- 2 days ago
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00:01battlefield in ruins the ground trembles lava cracks open after the war i was the one who
00:07kept the frost wing alive the frost wing shifts into a man and the first thing he did was choose
00:12her seraphina in his arms they kiss seraphina ss.my jr the ground splits lava surges she
00:20smiled at me thank you senior for raising him for me he turns back into a beast lifting her
00:27onto his back he didn't even look at me he lowers his head lifts the heroin in his jaws and
00:33somehow
00:33i thought he'd save me he lets go i falls into lava 10 years just to raise someone else's mate
00:40eyes snap open no bright hall crowd murmuring banners sigils the binding royal this place
00:48the gray marsh binding right my name is rowan ashford top of my class the headmaster's ward
00:54the academy's brightest prodigy the frost wing was the center of the hall perched on a golden stand
00:59his blue green feathers glinting like ice the bird's cold eyes passed over me as if i were nothing
01:04then seraphina stepped forward in her arms lay a half-dead black sea serpent tears trembled on her
01:09lashes and the frost wing lowered his head to her just like that i became the villain professor
01:15hargrove frowned seraphina your arcane vessel is too weak you can't handle a creature like that
01:21rowan i was was never trying to compete with you i just then i'll take this one since the frost
01:27likes her so much she can have him has rowan lost her mind i ignored them in my last life
01:35i gave that bird everything in the end he made me die so this time seraphina he's all yours good
01:44luck
01:44raising that greedy beast professor hargrove couldn't talk me out of it but he looked sick
01:49to his stomach handing a legendary pureblood frost wing to a rookie transfer student with zero foundation
01:55it was a criminal waste of potential but the frost wing acted like he was drugged clinging to seraphina
02:00as if he couldn't live without her afraid to hurt the bird the professor sighed and activated the
02:05right a soul bond is a leash once the contract is sealed the familiar is bound to the caster's will
02:11if it ever dares to harm its owner the magical backlash is lethal the ritual array flared to life
02:17runes pulsing with raw power the sudden surge of magic terrified the sea serpent with its last bit of
02:23strength it coiled tightly around my wrist desperate as if afraid i'd change my mind and throw it back into
02:29the trash in the opposite circle seraphina basked in her moment of triumph she looked at me and smirked
02:35you and that snake really are a perfect match rowan i didn't even have to open my mouth my classmates
02:42did
02:42it for me watch your tongue boss if rowan hadn't handed him to you on a silver platter you wouldn't
02:48even be allowed to touch a frost wing's feather if i were you i'd be kneeling in gratitude seeing
02:54seraphina get picked on the frost wing grew frantic trying to shield her but he failed there was a
03:00problem after a bond a familiar shares its master's mana and seraphina she's a total amateur what magic
03:07could she possibly give him get used to it buddy life with a weak binder is a long slow crawl
03:13i looked
03:14down at the little serpent on my wrist finally sure that i wouldn't abandon it it went limp and passed
03:19out
03:19in peace back at my house i started studying my new familiar he was tiny by the looks of it
03:27he had just
03:28reached maturity but he wasn't like any sea serpent i'd ever seen his tail was flat with a sleek fin
03:34more
03:34like a fish most likely he's a hybrid part sea serpent part siren my yard had a natural magic spring
03:41the
03:41second i put him in the little guy came back to life splashing around and greedily absorbing the mana from
03:47the water
03:47you've got some nerve aren't you worried i'll poison you just to trade up for something better
03:52he froze staring at me with his tiny bead-like eyes then he spat water right in my face
04:01i gave his head a playful flick fine just focus on healing
04:06i raised a frost wing one little snake won't be a problem the next morning i opened my eyes and
04:13immediately froze a man was in my bed sun-kissed skin dark lashes fluttering like butterfly wings
04:19i shrank into the corner who are you this is gray moth academy don't even think about trying anything
04:26he sat up lazily
04:34the sea serpent rude i have a name it's ness
04:41apparently he'd been on the run from something trouble and somehow he ran straight into my uncle
04:46percy you know percy the man has a gift for picking up treasures off the street broken clocks
04:51her strings apparently dying snakes included nix had disguised himself as one half dead barely
04:57breathing just to get help and percy he brought him home like he just hit the jackpot the problem is
05:03nix isn't just anything he can already manifest which means his power is off the charts and if
05:09he's this strong then whatever's punching him yeah monsters great just great tell me something your
05:19enemies aren't going to track you here right nix stepped closer his golden eyes locked onto mine
05:24pinning me against the wall like i had nowhere else to go he smiled we're bound now a contract
05:30excuse me you're the owner and i'm your guardian he leaned in voice lowering so master
05:38you better start training try not to hold me back
05:44nix actually had some tricks up his sleeve my magical essence was water-based which perfectly
05:50complements his nature he taught me an ancient spell weaving from the sea clans to draw magic
05:55directly from the water the results were incredible even the headmaster noticed my rapid progress my new
06:01daily routine was simple i'd soak in the magic spring to train while nix watched over me from the branches
06:06of
06:06cherry tree under the sunlight his bronze skin gleamed his collar hanging open to reveal sharp
06:12collarbones with his eyes narrowed in a lazy nap he looked dangerously beautiful the man was a total
06:18heartbreaker but before i could enjoy the view someone had to ruin the mood seraphina poked her head through
06:24the gate rowan i rose from the spring nix flipped down from the tree in one smooth motion casually draping
06:31my cloak over my shoulders the moment seraphina saw him she froze what are you doing here she didn't
06:38answer she was too busy staring at nix who who is he i took nix's hand and gave her a
06:44thin smile
06:45you remember him the pathetic little black serpent from the right didn't you say he and i were a perfect
06:52match annoyance flashed in her eyes out with it what do you want she hemmed and hawed i want you
07:01to help me raise the frost wing i felt nix's grip on my hand tighten i looked back met his
07:07displeased
07:07gaze and gave him a reassuring smile before turning back to her if you can't afford him figure it out
07:12yourself i don't owe you a thing what do you mean you don't owe me seraphina snapped her victim act
07:18finally slipping six months ago you took my serpent and shoved that frost wing onto me you don't get to
07:24just walk away from this the audacity was breathtaking it had been six months and she'd finally realized
07:30the academy standard rations were a drop in the bucket for a pure blood beast she'd spent all her
07:35own potions on him and now her own arcane progress had stalled while everyone else in her year had
07:40surpassed her he is your responsibility if a divine beast can't evolve it's a loss for the whole academy
07:47i didn't wait for her to finish with a flick of my wrist a surge of mana swept her off
07:52her feet
07:52and sent her tumbling out the gate don't treat everyone like a fool seraphina i called out as the
07:59gate slammed shut kind of martyr spend 10 years doing the heavy lifting just so you can reap the
08:04rewards if you can't afford him cut him loose and stop hogging the spotlight
08:11in just a few months i transcended the senior ranks and was ordained as an arcanist
08:15right around then the headmaster spent two top tier artifacts to trade for a rare spirit wolf from
08:20the alchemy guild he sent professor whitmore and me to escort the beast back to the academy
08:24when we arrived she suddenly giggled little rowan your serpent certainly is a clingy one
08:30i didn't catch her meaning until i headed up the mountain and saw a figure leaning against a tree by
08:36the
08:36path nikes he didn't move then he grabbed me fingers locking at the back of my neck forcing me to
08:42look at
08:43him golden eyes burning rowan ashford have i not treated you well his grip tightened what are you
08:49talking about that woman came by again today she said you left me to her are you regretting our bond
08:55already you're replacing me with another mate just because you've ascended nix's pupils narrowed into
09:00thin lines he bent down burying his face in the crook of my neck and gave the skin a slow
09:05deliberate lick
09:06then bared his fangs his voice a low growl against my ear the scent of a spirit wolf your new
09:11mate
09:11nikes listen no need once i devour a faint smile you won't have a choice you'll keep me
09:25you hit me over her that's the headmaster's spirit wolf you idiot it's an academy asset
09:31ness stopped throwing a fit and followed me like a loyal shadow the dorm area was quiet a few lower
09:36years told me seraphina had taken the frost wing to the back mountain turns out they were having a
09:40lover spat
09:43wipe that look off your face i've done nothing wrong do you know how many potions i've wasted
09:48on you i have nothing left for my own training i gave you everything and you're still not satisfied
09:54you want me to risk my life outside the academy for materials you're insane if you want me dead just
09:59say it rowan c reflin has already shifted and look at you you can't even speak stop scratching words in
10:09the dirt i'm done reading your pathetic notes in my last life i spent 10 years begging for a single
10:16glance from that bird now he was literally scratching love letters in the mud just to get seraphina to look
10:22at him the irony was delicious seraphina i've been looking for you the frost wing immediately
10:27scrambled to claw over the words on the ground when seraphina saw me with ness her face went pale
10:32then tight with forced calm what do you want rowan i patted ness's arm he let out a low amused
10:37chuckle
10:38dropped to one knee and let me sit on his leg his hand steady and possessive on my waist seraphina
10:43bit
10:43her lip her eyes glued to ness she completely forgot about the bird beside her i'm here to ask why
10:48you've been stalking my familiar the frost wings feathers flared in a jealous rage seraphina panicked
10:53no you've got it all wrong i was looking for you she's lying master she told me you snatched me
11:00away
11:00from her claimed i was rightfully hurt ness rested his chin on my shoulder acting like a kicked puppy
11:06i kissed his cheek a little pat as a reward then looked at seraphina beside her the frost wings
11:11pressed exploded he was livid finally seraphina realized what was happening you're trying to drive
11:16a wedge between us you started this game seraphina don't cry when i'm the one who finishes it
11:23if you touch my famil again i'll see you at the tribunal on the way back i was in a
11:27great mood
11:28ness however was strangely quiet as we entered the yard he grabbed my arm you know that bird don't
11:33you well we have a history a miserable one want to hear it no i'm ten thousand times better than
11:40that
11:40trash bird you're never bonding with anyone else period don't worry i'm a one venison kind of mage
11:46you gave me your loyalty i'll give you my word
11:59ten years vanished in a flash i climbed the ranks rising from a lowly neophyte to an elite arcanist
12:05then the former head of the beast taming hall suddenly went on a trip and the position fell into my
12:10lap
12:16professor whitmore told me we thought the frost wing would raise graymorrow's strength to a new level
12:22but even now there's no sign of him achieving his human form the faculty even tried pooling resources
12:29to fuel his evolution it's not enough i cut in graymarsh was small we didn't have the deep pockets
12:35of the top magic academies or the alchemy guild raising magical creatures took massive amounts
12:40of time and resources there was never a surplus but more importantly the frost wing couldn't be
12:45allowed to manifest i remembered the bloodbath from my last life i'd avoided that bird at all costs
12:51but i knew his kind a divine beast with a dark heart is a walking apocalypse i thought about killing
12:56him
12:57but every time i tried to warn nix or the headmaster about the future it was as if an invisible
13:01wall
13:01blocked my voice they couldn't hear a thing i said about my past life i could only watch him suppress
13:07him
13:09after all in my last life i didn't survive past this year
13:15i was so busy i barely had time for nix so he went off to find his own fun that
13:20evening before i even
13:21reached my front door the world spun nix had slung me over his shoulder like a sack of grain
13:26what are you doing now come on i'm taking you to see a show
13:36the show was seraphina and the frost wing arguing well more like a one-sided screaming match a loud
13:42speaker yelling at a mute don't you dare blame me i didn't took her that stick grayman did it
13:49right odd you fundy of late march i didn't force you to come to gray mark you said it was
13:55a good
13:55place to hone your magic if it weren't for you i'd be at the alchemy guild by now instead i'm
14:03stuck in
14:03this pathetic broke academy do you think i knew the monthly rations would be this meager
14:13fester hardhack tried to give you to rowan but you had to be arrogant you feel as the now she's
14:22the
14:22headmaster's golden child she's everything if you'd stayed with her you'd have ascended ages ago i
14:29clenched my fists so that was it i always wondered why the frost wing chose seraphina they'd known each
14:35other all along in my last life if i hadn't been the fool who bled for them it would have
14:40been someone
14:41else gray marsh was never a home to them it was a stepping stone the more i thought the colder
14:46my
14:46blood ran there are only two ways to break the soul bond the caster willingly severs it or the caster
14:52dies
14:56so i must die
15:01the frost wing was lurking outside my gate glaring at nix as he soaked in the spring nix was being
15:06his
15:06usual petty self shifting into human form just to mock the bird i didn't give the frost wing a second
15:10glance you're familiar aren't you why aren't you with seraphina while she trains nix followed my lead
15:17dripping wet and leaning against me yeah my mistress actually cares about me so she lets me
