Chapter 292: We saved it with hard battle

"Do you see that?" Thalanir whispered, gripping his bow.

Renkai squinted. "Light. Too soft for torches."

They crept closer, careful to stay low. The mist thinned just enough for them to see a clearing, and there—stepping carefully through the bushes—was a unicorn.

Its coat shone like silver moonlight, soft and otherworldly. The horn was long and slightly curved, glowing faintly like a living star. With each step, the grass beneath its hooves came alive, blooming with small pale flowers. The creature raised its head, alert, sensing everything around.

"By the spirits..." Serelyth breathed. "A moon-unicorn. They’re rare. Sacred to old forests."

But the beauty of the moment shattered in an instant.

From the shadows around the clearing, figures emerged—dark armor, blood-etched runes, the same soldiers they’d been tracking.

"Of course," Renkai hissed. "They’re after it."

The enemy had no reverence, no hesitation. They surrounded the unicorn, ropes glowing with suppression runes in their hands, blades drawn, hungry for what such a creature could bring—magic, power, gold.

The unicorn reared, its horn flaring, light slicing through the night like a blade. A few attackers fell back, shielding their eyes—but more came, chanting low curses.

Lira’s heart clenched. She could feel the creature’s fear. They weren’t just going to capture it—they would break it.

She didn’t hesitate. "We defend it."

Renkai was already drawing his sword. Thalanir pulled an arrow to his cheek. Serelyth’s body shimmered, scales crawling along her skin, dragon strength waking beneath.

They moved like shadows. Lira whispered a wind spell and dashed forward, potion bottles clinking softly at her belt. A guard turned, too late—Renkai’s blade struck, silent and precise.

"Circle wide," Lira commanded. "Protect the unicorn!"

The creature flared its light again, knocking two soldiers to their knees. Thalanir’s arrow found its mark in another, and Serelyth’s hand-to-hand strike sent a fourth flying into a tree with a crack.

But more came from the forest.

The group’s leader barked orders in a rough, dark tongue. The ground shook as magic circles formed beneath their boots.

Lira pulled two potions from her belt—a fireburst and a frost shock—threw them together, and the explosion of heat and ice swallowed the left flank in blinding steam.

The unicorn stepped closer to Lira now, trusting her, its horn glowing brighter as if answering her magic.

Renkai shouted over the clash of steel, "We can’t let them take it alive!"

"They won’t!" Lira’s voice rang clear, strong. She raised her hand, and the air answered—wind swirling, vines bursting from the ground.

The clearing became a battlefield of light and shadow.

Serelyth roared—not fully dragon yet, but enough to shake the air. The enemy faltered, and Thalanir’s arrows rained like silver rain.

But their opponents were disciplined, not panicked. These weren’t simple raiders—they were trained hunters. One of them lunged with a black spear toward the unicorn—

Lira intercepted, magic exploding from her palm. The spear shattered.

"Over my dead body," she growled.

The unicorn reared, horn blazing like a star, and impaled one of the hunters with impossible grace.

The fight stretched into the night. Blood, magic, light, and wind clashed around the creature.

Finally, after a fierce struggle, the last of the attackers fell, their runes flickering out as life left them. The clearing fell silent again, except for the slow, soft breaths of the unicorn and the distant cry of an owl.

Lira stood in the center, chest heaving, her friends surrounding her. The unicorn lowered its head gently, touching its glowing horn to her hand—a silent thank you.

Thalanir wiped blood from his cheek. "That was no coincidence. They’re hunting magical beings too."

Serelyth looked to the dark forest. "And that means we’re getting closer to their nest."

Lira nodded, feeling the unicorn’s warm magic pulse through her fingertips. "Then we keep going. We’ll stop them—not just for us. For every creature they hunt."

Above them, the storm finally broke. A ray of moonlight fell through the clouds, bathing them—and the unicorn—in silver.

Their journey had only grown more dangerous. But their resolve... had sharpened like steel.

The moon had climbed high by the time they finished the first fight, the clearing still glowing faintly from the unicorn’s horn. Lira wiped the blood from her cheek and leaned slightly against Renkai’s shoulder, her breath coming in uneven waves. Around them, the ground was scorched and wet with the signs of battle—broken weapons, scattered runes, and patches of frost and fire that still hissed softly.

