Moonveil Academy: Trapped With The Five Kings

Chapter 41: The Restricted Floor

Elara:

Without even realizing it, the Moonveil library had become my favorite place in the entire academy.

There were several reasons for it, but the biggest one was simple - it was filled with exactly what I needed. Knowledge.

Every time I stepped through those enormous wooden doors, I felt as though I was entering a world where nobody expected me to already understand everything. The shelves were packed with books about Starfall’s history, magic, supernatural races, politics, ancient wars, magical creatures, spells, herbs, bloodlines, and even things I’d never heard of before.

I could spend hours pulling out random books and discovering something new about the world I’d somehow been born into but knew absolutely nothing about.

The strangest part was that barely anyone seemed interested in using the library. For a building that occupied three entire floors, I usually saw no more than three to five students wandering through it. I couldn’t understand why. If I had grown up knowing magic existed, I couldn’t imagine not wanting to learn everything possible about it.

But their disinterest was my gain. The library gave me something I desperately needed - peace. No Reign. No Alaric. No Liliana. No whispered insults, unwanted advice, or people reminding me every five minutes that I was the lost Princess. Even the academy’s troublemakers seemed to stay away from this place. And honestly, I wasn’t going to complain.

Before long, the library had quietly become part of my daily routine. I woke up at five-thirty every morning, pulled on my running clothes, and headed into the forest stretching behind the academy grounds.

The first few mornings had been miserable. My lungs burned, my legs ached, and I questioned why I had willingly decided to torture myself before sunrise.

But I’d discovered something during those runs. Running gave me time to think without actually drowning in my thoughts. The rhythm of my footsteps, the cool morning air, and the silence of the forest somehow helped keep my nightmares and memories from swallowing me whole.

By seven, I would return to my dorm, shower, dress, and eat a quick breakfast before rushing to my first class. By eight-thirty, I was usually sitting inside a classroom, trying to absorb as much information as possible.

The next six hours disappeared between History and Politics, Combat Arts, Runes and Magic Theory, and whichever advanced subject happened to be scheduled that day. Then came the special class with Professor Fenrith, which had surprisingly become one of the most useful parts of my day.

After that, instead of returning to my dorm, I would head straight to the library.

Sometimes I stayed there until nine-thirty. Sometimes closer to ten. The academy technically had rules about students roaming the corridors after ten at night, but I had already learned that rules were apparently more like suggestions for certain people here. Reign and his friends certainly didn’t seem bothered by them.

Still, I had no desire to test whether the academy would punish me for breaking curfew, so I usually packed my things before ten and headed back to my dorm.

It was exhausting, but for the first time since my entire life had been ripped apart, I felt like I was actually moving forward. I was learning about elemental magic. I was studying the history of Starfall. I was learning about the Regents, the noble houses, magical efficiencies, supernatural species, and even basic spell theory.

Every piece of knowledge made this world seem slightly less impossible. It also made one thing painfully clear - if I wanted revenge, I couldn’t remain the powerless girl everyone believed I was.

Tonight was no different. I sat at one of the small tables tucked into a quiet corner of the second floor, surrounded by books and notes.

I’d spent the last few hours finishing every piece of homework I’d been assigned throughout the day, and when I finally placed my pen down, I stretched my aching fingers.

I glanced toward the enormous clock hanging above the main staircase. It was only a little past seven, meaning I still had plenty of time before I needed to leave. So instead of packing everything away, I pulled out the list of books I’d been meaning to read and searched the shelves for one particular title I had discovered a few days ago.

It was an old book about magic efficiencies, and although I didn’t understand half the terminology inside it, I was desperate to learn anything that might help me understand the strange spell hiding behind my ear.

After finding the shelf I needed, I spotted the book several levels above me. I remember placing it in the lower segment yesterday, and yet someone had once again put it right back where it used to be.

Unfortunately, the upper section of the library was accessible only through one of those narrow spiral staircases that looked as though they had been designed specifically to make people fall to their deaths.

I stared upward for a moment before sighing. Apparently, Moonveil Academy had a personal vendetta against elevators and safe staircases.

I carefully climbed the steps, keeping one hand on the railing as I made my way toward the upper level. The shelves up here were older, darker, and much more tightly packed. Several sections were marked with small silver plaques, and some even had symbols carved into their wooden frames.

I vaguely remembered Professor Fenrith mentioning that certain books were restricted because they contained advanced or dangerous magical knowledge.

I was reaching for the final few steps when a familiar voice suddenly came from behind me.

"Do you know you are standing in a restricted area?"

My entire body went still. I knew that voice. My eyes widened as I turned around too quickly. And that was my mistake.

My foot slipped.

My fingers shot toward the railing, but I was already too far away. The scream never made it past my lips as it got stuck in my throat. For one horrifying second, I saw nothing but the spiral staircase beneath me.

Then gravity took over.