Moonveil Academy: Trapped With The Five Kings

Elara:

A soft weight landed beside me on the mattress. ”You are finally awake.” Crazy’s voice was unusually gentle. ”I have been trying to wake you for almost a minute.”

I looked down at him, my hands still shaking uncontrollably. I hadn’t even realized tears were still pouring down my cheeks until he nudged my arm with his head.

The room suddenly felt far too small. I couldn’t breathe inside these walls another second. Throwing the blanket aside, I climbed out of bed on unsteady legs and hurried toward the balcony. My trembling fingers fumbled with the lock twice before I finally managed to slide the glass door open.

The cool night air rushed over me like a wave, carrying with it the scent of damp grass and flowers from the academy gardens. I stepped outside barefoot, wrapping my arms around myself without realizing that Crazy had already jumped into them. I held him close against my chest, grateful for the warmth of another living being.

For several minutes neither of us spoke. Moonveil Academy slept peacefully beneath the silver glow of the moon. Everything was quiet. Too quiet. It felt wrong that the world could remain so peaceful while mine continued falling apart every single night.

Eventually, Crazy broke the silence. ”Your nightmares are getting worse.” His voice remained soft, lacking its usual sarcasm. ”They aren’t just memories anymore. They are changing.”

I didn’t answer. Because he was right. Every night the nightmare grew crueler than the last. Every night my own mind found a new way to torture me.

”Maybe...” he continued carefully, ”...you should talk to one of the professors. Headmaster Moonveil... Professor Cedric... someone who understands the mind. You can’t keep carrying this alone.”

I stared into the darkness stretching beyond the academy walls, barely hearing him anymore.

My lips parted before I even realized I was speaking. ”He said...” My voice trembled so badly I almost couldn’t hear myself. ”...he said I caused their deaths.” Fresh tears slipped silently down my face.

”He said I killed them.” I swallowed painfully, remembering every word from the nightmare as though Felix had truly spoken them. ”I know it wasn’t real,” I whispered. ”I know my mind made him say those things.” I closed my eyes, feeling another sob build in my chest. ”But...” The word barely escaped my lips. ”A part of me believes him.”

My grip around Crazy tightened. ”Those men came looking for me. My parents died protecting me. Felix died trying to reach me.” I lowered my head, unable to stop crying anymore. ”If I hadn’t been born... if I hadn’t existed...” My voice completely broke. ”...they would still be alive.”

The confession lingered in the cool night air, and no matter how desperately I wished someone would tell me it wasn’t true... I could no longer convince myself to believe it.

”It wasn’t your fault, Elara. Don’t let these nightmares convince you otherwise.” Crazy said in a firm voice.

I didn’t respond. Because even though a part of me knew he’s right, I still couldn’t shake off the fact that the nightmares had already taken a root inside my head.

* * *

Sleep eventually claimed me, but only after I had spent nearly the entire night sitting on the balcony with Crazy curled silently in my lap. Neither of us had spoken much after my confession. There simply weren’t any words capable of making that kind of pain disappear.

Somewhere around five in the morning, my body finally surrendered to exhaustion. It wasn’t peaceful sleep, not even close. But it was dreamless, and after the nightmare I’d just lived through, that alone felt like a blessing.

When I finally opened my eyes again, sunlight was already pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my dorm. For one blissfully confusing second, I forgot where I was. Then the unfamiliar room, the academy crest embroidered on the curtains, and the heavy silence reminded me of Moonveil Academy, Starfall, and my new reality.

I rolled over and checked the clock on the bedside table. It was already past eleven in the morning.

A tired sigh escaped me. Fortunately, it was Saturday. According to my schedule, I had no classes today except my mandatory meeting with Headmaster Moonveil at six in the evening. That gave me several hours with absolutely nothing to do. It was a dangerous amount of free time for someone whose thoughts refused to stay quiet.

After taking a long shower, hoping the hot water would somehow wash away the lingering exhaustion clinging to both my body and mind, I dressed in a simple pair of loose denim and a light blue knitted sweater.

The autumn air carried a noticeable chill now, especially during mornings, and for the first time in days I almost looked like the old me again. Almost.

I had just finished drying my hair when a faint clattering sound drifted into my bedroom. I frowned. Another sound followed, this one unmistakably coming from the kitchen.

For a brief moment I assumed one of the academy maintenance staff had come to restock the refrigerator or tidy the dorm while I slept. It wouldn’t have surprised me after everything I’d already witnessed. Still curious, I quietly stepped out of my bedroom and into the living room.

I stopped immediately as I noticed a young girl, around my age, standing in the kitchen with her back toward me. She had chestnut-brown hair tied into a loose braid and wore simple clothes instead of the academy uniform I’d grown accustomed to seeing.

She was carefully wiping down the kitchen counter while humming softly to herself, completely unaware that I had walked into the room. That alone made me wonder if she’s a human.

Just as I was about to announce my presence, she happened to turn around. The cloth slipped from her hands the instant our eyes met.

We both froze.

Her eyes widened in complete horror while mine filled mostly with surprise. For several painfully awkward seconds neither of us spoke. Then she suddenly bowed so quickly I thought she might lose her balance.

”I-I’m so sorry, Princess!” she blurted out in a rush. ”I didn’t mean to disturb your rest! I thought... I thought you’d already gone into town like most of the academy students do on Saturdays.” She looked so flustered that the words kept tumbling over each other. ”I-I can come back later. I’ll leave right now. You probably wanted some privacy and I shouldn’t have-”

”It’s alright.” I spoke quickly.

She stopped speaking instantly.

I offered her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. ”Really. You don’t have to leave. You can continue.”

Her shoulders relaxed just a little. Still, she hesitated for another moment before nodding timidly and bending down to pick up the cloth she’d dropped. Soon the quiet sounds of cleaning filled the room once again.