When The Moon Hides Her Crown novel Chapter 224

SERAPHINA

My breath came in sharp, uneven bursts as I fixed my gaze on the eagle mask before me. His voice echoed in my mind—strangely familiar—yet the powerful frame beneath the mask felt both known and alien at the same time. He had deliberately concealed his scent and aura, making it impossible to read him as I usually would. Unease crept over me, urging me to take a cautious step backward.

The shadows cast by the eagle mask hid his eyes, leaving me blind to their color, but the intense, razor-sharp aura he exuded, mixed with the unmistakable metallic tang of blood, told me one thing clearly: I was his next prey.

Without hesitation, I shifted halfway into my half-beast form and lunged toward his mask. Like me, he was bound by the trial’s rules—if I could tear off his mask, I could eliminate him and claim the crown. My claws stretched out, aiming to rip the mask away, but before I could touch it, his hand snapped out with terrifying speed, seizing my claw in a vice-like grip.

“Not so fast,” he murmured, his voice low and dangerous.

His strength was unnatural, his grip deadly. If he managed to hold me like this during an attack, it would mean certain death. Realizing this, I tried to think of another strategy. But before I could react, he pulled me close to his chest and whispered, “Since you aimed for my mask, I think it’s only fair I return the favor.”

Like a bolt of lightning, his claw shot toward my mask.

My heart pounded wildly as his sharp claw slashed through the air, aiming straight for my face.

Instincts took over.

I twisted my wrist sharply, feeling the strain in his grip as I yanked my hand free with a violent jerk. My claws slashed upward, catching his arm just as his claws grazed my cheek. A sharp sting flared across my skin, but I refused to falter.

He was too fast—every move precise, almost inhuman. Each strike cut through the air like a blade, the clang of our claws colliding echoing off the illusionary walls of the castle. My breath came ragged, my heart hammering like a war drum.

To make matters worse, the ground beneath me shifted unnervingly. I knew it was an illusion, but my mind struggled to stay steady, especially when he lunged again.

Dropping low, I slid across the polished floor, which suddenly tilted beneath my feet as if the entire castle was turning upside down.

“Damn it,” I hissed through gritted teeth.

Time was running out. I couldn’t afford to get trapped in this mental trap. I pushed myself upward, darting ahead with lightning speed before the eagle could strike again.

I had to stop fighting and focus on the crown.

As I raced up the staircase, Phina’s voice echoed in my mind, urging me onward, while my ears strained for any sign of movement. But there was nothing—only silence.

“Why… no footsteps? No sound at all?” I whispered under my breath as I reached the tenth floor. The silence was more terrifying than any noise—it meant I couldn’t predict where he might appear next.

“Just two floors left!” Phina’s voice rang out, filled with desperate hope.

I glanced upward. The crown’s glow spilled down from the twelfth floor like the first light of dawn breaking through darkness. But then Phina’s voice halted abruptly.

A cold shiver ran down my spine as a deadly aura rippled through the corridor. This was unlike anything I’d felt before.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end before I even turned my head.

And then I saw him.

The Eagle.

He was sprinting down the opposite side of the corridor, his gaze locked onto mine with chilling intensity.

My heart lurched in terror. How had he reached the same floor so silently and with such impossible speed?

He smiled when our eyes met—a cruel, knowing smile.

Because he understood.

The next instant, he moved to block my path.

Was it really chance that he appeared here, now, when escape seemed impossible?

Or had he been toying with me all along?

Letting me believe I’d slipped away, only to watch me run straight into his trap.

I pushed myself harder, every ounce of strength driving me forward. I had to reach the stairs before he intercepted me. My eyes locked on the steps leading to the eleventh floor—and I made it.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify