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00:00I finally got the rarest magic core for you.
00:05You've worked hard.
00:19After rebirth, I abandoned the mighty Phoenix as my magical pet.
00:23Instead, chose an almost dead little black snake in my past life.
00:27I'd hunted rare ingredients for Phoenix,
00:28pouring every resource I had into his growth.
00:31He cheated with my sister behind my back.
00:33Finally, to make their little love story easier, they killed me together.
00:36This time around, I wanted to see how that perfect couple managed without me as their stepping stone.
00:41The same packed ceremony.
00:42Even caged with a suppression collar, he held his head high, like the rest of us were beneath him.
00:47As expected, the ceremony elder assigned him to me.
00:50The Phoenix tilted its head back and rolled its eyes.
00:53Just like in its previous life, its face full of disdain.
00:55That was when my sister Evelyn walked in, cradling a limp little black snake in her palms, tears rolling down
01:01her cheeks.
01:02My sister was too weak.
01:03Phoenix fell in love with her pitiful appearance immediately, which made me look like the villain standing between them.
01:09The ceremony elder shifted awkwardly and turned on Evelyn.
01:11Your power isn't strong enough. Even if the Phoenix is drawn to you now, you won't be able to handle
01:17him.
01:18She didn't react, instead pretended to be scared by my gaze, bit her lip with tears down.
01:22Lila, I know I have no right to compete with you. It's just, I've never seen a golden Phoenix before.
01:28I didn't have the patience to listen to her feigned weakness.
01:31I reached out and lifted the limp black snake from her hands, smiled at the ceremony elder.
01:35I've taken a liking to this one. The Phoenix clearly doesn't want me. Why not let her have him? I'll
01:41take the snake.
01:42The others thought I'd lost my mind. They pulled me aside.
01:45You're the strongest here. This black snake has a mixed bloodline. He's basically worthless.
01:50But I knew the truth about that Phoenix. He was no prize. In my last life, in my past life,
01:55scene had played out exactly the same way.
01:57The Phoenix ignored me. I felt the sting of being rejected for the first time in my life.
02:02And instead of thinking clearly, I thought, he's so hard to get. I'm obsessed.
02:06As the Archmaster's student, I was supposed to be an example to the others.
02:10I told myself I had to tame the Phoenix, strengthen the Spirit Pact Academy. So I threw everything I had
02:16at him.
02:16Every student got a limited ration of elixirs. So I took assassin missions, hunting rogue creatures, the kind that had
02:22lost their minds and turned feral, to earn extra elixirs.
02:26I came back bleeding every time. The Phoenix pretended not to notice. He only came near me when I pulled
02:31out elixirs, took what he wanted, and walked away.
02:34Ten years. I spent ten years helping him break through his limits and take human form. When he finally did,
02:40he was stunning. Tall, sharp-featured. But the warmth stopped there.
02:44He always treated me like I was his errand girl. I told myself it was fine. Creatures with strong bloodlines
02:49had pride.
02:50One day, he'd recognize what I'd given him. One day, we'd fight side by side, and I wouldn't have to
02:55face those feral creatures alone.
02:56Then one day, I saw him kiss my sister passionately. She was laughing, dancing around him. A fellow student rode
03:03past on her white tiger, saw them in the distance, and shook her head at me.
03:07Liar. You really need to stop asking Evelyn to look after the Phoenix when you go on contracts.
03:12When did I ever ask her that?
03:14She says it every time you leave.
03:16I saw stars. I'd been out there risking my life, and she was back here cheating with my things.
03:21Doesn't she have her own creature?
03:23That little black snake died in its second year.
03:26Then it clicked.
03:27I'd spent ten years sewing a wedding dress for someone else.
03:30I wasn't some gentle, forgiving heroine.
03:33Turned on Evelyn.
03:33It enraged the Phoenix.
03:35As punishment, he lured me to the back forest under false pretenses.
03:38Then broke open the wards keeping it sealed.
03:41The creatures trapped inside started pouring out.
03:43And among them was one that had fallen into complete madness.
03:46A Leviathan.
03:47The Phoenix joined forces with my sister to shoot me down the cliff.
03:50In the end, I died in the beast head.
03:52And I could only watch Evelyn snuggle up beside it.
03:55So this time around, I wasn't going to be anyone's sacrifice.
03:58I just wanted to see what this couple would do next.
04:00The Phoenix held onto Evelyn tightly, refusing to let go.
04:04The elder sighed and spirit-packed academy the pact circle drawn.
04:07Once a creature bonded with someone, they were bound to that person's commands.
04:11Harm the bonded partner, and the creature suffered for it.
04:14The bonding ritual's energy agitated the black snake.
04:17He wound himself around my arm with everything he had.
04:20Evelyn got the Phoenix and was clearly thrilled.
04:22Then she looked at the snake clinging to me.
04:24You and that serpent really do seem meant for each other, Lyra.
04:27She was very smug.
04:28Had she also been reborn?
04:29Watch your tongue, Evelyn.
04:31If Lyra hadn't stepped in for you, you'd never have gotten the Phoenix.
04:34If I were you, I'd be on my knees thanking her.
04:36Oh, stop.
04:37She's crying again.
04:39Always crying.
04:40You'd think she was the tragic one.
04:41The Phoenix paced anxiously while Evelyn sniffled.
04:44Anxious didn't help him.
04:46Evelyn had almost no power at this stage.
04:48The creatures shared energy with their bonded partners, but Evelyn's reserves were basically empty.
04:54Probably the first time in either life that the Phoenix had been on the losing side of a situation.
04:59Good.
05:00He'd adjust.
05:01This was the consequence of choosing weakness and cheating.
05:05The black snake, finally convinced I wasn't abandoning him, went limp and passed out in my arms.
05:11Back home, I finally got a good look at the snake.
05:14He was tiny.
05:15Couldn't have been more than a few decades old.
05:18Barely passed the threshold of maturity.
05:20But he was strange.
05:22Different from the serpents I knew.
05:24Water serpents had snake-like tails.
05:26This one had a tail more like a fish, with a fin.
05:29Mixed bloodline.
05:31Serpent and something older.
05:33Seafolk, maybe.
05:34I had a natural spring in the courtyard.
05:36The moment he hit the water, he came alive.
05:39Diving and surfacing.
05:41Pulling in energy from the current.
05:43I laughed.
05:44Relax.
05:45I fed a golden phoenix for ten years.
05:47I think I can manage one little snake.
05:49He froze.
05:50And stared at me with those tiny green eyes.
05:53Then he spat water at my face.
05:55I flicked him on the head.
05:57Heal up.
05:58You're not going anywhere.
05:59The next morning I woke up wrong.
06:01I turned my head and found a face three inches from mine.
06:05Dark lashes.
06:06Warm skin.
06:07The kind of face that belonged in a painting.
06:10Long lashes that trembled slightly.
06:12Objectively gorgeous.
06:14Didn't stop me from nearly jumping out of my skin.
06:16He'd gotten into bed without waking me.
06:19Whoever this was.
06:20His power was well above mine.
06:22He stirred.
