[Seraphina’s P.O.V]
“Aurora!”
My scream echoed through the hallway the moment she lunged at me.
The dagger flashed beneath the palace lights, moving so fast I couldn’t react properly.
For one horrifying second, all I saw was the blade rushing toward my chest.
Then,
“Lady Seraphina!”
Lucien stepped in front of me.
Everything happened too quickly.
The dagger pierced straight into his shoulder instead.
My eyes widened in horror.
“LUCIEN!”
A sharp gasp escaped Aurora too, but before anyone could move again
A blast of silver light exploded through the hallway.
CLANG!
Cassian appeared beside us instantly, his foxlight sword colliding against Aurora’s dagger before she could strike a second time.
The impact sent a shockwave across the corridor.
The guards stumbled backward.
Cassian’s playful smile was gone.
For the first time since I met him…
His expression looked genuinely dangerous.
“You almost touched her,” he said softly.
That soft voice frightened even me.
Aurora staggered back slightly, her eyes burning with fury.
“Capture them!” she screamed.
Her voice echoed violently through the palace.
“Capture all five beasts immediately!”
The guards hesitated for only a second before drawing their swords.
Everything exploded into chaos.
Steel clashed loudly.
Magic pressure filled the air.
The hallway became a battlefield.
Adrian immediately stepped forward, his cold eyes scanning the approaching guards.
“Go,” he ordered sharply.
I froze.
“What?”
“You and Lucien go to the Queen Mother,” Adrian said firmly.
“We’ll handle this.”
Kael cracked his neck slowly, already stepping in front of the guards with a grin that looked far too excited.
“Finally,” he muttered.
Sylas adjusted his gloves calmly, though his eyes had already turned deadly cold.
Cassian spun his glowing sword once before pointing it toward the guards.
“Try not to die too quickly,” he said lazily.
Meanwhile, more guards flooded into the hallway.
Aurora pointed directly at me.
“Don’t let Seraphina reach the Queen Mother!”
My heart pounded violently.
Lucien grabbed my wrist immediately.
“We’re leaving.”
I nodded quickly.
Then we ran.
The sounds of fighting exploded behind us as Adrian, Kael, Sylas, and Cassian charged straight into the guards.
The palace shook from the force of it.
I didn’t look back.
I couldn’t.
Lucien and I sprinted through the palace corridors as fast as possible.
But then,
More guards appeared ahead of us.
“There!” one shouted.
“Stop them!”
My breath caught.
The guards rushed toward us immediately.
But Lucien suddenly stopped moving.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Dark energy spread violently through the hallway.
The guards froze.
Then slowly,
Lucien transformed.
Black fur burst around him like shadows swallowing light.
His body grew larger.
Bigger.
More monstrous.
Within seconds, a massive black wolf stood protectively in front of me, his glowing silver eyes fixed directly on the guards.
The air became suffocating.
Fear spread across the guards’ faces instantly.
One of them stepped back.
“W-what is that…?”
Lucien growled.
The sound alone shook the hallway.
Then—
He attacked.
Everything became blood and screams.
The guards barely had time to react before Lucien tore through them violently.
One.
Two.
Three.
Bodies hit the floor.
Blood stained the marble walls.
The remaining guards immediately backed away in terror.
None of them dared move closer anymore.
Lucien turned toward me.
Even in beast form, I could still recognize his eyes.
He lowered himself slightly.
I understood immediately.
“Y-you want me to climb on?”
The massive wolf growled softly.
I swallowed hard before climbing carefully onto his back.
The moment I held onto him
Lucien ran.
Fast.
Too fast.
The palace blurred around us as he sprinted through the corridors like darkness itself.
The guards couldn’t even catch up.
For one brief moment…
I thought we had escaped.
But then
“SERAPHINA!”
Aurora’s furious scream echoed through the palace.
Lucien stopped abruptly.
I turned sharply.
Aurora stood at the end of the hallway, breathing heavily, rage completely twisting her expression.
Her dagger was still stained with blood.
Lucien’s blood.
She pointed directly at us.
“Stop them!”
But before she could move
A massive figure suddenly appeared behind her.
Aurora froze.
Slowly…
She turned around.
Kael stood there silently.
Or rather,
What Kael had become.
A gigantic white tiger towered behind her, golden eyes glowing dangerously beneath the palace lights.
The pressure in the hallway became crushing instantly.
Kael bared his sharp teeth slowly.
And smiled.
“You seem very busy trying to kill my master,” he said softly.
His tail flicked once.
Dangerously.
“So now…”
His glowing eyes narrowed at Aurora.
“Why don’t you try fighting me instead?”
Kael’s massive white tiger form stood between Aurora and us, his silver eyes locked on her like he was waiting for permission to strike.
Then,
In a flash of light, his body shifted.
Bones cracked, fur vanished, and Kael landed back on his feet in human form.
But he didn’t hesitate.
His right hand twisted unnaturally, transforming into a sharp, beast-like claw.
Aurora’s eyes narrowed instantly.
She raised her dagger.
“You really think you can stop me?” she said coldly.
Kael didn’t answer.
He moved first.
Metal clashed against claw in a violent burst of sparks.
Their fight was fast too fast for the human eye to fully track.
Aurora struck again.
Kael blocked.
Then twisted her wrist.
In one swift motion, he disarmed her.
The dagger flew through the air and landed far across the corridor.
Aurora’s eyes widened as Kael kicked her hard in the chest.
She crashed onto the floor.
For a moment, everything went still.
Kael stepped forward, his claw raised.
Ready to end it.
But Aurora laughed softly.
And that laugh… made him pause.
“Veyrion,” she called calmly.
Silence.
Then,
A shadow passed over the broken skylight above.
A massive black form descended.
Wind roared through the hallway as a giant shadow falcon slammed down in front of Kael.
The ground cracked beneath its claws.
Its wings spread wide, swallowing the light.
Kael’s expression darkened.
Without hesitation,
He transformed again.
White light burst from his body as he became a white tiger once more.
And the battle between beast and beast began.
Claw against wing.
Fur against shadow.
The entire corridor shook with their collision.
Aurora didn’t wait.
She turned immediately, rushing past the chaos.
Her eyes locked on us.
“Stop them!” she screamed, grabbing her dagger again from the floor and sprinting after us.
Meanwhile
Lucien started to slow down.
“Lucien?” I called, noticing his breathing turning uneven.
His body suddenly faltered.
And then,
He collapsed.
Right onto the floor.
“Lucien!” I dropped beside him instantly.
His form shifted back, returning to human, but he was pale shaking clearly in pain.
“I… I can’t,” he whispered weakly.
My heart tightened.
“No, don’t you dare stop now,” I said quickly, grabbing him.
He tried to stand.
He really did.
But his legs gave out immediately.
His grip tightened on my arm anyway, stubborn even while injured.
“I can still walk,” he forced out.
“No,” I said firmly.
Without waiting for his protest, I pulled his arm around my shoulders.
Then I lifted him as best as I could.
“You’re not walking alone.”
Step by step, I carried him forward.
Every movement felt heavier than the last.
Behind us, chaos echoed through the palace.
The fight between Kael and Veyrion.
The guards.
Aurora.
Everything collapsing behind us.
But I didn’t stop.
Not until we reached the door.
The Queen Mother’s room.
I reached for the handle
But before I could open it
WHOOSH.
A dagger sliced through the air.
Straight toward us.
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