The bus slowed to a smooth stop before halting in front of the bus stop. Giorgino gripped the straps of his bag as he stood up from his seat. The doors opened. He waved his wrist in front of the scanner to pay for the bus ride before he hopped off. He then marched towards the forest.

The forest felt too tranquil for him. Being from the bustling city, Giorgino was accustomed to noise. He was used to hearing rumbling engines, beeping cellphones, and people's footsteps. He heard none of that once he set foot inside the seemingly empty woodland. No wind. No rustling. Nothing. Not even chirping crickets. Giorgino scanned the area. Apart from the plants, there was no other living being near him. He shrugged. At least that meant that there were no insects or predators nearby. Giorgino opened his bag and retrieved his equipment. He then ventured into the forest. This should be easy.

Giorgino's eyes moved side to side as he scanned the woodland for a clearing. There was a clear patch somewhere to the East. He trod towards that side, holding the ropes in one hand. He went over the plan that he formulated while on his way to the forest. First, he would create a trap using the ropes and set it on a flat, unobstructed patch of land. Next, he would enchant the berries and use them as bait. He would then climb a tree and wait for a unicorn to fall into his trap. Once it did, all he had to do was cut off a horn and go on his merry way. It was simple, really. It should not be too difficult.

Giorgino set up his trap in an area that did not have many trees. He moved his fingers in a twiddling motion as he wove a net from the ropes, then placed one hand on them. Invisible, invisible, he chanted mentally. A soft white light emerged from his hand and consumed the trap. The net then became invisible. Giorgino placed the berries on top of the net and cast a spell to make its aroma more potent. He briefly closed his eyes as he used his telekinetic sight. There were no unicorns nearby. He cast one more spell, this time one that would close the trap if a unicorn stumbled upon it, before climbing up a tree and hiding between the branches. Now all he had to do was wait.

And wait, he did. Nothing happened for the next ten minutes. Giorgino sighed. Where are they? He closed his eyes and used his telekinetic sight once more. He detected not a single unicorn. He chose not to open his eyes, not because he wanted to keep using his telekinetic sight, but because he felt tired and decided to take a nap. After all, if something did fall into his trap, the sounds would alert him.

He woke up. Still nothing. He checked his phone; it had been fifteen minutes. He stared at the trap he laid. It seemed alright. He opened his phone to browse the internet, checking if he got everything right. Berries were indeed part of a unicorn's diet, daytime was indeed a unicorn's preferred time to forage, and the forest he visited was indeed a unicorn habitat. Perhaps the legends of unicorns only approaching women were true. He shrugged. He outstretched one arm and cast an incantation, one that would give the net a woman's scent—not that he knew what it smelled like or anything. In fact, he found it a bit ludicrous that a man and a woman could have different body odors. The only thing he knew was that they both reeked when neither were given deodorant. Perhaps it was because he was a person and not a feral animal whose noses were far more sensitive.

Giorgino rotated his body so that his back would face the sky. He then leaned forward, wrapped his limbs around a thick tree branch, and took another nap. Days with morning lessons deprived him of sleep. He had always stayed awake till an hour or two past midnight, but on most days he would make up for it by waking up by nine o'clock. Not on Wednesdays and Fridays. On those days he would have to rise by six so that he could arrive at the laboratory before Grimelda's lessons started. Naps were his way of recovering some shuteye. As minutes passed, his breathing slowed, his heartbeat relaxed, and his body grew still. Giorgino let himself drift into a deep sleep.

A nagging feeling from the back of his brain roused him from his slumber. Giorgino lifted his wrist and checked the time. He was sure he napped for only a few minutes.

He had slept for an hour.

His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He shot a glance at the trap. The berries were still intact. Not a single unicorn had fallen for his trap? He waved his arm and cast some more spells, hoping that they would lure the creature. It had to work. It had to. He had lessons to catch and an ingredient to deliver. He bit his lip as he eyed the trap. Come on, unicorn. I got you your favorite food.

