Wait… was that a unicorn just now?
Where'd it go?
Alice spun in a slow circle, totally baffled.
That afternoon on the path, those eyes glowing from the Forbidden Forest? Pretty much had to belong to the unicorn she'd just seen.
But why did it take one look at her and poof—vanish?
What was it even thinking?
This was the first time since stepping into the wizarding world that Alice had zero clues.
She'd never dealt with unicorns before, had no idea how they ticked, and couldn't guess what that little stare-down was about.
One thing she was sure of: that unicorn had clocked her secret.
So… what now?
Before she could decide, the unicorn popped back into view. This time it wasn't all high-and-mighty; it actually dipped its neck a little.
It inched closer. For some weird reason, Alice didn't dodge. She stepped forward too, dying to know what it was up to.
Human and beast got closer… closer… until the tip of its horn was this close to piercing her soul. Then they both froze.
The unicorn gave its head a gentle shake. Alice got the hint and reached out, wrapping her fingers around the horn.
"Hello, human."
Alice's eyes went wide. It could talk like this?
"Hey there. You a unicorn?"
It blinked. "You're special, human."
Straight to the point: "Why'd you wanna see me?"
"I wanted to meet you. Confirm a few things."
Great. Another riddle-spewer. Riddle-beast, technically.
Alice instantly lost any hope of getting a straight answer. You can't pry useful info out of cryptic types—human or animal.
The unicorn kept going: "I can tell you're roasting me in your head right now."
Alice rolled her eyes (just a little). "So, did you confirm whatever you needed?"
A soft nod. "We'll meet again when the time's right. Then you'll get it."
And poof—gone again.
Since she was already in the Forbidden Forest, Alice figured she might as well poke around.
After watching the unicorn vanish, she finally took a good look at the place.
With the dim light filtering through the canopy, she sliced through the darkness a foot in front of her, but the thick fog curling between the trees wouldn't budge.
It wasn't normal morning mist. It was bone-chilling cold and carried a weird vibe—somewhere between rot and crisp mountain air.
Suddenly, a silver-gray blur streaked past nearby. She thought the unicorn was back…
Nope. That shadow had wings.
Alice didn't know much about magical creatures, but curiosity beat out her usual wariness of the forest.
She chased the shadow's trail. The deeper she went, the thicker the fog got. The leaf-litter underfoot turned slick and silent, like the darkness wanted to swallow her whole.
The woods were dead quiet. Alice slowed, squinting to see the path ahead.
Then—a super faint sound drifted through the mist.
Not the crisp clip-clop of unicorn hooves. Not the heavy thud of a werewolf.
More like dry leather scraping over rotted wood… or huge wings beating slow and low.
The sound closed in from every direction. Felt like a thousand invisible eyes were locked on her.
Alice dropped her invisibility. Time to lure whatever was hiding in the shadows.
The fog up ahead rippled, like an unseen hand parted it.
Three massive black shapes materialized, faint at first, then sharper.
Alice's soul flared with light, illuminating them.
They looked like horses—nightmare horses. Pitch-black from nose to tail, not a single stray hair of any other color. They sucked in every scrap of light around them.
Taller than regular horses, all sharp bones and lean muscle, skin stretched tight so you could see every twitch. Raw, wild power in every line.
But their heads…
No eyes. Just two bottomless black pits that swallowed light whole. The skin around them was pulled drum-tight, not a wrinkle in sight.
Staring into those voids sent ice shooting from Alice's soles to her scalp. Felt like her soul might get yanked in.
Then it clicked—what Millicent had told her. Thestrals. Magical creatures only people who've seen death can see.
Her heart clenched.
A flash from childhood slammed into her—parents gone in a freak accident, their bodies crumpled in blood.
Her first brush with death. The darkest corner of her mind. She thought she'd buried it… until now.
"Thestrals…" she whispered, voice rough as sandpaper.
She'd witnessed death firsthand. That's why she could see these legendary beasts.
The thestrals stopped a few yards away.
Their empty sockets "looked" at her—no hostility, no curiosity. Just a cold, been-there-done-that vibe, like life and death were two sides of the same coin to them.
One tilted its head. Its long black mane swept the leaves, leaving a faint trail.
Its nostrils flared, puffing out pale, glowing mist that hung in the air for a second before breaking into tiny silver-blue sparks and fading.
Alice took a cautious step forward—
The lead thestral stomped once, hard. She floated back fast.
Then it slowly, gracefully lifted a front hoof. No attack, just… weird. Alice had no idea what it meant.
The hoof was glossy black, edged with a faint metallic sheen. When it hit the ground, the impact thumped through the leaves.
Next, it unfurled its wings—thin as cicada wings, laced with dark veins like the world's creepiest lace. Gorgeous in a super unsettling way.
No whoosh of air. Just a wave of chilly, moldy breath that made Alice shiver.
She backed up, putting space between her and the trio. She was worried these things could mess with souls.
Sure, she had the Ten Thousand Souls Banner for protection, but "visible only to those who've seen death"? Yeah, that still screamed proceed with caution!