Allen gripped his broomstick tightly and plunged toward the sea, following the unicorns' desperate leap off the cliff. He braced himself, expecting the magnificent creatures to drown in the ominous, blood-red water, but that grim fate never materialized.
A miracle unfolded. Led by Gesilis, the unicorns continued to soar relentlessly through the air after launching themselves from the precipice. As if shedding years of confinement, like butterflies bursting from their cocoons after countless trials, enormous, shimmering pure white wings erupted violently from their backs.
Against the stark tableau of the blood-red sky and sea, the powerful, beautiful forms of the airborne unicorns appeared utterly divine and unstoppable.
Gaia soared across the sky in a breathtaking arc, swooping down toward sea level. She enthusiastically flapped her newly sprouted, huge white wings and flew alongside Allen, who was navigating on his broomstick.
The unicorns, now imbued with the exhilarating gift of flight, were incredibly excited, flying tirelessly until a vast, shimmering, wavy barrier abruptly blocked their path. Having tasted the unbound freedom of the skies, the unicorns pushed forward, passing through the boundary in a single, determined rush.
The unicorns, poised for continued battle, immediately plummeted from the air. Although they had just experienced the profound joy of true flight, the immediate loss of this hard-won ability left them completely bewildered and disoriented.
Allen realized they seemed to have returned to the general area of the unicorn settlement, but something was fundamentally different.
Everything was shrouded in a thick, sickly yellowish fog, and the massive white Sphinx statue that dominated the original square was nowhere to be seen. In its place stood a creature with the enormous, muscular body of a lion but the strikingly beautiful head and chest of a woman.
"The Sphinx!" Allen instantly recognized the legendary beast. He certainly didn't miss its immense, sharp, blue-glowing venomous claws or its colossal black wings.
These wings were clearly larger and more menacing than the temporary ones the unicorns had possessed; once outstretched, they could easily blot out the sky. It was horrifyingly easy to imagine the immediate demise of the unicorns if they were forced to engage this creature in direct combat.
Allen recalled his library research on the Sphinx: it was arguably the most feared beast among desert travelers. With a single breath, it could unleash a plague-ridden wind, infecting anyone it touched with severe, debilitating illnesses.
A mere flap of its enormous wings could summon a catastrophic desert storm. But most terrifying of all was its gaze; though completely blind, its eyes held a magnetic, irresistible power. When it looked upon you, unless you could solve its impossibly complex riddles, you would be instantly immobilized, trapped in an endless mental game.
(Unless, of course, the Sphinx mercifully chose to let you go, as it truly enjoyed the intellectual exercise and was eternally sleepless!) However, if you managed to defeat it, its immense wisdom was said to be transferred, radically increasing your own intellect.
Allen had pessimistically assumed that the unicorns, having tasted and then instantly lost the power of flight, would be plunged into a lasting state of fear and despair. But to his genuine surprise, he found that their panic was only fleeting. Under Gesilis's focused leadership, they quickly rallied and regained their fighting spirit.
It was clear that Gesilis was prepared for this final confrontation. With a gesture toward Gaia, a mirror, a shining silver sword, and an ancient scroll materialized from the storage dimension she controlled via her crown.
"Allen, please bring out Fortuna's magical orb once more," Gesilis urgently requested.
Allen held out the magical orb. Gesilis began chanting an ancient spell in strange, complex, resonant syllables. The magic orb slowly levitated from Allen's hands, emitting a soft, ethereal yellow light that seemed to pulse in time with the chanting.
"Allen, quickly move beneath the magical orb, use the silver sword to cut your finger, and drip your blood directly onto the contract scroll," Gesilis said anxiously, his voice tight with fear that the Sphinx would awaken prematurely.
After Allen swiftly completed this series of required actions, Gesilis instructed him to draw a six-pointed star on the ground with the silver sword and grasp the bronze mirror tightly in his other hand. Then, on Gesilis's final command, Allen was instructed to instantly break formation and thrust the bronze mirror violently toward the Sphinx's head.
Although Allen didn't fully comprehend the grave importance stamped onto Gesilis's face, he immediately understood that this was a deadly serious matter and agreed without hesitation. Fortunately, Allen possessed both a remarkable memory and a quick, perceptive eye, and he quickly grasped the crucial timing of Gesilis's plan.
Gesilis then began reciting another, different spell. The massive Sphinx visibly trembled, as if struggling to awaken from a deep slumber.
Just as its massive eyelids began to twitch and lift—poised to unveil the riddle-filled gaze—Gesilis roared, "Attack its head!"
Allen, having swiftly remounted Neptune (his broomstick) for better height and maneuverability, felt the Sphinx's immense, overwhelming presence even more acutely up close. He focused his mind, channeling all his intent, and with a swift, decisive motion, he slammed the bronze mirror directly against the Sphinx's massive forehead—a deliberate, distracting blow.
The Sphinx jolted awake!
"According to the ancient covenant, you are permitted to ask me one question. If I cannot answer it, you will have successfully passed the final test; if I can answer, you will all instantly perish." The Sphinx's majestic, resonating voice echoed across the land, its tones holding the weight of ages.
"What exactly is a human being?" Allen's question was not a random thought. He distinctly remembered reading a sentence in the library that had stuck with him: "The Sphinx spends its eternal existence pondering what the nature of a human is, only to overturn its answer in the very next moment."
As anticipated, the Sphinx fell into a profound, prolonged state of contemplation before speaking. "I cannot provide a precise, conclusive answer for what a human is, but I can say this..."
As soon as the Sphinx finished that fragmented sentence, the entire Illusion of Eris shattered into countless, flying pieces of light. The oppressive yellow mist was instantly ripped away, as if by a giant, unseen hand, and Allen and the remaining unicorns found themselves immediately back in the familiar, vibrant square of the unicorn habitat.
"My wings! I can move them! I can fly!" Gaia's joyful, high-pitched voice echoed across the clearing. Allen whirled around to look, and Gaia was already floating merrily in the air, relentlessly soaring and roaring with pure, unadulterated ecstasy. She wasn't the only unicorn performing this joyful aerial dance.
Gesilis smiled, a hint of deep, mournful sadness in his eyes—as if Vina's memory had just resurfaced—and he rushed fiercely toward Allen, who still held the silver sword slackly in his hand.
Allen was smiling warmly at Gaia's display of joy, and despite his impressively quick reaction time, the sharp point of his silver sword managed to leave a deep, immediate, bloody gash across Gesilis's body.
Allen froze in shock. The unicorns, who had been joyously flying with Gaia, instantly plummeted and flew back, horrified.
"Father!" Gaia shrieked, devastated. For a terrifying moment, she thought she was about to lose her father immediately after her mother.
Gesilis suddenly burst into wild laughter, his voice thick with tears of relief and elation: "We are restored! We are fully restored! The cursed condition upon us unicorns is completely and utterly lifted!"
Everyone stared intensely at Gesilis's bleeding wound, a mixture of stupefaction and profound joy seizing them. The deep, bloody cut was visibly healing from the inside out, so rapidly the process could be seen with the naked eye!