After a brief discussion, Rey received his assignment.
Of the five of them, he was undoubtedly the weakest. Therefore, he was assigned to guard Stonehenge, while Gryffindor and the other three founders went into London to carry out the rescue.
Rey's task was simple: once the four of them returned with the rescued prisoners, he was to quickly activate the magical teleportation array to allow everyone passage.
It couldn't be simpler. It felt like they were deliberately looking after him.
Rey had proposed joining them in London for the rescue, but the idea was unanimously rejected.
The reason? London was too dangerous. It was no place for a child.
The subtext was painfully obvious. Salazar Slytherin, in particular, looked at Rey as if he were nothing more than dead weight.
Rey had no choice but to obey. No matter how much he hated to admit it, compared to the Four Founders, his power level truly was "dead weight."
---
The wood in the fire crackled and popped. Rey leaned against a massive stone, facing the flames. The entire perimeter of Stonehenge had been heavily warded with protective charms by the four powerful wizards before they left.
First, to ensure Rey's safety—aside from werewolves, there might be other magical beasts prowling about. Second, to protect the stone array itself. This was their escape route; if it were destroyed, the entire operation would be in vain.
The endless night seemed to hold nothing but the moon, the stars, and the fire in front of him.
Yet, in the darkness, Rey felt an inexplicable pair of eyes watching him with malicious intent. The gaze felt just like the dark power sealed within the bite on his neck.
He didn't need to try hard to recall the ink-black figure that had rushed him in his dream; the evil in those eyes was etched into his memory.
Just as the image of the shadow surfaced in his mind, the stiff lump on his neck suddenly flared with heat.
The temperature rose rapidly until it felt like a branding iron searing his skin, causing Rey immense pain and discomfort. At that exact moment, a whinny echoed through the night.
It was the sound of a horse. Under the illumination of the firelight, Rey saw a black horse walking just outside the protective barrier.
A pure black horse. If not for the fire, Rey might not have seen it at all against the dark backdrop.
"The black unicorn!"
Rey gasped in surprise and stood up. The animal before him, pitch black without a single stray hair, was the very same black unicorn that had carried him to safety. The spiraled horn on its head was unmistakable.
The black unicorn was the primary reason Rey had traveled to this time period. If he wanted to go back, he believed this creature was the key. Who could have guessed that it would disappear after he passed out, only to boldly reappear now?
Unexpected!
Truly unexpected!
Rey stood frozen, staring blankly at the unicorn outside the barrier. Involuntarily, he took two steps forward. He wanted to mount it. He wanted it to take him back to his own time.
He was a person from the future. Staying in the Middle Ages offered only two outcomes: death, or finding a way back.
Returning might be risky—the time difference could wreak havoc on his body. But perhaps riding a unicorn would protect him from those effects.
Rey was willing to bet on it. He didn't want to stay in the Middle Ages. The longer he stayed, the more dangerous it became. The will of the world and established history wouldn't let him change things freely.
The only thing he could change was the world after his rebirth. Because he had been reborn there, he was already a part of that timeline. This current world was merely a parallel spacetime to the movies.
---
Another whinny.
The unicorn seemed to be urging Rey to hurry.
Rey took several more steps forward, but just as he neared the edge of the protective wards, he stopped. He felt torn. If he left now, what would happen to the Founders' rescue plan?
What would happen to the hundred or so lives depending on the portal opening on time?
Standing at the edge of the barrier, Rey raised his hand.
The transparent wall of the protective charm rippled in the air. The black unicorn lowered its head, its horn reaching out as if to touch Rey's fingers through the boundary.
But just as Rey's fingers were about to cross the threshold, he froze.
He paused briefly, then snatched his hand back. He stumbled backward two or three steps before finding his footing.
"You're tempting me to leave the circle!"
Rey suddenly went on high alert. His behavior just now had been far too desperate. Once he snapped out of it and realized something was wrong, a wave of retrospective fear washed over him.
Was this really the same unicorn that had saved him?
Not necessarily. This one lacked the overwhelming sense of holiness and spiritual cleansing the other one possessed.
Furthermore, the original black unicorn had been clearly visible in the dark even without firelight, glowing with its own aura. But this one? While visible, the parts not hit by the firelight blended almost perfectly into the shadows.
And the lump of dark energy on his neck had heated up right before this unicorn appeared. Its origin was clearly tied to dark power.
"Who are you?" Rey asked coldly. having overcome his initial shock and nervousness, he quickly regained his composure.
The protective charms around Stonehenge were cast by the four Founders combined. The area wasn't large, but with their power level, Rey believed that even Voldemort wouldn't be able to break these wards easily.
Inside the circle, he was absolutely safe. Otherwise, this unknown dark creature wouldn't be trying to lure him out.
Outside the barrier, the creature whinnied again. It seemed to be trying to prove it was just a mute unicorn, nothing more.
"Does a unicorn sound like a common horse?"
"Heh. Unicorns might look similar to horses, but they aren't horses. Have you ever heard a unicorn make that noise?"
Rey had never actually heard a unicorn make a sound, but he figured a holy beast wouldn't sound exactly like a barn horse. Even if they did, it didn't matter—Rey was bluffing to flush out whoever was pulling the strings.
In Rey's mind, there had to be someone in the darkness controlling this "unicorn."
There was no answer from beyond the barrier. Rey chuckled softly. "Since you won't answer, suit yourself."
With that, Rey sat down, looking at the unicorn outside with a faint, mocking smile. He had plenty of time to wait it out. As long as he didn't step outside, he was safe. He just had to wait for sunrise.
Because the darker the creature, the more they hated the sun. Vampires burned, and werewolves only turned on the full moon. The light would reveal the truth.
---