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Vengeance of the Reborn Prodigy -⭐🍉💚 FULL MOVIES ENGLISH SUB
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00:00Battlefield in Ruins. The ground trembles. Lava cracks open. After the war, I was the one who kept the Frostwing
00:07alive. The Frostwing shifts into a man. And the first thing he did was choose her. Serafina in his arms.
00:13They kiss. Serafina ss.my jr. The ground splits. Lava surges. She smiled at me.
00:20Thank you, senior. For raising him. For me. He turns back into a beast, lifting her onto his back. He
00:27didn't even look at me. He lowers his head. Lifts the heroin in his jaws. And somehow, I thought he'd
00:33save me. He lets go. I falls into lava. Ten years, just to raise someone else's mate. Eyes snap open.
00:40No. Bright hull. Crowd murmuring. Banners. Sigils.
00:45The binding royal. This place. The gray marsh binding right. My name is Rowan Ashford. Top of my class, the
00:52headmaster's ward, the academy's brightest prodigy. The Frostwing was the center of the hall, perched on a golden stand. His
00:58blue-green feathers glinting like ice. The bird's cold eyes passed over me as if I were nothing. Then Serafina
01:03stepped forward. In her arms lay a half-dead black sea serpent. Tears trembled on her lashes. And the Frostwing
01:09lowered his head to her. Just like that, I became the villain. Professor Hargrove frowned.
01:15Serafina, your arcane vessel is too weak. You can't handle a creature like that.
01:19Rowan, I was never trying to compete with you. I just...
01:23Then I'll take this one. Since the Frostwing likes her so much, she can have him.
01:28Has Rowan lost her mind?
01:29I ignored them. In my last life...
01:34I ignored them. In my last life, I gave that bird everything. In the end, he made me die. So
01:39this time, Serafina, he's all yours.
01:41Good luck raising that greedy beast. Professor Hargrove couldn't talk me out of it. But he looked sick to his
01:47stomach. Handing a legendary pureblood Frostwing. To a rookie transfer student with zero foundation? It was a criminal waste of
01:54potential. But the Frostwing acted like he was drugged.
01:57Clinging to Serafina as if he couldn't live without her. Afraid to hurt the bird, the Professor sighed and activated
02:03the rite. A soulbond is a leash. Once the contract is sealed, the familiar is bound to the caster's will.
02:09If it ever dares to harm its owner. The magical backlash is lethal. The ritual array flared to life. Runes
02:15pulsing with raw power. The sudden surge of magic terrified the sea serpent. With its last bit of strength. It
02:21coiled tightly around my wrist, desperate. As if afraid I'd change my mind and throw it back into the trash.
02:27In the opposite circle. Serafina basked in her moment of triumph. She looked at me and smirked.
02:32You and that snake really are a perfect match, Rowan. I didn't even have to open my mouth. My classmates
02:39did it for me.
02:40Watch your tongue, boss! If Rowan hadn't handed him to you on a silver platter!
02:44You wouldn't even be allowed to touch a Frostwing's feather!
02:48If I were you, I'd be kneeling in gratitude.
02:51Seeing Serafina get picked on. The Frostwing grew frantic, trying to shield her. But he failed. There was a problem.
02:57After a bond, a familiar shares its master's mana.
03:00And Serafina? She's a total amateur. What magic could she possibly give him? Get used to it, buddy.
03:07Life with a weak binder is a long, slow crawl. I looked down at the little serpent on my wrist.
03:12Finally sure that I wouldn't abandon it. It went limp and passed out in peace.
03:18Back at my house. I started studying my new familiar. He was tiny. By the looks of it.
03:24He had just reached maturity. But he wasn't like any sea serpent I'd ever seen.
03:28His tail was flat with a sleek fin, more like a fish. Most likely, he's a hybrid. Part sea serpent,
03:35part siren.
03:35My yard had a natural magic spring. The second I put him in, the little guy came back to life.
03:41Splashing around and greedily absorbing the mana from the water.
03:44You've got some nerve. Aren't you worried I'll poison you just to trade up for something better?
03:48He froze, staring at me with his tiny, bead-like eyes. Then, he spat water right in my face.
03:57I gave his head a playful flick.
03:59Fine, just focus on healing.
04:02I raised a frost wing. One little snake won't be a problem.
04:06The next morning, I opened my eyes and immediately froze.
04:09A man was in my bed. Sun-kissed skin. Dark lashes fluttering like butterfly wings.
04:15I shrank into the corner.
04:17Who are you?
04:18This is Grey Moth Academy. Don't even think about trying anything.
04:22He sat up lazily.
04:29The sea serpent?
04:32Rude. I have a name. It's Ness.
04:36Apparently, he'd been on the run from something trouble.
04:39And somehow, he ran straight into my Uncle Percy.
04:42You know Percy.
04:43The man has a gift for picking up treasures off the street.
04:46Broken clocks, cursed rings, apparently, dying snakes included.
