Professor Grubbly-Plank led the class all the way to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Just as she had announced, today's lesson was on unicorns.
A fully grown, snow-white unicorn was tethered to a thick oak tree, shifting restlessly. There were several sets of fresh tracks in the snow around it, indicating it had been secured there recently.
The students broke into hushed, excited whispers.
Kyle sidled up to Maurise, his eyes practically glued to the magnificent creature. "I can't believe it's an actual unicorn! Do you think she'll let us pet it?"
Maurise shot him a sideways glance. "You should ask the Professor."
Before Kyle could act, another boy had already raised his hand. "Professor Grubbly-Plank, may we approach it now?"
Professor Grubbly-Plank whirled around, her tone sharp and authoritative. "Absolutely not! Boys, stand back! Stay where you are."
She paused, then elaborated, "Unicorns strongly prefer a woman's touch. Therefore, the girls may approach first. But remember: move slowly. No sudden movements, and harbor absolutely no aggressive intent. Unicorns can sense the purity of your heart."
Kyle scoffed, grumbling softly to Maurise, "That is incredibly unfair."
"Yes, completely unfair," Maurise agreed absently.
He had noticed that from the very moment they arrived, the unicorn had been staring dead at him, its large, liquid eyes filled with intense vigilance.
This was entirely normal. After all, he had once been actively hunted and attacked by a herd of unicorns—an experience shared by very few wizards in the history of magic. It was entirely possible this particular unicorn had been among that herd.
Following Professor Grubbly-Plank's instructions, the girls began to inch cautiously toward the tethered creature.
Maurise also took two small steps forward, simply wanting a slightly better angle to observe.
However, this tiny movement seemed to shatter some precarious balance.
The unicorn's eyes went wide with sheer terror, and it let out a piercing, high-pitched whinny.
"Don't move! Nobody move!" Professor Grubbly-Plank barked.
But it was too late.
With a violent snap, the thick rope tethering the creature parted. The unicorn bolted, tearing into the dense undergrowth of the Forbidden Forest and vanishing from sight in an instant.
Seeing this, the students exchanged bewildered looks, utterly clueless as to what had just happened.
Professor Grubbly-Plank stared at the spot where the unicorn had disappeared. She remained silent for a long moment before letting out a heavy sigh.
"The poor dear must be feeling a bit high-strung today," she shook her head, announcing with evident resignation. "Given the circumstances, that will be all for the practical portion. We will attempt to observe them again another day. Everyone, back to the castle! We will be doing theory instead. I will be asking questions on unicorn anatomy and habits; correct answers will earn House points."
The students grumbled slightly but turned and began trudging back toward the castle.
Professor Grubbly-Plank trailed at the back of the group. As she walked past Maurise, she suddenly reached out, snagged his sleeve, and pulled him aside.
"You did that, didn't you?" she asked bluntly. "I saw it. The unicorn was staring at you the entire time. Tell me, boy, what sort of terrible thing have you done to it?"
'So she noticed.'
As for what terrible thing he had done to unicorns... did turning one of its kin into an undead abomination count?
Naturally, he couldn't exactly say that out loud.
Maurise carefully considered his words. "I did startle that particular unicorn once before."
"But unicorns reside deep within the Forbidden Forest," Professor Grubbly-Plank narrowed her eyes. "How on earth did you manage to startle it?"
Maurise shrugged. "It was just an accident."
Professor Grubbly-Plank stared at him for a long moment. "Very well, you troublesome boy," she finally said. "I will not press you further. However, I expect you to keep a very wide berth the next time we study unicorns."
"Understood, Professor," Maurise replied politely.
---
Afterward, Professor Grubbly-Plank commandeered an empty classroom and delivered a comprehensive lecture on unicorns. To her immense surprise, Maurise correctly answered nearly every single question she posed.
Once Care of Magical Creatures concluded, Maurise suddenly realized he hadn't taken his skeletal unicorn out for a ride in quite a long time. Furthermore, the creature was still only a Tier 2 Undead.
Now that he possessed the means to automatically harvest Gap Energy Crystals, he could finally begin conducting evolution rituals for his entire undead army.
He decided the skeletal unicorn would be the first—it was, after all, one of his earliest creations.
That afternoon, Maurise returned to the Ship in a Bottle.
He walked into the workshop and found Skeleton One sitting obediently in front of the Gate of Two Realms magic circle, diligently executing its task.
Beside the skeleton sat a large glass jar. It was already half-filled with shimmering Gap Energy Crystals.
Skeleton One had spent the entire night following Maurise's exact orders, continuously harvesting crystals. This was the fruit of its labor.
Maurise walked over, picked up the glass jar, and weighed it in his hands. A rough estimate put the count at well over fifty crystals.
He was highly satisfied.
Although the production rate was agonizingly slow, the sheer, uninterrupted duration of the labor had yielded a substantial haul. These skeletons were the ultimate workers: they didn't eat, didn't drink, didn't sleep, and never uttered a single complaint.
Maurise slipped the glass jar into his robe pocket and patted Skeleton One approvingly on its bony shoulder. "Keep going. Do not stop."
Skeleton One immediately turned back to the magic circle and resumed casting 'Energy Convergence'.
Maurise nodded slightly.
His next steps were incredibly clear: he needed to increase the number of active Gate Between Worlds' magic circles and assign more skeletal workers to vastly accelerate the production of Gap Energy Crystals.
This was a long-term project, however; there was no need to rush.
Maurise moved to an adjacent empty room to prepare the evolution ritual for his skeletal unicorn.
He had recently expanded this room specifically for larger magical operations; it was much wider than his bedroom, nearly twice the size of the Hogwarts Great Hall.
After drawing the intricate evolution magic circle, Maurise waved his hand. The skeletal unicorn materialized instantly in the center of the array.
"The world of the living has not yet forgotten you. The slumber of death is not your final chapter."
Chanting the incantation, he tossed a handful of energy crystals into the circle.
The crystals instantly dissolved into thick, grayish-black mist that surged and billowed, pouring relentlessly into the skeletal unicorn's frame.
The violent churning soon subsided. The evolution ritual had concluded successfully.
The skeletal unicorn stood perfectly still. Outwardly, it looked exactly the same as before.
"How do you feel?" Maurise asked.
The skeletal unicorn nudged his palm gently with its spiraled horn and lowered its head slightly, offering its back. It was inviting him to mount.
Maurise swung smoothly onto its bare vertebrae.
In the next second, the skeletal unicorn lifted off the ground with perfect stability and carried him in a smooth, soaring lap around the massive room.
'Ah, I see.' Maurise understood immediately.
At Tier 2, the skeletal unicorn only possessed a brief hovering ability. Now, it had fully evolved the capacity for sustained flight.
It was a useful upgrade, though since he already possessed a bone dragon, he wasn't exactly desperate for flying mounts.
"Are there any other changes?" Maurise asked.
The skeletal unicorn paused mid-air. Its pitch-black horn suddenly ignited, radiating a cold, eerie blue glow.