15:24rest why aren't you with yours he's decades older than me yet he says master like it's candy on his
15:30tongue i walked into the yard and glanced at the spring at least that girl's manipulative aura hadn't
15:35tainted my spring nix pressed closer his damp skin radiating heat i just wanted that bird to know there's
15:40no vacancy in this house or our relationship and what relationship is that his golden pupils shimmered with
15:46mischief we are whatever you desire us to be master something shifted behind us i went to turn
15:52but nix caught my face in his hands don't bother the trash bird flew away i need to know why
15:58he was
15:58here that bird is rotten to the core he's regretting his choices obviously he realizes he's stuck with
16:04a loser novice and wants back in your good graces i looked at the empty gate my gut told me
16:09it was more
16:10than that in this life i'd gone out of my way to avoid him if he wanted a new master
16:14he could have asked the
16:15faculty unless he's reborn too the thought sent a chill down my spine i teleported to the back mountain
16:21instantly the seal was intact thank god but then i saw them blue green feathers scattered near the array
16:27he'd been here he's too weak to break the seal now but he knows it exists only a handful of
16:33people
16:33knew about the abyssal monster sealed here my parents died protecting this place and in my last life
16:38i'd only ever shared that secret with one person the frost wing why was he here he hasn't even
16:45manifested yet there's no way he could survive letting the monsters out i'll have to watch him
16:49like a hawk this just got a lot more dangerous rumors started flying through the academy mostly
16:57about seraphina what annoyed me was that i got dragged into the crossfire anyone with eyes could
17:02see that seraphina and her familiar had hit a wall the frost wing was a high profile beast and at
17:08first
17:09seraphina lived for the attention he brought her now he refused to even enter her room and openly defy
17:14her commands she'd already made a fool of herself on the training grounds more than once the reason i
17:19was involved was simple while the frost wing rejected seraphina he started obsessively hovering around
17:24me every time i appeared he'd follow me like a lost puppy if looks could kill seraphina would have left
17:30me dead in a ditch a thousand times over little roba doesn't that bird remind you of the kind of
17:35guy who dumps you then realizes you were totally out of his lage and comes crawling back he ignored
17:40you when you were beneath him and now he can't get enough nix was currently coiled around my neck
17:45in his serpent form if i hadn't ripped him in time the professor's unicorn would have been his lunch
17:50the professor clutched her unicorn saying how terrifying though her eyes were twinkling with mischief
17:56since that girl can't afford to raise him anyway why don't i talk to her we'll find her a more
18:02suitable pet and just transfer the frost wing to you professor dawn the unicorn's human form a cute
18:08little girl finally had enough she clamped her hands over whitmore's mouth looking miserable
18:13please stop talking i patted nix to calm him down i'll pass i'd rather stay far away from the tribunal
18:20besides nikes is all i need besides nix is all i need whitmore looked disappointed but the bird
18:27clinging to you like this isn't a long-term solution a familiar estranged from its partner
18:32is worthless to the academy he's just a drain on seraphina she hasn't progressed past the novice
18:37stage in 10 years the faculty is discussing sending her and the bird down the mountain for field training
18:42i knew exactly what the headmaster and the professors were doing they were protecting me they had also
18:47officially given up on the frost wing this was largely thanks to the terrifying combat power nix
18:51displayed the leviathan clan is born for war together he and i could even hold our own against
18:56high-level professors when seraphina heard the academy wanted her to leave for field training
19:03she burst into tears on the spot gray marsh might not be rich but it never mistreats its students
19:07she'd finally found a place that offered protection there was no way she was going back to a life on
19:12the
19:12road she even managed to convince herself this was all my idea in her head i was trying to drive
19:16her out just so i could claim the frost wing for myself in front of the professor she left like
19:21her world was ending refusing to budge an inch if rowan wants the frost wing she only have to ask
19:27she's an upperclassman of course i'd say yes but if she takes my bird shouldn't she give me necks in
19:33return trading a mutt serpent for a pure blood frost wing no matter how you look at it she'd be
19:40getting
19:40the better end of the bargain the headmaster shut her down instantly uh miss vos let's just focus on
