Suddenly, a profound darkness enveloped Allen's vision. It was first filled with a churning mist, which gradually darkened and swirled into a terrifying vortex. The soft incantation Gaia had just whispered now resonated with a deafening, echoing roar.
Gaia had been right. Allen couldn't quite articulate the bizarre sensation he felt, as if he were strapped to an out-of-control roller coaster, being helplessly propelled forward, feeling his body on the verge of being torn apart by the sheer force.
Allen could no longer maintain his practiced gentle expression. The raw shock of Gaia's magic, the dizzying displacement, and the lingering pain were overwhelming. He thought he had reached his limit, but more was to come.
The protective membrane surrounding Allen seemed to strike something solid, throwing him violently into the air. After a painfully long moment, a loud "rip" was heard, and the shimmering shield was torn apart. Allen felt himself being flung out, utterly disoriented and dizzy.
Then, a deafening roar of wind and thunder echoed in his ears. Caught off guard, Allen felt the world spinning around him. Relentless hailstones rained down, pelting the ground. Allen was surprised to find himself sprawled on a soft patch of grass. Looking around, he realized he was in a garden, a small lawn encircled by dense clusters of azaleas.
He watched the pale purple and deep lilac rhododendron leaves being shredded one after another by the savage hail. The dancing hailstones descended from the grey clouds like a shroud of smoke blanketing the earth.
Fortunately, wizard robes offered decent protection, he thought, otherwise I'd be soaked to the bone from this sudden assault. What a welcome! Treating visitors like this.
Allen quickly stood up and surveyed his surroundings. Through the curtain of icy rain, he could vaguely make out a massive white stone statue towering behind the rhododendron bushes. Beyond that, the driving mist obscured all vision.
"I am so very sorry, Allen," a worried voice called out. "My sudden disappearance must have angered my father terribly, causing the atmosphere of the settlement to become like this. Please forgive me, I must go, but I will return quickly." Gaia was clearly frantic. Before Allen could respond, she hurried away, instantly disappearing into the wind and freezing mist.
"They left me here just like that!" Allen was both amused and genuinely irritated. However, he gleaned a few crucial pieces of information from Gaia's words: Firstly, Gaia's status was likely quite important within her community.
Secondly, this was indeed the unicorn habitat. Thirdly, Gaia's father possessed the power to control the local weather, and the current catastrophic weather was directly linked to his mood.
Soon, the hail subsided, and the colossal white statue became more distinct. It was enormous; the birch tree standing before it only reached its shoulder. Carved from white marble, it resembled a winged Sphinx, but its wings were not drooping; they were spread wide as if ready for ascent.
Allen noted that the statue's pedestal was cast in bronze, now heavily covered in a thick layer of verdigris. The statue stared directly at Allen, its two vacant eyes seeming to scrutinize him, while a faint, unsettling smile played on its lips. Weathered by time, the figure presented a disturbing, sickly image.
Allen stood observing for a while. The heavy rain parted, the sky gradually brightened, and the sun seemed poised to emerge.
Just then, Allen saw the outlines of other massive structures: a huge building with diagonally braced balustrades and towering columns, and a dense, wooded hillside.
The sun's rays sliced through the departing storm, sweeping away the grey, misty rain until it vanished without a trace. The sky returned to a deep azure, and a few faint brown clouds drifted by, then dissipated into nothingness.
The massive buildings standing near Allen were now clearly visible, gleaming in the sunlight after being thoroughly washed by the rain. Unmelted hailstones lay piled along the brickwork, making the buildings appear even whiter and more dazzling.
Allen gazed without fear at the unicorn settlement, his curiosity mounting. Not far away stood a house set within a high wall, accessed by a circular door. Allen watched as Gaia emerged, leading the way, followed by other silver-white unicorns who kept darting out. Trailing behind Gaia were two unicorns wearing golden crowns studded with glistening rubies.
"Esteemed guest, we sincerely apologize for our lack of courtesy. We are so overjoyed that Gaia has returned safely to her people," the larger, crowned unicorn declared, bowing its magnificent head.
Allen quickly bowed in return and replied, "It is no problem at all. The honour is entirely mine to be here."
After exchanging a few polite pleasantries, Allen used a carefully worded question to elicit information about the system's quest: "This is clearly a unicorn colony, so why is there a statue of a Sphinx standing so prominently in the main square?"
"That is Eris's curse!" the Unicorn King, Gesilis, pronounced with profound sorrow in his voice.
"Eris again," Allen winced, blurting the name out unintentionally.
"You are acquainted with the Goddess of Misfortune?" asked Unicorn King Gesilis, his senses immediately sharpened.
Allen quickly recounted how he had saved the Lizardman, and the unicorns listened with rapt attention. Far from finding the tale absurd, Gesilis was thrilled to hear the unbelievable story. "Then, the Goddess Fortune's magical orb is in your possession, Alan?"
"Yes, but please forgive my interruption, are your people also afflicted by a curse from Eris?"
"This story begins nearly a thousand years ago. In those days, we unicorns were creatures of exceptionally potent magic, living a life of perfect ease. We subsisted entirely on the various leaves and grasses that grew in the forest. We possessed not only powerful magical horns but also incredibly strong, enormous wings.
Therefore, we could run freely on the land and soar through the sky. No animal, and certainly no wizard, could ever capture us. However, all this happiness was shattered by a bet between the Goddess of Misfortune and the Goddess of Fortune, and from that moment on, we became a cursed race."
"Another bet? Did the Goddess of Fortune lose again?" Allen thought, sensing the disturbing pattern.
"According to the accounts passed down by our ancestors, it was spring, a time when all flowers were in full bloom, the water was abundant, the grass was fertile, and the skies were vast. Eris, the Goddess of Misfortune, and Fortuna, the Goddess of Fortune, travelled here and saw that we unicorns were living a life of absolute contentment. The two goddesses then proposed a bet: The Goddess of Misfortune declared that we would naturally graze and eat the most beautiful flowers, while the Goddess of Fortune claimed we would not, and that we would carefully avoid destroying the beautiful blossoms."
"So, what was the result?" Gaia had never heard this tale before and waited with even more curiosity than Allen for the conclusion.
"Firstly, our ancestors innately hated to destroy beautiful things. Secondly, flowers quickly turn to fruit, and we unicorns particularly enjoy eating fruits like wild strawberries, wild apples, and mountain cherries. Therefore, our ancestors did not eat the most beautiful flowers. The Goddess of Misfortune lost that bet." Gesilis's words were laced with an indescribable sadness as he recounted the events of a millennium ago.
"If the Goddess of Misfortune lost, why are you still cursed?" Allen asked in genuine surprise.