The Forbidden Forest breathed around us, thick with the scent of damp earth and moss. The trees stretched high above, their skeletal branches clawing at the sky. Shadows twisted and flickered between the roots, moving as if they were alive.
A low whimper from Fang shattered the silence. The boarhound's hackles were raised, his ears flattened against his skull. He was terrified.
And I could feel it too.
Something was wrong.
A gust of wind stirred the leaves, but it wasn't just the wind.
It was a presence.
Rose stiffened beside me. "Ethan…"
I barely heard her. My focus was locked ahead, where a faint silver glistened in the moonlight. A shimmering trail of unicorn blood, smeared across the forest floor.
Draco took one look at it and stumbled backward. "No, no, no—this means it's still here."
Fang whimpered again.
And then—the forest went silent.
No rustling leaves. No chirping insects.
Just an empty, suffocating quiet.
Then, from the darkness, something moved.
A hooded figure crouched over the fallen unicorn.
The cloak it wore was black as ink, ragged and shifting like shadows given form. It hunched low, its face obscured by the hood, but I could feel its gaze on me.
Cold. Ancient. Hungry.
Draco screamed.
And then—he ran.
The air seemed to recoil around the figure, bending to his presence. My grip on my wand tightened.
Draco had already fled—he hadn't even hesitated. One glance at the cloaked figure, and he'd turned on his heel, crashing through the undergrowth in blind terror. Fang had bolted after him, whimpering.
That left Rose and me.
Rose's breathing was steady, her wand raised, but I could feel the tension in her stance. "Ethan," she said quietly, voice taut with caution. "This isn't normal."
No. It wasn't.
The figure took a slow step forward.
The darkness rippled around him like a living thing, drawn to him, shifting unnaturally in his wake.
Then, without a word, he raised a hand.
A streak of sickly green light shot toward me.
I didn't think—I acted.
My instincts flared, my body moving on its own. My arm came up as if to shield myself, but the moment the curse struck me, a golden shimmer erupted around my body—my Kavach.
The spell rebounded instantly, arcing back toward the figure like a mirror image of his own attack.
The hooded figure jerked back, barely avoiding the rebounded curse as it scorched a nearby tree.
I saw the hesitation.
He hadn't expected that.
Good.
I raised my wand, feeling the warmth of my magic surge.
"Expelliarmus!"
A red jet shot forward, fast and precise. The figure twisted, dodging it with unnatural speed, but I was already moving.
"Diffindo!"
A sharp arc of energy slashed through the air, cutting through the darkness toward him. He flicked his wrist—a barrier shimmered into existence, stopping my spell midair.
But I wasn't done.
The heat within me grew. Fire built in my palm, the warmth familiar, comforting. My magic had always come to me naturally, like an extension of myself, and right now, I needed it.
With a flick of my fingers, a small sun ignited in my grasp, crackling with raw power. Let's see you dodge this.
I hurled the fireball forward. It surged through the air, illuminating the darkness of the forest in a bright, golden glow.
The hooded figure reacted instantly, raising his wand.
"Protego!"
The shield flashed to life.
But the fireball wasn't just any spell—it was mine, fueled by something deeper, something older. The moment it struck his shield, the flames twisted, wrapping around the magical barrier instead of dissipating.
The figure let out a low hiss of frustration.
He flicked his wand, dispersing the shield, but I had already launched another attack.
"Stupefy!"
The red bolt hit him squarely in the chest.
He staggered back.
Rose took the opportunity to act. "Incarcerous!"
Thick ropes shot from her wand, wrapping around the figure's arms and legs.
For a brief moment, I thought we had him.
Then, just as quickly as they had appeared, the ropes snapped apart, burned away by a pulse of dark energy.
The figure lifted his wand again, this time aiming straight for Rose.
No.
I moved on instinct, stepping between them just as another curse shot forward. The moment it struck me, the golden glow of my Kavach flared to life once more.
The spell rebounded violently, crackling with increased intensity as it shot back toward its caster.
This time, it struck.
The hooded figure let out a sharp, inhuman sound—a mixture of pain and rage—as the force of his own spell slammed into him. He stumbled, his cloak billowing as he reeled backward.
For a second, he seemed to consider staying. Fighting.
Then he made his choice.
The darkness thickened, swallowing him whole.
Before I could react, before I could launch another attack, he vanished into the night.
Gone.
A heavy silence stretched between us.
The only sound was our breathing, uneven and ragged.
Then, from behind, hooves thundered against the earth.
I whirled just in time to see a massive figure emerge from the trees—a centaur, his body a powerful blend of human and horse, his coat a pale silver.
Firenze.
His sharp, blue eyes flickered to me. "You should not be here."
I barely registered his words.
My gaze had snapped back to the unicorn.
It was still alive. Barely.
The creature's silver blood gleamed in the moonlight, staining the forest floor. It let out a weak, shuddering breath.
I didn't think—I ran toward it.
"Ethan!" Rose called.
I didn't stop.
I dropped to my knees beside the unicorn, pressing my hands against its side. Its body was warm, trembling. Dying.
No.
I reached deep within myself, feeling the warmth of my magic, letting it flow through my palms. A golden glow spread over the unicorn's wound, sealing it slowly.
The unicorn's breath steadied. Its eyes fluttered.
I could feel the life returning to it.
But before I could do more, a firm hand gripped my shoulder.
Firenze.
"Enough," he said. His voice was calm, but firm. "You do not yet understand the consequences of your actions."
I looked up at him. "I was just trying to save it!"
Firenze's gaze held something unreadable. "Unicorns are sacred creatures, bound to fate itself. Their suffering is unnatural… and so is their salvation."
I stared at him, my mind racing.
He wasn't just talking about the unicorn.
He was talking about me.
A chill ran through me.
His eyes bore into mine, deep and knowing. Did he know I was reincarnated?
The thought sent a wave of unease through me.
Then, a voice boomed through the trees.
"What in Merlin's name is goin' on 'ere?!"
Hagrid.
I exhaled, tension finally breaking.
Firenze released me, stepping back into the shadows.
But his words lingered.
"Be careful, young one. You stand at the edge of something far greater than you know."
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