19:49you and your bird shall we we won't be entertaining any creative trades today all of this was relayed to
19:58me later while they were dealing with seraphina's drama i was at the beast taming hall investigating a
20:02series of strange disappearances any magical creature that was unbonded or too wild to tame was kept here
20:07but yesterday two kelpies and a unicorn had vanished into thin air the warden looked ready to break down
20:13i reinforced the wards myself if anything had tampered with the locks i would have felt it
20:19but last night nothing not a single ripple in the manor it wasn't abyss and monsters i don't smell their
20:28filth here i don't smell their filth here the beast taming hall is carved directly into the mountain the
20:33rock itself is enchanted with heavy anti-magic wards teleportation and phasing spells are useless here
20:38only those carrying the academy's sigil can pass through to steal three large creatures without a
20:42sound the thief had to be someone who knew gray martian side and out i was still running through the
20:46list of suspects when i heard the curator using a high-pitched baby voice to comfort a trembling pixie
20:51don't be scared big brother nikes only looks fierce he won't eat you i promise that one sentence made
20:58everything click professor do magical creatures ever kill their own kind what a terrifying thing to say
21:07these creatures are sentient they would never oh it's okay pixie it's okay humans kill their own kind
21:14magical creatures are no different there's a type of forbib and sorry do you want to hear the details wild
21:20magical creatures don't have potions to rely on they want to ascend the ultimate shortcut is the
21:24magic train essence ten years ago nikes nearly died at the hands of one of those monsters the higher the
21:29rank of the target the swifter the dark wizard gains power once they get a taste for it they never
21:34stop
21:35that night we set an ambush at the beast hang hall but the night passed in silence nothing happened
21:43a student came running toward us his face pale as a ghost nix shifted into a serpent form
21:58and carried me straight there his pupils narrowed into sharp slits i smell blood we heard the gut
22:04wrenching sobs it was one of the first years i'd been coaching he'd come to gray morph with a tiny
22:09kitten
22:09familiar now he was cradling a blood-soaked clump of fur wailing in a voice that broke my heart you
22:14were right it was a professional hit gutted for its core and killed in a single strike it didn't even
22:17have time to scream the kid only ran out after he felt the soul bond snap but by then it
22:21was too late
22:23my heart tightened with a cold fury instinctively my eyes searched for the frost wing he was standing
22:29obediently beside seraphina my vision blurred with rage don't look it was him how can you be so sure
22:36i know the stench of a dark wizard that bird reeks of it i reported everything to the headmaster
22:44he listened in grim silence then finally looked up we can't alert him yet we need to catch him
22:49red-handed keep a close watch on him and wait for his next move but from that day on the
22:55bird went
22:56silent not a single creature went missing for two long years but nex could still smell the stench of a
23:02dark sorcerer on that bird night fell and i was meditating inside suddenly a pair of blood red
23:08eyes flashed past my window a chill raced down my spine i rushed outside into the silence the moon was
23:14thin the spring was calm but where was nice i ran to the water's edge a single blue green feather
23:20floated on the surface it was an invitation find me and maybe i'll give him back i focused sensing the
23:26bond the back mountain the seal what the hell was that bird trying to do the moment i teleported in
23:32a violent shock wave of mana nearly knocked me off my feet nox and the frost wing were locked in
23:38a
23:38vicious duel i froze when had the bird attained his human form he stood there in robes of teal
23:43dodging nox's strikes with effortless grace and beside the ceiling array sat seraphina she looked like
23:50a discarded marionette i stepped closer horror clawing at my throat she was bleeding from every orasis
23:55her eyes wide with a lingering frozen terror her abdomen had been gutted her magical essence ripped
24:01out and stolen nox get back here stay away from him nox faltered the second he heard my voice
24:07taking a direct hit from the bird he stumbled back to me clutching his shoulder and looking at me with
24:14those damn puppy dog eyes the frost wing hissed in rage you did that on purpose nex bared his fangs
24:20on purpose you're the one who's rotten to the core killing your own binder wasn't enough you had to
24:26come after mine too if i hadn't followed your trail she'd be dead by now so those red eyes at
24:32my window
24:32had been his he ignored nix and turned to me his gaze burning rowan you were reborn too weren't you
