Moonveil Academy: Trapped With The Five Kings

Chapter 61: People Who Cared

Elara:

The shimmer traveled farther, reaching the edge of the shelf before snapping back into my palm. I gasped as the sudden recoil made me stumble forward.

Kairo caught my wrist before I could lose my balance. "Easy." His fingers tightened gently around me, and for a moment neither of us moved. His gray eyes met mine, close enough that I could see the fine details in them. "You are doing better than you think."

I swallowed and pulled my hand free, mostly because my heartbeat had become embarrassingly loud. "It disappeared."

"Because you panicked."

"I did not."

His eyebrow lifted. "You absolutely did."

"I was surprised." I defended myself, or at least tried to.

"Same thing, Princess." He reached for my hand again, but stopped just short of touching me, waiting. "May I?"

The question caught me off guard. After a second, I nodded. His fingers settled lightly beneath my wrist.

"Again," he said quietly. "Don’t think about whether it’ll work. Just tell the magic what you want."

I tried again and felt the warmth surge. Silver-blue light curled around my fingers, stronger than before, and this time the shimmering spell actually reached the invisible boundary of the dorm door - somewhere beyond the library corridor in my mind.

I whispered the final words, and for three glorious seconds, the magic held. Then it shattered like glass, vanishing into the air.

I stared at my empty palm, stunned. "I did it."

"For three seconds. Yes."

I looked at him sharply. "You could at least pretend to be impressed."

His grin returned. "I’m extremely impressed." He leaned closer, his voice dropping into something almost teasing. "Three seconds today means ten tomorrow. Ten becomes a minute. Eventually, you’ll be able to lock that door so tightly that even I won’t be able to get through."

"Especially you," I muttered.

He laughed softly. "Especially me." Then he released my wrist and pushed the book toward me. "Again, Princess."

I sighed, but there was a reluctant smile tugging at my lips as I raised my hand once more. "Fine. Again."

* * *

By the time I finally made my way back to my dorm, the clock had already crossed ten, and every part of me was begging for a hot shower and several hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Practicing the lock spell with Kairo had left me more drained than I had expected, even though the spell itself had only lasted for a few seconds each time. Still, those few seconds felt like a victory.

For the first time since arriving at Moonveil, I had managed to make my magic respond when I actually wanted it to. It wasn’t much, but after weeks of feeling like something inside me was locked behind an invisible wall, even a tiny crack felt worth celebrating.

But my thoughts about relaxing vanished the moment I stepped into the hallway of my floor and noticed two familiar figures standing outside my dorm in the dim corridor, slowing my steps.

Myra and Violet were standing there, both looking toward my door as though they had been waiting for someone. The moment their gazes landed on me, they practically rushed forward.

"Elara!" Myra exclaimed, her face immediately filling with relief. "Are you alright? Does anything still hurt? I heard what happened!"

Violet was barely any calmer. "I went to the infirmary to see you, but they told me you’d already been discharged. Then I came here and you weren’t here either. Where were you? Are you actually feeling okay?"

They were both speaking so quickly that I barely had time to process one question before another followed. I looked between them, momentarily overwhelmed - not by their questions, but by the realization that two more people had actually gone looking for me because they were worried.

After Kairo had come to the library because he had heard about what happened, now these two had shown up at my dorm. Apparently, my fight with Liliana had become the academy’s newest piece of gossip, but somehow that bothered me less than the genuine concern written all over their faces.

"I’m fine," I finally assured them, giving them a small smile. "Really. The healer said I recovered quickly. I went to the library afterward because I had a Rune assignment due tomorrow." I tapped the backpack hanging from my shoulder for emphasis. "I didn’t want to waste the evening."

Both women visibly relaxed. Myra’s shoulders dropped, while Violet released a breath that sounded like she had been holding it for several minutes.

"I was really worried," Myra murmured.

I smiled again, feeling something warm settle inside my chest. It was strange. Less than a month ago, I had been surrounded by people who had known me my entire life. Now, after losing all of them, I was standing in a dark academy corridor with two girls I had barely known for a few weeks, and somehow their concern made this unfamiliar place feel a little less lonely.

Then Violet suddenly produced a package from behind her back. I stared at it for a second before recognizing the unmistakable shapes of several beer bottles inside. My eyebrows rose. "What exactly is that?"

"Medicine," she announced with complete seriousness. "For emotional trauma."

I snorted despite myself. "That’s not medicine."

"It is if I say it is."

Before I could argue, Myra hesitantly lifted the package she’d been holding against her side. "My mother made some snacks," she said quietly, almost as though she expected me to reject them.

I looked between the two packages, then back at their hopeful faces. "You two came here for a drinking-and-snacking session?"

Violet nodded enthusiastically. "And a movie."

I stared at her. "I have classes tomorrow. And I believe you both as well. Yet you are suggesting we drink beer tonight?"

"One or two." She immediately draped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me slightly closer. "Nothing dramatic. We are not planning to wake up tomorrow with no memories and questionable tattoos."

"Speak for yourself," I muttered.

She laughed. "Elara, after everything that happened today, you need to let loose. One or two beers won’t do anything, and Mrs. Carter’s snacks are practically calling your name. Besides..." She widened her eyes dramatically. "I’m begging you for one movie and some fun."

I looked at Myra. She gave me the same hopeful expression, though hers was much more reserved. I sighed. I knew I should probably refuse. I had classes tomorrow, I was exhausted, and I had plenty of studying left to do. But I also knew what spending another night alone in my dorm would probably mean - books, memories, nightmares, and far too much time inside my own head.

Maybe for one night, I could allow myself to be something other than the lost Princess who needed to learn magic, the girl who needed revenge, or the human who was trying to survive an academy full of people who seemed determined to test her limits. Maybe I could simply be Elara.

"Fine," I finally said.

Violet’s face lit up immediately. "Yes!"

I couldn’t help laughing at her reaction as I pulled out my key and unlocked the door. "But we are keeping the volume down. And no one is finishing that entire package of beer."

"Agreed," she said instantly, already stepping inside. Myra followed behind her, carrying the snacks with both hands.

I closed the door after them. For the first time since waking up in this strange world, the thought of spending an evening with people didn’t feel like an obligation.

Maybe tonight, I could just have some fun.