Not a single unicorn graced his presence. Giorgino sighed. He had spent too long in the forest. He placed one hand over his trap. Undo, undo. The net he formed became visible once more before untangling itself. With a wave of his hand, Giorgino collected the berries and stuffed the ropes back into his bag. He jumped off the tree and made his way back to the city, his head hanging low. He failed.

***

Eddie walked alongside Jon and Stella as they passed through the exit, clutching his stomach while trying to contain his laughter. The three of them had just ridden a rollercoaster.

"Jon, I had no idea you were a scaredy-cat!" Eddie laughed.

"I wasn't scared!" Jon denied.

"Yeah, you were. You were hysterical. I could hear you screaming and crying and I looked to my right thinking it was Stella, but it came from you!"

"I was just... being excited."

"Then let's go again—"

"No!"

Eddie and Stella guffawed while Jon stood there, his cheeks reddening. Eddie shook his head. An amusement park ride struck more fear in Jon than the first villain they fought in Oppidula. It should be the other way around. The trio ambled down the path as they searched for José.

José was the only adult who accompanied them to Parc Astérix. Knowing how Letizia was fond of shopping—and spending other people's money—Eddie arranged a personal assistant to take her and Celestine on a shopping spree. It was the perfect arrangement. Letizia was hours away, busy picking shoes and shirts, thinking her daughter was doing nothing but having fun at a theme park. Little does she know. The trio could sneak off to Nitea without having to worry the slightest bit. The trio took a left turn. José was seated at a bench, holding three bags. One of them belonged to him, the sling bag belonged to Stella, and the messenger bag belonged to Eddie. Upon noticing the trio approaching him, José stood up from his seat and strolled towards the three.

José returned the bags to Eddie and Stella. "How was the ride?" he asked the trio.

"It was exhilarating!"

"It was fun!"

"It was terrifying."

Eddie and Stella laughed once more while José chuckled. Jon turned a deeper shade of crimson.

"Anyway, thanks a lot for watching over our bags," Eddie thanked José.

"You're welcome. I have nothing to do here anyway, except, maybe remind you to drink water." José checked his wristwatch. "It's almost time. You three better go now."

The trio bid José goodbye and walked in the opposite direction, following the footpath. Their eyes darted all over the place as they searched for a place to teleport.

"How about in the toilet?" Stella suggested. "Nobody can see us there."

"But we can't go in the same toilet, can we?" Eddie said. "However, maybe we can go behind it."

He made a slight waving motion with his hand. Souvenir shops and concession stands lined the path. It would be foolish to teleport in front of them. But behind them? Perhaps that would do. It was not like anybody would go there in the first place. He glanced at his friends and beckoned with his head. He then strode past the shops. There was a narrow alley behind one of the buildings. He gave his messenger bag a hard tap as he turned left into the alley, Jon and Stella following closely behind him.

***

Eddie knocked on the door twice before he opened it. He, Jon, and Stella then entered the practice room.

"Good evening, Elder," Eddie greeted.

"Good evening," Giorgino replied. "Just put your bags down and run ten laps. We have another ingredient to acquire."

The trio did as they were told. Eddie wondered what the next ingredient was as he jogged along the race track. He tried to recall what he saw in Stella's notes. A bone of a free equine. Alicorn. He had no idea what alicorn meant, but he did know what a bone was. Was Giorgino going to ask them to dig up a skeleton? Eddie hoped that was not the case. Last time, when he and his friends had to collect dragon tears, he passed over a trail of bones. He was unable to sleep well later that night, for it gave him nightmares.

The three sipped small glasses of water after their jog and returned to their spots in the room. Before the lesson began, Stella returned the original parchment to Giorgino. Giorgino then lifted his wrist and projected a screen from his phone. A hologram of a unicorn appeared.

"So today we're tasked with getting a unicorn horn," he began.

Phew.

"So unicorns tend to live in forests," Giorgino went on. "There's a unicorn habitat that's right outside the city. Luckily we have Louis, so we don't need to take the bus. There are no dangerous creatures around there as far as I'm concerned, so we don't have to worry about bumping into a bear or anything.