06:24Opened gold slit eyes.
06:25And looked at me.
06:26I scrambled to the corner.
06:28Who are you?
06:29This is Spirit Pact Academy grounds.
06:31Don't try anything.
06:32He sat up.
06:33I noticed he was wearing the clothes I'd set aside for when a creature took human form.
06:38A dark fitted robe with a subtle pattern.
06:40He wore it well.
06:42He was tall.
06:43He'd had to curl up to fit in my bed.
06:45Under those long lashes were a pair of gold vertical pupil eyes.
06:49The answer was obvious.
06:50Snake?
06:51He smirked.
06:52Reached out.
06:53And flicked me on the forehead.
06:55Rude.
06:55I have a name.
06:57It's Kieran.
06:57Kieran, it turned out, had been fleeing an enemy when he crossed paths with my tutor.
07:02He'd taken the form of a small, injured serpent.
07:05My tutor, true to form, had taken him in.
07:08Kieran clearly hadn't been injured because he was weak.
07:10Please tell me your enemies aren't about to show up here.
07:13We're bonded now.
07:15You're the master.
07:16I'm your mate.
07:17So I suggest you train hard and try not to slow me down.
07:21He taught me a breathing and absorption technique developed for serpent kind.
07:24Most days I sat in the spring practicing.
07:26While Kieran sprawled in the tree above me, watching with half-closed eyes.
07:30The breeze moved his hair and caught the light on his skin.
07:33Evelyn appeared at my gate, peering in.
07:35I sighed and got out of the spring.
07:37Kieran dropped from the tree and draped a dry robe over my shoulders without being asked.
07:42Who is this?
07:43You remember him?
07:44The little black snake from the bonding ceremony.
07:47You said yourself we seemed meant for each other.
07:49A flicker of something crossed her face.
07:52What do you want?
07:52This is training time.
07:54I was hoping we could raise the phoenix together.
07:57Kieran's hand tightened on mine.
07:59I glanced at him.
08:00He was watching me, clearly unhappy.
08:02I'm not your backup plan.
08:04Figure it out yourself.
08:05How is it not your responsibility?
08:07You took the black snake and left me with the phoenix.
08:10You don't get to just walk away.
08:12Half a year's gone by and I've given him every elixir I had.
08:16There's nothing left for my own training.
08:17And I was in the lower ranks.
08:19I can't go hunting rare ingredients.
08:21I'd die out there.
08:22You bonded with the phoenix first.
08:23You should be helping.
08:24I cut her off mid-sentence, sent a gust of air to push her back through the gate, and
08:29led Kieran inside.
08:30Little sister, don't mistake everyone for a fool.
08:33I'm not spending my resources raising your creature for you.
08:36If you can't afford to keep him, dissolve the bond.
08:39Let someone else take him.
08:40I'm sure the elders would be happy to.
08:42She wouldn't do that.
08:43Her ambitions were too big.
08:45Weeks passed.
08:45I broke through to a new level of power, what those in the Spirit Pact Academy called
08:50Fourth Circle Stage.
08:52At the same time, the Archmaster arranged for me to escort a rare spirit fox to the Spirit
08:58Pact Academy, alongside Elder Celia, who was about three centuries older than me, and
09:04acted like a kid half the time.
09:06I sweet-talked her through the handover to the creature registry, and she settled for it.
09:10Before she left, she pressed her hand over her mouth to hide a smile.
09:14Your little serpent is very clingy, you know.
09:18I didn't understand until I started up the mountain path, and saw a silhouette leaning
09:22against a tree in the distance.
09:25He didn't move.
09:26When I got closer, he reached out and grabbed the back of my neck.
09:29Lyra, am I not good to you?
09:31Why are you trying to give me away?
09:33What are you talking about?
09:34That girl came to the courtyard today, said you sent her to check on me.
09:38Did you change your mind about bonding with me?
09:40You hit Fourth Circle and now you're done with me?
09:43Same playbook, different life.
09:45Before I could explain, Kieran's pupils contracted to thin lines.
09:49He bent his head and pressed his face into my neck.
09:52His tongue brushed the skin there.
09:54Light.
09:55Quick.
09:56I shivered hard.
09:57Smells like fox.
09:59Lyra, did you already find yourself a replacement?
10:03Doesn't matter.
10:03Once I eat that fox, I'll be your only option.
10:07You hit me for her?
10:08That fox belongs to my Archmaster.
10:10You touch her and I will end you.
10:12Kieran stopped fighting me and let himself be pulled along.
10:16Most students weren't training, so the residences were quiet.
10:19A few people raised their eyebrows when they saw me coming.
10:22Short greetings.
10:23And then they told me, Evelyn had gone to the back forest with the phoenix.
10:27I frowned.
10:28I wasn't in the phoenix's way anymore.
10:31Why were they sneaking off to the forest?
10:33We found them mid-argument.
10:35Or rather, Evelyn was arguing and the phoenix, who still hadn't taken human form, was responding
10:41in scratched letters on the ground.
10:43Don't look at me like that.
10:44I've done nothing wrong.
10:46I didn't force you to come to the Spirit Pakt Academy.
10:49You said this place would help you grow.
10:51I've given you every elixir I had and you're still not satisfied?
10:56You want me to go out hunting rare ingredients?
10:58I just started training!
11:00You'd be sending me to die!
11:02I almost felt something.
11:04In my past life, he'd given me nothing for ten years.
11:08Not a glance.
11:09Not a word.
11:10Not a gesture.
11:11Now he was writing letters in the dirt.
11:13The contrast was something.
11:15Evelyn.
11:16I've been looking for you.
11:18The phoenix scrambles to erase the letters when he heard us.
11:21Evelyn pulled herself together fast, though not fast enough.
11:25What do you need, Lyra?
11:30I patted Kieran's arm.
11:32He gave me a long-suffering look, then dropped to one knee and let me settle onto it like a
11:37chair.
11:37His hands locked around my waist, steadying me.
11:41Evelyn's gaze locked onto Kieran and didn't move.
11:43I'm not here about anything in particular.
11:46Just wondering why you paid my companion a visit.
11:48The phoenix's feathers flared.
11:50Angry.
11:51Evelyn hadn't expected me to know so fast.
11:54No, you've got it wrong.
11:55I was just coming to find you.
11:57He rested his chin on my shoulder.
11:59She lied to me.
12:00She said you stole me from her.
12:02That I was supposed to be hers.
12:03And what did you do?
12:05She came into your territory without permission.
12:07She was weak.
12:08I didn't even use my power.
12:10Just pushed until she left.
12:11I patted his cheek.
12:13I stood and faced Evelyn directly.
12:15If I remember correctly, you didn't want Kieran in the first place.
12:18He was badly injured.
12:20If he'd ended up with you, he probably wouldn't have survived his second year.
12:24That's not true!
12:25I would have taken care of him.
12:27The phoenix's crest was fully raised now.
12:30She caught herself.
12:32You're trying to drive a wedge between me and the phoenix.
12:35I stepped forward and put my hand on her shoulder.
12:37You played your game, little sister.
12:40Don't act surprised when I play mine.
12:42Next time you pull something like this, you will get my punishment.
12:46She blanched.
12:47The council didn't forgive moves against another member's bonded creature.
12:51She couldn't risk it.
12:52On the way back, I was in a good mood.
12:55Kieran was quiet though.
12:57Wouldn't transform and carry me even when I asked.
13:00Once we were back in the courtyard, he grabbed my arm.
13:03You seem familiar with the phoenix.
13:04I didn't hide it.
13:05We have a history.
13:07It ended badly for me.
13:08Wanna hear it?
13:09He turned away, shifted into serpent form, and wound himself around my neck.
13:14No.
13:15I'm better than that bird by every measure.
13:18You're not going back to him.
13:20I won't have another mate.
13:22I promise.
13:24Days later.
13:26Laia, your growth rate is pathetic.
13:29Sharing energy with you is a form of suffering.
13:34My arch master said, I'm one of the most talented young members in a generation.
13:39All those rare materials and elixirs I found went into me this time.
13:43Not into the phoenix.
13:44Ten years passed.
13:46I moved steadily from fourth circle to sixth circle.
13:49Even the most mean elder Celia praised me.
13:51You are really a genius, Lyra.
13:54We all expected the phoenix to elevate the whole spirit-panned academy.
13:58But ten years in, there's still no sign of him breaking through.
14:03I'd expected this.
14:05Sustaining creatures took enormous resources.
14:07And the spirit-packed academy never had reserves.
14:10The phoenix couldn't break through.
14:12And in my past life, I'd seen exactly what happened when his patience ran out.
14:16I'd thought about removing him.
14:17Every time I tried to bring it up with my arch master or Kiran, it was like the words hit
14:22a wall.
14:23And acting unilaterally, killing the phoenix before anyone understood why,
14:27would have destroyed the spirit-packed academy from the inside.
14:31All I could do was watch him and contain him.
14:34Past that, I had no choice but to wait.
14:37My past life hadn't survived this year.
14:39I didn't know if this one would go differently.
14:41He stood there staring at Kiran, who was lazily floating in the spring in human form,
14:46making absolutely no effort to be welcoming.
14:48You have a bonded partner.
14:51Why are you at my gate?
14:53Right.
14:54What possible reason could you have for neglecting your own bonded partner
14:59to come stand outside someone else's home?
15:01Kiran climbed out, and immediately tried to lean against me.
15:04I don't worry you're near, I'll have to know this.
15:07I just want that bird to know, there's no space for him here.
15:12What exactly is here between us?
15:14That's entirely your call.
15:16The phoenix flew away.
15:18Kiran grabbed my face with both hands.
15:20He left.
15:21Can you stop worrying about him for five minutes?
15:23I have to know what he's doing.
15:24That bird has a dark heart.
15:26I don't trust him idle.
15:29He regrets it.
15:31Doesn't want to stay with your little sister anymore.
15:33I turned toward the gate, empty.
15:36But something in my gut told me the phoenix was off.
15:39There was no logical reason for him to come to me specifically,
15:43unless the phoenix had also been reborn.
15:46If that was true, then he knew about the back forest.
15:49He knew what was sealed there.
15:51He knew my parents had died there,
15:53which I'd only ever told him directly in my previous life.
15:56I didn't stop to explain to Kiran.
15:58I pulled out a slip and went straight to the forest wards.
16:01The wards were intact.
16:02I exhaled.
16:03Then I turned around and my stomach dropped.
16:05A handful of golden feathers lay near the edge of the barrier line.
16:09He'd been here.
16:10The phoenix had come back with knowledge he shouldn't have.
16:12The friction between Evelyn and the phoenix had gone public.
16:15He'd refused her commands in training sessions.
16:18Ignored her in front of others.
16:19Made her look incompetent in front of the whole yard more than once in recent weeks.
16:23The reason I kept getting dragged in was simpler and more aggravating.
16:26Every time I appeared, the phoenix drifted toward me.
16:29If looks could kill, Evelyn would have had me buried weeks ago.
16:33Elder Celia found the whole thing delightful.
16:35Her bird appeared at my shoulder one afternoon.
16:37You know what this reminds me of?
16:39One of those stories where the man realizes too late what he had.
16:43He freezes her out at the start and then spends the rest of the book chasing her.
16:48Oh dear.
16:49I could talk to the girl.
16:51Offer her a different creature.
16:53Something she could actually manage.
16:54And transfer the phoenix over to you.
16:57Quietly.
16:58No.
16:58I'm not going near the disciplinary council over this.
17:01Besides, I have Ciaran.
17:03That's enough.
17:04Celia looked genuinely mournful.
17:06Then she shifted to her real point.
17:08A creature pulling against its bonded partner is a problem for everyone.
17:13And Evelyn hasn't advanced the first stage in ten years.
17:16The elders have discussed sending her out on a field assignment a year or two away from
17:20the Spirit Pact Academy.
17:21Practical experience away from all of this.
17:23I understood what she wasn't saying.
17:26They'd given up on the phoenix as a resource for the Spirit Pact Academy.
17:29In the council hall, Evelyn made the whole thing into a production.
17:33She cried.
17:34She accused me of engineering her removal to take the phoenix.
17:37In front of all the senior elders, she made her counteroffer.
17:41If senior wants the phoenix, she should just say so.
17:44I won't stand in the way.
17:46But if she takes him, she gives me Ciaran.
17:49A mixed lineage serpent for a pure-blooded phoenix.
17:52Honestly, Lyra comes out a laugh.
17:55Which one, Evelyn?
17:56You focus on your phoenix and stop coming up with terrible ideas.
18:00While the elders dealt with Evelyn,
18:02I was at the creature registry with the head keeper, investigating a disappearance.
18:07Three had vanished overnight.
18:09Two small rabbits and a unicorn.
18:12I reinforced the gate myself before I left.
18:15Any disturbance at all and I would have felt it.
18:18There was nothing.
18:20Not a sound.
18:22Not a rogue creature.
18:24No trace of that energy anywhere.
18:26Right?
18:27I looked around.
18:28The registry was built into the mountainside.
18:31The rock face itself was warded.
18:33No slipping through the earth.
18:35No passing through walls.
18:37I was still thinking when the keeper started cooing at one of the deer.
18:40Don't be scared.
18:41Big Brother Serpent just looks mean.
18:44He won't eat you.
18:45That pulled something loose in my mind.
18:47I hesitated.
18:51Do creatures ever turn on each other?
18:53What a horrifying thing to say.
18:56They have awareness.
18:58They would never-
18:59Kieran slipped an arm around me and spoke low into my ear.
19:03People do terrible things to each other.
19:05Creatures aren't different.
19:06I've heard of a practice.
19:08A dark technique.
19:10Used by creatures who want to advance without resources.
19:12My skin had gone cold.
19:14Wild creatures had no access to elixirs or rare materials.
19:18If they wanted to grow in power fast, the most efficient shortcut was this.
19:23Consume the core of another creature.
19:25The higher the level of the creature they took from, the faster the gain.