24:39i stared back at him cold as the abbess what do you really want let me guess
24:46you came back on the day of the right that's why you rejected me tell me rowan what gave you
24:51the
24:51nerve to choose that snake over me his face twisted into something monstrous fine if we can't have this
24:58life we'll try the next i'll break the seal let the monsters out and we can restart this whole nightmare
25:04together but next time i won't give that snake a chance save your fake devotion
25:13the frost wing smiled too late i'm only one step away his hand moved rooms flaring behind his back
25:20the mountain grown the abyssal monsters sensed the array loosening the ground groaned and trembled under
25:25their growing agitation at that moment a massive bolt of lightning tore through the clouds gathering right
25:31above the bird's head beams of light erupted from the peaks of gray marsh as the academy's defense
25:36systems flared to life the headmaster's voice cut through it hold the line i'll reseal the breach
25:46lightning above a tide of monsters below and yet the frost wing showed no fear rowan it's over
25:53you can't stop it just come with me to the next life i died here once same sky same beard
25:59i couldn't breathe
25:59i promise this time i'll give you everything and a warm heavy hand landed on my shoulder nick
26:06let out of course sharp laugh taking her try nick stepped in behind me lifting it just slight like this
26:17steadying the wand adjusting the angle focus his voice dropped low steady don't fight it
26:25the tremor in my hand slowed say it the wand flickered his grip tightened i guess and then
26:32his voice dropped over mine the wand flared light burst from the tip winding violent a barrier surged
26:40outward tearing through the air the barrier held his hand still over mine i didn't pull away then the
26:50ground cracked again something below slammed against the barrier harder this time my grip tightened
26:56instinctively no his fingers pressed tighter over mine guiding the wand forward we're not done the
27:03fight's just starting stay with me nick shifted into his massive serpent form and launched his attack
27:09i immediately wove my seals to cast a heavy shield over him every familiar has its own nature and a
27:14mage must adapt to match a leviathan is built for war so the caster must master defense a spirit fox
27:21is
27:21built for deception requiring mastery of illusions a frost wing is built for speed it needs a partner
27:27who can keep up in my last life my skills were wasted i was a shield maiden trying to catch
27:32a bird that
27:33didn't want to be caught but now fighting alongside mix i finally understood that a binder and their
27:38familiar are more than just owner and servant they are partners someone you can trust with your life
27:44a traitorous beast who kills its own kin would never understand that nix pressed forward with
27:49further efficiency herding the frost wing directly into the strike zone divine lightning coiled in the
27:54sky like a massive silver dragon ready to descend at first the frost wing relied on his pure blood
28:00arrogance assuming a mutt like nix could never defeat him but a hundred strikes later his face went pale
28:06nix was hitting every vital point with lethal precision while the bird couldn't even put a
28:10dent in nix's shield he finally realized the truth i wasn't going to die in a monster's jaws today like
28:16he'd planned he completely snapped no this is wrong you're supposed to die we're supposed to die together
28:23i stopped weaving my seals nix flashed back to my side in a heartbeat looking down at the bird with
28:29a
28:29mocking grin the frost wing froze realizing he was standing alone in the center of the array
28:33i raised my hand and pointed to the heavens i gave him one last smile see you never a pillar
28:39of
28:40lightning thick as a wall lord down and struck him dead center he didn't even have time to scream
28:45before he was erased from existence just like that he was nothing but ash in the wind
28:51with the frost wing gone the real nightmare began the monsters in the back mountain were on another level
28:57they couldn't be killed only seal especially the abyssal dragon the previous headmaster gave his
29:02soul to anchor the seal and even then he barely managed to cage her she's been stewing in her
29:07own rage for a century the second she breaks free she'll level this academy to the ground the current
29:13headmaster and the professors were working frantically but the seal was cracking faster
29:17than they could repair it the freezing chill of the abyss was already crawling under my skin
29:21nix was leaning against a tree teasing me about his reward for the fight when he suddenly froze he
29:27stared into the heart of the forbidden forest his eyes sharp and predatory what is that he asked the
29:33abyssal dragon i replied my voice trembling his face turned grave wait for me out here i have to go
