Nina had just steadied her resolve — her heart trembling with nervous determination — when a faint rustling sound broke the stillness.
She froze. The sound came again — a soft flutter through the nearby bushes.
Her gaze shifted toward the trees behind her. Something glimmered faintly between the leaves — a flash of silver-white, catching the sunlight like a fragment of moonlight itself.
"What… was that?" she murmured.
Curiosity tugged stronger than caution. Slowly, Nina rose from her spot beneath the cherry blossom tree and stepped toward the sound. The scent of blossoms faded, replaced by the earthy fragrance of the forest edge.
A few steps further — and there it was.
From behind the brush emerged a small, delicate creature — a crystal-white fawn, its coat so luminous it almost seemed to glow. Its dark eyes were wide and innocent, its movements graceful as if it were born from mist and moonlight.
Nina's lips parted in awe.
"A… white deer?" she whispered.
The fawn blinked at her, curious but cautious. Then, as her hand gently reached forward, it turned and darted away into the forest — its silvery form vanishing between the trees like a dream fading at dawn.
Nina took an involuntary step forward.
"Wait—!"
But it was already gone.
Her heart raced with wonder.
A white deer… is that even possible? Could it be a spirit creature? Or… something else entirely?
She hesitated only a moment longer before determination filled her eyes.
"I have to see it again," she murmured to herself. "Just once more."
Gathering her robe, she stepped past the bushes and followed the faint rustling sound into the forest.
**********
Meanwhile, on the other side of the courtyard, Shaun blinked back to awareness from his own storm of thoughts. His gaze instinctively went to where Nina had been sitting — only to find the spot empty.
"Huh?" He stood quickly, scanning the area. "She was just there…"
His eyes searched until he spotted a faint movement — the flutter of her robe vanishing into the bushes.
Why is she going into the woods? he thought, unease creeping in. That's dangerous — the forest near the academy isn't completely safe.
Before he could act, a familiar, melodic voice whispered in his mind — calm, feminine, and otherworldly.
"Go after her."
Shaun froze. His breath caught.
That voice again… the same one from before.
He looked around instinctively, but there was no one — only the whisper of wind through the blossoms.
"Who are you?" he muttered under his breath. "Are you… my guardian spirit?"
The voice didn't answer. Only silence followed — but the echo of her words remained.
Go after her.
Shaun clenched his fists. Whatever that voice was — real or imagined — something in his heart told him to trust it.
Without wasting another moment, he broke into a run, following the same path Nina had taken into the forest.
Cherry blossom petals swirled behind him, caught in the wind, as he disappeared into the trees.
**********
The white deer darted between the trees like a streak of living crystal, sunlight refracting beautifully off its shimmering body. Nina followed, her breath quick and her heart fluttering with awe and unease.
Before she realized it, she reached a massive moss-coated stone gate — the entrance to the Mist Forest, sealed from the world by thick rules and countless warnings. But today… the gate stood open.
Nina froze. Her eyes widened as she recognized it — This place was most forbidden ground in the Silver Heaven Academy — not even teachers dared enter freely.
Lady Maya's stern voice echoed faintly in her mind:
"No one steps beyond that gate. The Mist Forest swallows the uninvited."
Her feet hesitated at the threshold.
I shouldn't… if anyone finds out—
But then she saw the white deer again, pausing just inside the gate. It turned its delicate head toward her, its crystal eyes gleaming as if beckoning her.
No guards stood watch — which was strange. That gate was always guarded. The air felt unusually cold. Still… Curiosity tugged at her harder than fear.
"I'll only follow a little," she whispered, stepping beyond the gate.
The deer bounded deeper into the mist. Nina followed, its shimmer guiding her through silver fog and whispering branches.
The forest swallowed her in shifting fog and dappled sunlight. The further she followed the deer, the quieter the world became — like the forest itself was holding its breath.
**********
Shaun reached the gate moments later. He froze — seeing it open, guard posts empty.
That's impossible, he thought, heart pounding. This place is always guarded.
Then he saw faint footprints leading into the mist.
Princess Nina!
He hesitated for only a breath — then he picked a nearby spear lying on the ground for his self-defence, tightened his grip on it and entered the forest.
The moment he crossed the boundary, the air grew heavy, thick with a strange energy. Shadows moved strangely here. Even the sunlight filtering through the leaves seemed distorted — warped.
**********
Shaun followed the trail. After what felt like minutes, Shaun finally saw a faint figure ahead — Nina, moving toward a pale glow, chasing something bright.
And when he saw it clearly, he froze — and his breath caught.
A deer made entirely of pure white crystal, glimmering like a spirit creature from ancient myths, danced before her.
"By the heavens…" Shaun whispered. "What is that thing? A dear made of crystal?"
Magic pulsed faintly in the air. He could feel it — alive, ancient, and wrong.
No. That can't be real. It has to be a lure. Father once told me about these mirages. A trap!
Shaun's pace quickened.
**********
Nina crouched low as the deer stopped before her. Its body shimmered with tiny prisms of light. It didn't flee this time — it simply waited.
Nina's heart pounded. Her hand trembled with excitement as she slowly reached forward…
"This time, I've got you…" she whispered, crouching slightly, her steps light and careful.
Just as she reached out her hand — her fingers almost an inch away from its glass-smooth shining fur —
SHRRRK—!!
The deer shattered silently — exploding into hundreds of glittering fragments that floated like snow before vanishing into the mist.
Nina gasped, stumbling back. "W-what…?! What's… going on…?"
The forest fell deathly silent. Then — a faint creak of wood above. From the canopy, a shadow moved. Something dark and swift dropped from the branches — a figure clad head-to-toe in black, a white spear gleaming in hand, descended straight toward her.
Nina gasped — too startled to move. But before the blade could strike—
CLANG!
A spear intercepted the other mid-strike, the impact creating a sharp metallic ring that echoed through the trees. Nina stumbled back and looked up — wide-eyed.
"Shaun…?" she breathed.
Shaun stood between her and the assassin — legs braced, expression sharp and serious his spear locked against the assassin's spear-like weapon, his stance unwavering.
The masked assailant landed lightly, face hidden beneath a black hood and black mask. A long black cloak fluttered behind as straightened — silent, graceful, and deadly. The sunlight caught on weapon — a slender white spear, humming faintly with mana.
Neither spoke. Only the rustle of the forest broke the stillness. Shaun narrowed his eyes, his grip tightened, voice low and steady:
"Whoever you are… you just made the worst mistake of your life by picking the wrong target."
**********