19:30Kieran had nearly died at the hands of one practicing exactly that method ten years ago.
19:34Once it works, it will come back for more.
19:38We staked out the registry that night.
19:41Nothing happened.
19:41Quiet all the way until dawn.
19:43I reassured the keeper and headed out.
19:49Hallmaster, there's an incident at the residences.
19:51Kieran shifted, wrapped around me, and moved.
19:54When we landed, I didn't need to go inside to know it was bad.
19:57I could hear the crying from the courtyard.
19:59It was one of my newest students.
20:01A girl who'd come to the spirit-packed academy with his own creature.
20:04Fox.
20:05Soft and round and always sprawled in patches of sunlight.
20:08Kind of creature that made people smile just looking at it.
20:11She was sitting on the ground, holding what remained of her.
20:13Not much left.
20:14Your guess was right.
20:15The core was removed.
20:17One strike, clean.
20:18It happened before she could make a sound.
20:20She only noticed when she felt the bond break.
20:22I felt the cold settle in my chest.
20:25Without thinking, I looked around for the phoenix.
20:28He was standing beside Evelyn, still as a statue.
20:30The picture.
20:31Don't look.
20:32It's him.
20:35You're certain.
20:36I went to the archmaster.
20:37Don't move yet.
20:38You need proof.
20:39Catch him in the act.
20:41He said it with total gravity.
20:43Meanwhile, behind him, his courtyard had become a small zoo.
20:47Several of them had taken human form and were crowding around Kieran to ask about his parents' bloodlines.
20:52I keep all my creatures close.
20:54Your new firehound relieved himself on the floor.
20:57You could clean it up for your teacher.
20:59Absolutely not.
21:00The senior elders started watching the phoenix.
21:02Their eyes went to him more carefully during training.
21:05They noted that his power had grown noticeably in ways that weren't explained by his circumstances.
21:11Then, nothing.
21:11Weeks passed.
21:13No more disappearances.
21:14No incidents.
21:15Two weeks went by.
21:16The girl never quite recovered from losing his fox.
21:19The other students spoke about the disappearances less and less until the whole thing drifted
21:23into the category of strange spirit-packed academy legend.
21:27Something that had happened, maybe.
21:28Possibly.
21:29Nobody quite remembered the details.
21:30But I couldn't let it go.
21:32Kieran's certainty sat with me every day.
21:35I went to the Archmaster and asked to have the phoenix formally restricted.
21:39You think we don't see it?
21:40But without evidence, what do I tell the students?
21:43If I punish someone without proof, I lose the trust of the whole spirit-packed academy.
21:48And without that trust, the spirit-packed academy dissolves.
21:52Then, one night, while I was deep in meditation, something flashed past my window.
21:56A pair of red eyes.
21:58Bright.
21:58Gone in an instant.
22:00Where was Kieran?
22:00I moved to the water's edge.
22:02Floating on the surface.
22:03A single golden feather.
22:05An invitation.
22:06Or a taunt.
22:07Find me and I'll give him back.
22:08I reached out through the bond and found Kieran's location.
22:11The back forest.
22:12I hit the ground running.
22:13I arrived through the wards in a flash of light.
22:16And walked straight into a shockwave from two powers colliding.
22:20Kieran and the phoenix were already fighting.
22:22Fully committed.
22:23I went rigid.
22:25When had the phoenix broken through?
22:26True.
22:27He moved through the trees in a golden coat.
22:29Fast and precise.
22:31Ducking and redirecting Kieran's strikes.
22:33With the ease of someone who'd had longer to prepare for this moment.
22:37Beside the ward barrier, Evelyn sat perfectly still.
22:41Like a doll that someone had set down and forgotten.
22:43When I got close enough to see her clearly, my stomach turned over.
22:48Evelyn was dead.
22:50Her eyes were still open.
22:51Fixed in an expression of complete disbelief.
22:54Her abdomen had been cut open.
22:56Her core.
22:57The source of her power.
22:59The root she'd spent years building.
23:01Was gone.
23:02I hadn't even had time to process it.
23:05Before the sky above the forest went dark.
23:08Clouds banking hard and fast.
23:10Thunder starting low and rolling.
23:12Your bond lies.
23:14Harm your bonded partner.
23:15And the consequence comes down from the sky itself.
23:19He'd killed his own bonded partner.
23:21He'd lost his mind.
23:23A lightning judgment of this scale would leave nothing of him.
23:26All that power.
23:27All that scheming.
23:29And he'd thrown it away for this moment.
23:31I didn't bother playing it soft.
23:33You spent ten years plotting with Evelyn against the Spirit Pact Academy.
23:38You used every person here as a platform.
23:41And this life you had the chance to change and instead you gutted her for her core.
23:45The God is watching.
23:47Today it ends.
23:49Nick smiled.
23:50Cold and strange.
23:51Almost.
23:53One more step.
23:54His hands were already moving behind his back.
23:57Breaking the wards.
23:58The creatures locked in the forest felt the loosening.
24:01The ground shook.
24:03Thunder gathered directly above him.
24:05The Archmaster arrived in a streak of light from the peak.
24:08Lyra!
24:09Hold the creatures back.
24:12I'll work on resealing from out here.
24:14Lightning above.
24:16The forest breaking open below.
24:18The phoenix stood in the middle of it all.
24:20With a look of pure madness.
24:22And he turned it on me.
24:24Lyra.
24:25You can't stop this.
24:27Come die with me.
24:29I'll do better by you this time.
24:31I swear it.
24:32In my past life I had died in this exact forest.
24:35In this exact way.
24:37With no one at my back.
24:39I felt fear.
24:40That was honest.
24:41Old fear.
24:42The kind that lived in the body.
24:44Then a hand landed on my shoulder.
24:47Kieran.
24:48Eyes lit with the cold fire of someone who had never once considered losing.
24:52You want to take her down with you?
24:54He laughed once.
24:56Short.
24:56And sharp.
24:57Ask me first.
24:59You're nobody.
25:01Right.
25:02I had Kieran.
25:04This time.
25:04I wasn't fighting alone.
25:06Kieran pressed forward.
25:08And I covered him.
25:09He trusted me at his back without checking.
25:11I trusted him.
25:13To end what he started.
25:14Kieran wasn't breaking.
25:16And the phoenix couldn't find a way past him.
25:19Then he understood.
25:20I wasn't going to die here.
25:22The plan had failed.
25:23He broke.
25:25This isn't right.
25:26You're supposed to die.
25:27We're supposed to die together.
25:29I raised one finger.
25:30And pointed at the sky.
25:32Goodbye.
25:32The lightning came down in a column as wide as it was.
25:36The phoenix didn't scream.
25:38No rebirth for those taken by judgment.
25:41Final.
25:42And total.
25:43I finally got the rarest magic core for you.
25:48You've worked hard.
26:02After rebirth.
26:03I abandoned the mighty phoenix as my magical pet.
26:06Instead chose an almost dead little black snake in my past life.
26:10I'd hunted rare ingredients for phoenix.
26:12Pouring every resource I had into his growth.
