clutching his skull…
“He’s probably hit a sharp spike in psychic pollution. That brings crippling migraines and full–body aches p>
He was about to tell her not to waste energy worrying when another urgent note slid across to him.
“What can I do to help him p>
Arthur’s tone turned grave. “Only a Level 2 Guide could perform psychic cleansing on him right now p>
Psychic pollution acted like malignant tumors nesting inside a Sentinel’s mind, spreading viciously without warning.
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Chapter 20 Don’t Stay After Dark
No medical treatment could ease its damage–only Guides possessed the ability to soothe and purge the corruption.
Upon the second floor, Draven tilted his head, listening in.
Felix’s pollution spiked?
But earlier, he’d sent his spirit animal to make physical contact with Lyra.
Could that indirect link do nothing, and only direct human touch work to calm the corruption?
Arthur shot Lyra a sharp caution. “Sentinels grow violent when their pollution levels surge. Keep a safe I distance from him p>
A third note came sliding through without pause.
“So we just leave him to suffer alone p>
Arthur fell silent for a beat.
They’d all heard Felix’s relentless, ridiculous teasing every day; anyone normal would’ve grown fed up with his nonsense.
Yet Lyra still held kindness for him.
Locked away inside the Black Spire for years, none of the Sentinels had received unbiased, genuine care from an outsider in so long.
He spoke slowly. “There’s nothing anyone can do. The Black Spire doesn’t station any Guides on–site p>
Sentinels forced to weather pollution spikes endured the torment alone.
Any violent outbursts triggered by the pain were swiftly suppressed by armed guards and the administrator.
Regular staff like Lyra only restocked supplies and ran trivial errands–they lacked the power to offer real relief.
A rough croak cut through the hall then; Felix’s raven called out to get Lyra’s attention.
Lyra turned back, nodded her thanks to Arthur, and walked toward Cell 120.
The raven hopped onto her shoulder and rubbed its head softly against her jaw, as if trying to comfort her troubled heart.
Lyra stroked its smooth black feathers, her gaze soft with sympathy and concern as she stared at the crumpled figure on the cell floor.
She disliked Felix’s constant silly, flirtatious banter, but she never wished him harm–he’d never crossed a truly unforgivable line.
Seeing him this frail and miserable pulled at her heartstrings all the same.
The raven settled lightly against her neck, their warmth mingling through its thick plumage.
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Chapter 20 Don’t Stay After Dark
Jessa still had not brought anyone over, so Lyra lingered outside Cell 120’s door, watching Felix with quiet
concern.
Sh did not notice that the sky outside was gradually darkening.
The service window of Cell 101 stayed ajar, and Arthur–closest to the main entry–noticed it p>
Knowing she hadn’t left for the day, he called out gently to urge hicr away.
“Attendant, you should head home now p>
Draven sounded equally surprised to find her still there. “Lyra, forget about Felix. He won’t die from this. Go get off shift p>
Lyra glanced upward toward the second floor, then back to Cell 101, picking up an unspoken warning beneath both men’s words.
Cedric’s voice echoed from Cell 203 soon after. “You need to leave. This wing isn’t safe once night falls p>
A flicker of alarm shot through Lyra.
But the unstable iron cell doors on the third floor still needed monitoring, and Felix was clearly in terrible pain…
The raven croaked softly beside her ear, then jumped from her shoulder to the cell window ledge, its posture clear as another plea for her to depart.
Lyra blinked, confused.
Wasn’t this bird Felix’s spirit animal? Didn’t it care about its host’s suffering?
Still, with every Sentinel telling her to go, she wouldn’t foolishly linger any longer.
She turned to step away–when a thunderous bang split the quiet, making her heart skip a beat.
“What are you still doing here?” A cold, sharp demand sliced through the corridor.
Lyra spun to face a squad of patrol guards.
They wore black uniforms matching the administrator, their eyes fixed on her coldly behind tinted face shields.
The loud crash had been one guard slamming a fist against the facility’s main steel entry door.
Lyra exhaled in quiet relief and gestured back toward Cell/ 120 to signal that a Sentinel inside was unwell.
The patrol captain only frowned faintly, making no move to check the cell. He snapped an urgent order at
her.
“Leave immediately. An ordinary person still hanging around here at night? Do you have a death wish p>
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Chapter 20 Don’t Stay After Dark
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Olivia Harris is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.