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