26:14He cheated with my sister behind my back.
26:16Finally to make their little love story easier.
26:18They killed me together.
26:19This time around.
26:20I wanted to see how that perfect couple managed without me as their stepping stone.
26:24The same pact ceremony.
26:25The same standout.
26:27Undeniably that golden phoenix.
26:28Even caged with a suppression collar.
26:30He held his head high.
26:32Like the rest of us were beneath him.
26:33As expected.
26:34The ceremony elder assigned him to me.
26:36The phoenix tilted its head back and rolled its eyes.
26:39Just like in its previous life.
26:40Its face full of disdain.
26:42That was when my sister Evelyn walked in.
26:44Cradling a limp little black snake in her palms.
26:47Tears rolling down her cheeks.
26:48My sister was too weak.
26:50Phoenix fell in love with her pitiful appearance immediately.
26:52Which made me look like the villain standing between them.
26:55The ceremony elder shifted awkwardly and turned on Evelyn.
26:57Your power isn't strong enough.
27:00Even if the phoenix is drawn to you now.
27:02You won't be able to handle him.
27:04She didn't react.
27:05Instead pretended to be scared by my gaze.
27:07Bit her lip with tears down.
27:09Lila I know I have no right to compete with you.
27:11It's just.
27:12I've never seen a golden phoenix before.
27:14I didn't have the patience to listen to her feign weakness.
27:17I reached out and lifted the limp black snake from her hands.
27:20Smiled at the ceremony elder.
27:22I've taken a liking to this one.
27:24The phoenix clearly doesn't want me.
27:25Why not let her have him?
27:27I'll take the snake.
27:28The others thought I'd lost my mind.
27:30They pulled me aside.
27:31You're the strongest here.
27:32This black snake has a mixed bloodline.
27:35He's basically worthless.
27:36But I knew the truth about that phoenix.
27:38He was no prize.
27:39In my last life, in my past life, scene had played out exactly the same way.
27:44The phoenix ignored me.
27:45I felt the sting of being rejected for the first time in my life.
27:48And instead of thinking clearly, I thought,
27:50He's so hard to get.
27:51I'm obsessed.
27:52As the archmaster's student, I was supposed to be an example to the others.
27:56I told myself I had to tame the phoenix.
27:59Strengthen the spirit pact academy.
28:01So I threw everything I had at him.
28:03Every student got a limited ration of elixirs.
28:05So I took assassin missions.
28:07Hunting rogue creatures.
28:08The kind that had lost their minds and turned feral.
28:11To earn extra elixirs.
28:12I came back bleeding every time.
28:14The phoenix pretended not to notice.
28:16He only came near me when I pulled out elixirs.
28:18Took what he wanted.
28:19And walked away.
28:20Ten years.
28:21I spent ten years helping him break through his limits and take human form.
28:25When he finally did, he was stunning.
28:27Tall.
28:28Sharp featured.
28:29But the warmth stopped there.
28:30He always treated me like I was his errand girl.
28:33I told myself it was fine.
28:34Creatures with strong bloodlines had pride.
28:36One day he'd recognize what I'd given him.
28:39One day we'd fight side by side and I wouldn't have to face those feral creatures alone.
28:42Then one day, I saw him kiss my sister passionately.
28:46She was laughing, dancing around him.
28:48A fellow student rode past on her white tiger.
28:51Saw them in the distance and shook her head at me.
28:53Liar.
28:54You really need to stop asking Evelyn to look after the phoenix when you go on contracts.
28:59When did I ever ask her that?
29:00She says it every time you leave.
29:02I saw stars.
29:04I'd been out there risking my life and she was back here cheating with my legs.
29:08Doesn't she have her own creature?
29:09That little black snake died in its second year.
29:13Then it clicked.
29:14I'd spent ten years sewing a wedding dress for someone else.
29:17I wasn't some gentle forgiving heroine.
29:19Turned on Evelyn.
29:20It enraged the phoenix.
29:21As punishment, he lured me to the back forest under false pretenses.
29:25Then broke open the wards keeping it sealed.
29:27The creatures trapped inside started pouring out.
29:29And among them was one that had fallen into complete madness.
29:32A leviathan.
29:33The phoenix joined forces with my sister to shoot me down the cliff.
29:36In the end, I died in the beast half.
29:39And I could only watch Evelyn snuggle up beside it.
29:41So this time around, I wasn't going to be anyone's sacrifice.
29:44I just wanted to see what this couple would do next.
29:47The phoenix held onto Evelyn tightly, refusing to let go.
29:50The elder sighed and spirit-packed academy the pact circle drawn.
29:54Once a creature bonded with someone, they were bound to that person's commands.
29:57Harm the bonded partner, and the creature suffered for it.
30:00The bonding ritual's energy agitated the black snake.
30:03He wound himself around my arm with everything he had.
30:06Evelyn got the phoenix and was clearly thrilled.
30:08Then she looked at the snake clinging to me.
30:10You and that serpent really do seem meant for each other, Lyra.
30:13She was very smug.
30:14Had she also been reborn?
30:16Watch your tongue, Evelyn.
30:17If Lyra hadn't stepped in for you, you'd never have gotten the phoenix.
30:21If I were you, I'd be on my knees thanking her.
30:23Oh, stop.
30:24She's crying again.
30:25Always crying.
30:26You'd think she was the tragic one.
30:27The phoenix paced anxiously while Evelyn sniffled.
30:30Anxious didn't help him.
30:32Evelyn had almost no power at this stage.
30:34The creatures shared energy with their bonded partners, but Evelyn's reserves were basically empty.
30:40Probably the first time in either life that the phoenix had been on the losing side of a situation.
30:45Good.
30:46He'd adjust.
30:47This was the consequence of choosing weakness and cheating.
30:50The black snake.
30:52Finally convinced I wasn't abandoning him.
30:55Went limp and passed out in my arms.
30:57Back home, I finally got a good look at the snake.
31:01He was tiny.
31:02Couldn't have been more than a few decades old.
31:04Barely past the threshold of maturity.
31:06But he was strange.
31:08Different from the serpents I knew.
31:10Water serpents had snake-like tails.
31:12This one had a tail more like a fish, with a fin.
31:16Mixed bloodline.
31:17Serpent and something older.
31:19Seafolk, maybe.
31:20I had a natural spring in the courtyard.
31:23The moment he hit the water, he came alive.
31:25Diving and surfacing.
31:27Pulling in energy from the current.
31:29I laughed.
31:31Relax.
31:32I fed a golden phoenix for ten years.
31:34I think I can manage one little snake.
31:36He froze.
31:36And stared at me with those tiny green eyes.
31:39Then he spat water at my face.
31:41I flicked him on the head.
31:43Heal up.
31:44You're not going anywhere.
31:45The next morning, I woke up wrong.
31:47I turned my head and found a face three inches from mine.
31:51Dark lashes.
31:52Warm skin.
31:53The kind of face that belonged in a painting.
31:56Long lashes that trembled slightly.
31:58Objectively gorgeous.
32:00Didn't stop me from nearly jumping out of my skin.
