Moonveil Academy: Trapped With The Five Kings

Chapter 82: The Beast in Cage

Elara:

My steps quickened until I was almost running.

The cage was enormous, far larger than anything that should have existed in a place like this, but it wasn’t made from metal. There were no bars in the ordinary sense. Instead, countless glowing runes formed its walls, layered over one another in intricate patterns. Lines of silver, blue, and faint gold intertwined through the air, creating a barrier that seemed almost alive. Every few seconds, one of the symbols pulsed brightly before fading again.

It was magic. Pure, concentrated magic.

I slowed as I approached, suddenly feeling cautious. Something about the cage made the hairs on my arms rise. I reached toward one of the glowing symbols, but before my fingers could touch it, a sharp pulse of energy shot through the air. I immediately pulled my hand back.

"Okay," I whispered. "Definitely not touching that."

I circled the cage, trying to understand what it was protecting. There had to be something inside. No one built a magical prison around nothing. The thought made my heart pound harder. I moved along the edge, following the strange runes until I finally reached what seemed to be the front. I stepped closer, as close as I dared, squinting through the layers of magical barriers. At first, all I could see was darkness inside. Then my eyes adjusted.

There was something in the cage.

Something alive.

I stopped breathing. And for a long moment, I could only stare through the glowing runes at the figure hidden within the darkness, unable to make sense of what I was seeing.

Then I took one more step closer, and my entire world seemed to stop.

I stared at the creature through the glowing walls of the cage, unable to move, unable to even blink. It was enormous. Even sitting down, its shoulders rose high enough that I knew it was gigantic. Thick silver fur covered its entire body, each strand catching the strange light of the runes surrounding it. Massive paws rested against the ground, tipped with claws so long and sharp that I had no doubt a single swipe from them could tear through flesh. Yet it wasn’t the claws that frightened me. It was its eyes.

The creature suddenly turned its enormous head toward me, and two silver eyes locked directly onto mine.

My heart stopped. They were exactly like mine. Not similar or close, but exactly the same silver shade.

For one impossible second, neither of us moved. The creature stared at me with an intensity that made something deep inside my chest ache, as though some forgotten part of me recognized it.

I stepped closer despite every instinct screaming at me not to. The creature rose slowly, its enormous body unfolding to an almost terrifying height. A low sound rumbled from its chest, but it didn’t sound threatening. It sounded almost... mournful.

I lifted my hand toward the barrier, desperate to understand why I felt like I knew those eyes, why looking at this beast made something inside me burn. Then the runes suddenly flared. A blinding silver light swallowed everything, and the creature lunged toward me.

I woke with a violent gasp.

Bright light stabbed into my eyes, forcing me to squeeze them shut again. My heart hammered against my ribs as I tried to breathe, my hands instinctively searching for something to hold.

For several seconds, I had no idea where I was. The white place was gone. The cage was gone. The creature was gone. There was only a familiar ceiling above me and the faint scent of medicinal herbs surrounding me. I blinked repeatedly until the room slowly came into focus. The infirmary. I was back in the academy infirmary.

Memories crashed into me almost immediately - the road, the five men, Myra collapsing, the cliff, the fall. And then... something else. Something black. Something enormous. Bright blue eyes cutting through the darkness. Strong arms around me. A voice trembling against my ear. I tried to grab onto the memory, but the instant I did, a sharp pain shot through my head. I winced and pressed my fingers against my temple.

"Easy, Princess," an elderly voice said from somewhere beside me.

I turned my head and found an elderly man dressed in healer’s robes standing near the end of the bed. I hadn’t even noticed him there.

He immediately moved closer, checking my pupils, asking me to follow his finger, then placing his hand against my wrist to feel my pulse. "How are you feeling?"

"Like someone dropped me from a mountain," I muttered.

He actually chuckled softly before continuing his examination.

A few minutes later, the door opened and the assistant healer walked inside. The elderly healer instructed her to help me drink some water before giving me something for the lingering pain in my head.

I accepted the glass, realizing only then how desperately thirsty I was, and drank slowly while the assistant healer supported my shoulders. The potion that followed had the same familiar golden appearance as the one I’d received before, though this one tasted slightly more bitter. Within minutes, the throbbing in my head began easing.

Once I was comfortable again, my first question was the one that mattered most. "How long have I been here?"

The healer paused before answering. "Three days."

I stared at him. "Three days?" My voice came out far weaker than I intended.

He nodded and explained that my body had recovered surprisingly well considering the amount of trauma it had suffered, but there had simply been too much damage for me to wake sooner. Fortunately, nothing had been injured beyond recovery, and my rapid healing response had helped considerably.

I barely heard the rest because my mind was already racing. Three days. Three entire days had disappeared from my life.

Then I remembered Myra.

"What about Myra?" I asked quickly. "How is she?"

The healer’s expression softened. "Your friend suffered some superficial injuries, but nothing serious. She was given a potion and sent back to her dorm once she was stable."

Relief washed through me so suddenly that my shoulders sagged. She was alive and safe. That was enough. But another question immediately followed. "Who found us?"

The healer looked at me as he answered. "Some third-year students. They found you and your friend unconscious on the road while returning to the academy. They brought both of you here."

I went completely still.

"No."

The healer frowned. "Princess?"

"That’s not what happened." My voice was barely a whisper now. I stared at him, trying to make sense of what he’d just told me. "We weren’t on the road."

I remembered it clearly. The men had taken me away. They had forced me toward a cliff. They had pushed me. I had fallen. There had been nothing beneath me except empty air. So how had I ended up unconscious on the road with Myra? And more importantly, what had happened after I fell?

My fingers tightened around the blanket as broken memories of that black thing and impossible blue eyes passed through my head.

I swallowed hard.

Whatever had happened after that fall, the story I had just been told wasn’t it.