Zara knelt beside the unicorn, ignoring the guns still aimed at them. Its breathing was shallow, each exhale a soft whimper. Silver blood pooled beneath it, staining the trimmed grass like spilled moonlight.
"Please," she whispered. "Stay with me."
The unicorn's horn flickered. A weak pulse of light danced along its length. She touched it again, and in that instant, the pain faded not for the unicorn, but for her. The fear, the confusion… replaced by one clear thought:
*Protect.*
Behind her, Damian stood frozen between his daughter and the armed guards. Victor stepped forward, eyes narrowed, calculating.
"Everyone lower your weapons," he said finally.
The guards obeyed, reluctantly. "But sir"
"I said *lower them.*"
Zara looked up at Victor with tears in her eyes, her voice barely holding steady. "We didn't mean to bring it here. It was injured. Dying. It came back because it wasn't ready to die."
Victor crouched beside her, examining the creature like a scientist, not a man. "Fascinating. It's healing... despite the damage. Its biology defies everything we understand."
"It's not an experiment," she snapped. "It's *alive.*"
He smiled faintly. "And that's exactly why it's valuable."
He stood, turning to his assistant. "Get Dr. Kael. I want this thing stabilized. No dissection *yet.*"
Zara's stomach twisted.
Two guards returned with a stretcher and equipment. The unicorn whimpered as they approached, but Zara placed a calming hand on its side.
"It's okay," she whispered. "I won't let them hurt you."
But the unicorn's eyes weren't on her anymore.
They were on the trees.
On something moving within them.
The hairs on the back of Zara's neck stood up.
There was a second presence. Watching. Waiting.
And it wasn't friendly.
As the unicorn was lifted onto the stretcher, it let out a sound low, mournful, ancient.
A call.
A warning.
---
The stretcher rolled across the stone path toward Victor's underground lab facility. Zara walked beside it, her hand resting gently on the unicorn's neck. Its pulse was faint, but steady.
Damian trailed behind, his face unreadable. He hadn't said a word since the shooting.
"Zara," he finally muttered, "you realize this isn't going to end well."
"I won't let them cut it open," she said, her voice low. "It trusted me. I felt it. I *still* feel it."
Victor's lab sat beneath the main house a sealed, glass-paneled structure with bright lights and stainless steel floors. Cold. Clean. Soulless.
Dr. Kael, a tall woman with gray eyes and a colder presence than Victor himself, greeted them with a nod. "Incredible. Actual unicorn tissue... possibly regenerative. We'll begin scans immediately."
Victor turned to Zara. "You can stay, if you cooperate. No interference."
Zara didn't answer. She stayed near the unicorn, one hand still on its body as they placed it on a diagnostic table.
Machines hummed to life.
The horn glowed briefly again, responding to Zara's touch. A pulse passed through the monitors unreadable energy. Kael's brow furrowed.
"This isn't just biological," she muttered. "It's... reacting to her."
---
The lab filled with tension as the alarm blared. Red lights flashed against the sterile white walls. Zara stepped back from the unicorn, its horn dimming again, its eyes fluttering shut.
Victor snapped at his assistant. "Get visuals on the north perimeter now."
Dr. Kael was already checking her monitor. "Movement is fast. Four-legged. Roughly the same size as this specimen. It's… pacing the tree line."
Zara's heart pounded. *It's him.* The one from the vision. The one that said she carried what was his.
Damian moved beside her, his voice low. "This is turning into something we don't control anymore."
"It never was," she said, her voice steady despite the fear curling in her stomach.
On the screen, the figure stepped briefly into view a dark silhouette against the mist. Its horn glinted, jagged and longer than the injured one's. Its entire body seemed built of shadows and rage.
Victor leaned closer. "Another unicorn. But this one's... aggressive."
The second unicorn let out a roar an unnatural sound, part scream, part thunder and charged.
The lab trembled slightly.
Security scrambled to block access points. Outside, spotlights flared on the trees. Guards raised their rifles, surrounding the perimeter.
Victor grinned. "Let it come."
Zara snapped her head toward him. "What? You can't be serious. It's not here for *you*."
"It's here for *that one*," he said, nodding at the injured unicorn. "And that means it'll come straight into my hands."
Zara looked at the unicorn lying on the table. It stirred weakly, a low hum vibrating from its horn. She stepped closer, placing a hand on its neck. "It's afraid."
"Of course it is," Victor replied casually. "They're animals. They understand instinct. Pain. Territory."
Zara shook her head. "No. It's not afraid for *itself.* It's afraid for *me.*"
Victor's smile faltered.
Suddenly, the security feed went black. Static buzzed across all monitors. Then came the sound of cracking glass distant, but growing louder.
*The perimeter had failed.*
A deep, resonant cry echoed through the compound. Not rage this time but sorrow. Grief.
The dark unicorn was inside.
Panic erupted. Guards took positions inside the lab, training their rifles on the sealed door. Kael activated the internal locks.
Victor's tone was calm but sharp. "No one leaves. We protect the specimen."
Zara grabbed Damian's arm. "Dad we have to move it. It won't survive a second attack."
"We can't outrun that thing"
"I'm not running. I'm helping *him* finish what he came for."
Another crash. The outer door trembled.
Zara leaned close to the wounded unicorn and whispered, "You're not alone anymore. He's here for you. For both of us."
The horn pulsed again.
And for the first time since it fell, the unicorn lifted its head.
The two of them girl and beast locked eyes.
Whatever magic was between them flared awake.
Glass shattered behind them.
The dark unicorn stood in the doorway, steaming breath curling into the cold lab air. Its eyes locked not on the injured one but on *Zara.*
---