"Anyway, so here's the plan. So I have these ropes"—Giorgino held up some ropes—"and I'm going to tie them into a net. I'll place the net on the ground and make it invisible. Now I also have some berries. These berries will be coated in an anesthetic elixir, so when the unicorn eats them it will feel numb and sleepy. Stella, your job is to stand in front of the net and hold the berries in your hands. The net will be invisible, but I'll mark the spot where you should stand so that you don't get trapped along with the unicorn.

"Now you boys have a different task. When the net traps the unicorn, Eddie, I need you to help hold it still. I don't know how quickly the numbing elixir will take effect, so you'll have to hold them in place while I cut off the horn. Jon, your task will be to heal the unicorn if I injure it by accident. Unicorns, eh, I wouldn't say they're endangered, but they're not easy to come across. I don't want to get into any legal trouble, you know?

"By the way, Stella, for the first part you're going to be in the forest alone. Is that fine with you?"

"Um, yes," she replied. "Why?"

"Well, don't call me superstitious or anything, but there's a legend that unicorns only approach girls," Giorgino said. "I tried going after a unicorn this morning and had no luck, so my plan is to have you in the forest alone to lure the unicorn."

"So basically we're using her as bait?" Eddie asked.

"I wouldn't say bait," Giorgino said, "more like, uh, a magnet. Anyway Stella that's fine with you right?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Great." Giorgino opened the door with a single glance. "Now let's go. Eddie, get Louis ready."

Eddie summoned his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He and his peers followed Giorgino out of the room as they made their way to the forest.

***

Eddie and Jon waited at the outskirts of the forest. Eddie glimpsed his watch face. It had been fifteen minutes since Stella and Giorgino had gone inside to prepare the trap. He wondered if they had just finished, or if they had just started.

"So we're just going to wait here?" Jon asked.

"Yup," Eddie said. "That's what Giorgino told us to do."

Jon sighed. He lowered his gaze as he fiddled with his fingers. Eddie glimpsed the forest once more. The spaces between the trees were ample and rather even, almost as if each tree were carefully planted by hand instead of sprouting wherever the wind blew the seeds. Despite the wide gaps, Eddie could not see Stella nor Giorgino. Maybe I can practice. Eddie raised one hand and closed one eye. Fwoom. Goosebumps emerged on his skin as he scanned the area in front of him.

Stella and Giorgino were in a glade about one kilometer northeast of where Eddie was waiting. Eddie could see the net laid on the soil, its ends loose instead of being tethered to the trees or any nearby structure. Stella held her hands in front of her torso, her palms facing up, as Giorgino placed the berries on them. They then spoke to each other. Eddie tried his best to read their lips, but he could not translate their mouths' movements. I'll ask dad if I can get a lipreading tutor. Eddie observed the two for a little longer. Giorgino placed one hand over the berries, letting it hover over them for a few seconds. Spellcasting, likely. He then gave Stella a small device and left her at the glade.

"What are you doing?"

Eddie shuddered as he lost focus. He opened his other eye and shot a glance at Jon. "Yeah?"

"You were holding your hand like this"—Jon mimicked him—"and you closed one eye."

"Oh, I was just using my telekinetic sight," Eddie answered him.

Jon raised his eyebrows. "You can see with telekinesis?" he said.

"Yes."

"How?"

"So, um, telekinesis is the sense—I mean, the extension of the sense of touch. You know how when it's dark and you feel your way around things when you can't see? That's what I'm doing."

"Wow, that's so cool."

"Thanks."

They spoke not another word to each other. Eddie's eyes remained focused on the forest. From time to time he would glance at Jon from the corners of his eyes. He's awfully silent. He noted that whenever Jon and Stella were together, they would talk for hours about anything and everything. Yet, when he and Jon were left alone, barely any conversation happened. Eddie did not mind. He was not the talkative type anyway.

After roughly ten minutes, Giorgino emerged from the forest, holding a device in his hand. "Alright, now the trap's set," he said. "We just have to wait."

"What's that in your hand?" Eddie asked.

"Oh, just something to alert us when we've captured the unicorn. Stella has something like this too, but with a button. When we've trapped the unicorn, she'll press this button to alert us."

