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