But something felt wrong.

Thalanir’s ears twitched—he always noticed first. He lifted his bow again and whispered, "They’re not done."

The forest answered his warning. Rustling. Soft at first... then heavier. The ground trembled faintly, the sound of boots in rhythm. Dozens—maybe more.

"Positions," Lira said immediately, her tired voice cutting through the night. "This time, we hold the line."

Serelyth exhaled slowly, the faint shimmer of dragon light blooming beneath her skin. "I can take a few more rounds."

Renkai cracked his knuckles and stepped forward. "Then let’s give them hell."

From the shadows of the trees, more hunters emerged—rows of them. Their armor bore the same jagged sigils, their eyes glimmering with cruel purpose. This was no scouting party anymore. This was a wave.

The hunters began chanting, and black runes lit the forest floor in a wide circle around the clearing.

"They’re trying to trap us in," Thalanir hissed.

"Then we break the trap before it closes," Lira replied, pulling out another set of potions from her belt, the glass glinting like little stars.

The battle crashed like a storm.

The first wave rushed them with spears and short swords. Renkai met them head-on, his movements fast and brutal, steel clashing against steel. Serelyth launched herself at a second flank, claws and raw strength sending soldiers flying.

Thalanir stayed behind, arrows singing through the air, each one finding its mark with sharp precision.

Lira stood in the center, drawing wind around her like a living shield. With one flick of her hand, she sent a surge of air slicing through their enemies, then threw a potion high into the air. It burst above their heads—a brilliant cascade of freezing shards that rained down like a deadly storm.

Still, the hunters came.

Wave after wave. Shadows against moonlight. Dark chants blending into the sound of clashing blades.

A spear grazed Serelyth’s arm. Renkai stumbled, panting, sweat and blood mixing on his forehead. Thalanir’s quiver was running low.

Lira’s breath grew ragged. She could feel her energy thinning, magic scraping against the edges of her limit. The last time she’d pushed herself this far had nearly burned her out.

"Lira!" Serelyth shouted, blocking two enemies at once. "We can’t keep this up forever!"

Lira clenched her fists, wind crackling around her. "We don’t need forever. Just long enough to end them."

She let the storm go.

A roar of wind ripped through the clearing, uprooting trees, flinging enemies backward. Renkai’s blade found its mark again and again. Thalanir fired his last few arrows with unwavering aim. Serelyth struck like a dragon, wild and unyielding.

But they were exhausted—every movement cost more than the last. Lira’s knees threatened to buckle.

And then—

Light.

A soft, radiant glow spilled across the clearing. The unicorn had returned. Its silver coat shone brighter than before, its horn blazing like a small moon. It stepped toward them without fear, even as the last wave of hunters closed in.

The unicorn reared, slamming its hooves into the ground, and a wave of light burst outward.

The enemy staggered, shields cracking, runes shattering. Those closest were thrown back like leaves in the wind. Lira and her friends felt the glow wash over them—not hot, not burning. Warm. Like fresh spring rain.

Strength returned to their limbs. The ache in their bones eased. Breath filled their lungs again.

Renkai grinned, half-crazed with relief. "I could kiss that unicorn."

"Focus," Serelyth barked—but her smile was there too.

With renewed power, they cut through the last wave. Lira’s wind crushed the final line, Serelyth’s strike sent a commander sprawling, and Renkai’s blade silenced the last hunter.

When it was over, the clearing was covered in broken runes and silence again. This time, not even the forest dared to move.

The unicorn stepped closer, its light gentler now. It lowered its head slightly—a small, graceful bow of gratitude. Then, a final shimmer of light swept over the group, like a blessing.

Thalanir exhaled, lowering his bow. "I’ve never seen a creature like that before."

Lira placed her hand on the unicorn’s warm forehead. "Neither have I."

The unicorn stepped back, lifted its head to the sky, and in a flash of silvery light, slipped back into the forest.

Serelyth stretched her sore arms. "Well... if that’s how every night’s going to be, we’re in for a war."

Lira’s eyes hardened, watching the place where the unicorn vanished. "Yes. And this was just the beginning."

Above them, the moon burned bright. The forest had witnessed their first true battle—and now, the enemy would know they weren’t prey. They were coming.