"Wow."
That was the only word Leo had left.
He stood on top of the mountain, with the wind in his hair and a view so wide it made his chest feel big. A sea of green forest rolled out in every direction. Bright light floated in the air like soft gold dust.
He took a deep breath and felt the light element swirling around him, thick and sweet.
*It would be so easy to sit down and meditate right here.*
He shook his head.
*Nope. Focus. Mount first. Nap later.*
With a fast stride, he headed straight for the core of the Knights’ Sacred Mountain.
---
The Knights’ Sacred Mountain was huge. And walking across it was a pain.
Five days vanished in the blink of an eye.
In that time, Leo had climbed dozens of peaks. And the sad truth hit him like a wet towel. He had only covered a third of the way.
The core was still far, far away.
Worse, the deeper he went, the taller the mountains got. Every climb was harder than the last one.
But he didn’t stop.
The Magical Beasts he met were getting stronger, too. Fifth rank. Sixth rank. They kept appearing, one after another, like guests at a party.
And here’s the funny part. Not one of them wanted to be his friend.
*Is it me? Do I smell?*
Inside his ring, "Forget-Me-Not," he had plenty of food and water. He rested about three hours a day. He couldn’t meditate here, but he could still feel his Spiritual Energy going up, step by step.
Life was not bad. Just a little lonely.
---
On the afternoon of the fifth day, Leo reached the top of yet another mountain.
"Phew. Water. I need water."
Then he looked down at the other side, and his tired eyes went wide.
A lake.
From up high, it looked like a giant sapphire pressed into the mountain, shining under the sun. It felt like the front gate of a fairy land that somehow ended up in the human world.
"Perfect," Leo muttered. "Master said places like this are full of strong water-type beasts. Maybe my partner is down there."
He didn’t wait for a second invitation.
He slid and jumped down the hill, faster than he had moved all week. Maybe it was because he finally had a goal. In no time, he was at the bottom.
Then he slowed down. Way down.
From far away, he could see a few Magical Beasts drinking by the lake. He crept closer, step by step, until the whole scene opened up in front of him.
His heart skipped.
*What... is that?*
---
More than ten unicorns stood by the water.
They were clearly a herd. Every one of them had a body as white as snow, a mane of gold, and a spiral pattern in front of their proud faces. And every one of them had a pair of wings, made of golden feathers with pure white edges.
*Starlight Unicorns?*
Leo stopped breathing.
If there was a mount that every knight dreamed about, this was it.
Unicorns were strong in the sky. Strong on the ground. And they were gentle, too, mostly. Of course, they were also proud. If a unicorn liked you, it might think about making a deal. If it didn’t, you could stand there for a hundred years and get nothing but a cold look.
And Starlight Unicorns were the most famous kind of all.
A fully grown Starlight Unicorn reached the peak of the eighth stage. That’s just one tiny step below the ninth stage. Only the Celestial Unicorn, the ninth-stage king of unicorns, was stronger.
And the best part? A Starlight Unicorn was a light-element beast. If you asked knights what mount they wanted most, at least half of them would shout this answer.
Leo looked at them and swallowed hard.
They were even more impressive than Mira’s Rose Unicorn. They were beautiful, but also powerful. The holy aura coming from them was so pure it felt like they had melted into the lake itself. A faint golden glow shimmered around their bodies.
*Okay. Breathe. Don’t mess this up.*
---
He took out his heavy sword and Daybright Aegis, not to fight, but because a knight should always be ready.
Then he started to walk slowly toward the herd, doing his best to look calm.
He knew these unicorns wouldn’t attack just because a human walked up to them. Besides, the magic array wasn’t pressing on them so much here.
One unicorn in the herd stood out.
It was a giant. Six and a half meters long, four meters tall, with a horn two-thirds of a meter long. Its eyes were a bright, shining gold. While the others drank, it stood still and watched everything around it.
*Yep. That’s the king.*
When the king saw Leo approaching, it looked a little surprised. Its right hoof tapped the ground lightly.
Leo stopped in front of it, took a breath, and said in his most polite voice,
"Honored Starlight Unicorn, I’m a knight of the Knight Temple. I came here looking for a partner. May we talk?"
He knew high-rank Magical Beasts were smart. As smart as people, sometimes smarter. Getting their approval was never easy.
But talking was the first step.
---
The unicorn king stared at him with those golden eyes.
Then it looked at Leo’s eyes. And froze.
Leo’s golden eyes were even clearer than its own.
*Huh. Did I just win a staring contest?*
A bright light flashed from the horn on the king’s head. Soft golden powder drifted out and began to wrap around Leo’s body.
At the same time, a faint gold glow rose from Leo himself. Especially from his chest, where the mark of his Lodestar Stove shone through his clothes.
Warmth filled him. A feeling like coming home.
That feeling told him something. The king was ready to talk. And that meant, at the very least, he had a chance.
"Hello, human."
The voice rang in Leo’s mind. Deep, calm, and gentle.
Corvin had told him that all high-rank beasts could speak to humans. But this was Leo’s first time hearing magical telepathy. His heart pounded.
He answered carefully, in his thoughts.
*Hello, Starlight Unicorn.*
"The holy aura of your body is very pure," the unicorn said. "Far purer than mine. Being near you feels very comfortable."
Leo’s heart jumped.
*So... can I be your partner?*
---
This was the moment.
If this king said yes, Leo would get a peak eighth-stage Magical Beast as his mount. A unicorn. Even Earth Knights, he thought, wouldn’t be able to keep up.
The unicorn didn’t answer right away.
Its golden glow grew stronger. In that glow, Leo’s eyes seemed to shine even brighter, clear as crystal, reflecting the unicorn’s shape.
Finally, it spoke.
"I truly wish I could agree to your request."
Its voice had turned very respectful. Leo didn’t like that at all.
"But I don’t want to lie to you."
Leo froze.
*Uh-oh.*
"What do you mean?"
"Honored Dawnborn Vessel," the unicorn said softly. "I can clearly see the source of your light. I really want to be your mount, your partner. If I did, I might even reach the ninth stage in my lifetime."
"But I can’t do it."
"We unicorns are honest creatures. With the talent I was born with, I don’t have the right to serve a Dawnborn Vessel. I’m sorry. I can only refuse your offer."
Leo stood there with his mouth open.
*Wait. I got turned down for being too good?*
"I don’t... have the right?" he asked. "But you’re a peak eighth-stage beast! If you don’t have the right, then what kind of beast would?"
The unicorn gave a small, helpless sigh.
"I’m afraid this trip may have been for nothing. As far as I know, I’m not the only one inside this Knights’ Sacred Mountain who lacks that right. The other ninth-stage Magical Beasts, and all their descendants, don’t have it either."
The wind blew across the lake. Water rippled. Somewhere, a bird laughed.
Leo’s hands slowly tightened on his sword.
*If not even the ninth-stage beasts are worthy...*
*Then what exactly was waiting for him at the top of this mountain?*