Leo stood there, stunned.
A moment ago, he had been this close to the best mount in the whole mountain range. Now he was holding an empty bag.
"Then what kind of Magical Beast should I look for?" he asked.
The Starlight Unicorn answered gently.
"You need a partner whose natural strength is the same as yours. But in this whole mountain range, where would you find someone like that?"
It lowered its head a little.
"This place isn’t bad. But until we bond with someone, we aren’t really free here. Even if we wanted to leave, we couldn’t."
Leo gave a weak laugh.
"So how am I supposed to find a partner?"
*Great. Rejected by the best, and now homeless. Perfect day.*
---
"Maybe you still have a small chance."
The unicorn’s voice turned thoughtful.
"Inside the magic array of this Sacred Mountain, there is a main core. From time to time, new Magical Beasts are called through it. If the humans here let you choose one of those newcomers directly, you might find a partner you like."
Leo’s eyes lit up.
"But there’s also a chance," the unicorn added, "that you’ll only get a low-level beast."
"Thank you," Leo said, and he meant it.
The unicorn pulled back its golden glow. It bowed its head to Leo one more time, then turned to go back to its herd.
And that’s when a sharp, mocking voice cut through the trees.
"Trash’s student turns out to be trash too! Dreaming of getting a Starlight Unicorn as a mount? How stupid can you get!"
---
Leo’s head snapped around. His blood started to boil.
Something big stepped out of the forest. A monster about 6.6 meters long, covered in hard red scales. It looked like it could crush a boulder just by sitting on it.
And on its back sat a boy Leo knew very well.
Kaelan Draike. The same guy who had walked into the mountain one step ahead of him.
The beast under him was an Emberscale Wyrm. A seventh-rank, lower-dragon-type Magical Beast. It was still young, so it couldn’t fly. But on the ground, its power and fighting skill were hard to beat. It was a fire-element beast, too.
In just a few days, Kaelan had found himself a ride. And not a weak one. Its strength matched his father’s Wyrmwing Condor.
"Say that again," Leo said quietly.
"Say what? That your master’s trash?" Kaelan smirked. "Ha! Don’t tell me that hurt."
"Don’t talk about my master like that!"
"Why? Can’t take it? Come on then. Let’s fight!" Kaelan raised his chin. "Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. I’ll just teach you some manners."
---
With a flash of light, a shield appeared in his left hand. In his right was a spear, a huge, long one, about six meters from tip to end.
Knights usually carried only two kinds of weapons: heavy swords or spears.
Before getting his mount, Kaelan had been sure he could beat Leo alone. Now that he had a dangerous Wyrm under him, he felt unbeatable.
Leo didn’t step back.
He raised the Daybright Aegis, drew his sword, and stood tall in front of the Wyrm. He was about to accept the challenge when, from the side, a blast of golden light shot out.
*WHOOSH!*
The glowing beam wrapped around Kaelan and his Wyrm.
The Starlight Unicorn king had come back. Quietly, it walked up beside Leo and stood there, chest out, fearless.
---
The Emberscale Wyrm took one look at the unicorn and started shaking.
Kaelan felt a heavy pressure fall on him. His face went pale.
*Is this boy really accepted by a Starlight Unicorn? No. That’s impossible!*
But Kaelan wasn’t stupid. He knew that picking a fight with a strong eighth-rank beast was like walking up to a hungry tiger and asking for a hug.
He didn’t waste a second. He poured all his Spiritual Energy into his token.
A bright golden light burst out. And with his Wyrm, he ran off with his tail between his legs.
---
Leo stood there with his mouth open.
The Starlight Unicorn king slowly turned its head toward him. It looked at him with deep respect and warmth, as if to say without words:
*The pride of a Dawnborn Vessel isn’t something any clown can insult.*
With a soft, respectful snort, the unicorn gave Leo one last look. Then it leaped into the air.
All the other unicorns drinking at the lake followed. They spread their wings and shot into the sky, leaving a trail of golden light behind them.
In the blink of an eye, they were gone over the mountains.
Leo stood there, silent.
*Well. That was the coolest thing that has ever happened to me. And I didn’t even do anything.*
---
For a long time, he stared at the empty sky.
For knights, the best and most perfect mount was the Starlight Unicorn. Both Corvin and Kessel had told him about these beasts.
Starlight Unicorns were the symbol of pure light. They were kind, honest, and loyal. They cared for their partners with their whole heart. If it came to it, they would give their lives to protect them, even though they weren’t cruel to their enemies.
In the whole Temple Alliance, young girls dreamed of a prince coming for them on a white horse. And that white horse was the Starlight Unicorn.
*If the unicorn is right, this trip might end with empty hands.*
---
He sat down on a rock and thought it through.
*Option one: trust my luck and wait for the magic array to call a new beast. Option two: hunt a wild beast and try to tame it myself.*
Both were risky. But the first one had better odds.
If the array brought someone new, at least it would be a strong, solid beast.
As for taming a wild one? Almost impossible. He couldn’t beat anything above the fifth rank yet.
And if an eighth-rank unicorn had just said it wasn’t good enough for him, why would a fifth-rank wild beast choose him on its own?
And there was one more thing.
His dream was big. He wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a Divine Knight someday.
What would the world say if a Divine Knight rode around on some fifth-rank beast? They’d laugh for a hundred years.
After thinking it over for a long time, Leo made up his mind.
*Fine. I’ll gamble.*
---
But he didn’t send the exit signal.
The reason was simple. He didn’t want to tell the old guardian what the Starlight Unicorn had said. If he did, his secret as a Dawnborn Vessel would be out.
So he decided to quietly spend all thirty days here.
Deep down, he also had a tiny hope. Maybe a miracle would happen. Maybe a ninth-rank beast would suddenly decide to like him.
---
But the truth is always bitter.
Everything the unicorn said turned out to be true.
For the next twenty days, Leo searched every corner of the Knights’ Sacred Mountain. He even walked into the territories of several fierce ninth-rank beasts.
And what happened? They took one look at him and chased him out.
One time, a very aggressive beast attacked him so hard he barely escaped with his life.
*Note to self: don’t knock on doors that growl.*
And just like that, thirty days passed.
The token in Leo’s hand suddenly trembled. A bright, pure golden light shone from it.
The light spread around him. In the next moment, the whole scene in front of his eyes changed.
---
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was his master, Kessel.
Kessel was waiting with an anxious face.
Thirty days had passed. And in those thirty days, Leo hadn’t sent any exit signal. That could only mean one thing. He hadn’t found a mount he liked.
But how was that possible?
Leo’s body was a Dawnborn Vessel. Why wouldn’t any Magical Beast run to be his partner?
The crippled old man was there too. The moment Leo came out, he stared at him without blinking.
Doubt and confusion were clear in his eyes.
*A boy not even fourteen, with the strength of a Vanguard Knight. Beasts should have been fighting each other for the right to be his partner.*
*So why had none of them come?*
Leo met the old man’s single eye and gave him the most innocent smile he could manage.
*Please don’t ask. Please don’t ask. Please don’t ask.*