32:03He'd gotten into bed without waking me.
32:05Whoever this was, his power was well above mine.
32:08He stirred.
32:10Opened gold slit eyes.
32:11And looked at me.
32:12I scrambled to the corner.
32:14Who are you?
32:15This is Spirit Pact Academy grounds.
32:17Don't try anything.
32:18He sat up.
32:20I noticed he was wearing the clothes I'd set aside for when a creature took human form.
32:24A dark fitted robe with a subtle pattern.
32:27He wore it well.
32:28He was tall.
32:29He'd had to curl up to fit in my bed.
32:31Under those long lashes were a pair of gold vertical pupil eyes.
32:35The answer was obvious.
32:37Snake?
32:38He smirked.
32:38Reached out.
32:39And flicked me on the forehead.
32:41Rude.
32:42I have a name.
32:43It's Kieran.
32:44Kieran, it turned out, had been fleeing an enemy when he crossed paths with my tutor.
32:48He'd taken the form of a small, injured serpent.
32:51My tutor, true to form, had taken him in.
32:54Kieran clearly hadn't been injured because he was weak.
32:56Please tell me your enemies aren't about to show up here.
33:00We're bonded now.
33:01You're the master.
33:02I'm your mate.
33:03So I suggest you train hard and try not to slow me down.
33:07He taught me a breathing and absorption technique developed for serpentkind.
33:11Most days I sat in the spring practicing, while Kieran sprawled in the tree above me, watching with half-closed
33:16eyes.
33:17The breeze moved his hair and caught the light on his skin.
33:19Evelyn appeared at my gate, peering in.
33:21I sighed and got out of the spring.
33:23Kieran dropped from the tree and draped a dry robe over my shoulders without being asked.
33:28Who is this?
33:30You remember him?
33:31The little black snake from the bonding ceremony.
33:33You said yourself we seemed meant for each other.
33:35A flicker of something crossed her face.
33:38What do you want?
33:38This is training time.
33:40I was hoping we could raise the phoenix together.
33:44Kieran's hand tightened on mine.
33:45I glanced at him.
33:46He was watching me, clearly unhappy.
33:48I'm not your backup plan.
33:50Figure it out yourself.
33:52How is it not your responsibility?
33:54You took the black snake and left me with the phoenix.
33:56You don't get to just walk away.
33:58Half a year's gone by and I've given him every elixir I had.
34:02There's nothing left for my own training.
34:04And I was in the lower ranks.
34:05I can't go hunting rare ingredients.
34:07I'd die out there.
34:08You bonded with the phoenix first.
34:10You should be helping.
34:11I cut her off mid-sentence.
34:12Sent a gust of air to push her back through the gate.
34:15And led Kieran inside.
34:16Little sister, don't mistake everyone for a fool.
34:19I'm not spending my resources raising your creature for you.
34:22If you can't afford to keep him, dissolve the bond.
34:25Let someone else take him.
34:26I'm sure the elders would be happy to.
34:28She wouldn't do that.
34:29Her ambitions were too big.
34:31Weeks passed.
34:32I broke through to a new level of power.
34:34What those in the Spirit Pact Academy called,
34:37Fourth Circle Stage.
34:39At the same time, the Archmaster arranged for me to escort a rare spirit fox
34:43to the Spirit Pact Academy alongside Elder Celia,
34:47who was about three centuries older than me and acted like a kid half the time.
34:52I sweet-talked her through the handover to the creature registry,
34:55and she settled for it.
34:57Before she left, she pressed her hand over her mouth to hide a smile.
35:01Your little serpent is very clingy, you know.
35:04I didn't understand until I started up the mountain path
35:07and saw a silhouette leaning against a tree in the distance.
35:10I hear it.
35:11He didn't move.
35:12When I got closer, he reached out and grabbed the back of my neck.
35:15Lyra, am I not good to you?
35:18Why are you trying to give me away?
35:19What are you talking about?
35:21That girl came to the courtyard today.
35:22Said you sent her to check on me.
35:24Did you change your mind about bonding with me?
35:26You hit Fourth Circle and now you're done with me?
35:29Same playbook, different life.
35:31Before I could explain, Kieran's pupils contracted to thin lines.
35:36He bent his head and pressed his face into my neck.
35:38His tongue brushed the skin there.
35:40Light, quick.
35:42I shivered hard.
35:43Smells like fox.
35:45Lyra, did you already find yourself a replacement?
35:49Doesn't matter.
35:50Once I eat that fox, I'll be your only option.
35:53You hit me for her?
35:54That fox belongs to my Archmaster.
35:57You touch her and I will end you.
35:58Kieran stopped fighting me and let himself be pulled along.
36:02Most students weren't training, so the residences were quiet.
36:05A few people raised their eyebrows when they saw me coming.
36:08Short greetings, and then they told me.
36:11Evelyn had gone to the back forest with the Phoenix.
36:14I frowned.
36:15I wasn't in the Phoenix's way anymore.
36:17Why were they sneaking off to the forest?
36:19We found them mid-argument.
36:21Or rather, Evelyn was arguing and the Phoenix, who still hadn't taken human form, was responding
36:27in scratched letters on the ground.
36:29Don't look at me like that.
36:30I've done nothing wrong.
36:32I didn't force you to come to the Spirit Pocked Academy.
36:35You said this place would help you grow.
36:38I've given you every elixir I had and you're still not satisfied?
36:42You want me to go out hunting rare ingredients?
36:44I just started training!
36:46You'd be sending me to die!
36:48I almost felt something.
36:50In my past life, he'd given me nothing for ten years.
36:54Not a glance.
36:55Not a word.
36:56Not a gesture.
36:57Now he was writing letters in the dirt.
36:59The contrast was something.
37:01Evelyn, I've been looking for you.
37:04The Phoenix scrambles to erase the letters when he heard us.
37:07Evelyn pulled herself together fast, though not fast enough.
37:11What do you need, Lyra?
37:17I patted Kieran's arm.
37:19He gave me a long-suffering look, then dropped to one knee and let me settle onto it like a
37:23chair.
37:24His hands locked around my waist, steadying me.
37:27Evelyn's gaze locked onto Kieran and didn't move.
37:30I'm not here about anything in particular.
37:32Just wondering why you paid my companion a visit.
37:35The Phoenix's feathers flared, angry.
37:37Evelyn hadn't expected me to know so fast.
37:40No, you've got it wrong.
37:42I was just coming to find you.
37:43He rested his chin on my shoulder.
37:45She lied to me.
37:46She said you stole me from her.
37:48That I was supposed to be hers.
37:50And what did you do?
37:51She came into your territory without permission.
37:53She was weak.
37:54I didn't even use my power.
37:56Just pushed until she left.
37:57I patted his cheek.
37:59I stood and faced Evelyn directly.
38:01If I remember correctly, you didn't want Kieran in the first place.
38:05He was badly injured.
38:06If he'd ended up with you, he probably wouldn't have survived his second year.
38:10That's not true!
38:11I would have taken care of him.
38:13The Phoenix's crest was fully raised now.
38:16She caught herself.