29:40in
29:40i caught his hand before he could move i'm going with you he frowned rowan it's a death trap in
29:46there i
29:47know i said looking him dead in the eye in my last life i died right here i watched the
29:52frost wing shield
29:53seraphina and fly away leaving me to be torn apart by the monsters i tightened my grip on his hand
29:59i'm not letting history repeat itself i'm not leaving you
30:04nix and i charged headlong into the shattered seal the forbidden forest was a graveyard of toxic mist
30:10thousands of eyes tracked our every move from the shadows hungry and cold nix was no longer the
30:15little snake on my wrist he had shifted into his true form a massive lethal serpent the abyssal
30:20monsters had lost their minds to the darkness but instinct still screamed at them to keep their
30:25distance from him i clung to his back whispering what exactly are we looking for his voice rumbled
30:30through his massive chest the dragon i nearly lost it i followed him straight into the jaws of death
30:38without even asking for the itinerary then he added softly rowan i can smell my mother here i'd always
30:45assumed he was just a hybrid part sea serpent part siren he never spoke of his past and i never
30:51pushed
30:51now i knew the truth he had sea serpent blood yes but his mother was a literal ancient dragon
30:57no wonder he fights like a god and sings like a dying toad he told me his mother wasn't always
31:03a
31:03monster two centuries ago a dark mage ripped the magical essence from his father's chest consumed by
31:09grief and vengeance she lost herself to the darkness and fell into the abyss i didn't have the words to
31:14comfort him all i could do was lean forward and press a hand to his scales but there was no
31:19time
31:19for heart to hearts the monsters around us were starting to close in their patience wearing thin
31:24nick set me down shifting back into human form we stood back to back a circle of two against the
31:29dark
31:30rowan he said his voice tight if things go south i'm going to throw you out of here don't look
31:36back
31:36just run in that moment the fear vanished i looked at the horde and felt a strange calm
31:41if the frost wing was right and i can just start my life after i die maybe that wouldn't be
31:47so bad
31:48i felt him stiffen i leaned my head against his shoulder but you told me i can only ever have
31:53one
31:53family max i took that seriously if you don't want to watch me get eaten alive then you'd better fight
31:59like hell to keep me standing the abyssal monsters had been warped by the void for too long they were
32:07barely recognizable anymore just walking piles of teeth and homicidal instinct they swarmed us in a
32:12frenzy forcing us onto a desperate defense nax batted away a spray of toxic venom his voice thick with regret
32:22this is on me i let my heart get in the way i just wanted to see her one last
32:28time suddenly i went
32:30turdy nax whipped around his face pale with alarm thinking i'd been hit but then he saw it too the
32:38monsters that had been clawing at us just seconds ago vanished in an instant the silence was deafening
32:44through the shifting fog two blood red beacons ignited she was a mountain of scales and rage every
32:51breath she exhaled it tore through the fog like a hurricane beneath the scales a woman's face
32:58a horrific mask the second she caught our scent she lunged her massive jaws open to swallow the world
33:04i wanted to scream to run but my limbs were led in two lifetimes i had never stood before a
33:12true god
33:13this wasn't just fear it was a primal dread etched into my very soul but the killing blow never came
33:20nyx stepped in front of me shielding me with his body mother stop don't hurt her
33:28it's me it's ness
33:31n-ness the crimson in her eyes flickered little nine end this kill me the dragon exhaled the magical essence
33:40a shimmering pulsing orb of pure power and motioned for nyx to shatter it he caught the crystal those
33:46hands strong enough to crush mountains were now trembling unable to break a single fragile stone
33:51he looked at his mother with pleading in his eyes
33:54i can't the dragon was fighting for every second of control her body jerking as the darkness tried to
34:01pull her back under dot the core slipped from nyx's shaking hands and floated toward me good child
34:10you do it i caught the crystal my heart racing the course power slammed into me a bolt of pure
34:16lightning raw energy began tearing through my veins like wildfire a warm hand covered mine i looked up
34:22and saw tears streaming down nyx's face the first time i had ever seen him cry he looked at the
34:27dragon
34:27one last time his grip on my hand tightening with resolve goodbye mother with a sharp crystal and crack
34:34the core shattered in my palm the dragon let out a long final breath at last i can sleep
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