Kai frowned, surprised and confused.
"What… hic?" he asked, voice trembling.
He didn’t understand why his mom would say something like that. Sera noticed and knew she had to be clearer.
"Let me explain…", she said, stressed.
Kai wiped his eyes, trying to steady himself.
"Hic… I’m listening."
He didn’t get the meaning or the weight of her words, but he wanted to know. This was what his mom had hidden all these years. He had to listen carefully, no matter how absurd it sounded.
"Remember what I told you about the unicorn?" she asked.
"Yes… you said it was divine, ethereal, lived here, saved people… and disappeared eighteen years ago," Kai explained, still confused.
"Yes. And why did I tell you about your powers?" she pressed.
"Because we’re different. You said people on the mainland don’t have powers, but we do… because we were blessed by the unicorn," he answered.
"Kai… unicorns are shape‑shifters," Sera said.
"Like the werewolves from your stories? What does that have to do with us?" he asked, curiosity breaking through his confusion.
Sera tried to piece it together for him.
"I was human until I carried you. Magic came when I became pregnant. Humans who bear the child of a unicorn gain magic, because they carry a magical being inside them."
Kai’s breath caught. "W‑what…?"
"That’s why I can use magic so well," Sera added softly.
Something clicked in Kai’s mind. His eyes widened.
"Are you saying… my dad was a unicorn?! And I can turn into one too?"
Sera smiled faintly through her tears. “Yes… that’s what you did.”
Kai’s voice rushed with questions.
"How do I do it again? If I change, can I turn back? Should I try now?"
Sera raised her hands, overwhelmed. "Wait, wait… there’s more."
Kai frowned, then realized.
"Didn’t you say he was the divine unicorn?"
That was the centerpiece of it all. Sera sighed.
“…Your father’s name was Ken Hikari Ucela, Prince of Ucelland, the land of unicorns. Unicorns loathe humans. They kill them for sport.”
Kai gasped. “What?! But the divine unicorn was a hero… does that mean my father was a killer?!”
"No! Never," Sera quickly clarified, her voice breaking. "He was a hero… a true hero."
She fought back tears. Kai’s brows lifted, his face tense.
"That’s why he ran away from that place…" she said, struggling to continue.
Kai looked at her with pity.
"He was good, kind. He was crown prince, until he proved he loved humans. In Ucelland that was forbidden. He fled here. A century ago, he saved the crown princess from wolves. That’s why people prayed to him."
Kai blinked. “Does that mean you’re over a century old?”
Sera gave a half‑smile despite her tears. “No. Unicorns stop aging at twenty‑two. I was twenty‑three when I met him. He looked twenty‑two, but he was hundreds of years old.”
Her face darkened. “Then… he sacrificed himself. The royal family found him. They wanted his brother, Tanken, to drink his blood and take the throne. He killed himself so they couldn’t track him through his horn… so they wouldn’t find us. He gave you time to grow strong.”
Kai knelt beside her, brushing her hair gently. “It’s okay, Mom…”
Sera sobbed. “Before dying, he gave you and the forest all his magic. He said you would reclaim the throne one day.”
Kai’s voice shook. “Re‑reclaim the throne…?”
Sera nodded. “Yes. It’s the only way to keep you safe. Soon, they’ll know the true heir has awakened. They’ll come for you, like they came for him.”
Kai gripped her shoulders, staring into her eyes. “How can I… reclaim the throne?”
"Your father said I should train you. Teach you to transform on command. You’re already powerful, but his power flows through your veins. You just need to control it."
*"His power? I thought I already used it — water, wind, earth…" Kai said.
"That’s your magic," Sera explained. "He gave you more: light, sword, and healing."
Kai stared at his hand, clenching his fist. “I… I can use that?”
"Yes. Now that you’ve awakened as a unicorn, you can manifest it."
Kai turned to her, serious. “Please… teach me. Mom.”
~•~
The land of the unicorns stretched out in white, a kingdom sculpted from snow and silence. Unicorns of every hue wandered freely — some in their radiant true forms, others in human guise. They were shape‑shifters, and their duality was reflected in their lives.
In the frozen plazas, unicorns in human form bartered for food and tools, while those in their natural bodies roamed freely, their hooves leaving trails of light across the ice. Families lived in houses carved from eternal frost — some built for human bodies, with hearths and tables, others vast and crystalline, meant for unicorns in their full majesty.
Children played in both shapes, shifting back and forth with laughter, while elders taught them the old laws: never trust humans, never show mercy. Songs echoed through the streets, hymns praising strength and cruelty, reminders of the kingdom’s creed. Even in their daily coexistence, there was an edge of menace — a society bound together by fear and power.
At the heart of the land stood the castle. It loomed in silence, its icy walls dulled to ash‑grey, spires lifeless, as though the breath of magic had been drained from its veins. It looked unnatural, a corpse of grandeur.
Then, a shimmer stirred at the base — faint, like frost catching hidden starlight. Slowly, the glow began to crawl upward, gathering speed as it ascended. Waves of brilliance washed the walls tier by tier, each crest igniting the fortress with crystalline fire. It was as though the castle was dressing itself once more in its true form, reclaiming the life it had lost.
Finally, the light reached the tallest spire. It flared like a beacon, casting silver and icy blue radiance across the snowy land. The air itself seemed to tremble. Unicorns in their homes, unicorns wandering outside — all felt the surge. All knew what it meant.
Inside the king’s bedchamber — a vast room with walls of eternal ice, centered around a bed carved from crystal — lay the one they called “the king of the dead castle.” King Tanken, a man with red eyes, red hair, and tanned skin, reclined beside his mate.
Yamih was striking in his own right: tall, with flowing blue hair that shimmered like frozen rivers, and eyes of piercing pink that glowed faintly in the dim chamber. His presence was softer than Tanken’s, but no less unsettling — a beauty edged with danger.
When the rush struck, the crown on the nightstand — once dull and lifeless — began to shimmer, its colors returning as though washed in crystalline water.
Tanken’s crimson eyes widened in shock and fear. He rose abruptly from the bed, confusion and fury twisting his face. Yamih gasped, clutching the sheets.
"T‑Tanken…? What’s this supposed to mean?" Yamih asked, though deep down he already knew.
Tanken’s expression darkened, frustration and terror etched into every line. In a surge of rage, he snatched the crown and hurled it to the floor. Yet instead of shattering, it blazed defiantly, light bursting forth.
"No! This can’t be!" Tanken roared, his voice like fire stoked by endless fuel.
His knees buckled, trembling, shadows crawling across his face.
"T‑the only explanation…" Yamih began, but Tanken cut him off.
"That bastard…", Tanken growled, fists clenched, kneeling before the unfazed, shimmering crown. “Ken… had a child.”
to be continued
***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***
Download
Like this story? Download the app to keep your reading history.
Comments