38:18You're trying to drive a wedge between me and the Phoenix.
38:21I stepped forward and put my hand on her shoulder.
38:24You played your game, little sister.
38:26Don't act surprised when I play mine.
38:29Next time you pull something like this, you will get my punishment.
38:32She blanched.
38:33The council didn't forgive moves against another member's bonded creature.
38:37She couldn't risk it.
38:38On the way back, I was in a good mood.
38:41Kieran was quiet though.
38:43Wouldn't transform and carry me even when I asked.
38:46Once we were back in the courtyard, he grabbed my arm.
38:49You seem familiar with the Phoenix.
38:51I didn't hide it.
38:52We have a history.
38:53It ended badly for me.
38:55Wanna hear it?
38:56He turned away, shifted into serpent form, and wound himself around my neck.
39:00No.
39:01I'm better than that bird by every measure.
39:04You're not going back to him.
39:06I won't have another mate.
39:08I promise.
39:10Days later.
39:12Laya, your growth rate is pathetic.
39:15Sharing energy with you is a form of suffering.
39:20My Archmaster said,
39:22I'm one of the most talented young members in a generation.
39:25All those rare materials and elixirs I found went into me this time,
39:29not into the Phoenix.
39:31Ten years passed.
39:32I moved steadily from fourth circle to sixth circle.
39:35Even the most mean Elder Celia praised me.
39:38You are really a genius, Lyra.
39:40We all expected the Phoenix to elevate the whole Spirit Panned Academy.
39:45But ten years in, there's still no sign of him breaking through.
39:49I'd expected this.
39:51Sustaining creatures took enormous resources,
39:53and the Spirit Panned Academy never had reserves.
39:56The Phoenix couldn't break through.
39:58And in my past life,
40:00I'd seen exactly what happened when his patients ran out.
40:02I'd thought about removing him.
40:04Every time I tried to bring it up with my Archmaster or Kiran,
40:07it was like the words hit a wall.
40:09And acting unilaterally,
40:11killing the Phoenix before anyone understood why,
40:14would have destroyed the Spirit Panned Academy from the inside.
40:17All I could do was watch him and contain him.
40:20Past that, I had no choice but to wait.
40:23My past life hadn't survived this year.
40:25I didn't know if this one would go differently.
40:27He stood there staring at Kiran,
40:29who was lazily floating in the spring in human form,
40:32making absolutely no effort to be welcoming.
40:35You have a bonded partner.
40:37Why are you at my gate?
40:40Right.
40:41What possible reason could you have for neglecting your own bonded partner
40:45to come stand outside someone else's home?
40:47Kiran climbed out,
40:48and immediately tried to lean against me.
40:51I don't worry you're near.
40:51I'll have to know this.
40:53I just want that bird to know there's no space for him here.
40:58What exactly is here between us?
41:00That's entirely your call.
41:02The Phoenix flew away.
41:04Kiran grabbed my face with both hands.
41:06He left.
41:07Can you stop worrying about him for five minutes?
41:09I have to know what he's doing.
41:10That bird has a dark heart.
41:12I don't trust him idle.
41:15He regrets it.
41:17Doesn't want to stay with your little sister anymore.
41:19I turned toward the gate.
41:21Empty.
41:22But something in my gut told me the Phoenix was off.
41:25There was no logical reason for him to come to me specifically.
41:29Unless the Phoenix had also been reborn.
41:32If that was true, then he knew about the back forest.
41:35He knew what was sealed there.
41:37He knew my parents had died there.
41:39Which I'd only ever told him directly.
41:41In my previous life.
41:42I didn't stop to explain to Kiran.
41:44I pulled out a slip and went straight to the forest wards.
41:47The wards were intact.
41:48I exhaled.
41:50Then I turned around and my stomach dropped.
41:52A handful of golden feathers lay near the edge of the barrier line.
41:55He'd been here.
41:56The Phoenix had come back with knowledge he shouldn't have.
41:58The friction between Evelyn and the Phoenix had gone public.
42:02He'd refused her commands in training sessions.
42:04Ignored her in front of others.
42:06Made her look incompetent in front of the whole yard more than once in recent weeks.
42:09The reason I kept getting dragged in was simpler and more aggravating.
42:13Every time I appeared, the Phoenix drifted toward me.
42:15If looks could kill, Evelyn would have had me buried weeks ago.
42:19Elder Celia found the whole thing delightful.
42:21Her bird appeared at my shoulder one afternoon.
42:23You know what this reminds me of?
42:25One of those stories where the man realizes too late what he had.
42:29He freezes her out at the start and then spends the rest of the book chasing her.
42:35Oh dear.
42:35I could talk to the girl.
42:37Offer her a different creature.
42:39Something she could actually manage.
42:41And transfer the Phoenix over to you.
42:43Quietly.
42:44No.
42:44I'm not going near the disciplinary council over this.
42:47Besides, I have Kieran.
42:49That's enough.
42:50Celia looked genuinely mournful.
42:52Then she shifted to her real point.
42:55A creature pulling against its bonded partner is a problem for everyone.
42:59And Evelyn hasn't advanced the first stage in ten years.
43:02The elders have discussed sending her out on a field assignment.
43:05A year or two away from the Spirit Pact Academy.
43:07Practical experience.
43:09Away from all of this.
43:10I understood what she wasn't saying.
43:12They'd given up on the Phoenix as a resource for the Spirit Pact Academy.
43:15In the council hall, Evelyn made the whole thing into a production.
43:19She cried.
43:20She accused me of engineering her removal to take the Phoenix.
43:23In front of all the Senior Elders, she made her counteroffer.
43:27If Senior wants the Phoenix, she should just say so.
43:30I won't stand in the way.
43:32But if she takes him, she gives me Kieran.
43:36A mixed lineage serpent for a pure-blooded Phoenix.
43:39Honestly, Lyra comes out a laugh.
43:41Which one, Evelyn?
43:42You focus on your Phoenix and stop coming up with terrible ideas.
43:47While the Elders dealt with Evelyn,
43:49I was at the creature registry with the head keeper.
43:51Investigating a disappearance.
43:54Three had vanished overnight.
43:55Two small rabbits and a unicorn.
43:58I reinforced the gate myself before I left.
44:01Any disturbance at all and I would have felt it.
44:05There was nothing.
44:07Not a sound.
44:08Not a rogue creature.
44:10No trace of that energy anywhere.
44:13Right?
44:13I looked around.
44:15The registry was built into the mountainside.
44:17The rock face itself was warded.
44:20No slipping through the earth.
44:21No passing through walls.
44:23I was still thinking when the keeper started cooing at one of the deer.
44:26Don't be scared.
44:28Big Brother Serpent just looks mean.
44:30He won't eat you.
44:31That pulled something loose in my mind.
44:34I hesitated.
44:37Do creatures ever turn on each other?
44:39What a horrifying thing to say.
44:42They have awareness.
44:44They would never-
44:45Kieran slipped an arm around me and spoke low into my ear.
44:49People do terrible things to each other.
44:51Creatures aren't different.
44:53I've heard of a practice.