"But can't we use telekinetic sight instead?"

"We can't. I've read some articles a few hours before we left. Apparently, unicorns know when they're being watched. Even with telekinetic sight. We have to rely on her."

Eddie nodded. He checked the time; it was 3:03 p.m. in Paris, so it was 8:03 p.m. in Nitea. Their lesson was supposed to end in twenty-seven minutes. Would they be able to acquire the ingredient in time? The last time they went on an outing, it took them one hour to collect dragon tears. That did not include the minutes spent on warm-up, traveling, and briefing. Eddie crossed his fingers behind his back as he waited.

Beep, beep, beep. The three boys widened their eyes as soon as they heard the sound.

"Already?" Giorgino exclaimed. "We got it! Quick!"

They sprinted into the forest. Eddie felt his heart race as he followed his mentor to the glade. All his life, unicorns were mere myths. He never fathomed the idea of meeting one in the flesh. Now, he was going to witness one. He did not know what to expect, other than a horse with a pointy horn on its forehead.

Lo and behold, a unicorn was dangling above the ground. Its bone-white horn gleamed like a pearl underneath the moonlight. The silver hairs from its mane and tail were as smooth as silk, while its coat was a velvety shade of light lavender. Its hooves appeared to be made of metal as it swung its legs, trying to free itself from the net. It's real. No words could describe Eddie's thoughts as he saw the creature before his very eyes.

No, don't get distracted. Eddie raised his hands and extended his telekinetic arms. He first grasped the hooves, then the knees, then the neck. He then held its head. The unicorn jerked its body. Eddie dug his feet into the ground as he tried to hold the creature in place. His muscles were already straining as he fought against the creature.

"So they really only approach girls," Giorgino said, eyeing the unicorn with curiosity. He retrieved a blade from his bag. "Stand back."

Stella and Jon took a few steps back. Giorgino levitated and neared the net. He landed the edge of his blade on the horn. While one hand recoiled, preparing to swing the blade, the other rested near the creature's head to catch the bone.

Slice! Giorgino made a clean cut at the base of the horn. The horn fell off the creature's head and into his hand. That was easier than I thought. Giorgino then opened his bag. He wrapped the horn in a thick cloth before he placed it in his bag.

"Alright, we're done!" he exclaimed. He landed on the ground. "Now let's go."

"Wait, don't we have to free it first?" Eddie reminded him.

"Oh, right," his mentor said.

The four of them glanced back at the unicorn. Bright fury burned in its marble-like eyes as snorts escaped through its nostrils. It had no horn to puncture them with, but it had a full set of teeth and hard hooves it could use to trample them. If they set it free, it would charge at them for sure. Using Louis to whisk them away was not an option, for the forests had been enchanted with anti-teleportation magic.

"Actually, I can hold it back with telekinesis," Giorgino said. "Once we're out, then I can let go."

Giorgino flung his blade at the net. The ropes came apart as the blade cut through them. The unicorn remained suspended above the soil, paralyzed by his power. Giorgino then turned his back on the creature and walked out of the woods. The trio walked side by side as they followed their guide.

"By the way, what did you guys do while waiting?" Stella asked.

"Nothing really," Eddie replied.

"You and Jon didn't talk while me and Gio—I mean, Elder Giorgino were in the forest?"

"We did, a little. Eddie can see with telekinesis."

Stella looked at Eddie. "You can see with telekinesis?"

"Uh, yeah," he answered her, touching the back of his head. "It's something I learned recently."

"He figured it out by himself," his mentor beamed. "Remember that time when you three were fighting each other in complete darkness? That's when he first used that power. I didn't even have to teach him anything."

"Wow," Jon breathed. "Really?"

"Uh, yeah."

"You really are good at everything," Stella said.

Eddie huffed. "I'm not good at everything. I can't draw."

And they continued to converse as they made their way out of the woods. Once they had reached the outskirts, Giorgino told Eddie, "Now."

Eddie gave his bag a hard tap. Flash. Before the horse's hooves could land on the ground, the four had teleported back to the Gatekeeper base.

