Icarius stood frozen, his thoughts spiraling into despair. Moments ago, he had been confident, almost arrogant, believing everything would just fall into place. He had assumed his journey would be smooth, that his exams would be a mere formality, and that his destiny was his to control. But now, stripped of his power, his grand ambitions crumbled like dust. "What a fool I was," he thought bitterly. "I've been relying on something that was never truly mine."
The weight of his situation pressed down on him like a heavy cloak. He felt lost, his mind racing in all directions but finding no clear answers. The reality of his helplessness hit him like a cold wind. "What do I even know?" he asked himself. The truth was glaring: not much. All his boldness had been built on borrowed strength, and now that it was gone, he was left with nothing but uncertainty.
As he slowly retraced his steps, he found himself back in the thick of the forest—a place where the shadows seemed to watch him with silent, judging eyes. This was no ordinary woodland; it was treacherous, and he could feel that unseen eyes were on him, belonging to the wary elves who guarded their territory. Icarius shivered at the thought. The sealing had stripped him of his magic, leaving only Astrid, his faithful unicorn companion, and the limited use of his space-time chamber. Luckily, he still had money, food, and a way to travel, but without his magic, everything felt fragile and uncertain.
The ground underfoot was dark and scorched, a grim reminder of what had happened. Icarius suddenly remembered something that made his heart skip a beat. Astrid had been hidden using his magic—magic that was now sealed. What did that mean for Astrid? No longer disguised as a regular horse, he was unmistakably a unicorn—a creature of rare value. "I can't believe I didn't think of that sooner," he muttered under his breath, his voice shaking with frustration. His mind buzzed with worry. What if someone found him? Would he be seen as something to capture or even kill?
But then, Icarius realized something else. They were deep in a forest that only the most skilled and knowledgeable would dare enter. The elves had chosen this place for a reason: it was dangerous and nearly impossible to navigate without understanding its mysteries. "Maybe that's why no one has stumbled across us yet," he thought, feeling a small flicker of relief. "Still, I have no idea how the elves feel about unicorns. Do they revere them? Or do they see them as a source of food or wealth?" He didn't want to stick around to find out.
His thoughts tumbled over one another as he considered his options—or lack thereof. He didn't know the way out of the forest. Even if he found an exit, what would happen then? Would he be caught trying to cross borders illegally? And even if he made it across, would people treat him as an outcast, just another drifter with no power? The unknowns seemed endless, wrapping around his mind like suffocating vines.
But amidst all the doubt and fear, one thought cut through the noise: "I have to keep going." It was the only thing he was sure of. Giving up wasn't an option. If he stopped now, everything he'd fought for would be meaningless. He had no plan and no clear direction, but he couldn't afford to stand still. Even if the road ahead was full of obstacles, even if he had to figure things out as he went, he knew he had to push forward.
As he took a deep breath, the cold air stung his lungs, grounding him in the present. "First things first," he told himself, trying to regain some sense of control. "I need to get out of this forest without drawing attention." He took one last glance at the blackened earth beneath him, then turned his gaze toward the dark, towering trees ahead. There was no turning back now. His journey was far from over—if anything, it was only beginning.
And so, with uncertainty gnawing at the edges of his thoughts, Icarius took a step forward, then another. His body moved on autopilot, driven by the simple, stubborn will to survive and to find his way in a world that now felt so much bigger and more dangerous than before. He was alone, powerless, and in the middle of unknown lands—but he was still moving. And as long as he kept moving, there was hope, no matter how faint.