44:54A dark technique.
44:56Used by creatures who want to advance without resources.
44:59My skin had gone cold.
45:00Wild creatures had no access to elixirs or rare materials.
45:04If they wanted to grow in power fast,
45:07the most efficient shortcut was this.
45:10Consume the core of another creature.
45:12The higher the level of the creature they took from,
45:14the faster the gain.
45:16Kieran had nearly died at the hands of one practicing exactly that method ten years ago.
45:20Once it works, it will come back for more.
45:25We staked out the registry that night.
45:27Nothing happened.
45:28Quiet all the way until dawn.
45:29I reassured the keeper and headed out.
45:35Hallmaster, there's an incident at the residences.
45:37Kieran shifted, wrapped around me, and moved.
45:40When we landed, I didn't need to go inside to know it was bad.
45:43I could hear the crying from the courtyard.
45:45It was one of my newest students.
45:47A girl who'd come to the spirit-packed academy with his own creature.
45:50Fox.
45:51Soft and round, and always sprawled in patches of sunlight.
45:54The kind of creature that made people smile just looking at it.
45:57She was sitting on the ground, holding what remained of her.
45:59Not much left.
46:00Your guess was right.
46:01The core was removed.
46:03One strike, clean.
46:04It happened before she could make a sound.
46:06She only noticed when she felt the bond break.
46:08I felt the cold settle in my chest.
46:11Without thinking, I looked around for the phoenix.
46:14He was standing beside Evelyn, still as a statue.
46:17The picture.
46:17Don't look.
46:18It's him.
46:21You're certain.
46:22I went to the Archmaster.
46:23Don't move yet.
46:24You need proof.
46:26Catch him in the act.
46:27He said it with total gravity.
46:29Meanwhile, behind him, his courtyard had become a small zoo.
46:33Several of them had taken human form, and were crowding around Kiran to ask about his parents' bloodlines.
46:38I keep all my creatures close.
46:41Your new firehound relieved himself on the floor.
46:43You could clean it up for your teacher.
46:45Absolutely not.
46:46The senior elders started watching the phoenix.
46:49Their eyes went to him more carefully during training.
46:51They noted that his power had grown noticeably, in ways that weren't explained by his circumstances.
46:56Then, nothing.
46:58Weeks passed.
46:59No more disappearances.
47:00No incidents.
47:01Two weeks went by.
47:03The girl never quite recovered from losing his fox.
47:05The other students spoke about the disappearances less and less,
47:08until the whole thing drifted into the category of strange spirit-packed academy legend.
47:13Something that had happened, maybe.
47:14Possibly.
47:15Nobody quite remembered the details.
47:17But I couldn't let it go.
47:18Kiran's certainty sat with me every day.
47:21I went to the Archmaster, and asked to have the phoenix formally restricted.
47:25You think we don't see it?
47:27But without evidence, what do I tell the students?
47:29If I punish someone without proof, I lose the trust of the whole spirit-packed academy.
47:34And without that trust, the spirit-packed academy dissolves.
47:38Then, one night, while I was deep in meditation, something flashed past my window.
47:42A pair of red eyes.
47:44Bright.
47:45Gone in an instant.
47:46Where was Kiran?
47:47I moved to the water's edge.
47:48Floating on the surface.
47:50A single golden feather.
47:51An invitation.
47:52Or a taunt.
47:53Find me and I'll give him back.
47:54I reached out through the bond and found Kiran's location.
47:57The back forest.
47:58I hit the ground running.
47:59I arrived through the wards in a flash of light.
48:02And walked straight into a shockwave from two powers colliding.
48:06Kiran and the phoenix were already fighting.
48:08Fully committed.
48:09I went rigid.
48:11When had the phoenix broken through?
48:13He moved through.
48:14He moved through the trees in a golden coat.
48:16Fast and precise.
48:17Ducking and redirecting Kiran's strikes.
48:20With the ease of someone who'd had longer to prepare for this moment.
48:23Beside the ward barrier, Evelyn sat perfectly still.
48:27Like a doll that someone had set down and forgotten.
48:30When I got close enough to see her clearly, my stomach turned over.
48:35Evelyn was dead.
48:35Her eyes were still open.
48:37Fixed in an expression of complete disbelief.
48:40Her abdomen had been cut open.
48:43Her core.
48:44The source of her power.
48:45The root she'd spent years building.
48:48Was gone.
48:48I hadn't even had time to process it.
48:51Before the sky above the forest went dark.
48:54Clouds banking hard and fast.
48:56Thunder starting low and rolling.
48:59The bond blocks.
49:00Harm your bonded partner.
49:02And the consequence comes down from the sky itself.
49:05He'd killed his own bonded partner.
49:07He'd lost his mind.
49:09A lightning judgment of this scale would leave nothing of him.
49:12All that power.
49:14All that scheming.
49:15And he'd thrown it away for this moment.
49:17I didn't bother playing it soft.
49:20You spent ten years plotting with Evelyn against the Spirit Pact Academy.
49:24You used every person here as a platform.
49:27And this life you had the chance to change and instead you gutted her for her core.
49:31The God is watching.
49:34Today it ends.
49:35Nick smiled.
49:36Cold and strange.
49:38Almost.
49:39One more step.
49:40His hands were already moving behind his back.
49:43Breaking the wards.
49:44The creatures locked in the forest felt the loosening.
49:47The ground shook.
49:49Thunder gathered directly above him.
49:51The Archmaster arrived in a streak of light from the peak.
49:54Lyra!
49:55Hold the creatures back!
49:58I'll work on resealing from out here.
50:01Lightning above.
50:02The forest breaking open below.
50:04The phoenix stood in the middle of it all.
50:06With a look of pure madness.
50:08And he turned it on me.
50:10Lyra.
50:11You can't stop this.
50:14Come die with me.
50:16I'll do better by you this time.
50:17I swear it.
50:18In my past life I had died in this exact forest.
50:21In this exact way.
50:23With no one at my back.
50:25I felt fear.
50:26That was honest.
50:28Old fear.
50:28The kind that lived in the body.
50:31Then a hand landed on my shoulder.
50:33Kieran.
50:34Eyes lit with the cold fire of someone who had never once considered losing.
50:39You wanna take her down with you?
50:40He laughed once.
50:42Short.
50:43And sharp.
50:43Ask me first.
50:45You're nobody.
50:47Right.
50:48I had Kieran.
50:50This time.
50:51I wasn't fighting alone.
50:52Kieran pressed forward and I covered him.
50:55He trusted me at his back without checking.
50:58I trusted him to end what he started.
51:00Kieran wasn't breaking.
51:02And the phoenix couldn't find a way past him.
51:05Then he understood.
51:06I wasn't going to die here.
51:08The plan had failed.
51:09He broke.
51:11This isn't right.
51:12You're supposed to die.
51:13We're supposed to die together.
51:15I raised one finger and pointed at the sky.
51:18Goodbye.
51:19The lightning came down in a column as wide as it was.
51:22The phoenix didn't scream.
51:24No rebirth for those taken by judgment.
51:27Final and total.
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