The ground trembled slightly beneath him. Lann knelt and placed his hand against the soil.
He knew this vibration all too well—
Cavalry.
Not many—barely a hundred. Most likely a patrol or scouting party.
Lann scanned his surroundings again, reconsidering.
This was a battlefield. One or two missing bodies—or even a hundred—wouldn't raise much alarm.
If he could grab one or two for interrogation and extract some intel, then the next time he returned to this world, he'd be far more prepared.
He surveyed the ruins around him, then turned and slipped into the cover of broken walls and collapsed structures.
Recalling the assassination techniques he'd picked up from conversations with Letho and the others, he steadied his breathing and disappeared into the shadows.
And then he realized—he'd misjudged the situation.
What emerged wasn't cavalry.
...
The thunder of hooves drew near—
Not just fast, but ferocious.
They moved with the wild grace of predators. Every one of them was a prize steed that would spark bidding wars in the North, living works of art capable of making any knight swoon.
But if a sorcerer or scholar had seen them, they would've gone mad with excitement.
Because each of these majestic beasts bore a long, spiraled horn atop its head.
Lann glanced down at the 'key' in his hand—the spiral cone that bridged two worlds—and a thought clicked into place.
No wonder.
The unicorn—mythical creature, eternal symbol of all that is sacred and pure. Said to abhor evil, to embody peace, and to allow only the most innocent maidens to draw near. In legend, the filth of the world was too unworthy of their presence; hence, they were rarely seen in human history.
Of course, any pragmatic mind knew most legends were nonsense.
Lann knew the truth: unicorns were a sentient race from the world of the Aen Elle, and long-standing enemies of the elves themselves. They, too, possessed the ability to travel between worlds—but their power was less developed, far more difficult to activate, and came at a much higher cost. Nowhere near as stable or precise as the Aen Elle once were, or as the Elder Blood bearers were now.
And the so-called unicorns seen throughout human history?
Just young colts—accidental wanderers, unable to control their power.
Lann also knew that after losing access to the Elder Blood, the Aen Elle began hunting unicorns en masse. The unicorns had become one of the Wild Hunt's key tools for world traversal.
The enemy of my enemy is a potential ally.
Lann stroked his chin.
Perhaps the key to breaking into the World of the Aen Elle... lay with these unicorns.
...
The unicorns thundered across the land like a wave of moonlight.
The herd said nothing.
Yet all at once, every unicorn slowed and came to a halt.
They quietly scanned their surroundings. From time to time, they tapped their horns together, as if searching for something through touch.
"Looking for this, by any chance?"
A glowing emerald light suddenly flared twenty paces in front of the lead unicorn, startling the entire herd.
They immediately formed a defensive circle, their eyes fixed on the fading light.
Dozens of spiraled horns—all beautiful, all deadly—now aimed directly at Lann's smiling face. These mythic beings bore weapons more rare than any forged blade, sharp enough to pierce through iron and stone alike.
Lann studied them up close and realized they weren't all the pale silver of moonlight. Crimson, slate-blue, and emerald hues colored their coats as well. The only common thread—they were all breathtaking, each like a living sculpture.
He placed the broken unicorn horn—the key—on the ground.
The moment it touched the earth, every unicorn's eyes locked on it. Lann slowly stepped back ten paces.
Suddenly, he felt something akin to the Axii Sign: an ethereal energy trying to breach his mind. Voices, whispers, cries, and shrieks surged in all at once.
The discord was overwhelming—chaotic beyond description.
Lann's eyes narrowed. He was just about to summon a burst of chaotic energy to dispel them when, all at once, the clamor faded.
Clear, understandable thoughts began to trickle through his consciousness like a gentle stream.
[Can you understand this language?]
The lead unicorn hadn't spoken a word aloud, but the message came through clearly—transmitted through those damp, intelligent eyes.
"I can," Lann nodded. "This one works. Shall we talk?"
The unicorn leader lowered its head with a sorrowful gaze, the sharp horn at its brow lightly touching the broken half of the spiral Lann had placed on the ground.
[You are not one of the long-ears, nor their slave. You are not even of this world.]
"Sharp senses," Lann praised on the surface, then pointed to the half-spiral on the ground. "It was through this that I came to this world. And it was placed in mine by those long-ears you speak of."
[We will help you return to your world, as thanks.]
"No, you misunderstand—my arrival here was no accident." Lann spread his hands. "I came precisely because of the long-ears."
As he spoke, Lann pointed behind him at the still-fresh remains of the dead—each one bearing lethal wounds from piercing or trampling. He hadn't understood what kind of weapon could've caused such damage before. Now, he knew.
"These were your doing, weren't they? Seems we share a common enemy."
Several unicorns standing around Lann pawed at the earth. The unicorn leader snorted impatiently.
[I know who you are now. The long-ears call beings like you 'Elder Blood.' It was after they lost you that they began slaughtering us.]
"I'm sorry to hear that. But doesn't that give us a reason to stand together? We are both prey hunted by the long-ears—we both hunger for revenge."
The unicorn leader said nothing for a while. It wasn't until a long silence passed that a new message came.
[We do not trust you.]
"Trust takes time to build, and in our situation, time is a luxury."
Lann gave a faint laugh and gestured to the herd behind the unicorn leader.
Most of them regarded Lann with great wariness, ready to bolt at any sudden movement. And yet, a few of the smaller foals, oblivious to the tension, stared at him with wide, wet, curious eyes.
"You have the ability to travel between worlds, and yet you remain here, locked in an endless war with the long-ears. Why? Is it that you don't want to leave?"
"Even if you yourselves can't let go of your ancient grudge against the Aen Elle elves—what about them?"
He pointed at the young unicorns, then pressed a hand against his chest. "And I—I am Elder Blood. If your grudge with the Aen Elle runs deep enough, then you should know what those words truly mean. You should know the power they carry. Power that can save you."
"To lead you out of this land of oppression. To help you escape the White Frost that is bound to come. I can do these things. I—and only I."
Watching the unicorn leader gradually lower its head in thought, Lann knew his words were beginning to take hold.
"You see, we humans often prioritize things like interest and survival," Lann said. "And when it comes to survival, you unicorns value it far more than we ever could."
"I can meet your most urgent need. I can solve your survival problem." Lann smiled. "Does that give us a foundation for trust?"
The unicorn leader lowered its head even further.
…
The unicorns had not been doing well lately.
To begin with, just as their leader had said—after the Aen Elle elves lost the Elder Blood, they began hunting unicorns on a massive scale.
And recently, with nearly all of their Wild Hunt forces destroyed, the Aen Elle had grown even more desperate. Their desire for the unicorns' ability to traverse space had reached its peak.
Looking at it now, both of those shifts in behavior from the Aen Elle seemed to revolve around the Elder Blood.
…
Lann thought for a moment, then declared solemnly, "Their actions are unforgivable. Don't worry—I'll help you."
His tone was sincere. "In another world, I have an army. But before I launch a counterattack, I need to understand how their forces are distributed. I need you to tell me everything you know."
The unicorns were not only intelligent but remarkably clear in their reasoning and logic.
After a moment of contemplation, the unicorn leader conveyed a single, crucial piece of information to Lann: [They haven't left this world in a long time.]
That one sentence meant a great deal.
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