Chapter 120

Chapter 120: Chapter 120

It erupted from her body like a supernova, blazing with a fury that matched the rage and grief and desperate determination burning in her chest. The soldiers nearest to her were thrown backward, their bodies slamming into trees with sickening crunches. The captain’s smile vanished, replaced by wide-eyed terror.

"What—what is this—"

Nyra opened her eyes. They were blazing silver, burning with an inner fire that had no earthly source. Her hair floated around her face like a halo of moonlight. Her voice, when she spoke, was not entirely her own it carried the echo of something ancient, something powerful, something that had been waiting centuries to be unleashed.

"You wanted the Moonblood heir," she said. "Here I am."

She moved through the remaining soldiers like a scythe through wheat. The silver light flowed around her, amplifying her speed, her strength, her precision. She was no longer just Nyra Astrlyn, the hidden princess, the girl who couldn’t shift. She was the Daughter of the Moon. The vessel of the old magic. And she was terrifying.

One by one, the soldiers fell. Some she killed with her blade. Others she struck down with blasts of silver light that erupted from her palms. Within minutes, the clearing was littered with bodies, and only one soldier remained a young man, barely more than a boy, cowering on his knees with his hands raised in surrender.

"Please," he begged. "Please don’t kill me."

Nyra stood over him, her silver eyes blazing. "I’m not going to kill you. You’re going to deliver a message for me."

"I—I will. I swear it."

She knelt down and placed her hand on his forehead. The silver light pulsed, and she spoke words that came from somewhere deep inside her words she didn’t recognize but somehow knew by heart.

"By moonlight bound and silver chain, forget the path, forget the way. Carry my words to Varek’s ear, then let the darkness draw you near. Speak my message, then be still the Moon’s own daughter claims her will."

The soldier’s eyes glazed over, then cleared. He would remember nothing of the path that had brought him here. He would remember only the message.

"Tell my uncle," Nyra said, her voice cold and clear, "that his days are numbered. I am coming for him. I am coming for my throne. And nothing not his soldiers, not his assassins, not his poisoned arrows will stop me."

The soldier nodded frantically and scrambled to his feet, fleeing into the darkness.

Nyra took in the situation before her and smiled.

"How dare they try to attack me, I will show them who the real boss is". She said her eyes cold.

The silver light began to fade. Nyra’s knees buckled, and she felt herself falling.

A pair of strong arms caught her before she hit the ground. She tried to focus on the face above her, but her vision was blurring, the world going dark at the edges.

Someone was calling her name but it sounded distant to her as she her consciousness was edging out of her, she couldn’t make out what the person was saying but the mouth was moving. She gathered her strength to talk.

"I think," she murmured, "I’m a witch also."

You are a what? The person said confusion on his face but she wasn’t replying anymore.

Then the darkness claimed her.

Selene’s private quarters in Soren’s suite were lit by a single candle. The room still smelled like him pine and leather and the faint, lingering trace of his wolf but Selene had stopped noticing it. She had grown accustomed to the scent. She had grown accustomed to sleeping in his bed, surrounded by his things, haunted by his ghost.

Valeria sat across from her, her dark hair unbound, her expression wary. She had been drinking less lately a small improvement, but noticeable. The hollow look in her eyes had been replaced by something sharper. Something more dangerous.

"I want to go after Nyra," Selene said without preamble.

Valeria’s eyes narrowed. "Why? What do you hope to accomplish?"

"She’s still out there. Still alive. Still a threat to everything I’ve worked for." Selene’s amber eyes were cold. "I want to find her before anyone does. I want to look her in the eyes and make her pay for what she did to Soren."

"Soren’s death wasn’t entirely her fault." Valeria’s voice was quiet. "We both played a role in what happened that night. If we hadn’t schemed—if we hadn’t pushed—"

"Don’t." Selene’s voice was sharp. "Don’t you dare go soft on me now. We made choices. Perhaps they were the wrong choices. But the fact remains: Nyra Astrlyn is the reason Soren is dead. She’s the reason the realm is in chaos. She’s the reason everything fell apart."

"And if you find her? What then? Will you kill her?"

Selene was silent for a long moment. "I don’t know. But I know I can’t sit here and do nothing while she’s out there, plotting her return."

Valeria studied her for a long moment. Then she nodded slowly. "Fine. I’ll help you. But we do this carefully. No more reckless schemes. No more collateral damage. If we’re going after her, we do it right."

"Agreed." Selene extended her hand. "Then we’re allies again."

Valeria took it. "Allies."

"Good, now let’s start our planning". Selene said with a smile on her face.

The forest was dark and silent as Ragnar led his group through the trees. Finn walked beside him, his lantern held high. Marek and Jasper brought up the rear, their eyes scanning the shadows, Roderic was at the back monitoring anything they might have missed on the passing, his expression a bit serious. This was their third expedition into the forest since the showcase, and they had found nothing. No trace of Nyra. No clue to her location. Just endless trees and endless darkness.

But tonight, something felt different.

"I have a good feeling about tonight," Finn said, his voice hopeful despite the circumstances. "I think we’re getting closer."

"You said that last time," Marek pointed out.

"And the time before that," Jasper added.

"And the time before that." Ragnar added as he spared Finn a glance before facing front back.

"Alright, I get it. I’m an optimist. Sue me." Finn kicked at a fallen branch. "But we can’t give up. Nyra is out here somewhere. I know she is."

"We’re not giving up," Ragnar said. "We’re just being realistic. The forest is vast. She could be anywhere. And Corvin isn’t going to lead us to her, he’s too protective."

"Then we find her ourselves." Finn’s jaw was set with determination. "Whatever it takes."

"Whatever it takes, she has the answer to most of my questions, the earlier we see and get to her before the guards do, the better for us". Roderic said.

They all nodded.

They continued through the forest, their lanterns bobbing through the darkness. They did not find the hut. They did not discover the clearing where Nyra had fought Varek’s soldiers. But they kept searching. And they would keep searching until they found her.

The abandoned classroom on the east wing was dark, as always. Xavier Reid slipped through the door and closed it behind him, his expression tense.

The figure was already there, cloaked in shadow. "Report."

"We’ve had no luck finding her," Xavier admitted. "Varek’s soldiers are searching the forest, but they haven’t reported back. And the academy group Ragnar and his friends they’ve been making expeditions into the woods. They haven’t found her either."

"They’re getting too close. If they find her before we do—"

"They won’t. We’ve been monitoring their movements. They’re searching in the wrong places."

The figure was silent for a moment. "Keep watching them. And keep me informed. The moment anyone gets close to finding her, I want to know."

"Understood." Xavier paused. "Is there anything else?"

"No. You can go. I’ll follow shortly."

Xavier nodded and slipped out of the classroom. The figure waited in the darkness, counting the seconds, ensuring they were alone.

Then he stepped out of the darkness and he came into view as he removed his hood from his face.

Elias Nightveil stepped into the flickering torchlight.

His scarred face was illuminated by the flames, his dark eyes gleaming with cold satisfaction. He had been playing this game for months watching, waiting, reporting to his father. Lord Varek had entrusted him with this mission, and Elias would not fail.

"I must make Father proud," he murmured to himself. "And give Valeria peace of mind concerning that bitch Nyra."

His lips curved into a sadistic smile.

"She thinks she can hide from us. She thinks she can escape. But no one escapes the Astrlyn pack. No one escapes the Nightveil bloodline."

He laughed softly a cold, cruel sound that echoed through the empty classroom.

"Soon, Princess. Soon, you’ll be nothing but a memory."

He pulled his hood over his face and slipped out of the classroom, vanishing into the shadows of the academy.