***

The four of them had returned to the practice room. Giorgino opened his phone and crossed out an item from his digital list. He then looked back at the trio.

"Alright, so that's it for today," he said. "I'll meet you guys two days from now, same time, same place. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Elder."

The three teenagers picked up their belongings and left. Giorgino then turned off the lights, exited the practice room, and made his way towards the lobby. He lifted his wrist and checked his message once more. Grimelda's text told him to deliver the ingredient to her private laboratory. Nodding his head, he exited the Gatekeeper base. The apothecary was on the street across him. He crossed the street and entered the building.

The apothecary itself spanned two whole floors. Shelves and racks were stocked to the brim with bottles of potions. A crowd of customers flooded the area as they picked samples from the shelves, sometimes asking the staff for assistance. Long, albeit fast-moving, queues formed in front of the checkout counters as people finalized their purchases. The sales assistants did not bother Giorgino as he passed by them, for they knew he did not intend to shop.

Giorgino paced towards the back of the apothecary, where the door to the laboratories was located. Two officers stood by the door as they guarded the entrance. Giorgino opened his phone as he approached them, searching for Grimelda's message.

One of them had already noticed him. "Ah, you again," the guard said. "What now?"

"I have an ingredient to deliver," Giorgino explained. "Master Grimelda told me to drop it off at her lab."

He showed them the message. The second guard pressed his thumb against a scanner, opening the door.

"Thank you."

Giorgino then marched towards Grimelda's laboratory. Robotic arms sprayed him with disinfectant from head to toe as he walked. He checked his phone once more. Her laboratory was located in PANACEA1. Giorgino glimpsed the sign. He was in front of SERUM4. If memory served him right, all he had to do was walk straight, take the second left turn, and walk towards the end. He glimpsed the signs as he followed his own directions. He was right. He arrived at the correct laboratory a few minutes later.

The glass door slid sideways as it opened itself. Giorgino set foot inside the laboratory. The brewmasters were working silently, as usual, their eyes and fingers strained as they focused on their craft. Not a single eye looked at him as he entered the room. Giorgino strode towards the left as he neared Grimelda's private laboratory. He peeked into the room with his telekinetic sight—Grimelda herself was absent, but her apprentice was working inside. How unusual. Once he reached the door, he halted.

Giorgino took a deep breath and exhaled. He then knocked twice on the door to Grimelda's private laboratory.

"Enter," said an authoritative voice.

Giorgino opened the door and entered. The apprentice was busy pouring a liquid from a beaker to a flask. Giorgino closed the door behind him and bowed.

"I—"

"Put the ingredients on the white table at the corner between the shelf and the sink," the apprentice interrupted him. "Then leave."

Giorgino lowered his head as he followed the apprentice's instructions. He scoped the room. The table the apprentice was referring to was on Giorgino's right. He turned his body and took slow steps towards the table. His shoes made not a sound as its soles stepped on the surface of the floor. Giorgino opened his bag, retrieved the unicorn horn, and laid it on the tabletop.

"By the way," the apprentice said, "the masters have cracked the code. The next ingredients you must procure are phoenix ashes and caladrius feathers. Master Grimelda expects them to be on her table by midnight."

By midnight? It's already past eight! Giorgino exclaimed mentally, but he knew better than to say it aloud. He merely nodded his head. "I will keep that in mind, sir."

The apprentice lifted his chin and glared at him. "Apprentice," he articulated. "Do not ever call me 'sir.' Use my proper title."

"I'm sorry s—I mean, apprentice! I'll get going now."

Giorgino gave a short bow before he hurried out of the laboratory.

✧ ✧ ✧

Fun Fact: In this world, the Head Brewmaster's apprentice is one of the highest positions a brewmaster can get. The Head Brewmaster would usually select one of the senior brewmasters to become an apprentice, and when the Head Brewmaster is away—for example, if they're too sick to work—the apprentice takes charge. Apprentices are basically "heirs" in a way 😉

If you found this chapter nice, please vote for it and leave a comment or more below! I'd love it if you do 😃 and if you have, thanks a bunch!