Break a Horn / Fantoccio X Reader

4 / Magical Infiltration

The trek there was quite beautiful. There were lots of wildlife, greenery, and random travelers. It felt good to occasionally be out and about. Of course, the last time you took a pleasant stroll, you ended up being hit...

You two would often run into curious people, asking for directions or simply giving random tips for the journey ahead. A few people recognized you, but they either stayed silent or rolled their eyes.

But as you reached closer to the city, the world around you seemed off. The wind was no longer blowing, leaving an eerie, silence among the area, making your head pound. The greenery began looking more dull and drooping, and there were no animals in sight.

"This place has gotten worse," Aristotle said, completely serious as he surveyed the ruins of the once-enchanted forest.

"What even happened at the city? To cause all of this?" You asked. Every step you took made the dead, frozen grass beneath your feet crumple and break to pieces.

"I'm not entirely sure. Some say there was a massive, magical brawl between two powerful people, but others say there was an accident while trying to create a spell that would bring the dead back to life... or was it to grant immortality...?" he explained, a bit of an unsure twang in his voice.

Suddenly, he stopped moving, staring up ahead. You tried to see where he was staring, and you noticed a subtle, greenish-blue light in the dark.

"There it is," he said, "I'm not exact on where the barrier is, so we need to advance with caution. Try throwing rocks in front of you as you walk, let me know if they bounce back."

You did as told. Picking up a pebble and tossing it in front of you, it passed normally. You picked it up again and threw it again, fine.

You repeated this about fifteen times until the pebble suddenly disappeared. You looked up ahead, there wasn't anything but forest. You were confused.

"Aristotle? I think I found the barrier, but where's the city?"

The pink axolotl joined your side, setting down his satchel tiredly, "it's hidden by the magic, once you infiltrate the barrier, you'll see the city. Hm... I suppose you'll need to find a way to get out of the city afterwards..."

He stroked his frills for a second before grinning, "I'll leave the page for the spell needed with you. When you find what you're looking for, just come back to the barrier and recite the words. I must warn you, it takes lots of energy and only lasts for a short while."

"Got it," you nodded. He handed you the page with the spell and you tucked it into your own leather satchel.

He began focusing, chanting something in a strange language the mark on his forehead glowing a bright white. The emblem on his cape resonated with the mark on his head, changing colors and lightly trembling.

Suddenly, he moved his arms in a peculiar pattern and you were jolted by something. You thought he had electrocuted you.

"H-hey! What the Hell?!" You said, annoyed.

"Hurry! It only lasts for ten seconds!" He said, straining.

Quickly, you lunged into the barrier, shutting your eyes and half-expecting to be hurt. When no pain came, you opened your eyes and looked around you. You were still in the forest, but Aristotle was nowhere to be found.

Hmph. You made it through the forcefield but where was the...

Your thoughts were quickly dismissed when you noticed the city before you. You breathed out in awe.

It was a gorgeous little town, despite obviously being cursed. So far, you couldn't see any people roaming around, but you needed to proceed carefully.

You brought your bag closer to your side to gain some kind of comfort in this stressful situation. Had you failed in your mission, it would either mean living as a normal, but disliked, human being without your prized horn, or dead and forever rotting, never having a proper burial or the chance of probably anyone finding your body.

As you walk, you kicked up fine, sparkling dust from the stone-paved streets, you held your breath as to not inhale it and sneeze, giving away your arrival.

To lessen the chance that you'd run into one of the cursed residents, you chose to navigate through the city behind the buildings. You just needed to find the library.