04:49Nix had disguised himself as one, half-dad, barely breathing, just to get help.
04:53And Percy? He brought him home like he'd just hit the jackpot.
04:57The problem is, Nix isn't just anything.
04:59He can already manifest.
05:01Yes, which means his power is off the charts.
05:03And if he's this strong, then whatever's planting him?
05:07Yeah. Monsters.
05:10Great. Just great.
05:12Tell me something.
05:13Your enemies aren't going to track you here, right?
05:16Nix stepped closer.
05:17His golden eyes locked onto mine,
05:19pinning me against the wall like I had nowhere else to go.
05:21He smiled.
05:22We're bound now. A contract.
05:25Excuse me?
05:26You're the owner.
05:27And I'm your guardian.
05:28He leaned in, voice lowering.
05:31So master, you better start training.
05:35Try not to hold me back.
05:39Nix actually had some tricks up his sleeve.
05:41My magical essence was water-based, which perfectly complements his nature.
05:45He taught me an ancient spell weaving from the sea clans,
05:48to draw magic directly from the water.
05:50The results were incredible.
05:52Even the headmaster noticed my rapid progress.
05:54My new daily routine was simple.
05:56I'd soak in the magic spring to train,
05:59while Nix watched over me from the branches of the cherry tree.
06:01Under the sunlight, his bronze skin gleamed,
06:04his collar hanging open to reveal sharp collarbones.
06:07With his eyes narrowed in a lazy nap,
06:09he looked dangerously beautiful.
06:11The man was a total heartbreaker.
06:13But before I could enjoy the view,
06:15someone had to ruin the mood.
06:17Serafina poked her head through the gate.
06:19Rowan?
06:19I rose from the spring.
06:21Nix flipped down from the tree in one smooth motion,
06:24casually draping my cloak over my shoulders.
06:26The moment Serafina saw him, she froze.
06:30What are you doing here?
06:31She didn't answer.
06:32She was too busy staring at Nix.
06:34Who...
06:34Who is he?
06:36I took Nix's hand and gave her a thin smile.
06:39You remember him?
06:40The pathetic little black serpent from the right?
06:44Didn't you say he and I were a perfect match?
06:47Annoyance flashed in her eyes.
06:48Out with it.
06:50What do you want?
06:51She hemmed and hawed.
06:53I want you...
06:54to help me raise the frost wing.
06:56I felt Nix's grip on my hand tighten.
06:58I looked back,
06:59met his displeased gaze,
07:01and gave him a reassuring smile before turning back to her.
07:04If you can't afford him, figure it out yourself.
07:06I don't owe you a thing.
07:07What do you mean you don't owe me?
07:09Serafina snapped,
07:10her victim act finally slipping.
07:11Six months ago,
07:13you took my serpent and shoved that frost wing onto me.
07:16You don't get to just walk away from this.
07:18The audacity was breathtaking.
07:20It had been six months,
07:21and she'd finally realized the Academy's standard rations
07:24were a drop in the bucket for a pure blood beast.
07:27She'd spent all her own potions on him,
07:29and now her own arcane progress had stalled,
07:31while everyone else in her year had surpassed her.
07:34He is your responsibility!
07:36If a divine beast can't evolve,
07:37it's a loss for the whole Academy!
07:39I didn't wait for her to finish.
07:41With a flick of my wrist,
07:43a surge of mana swept her off her feet,
07:45and sent her tumbling out the gate.
07:48Don't treat everyone like a fool, Serafina!
07:51I called out as the gate slammed shut.
07:53Kind of martyr?
07:54Spend ten years doing the heavy lifting
07:56just so you can reap the rewards?
07:57If you can't afford him,
07:58cut him loose and stop hogging the spotlight.
08:03In just a few months,
08:04I transcended the senior ranks
08:06and was ordained as an arcanist.
08:07Right around then,
08:08the headmaster spent two top-tier artifacts
08:10to trade for a rare spirit wolf from the alchemy guild.
08:13He sent Professor Whitmore and me
08:15to escort the beast back to the Academy.
08:17When we arrived,
08:18she suddenly giggled.
08:19Little Rowan,
08:20your serpent certainly is a clingy one.
08:23I didn't catch her meaning
08:24until I headed up the mountain
08:25and saw a figure leaning against a tree by the path.
08:28Nyx?
08:29He didn't move.
08:30Then he grabbed me,
08:32fingers locking at the back of my neck,
08:34forcing me to look at him.
08:35Golden eyes burning.
08:36Rowan Ashford,
08:37have I not treated you well?
08:39His grip tightened.
08:40What are you talking about?
08:41That woman came by again today.
08:43She said you left me to her.
08:45Are you regretting our bond already?
08:47You're replacing me with another mate?
08:49Just because you've ascended?
08:50Nyx's pupils narrowed into thin lines.
08:53He bent down,
08:54burying his face in the crook of my neck,
08:55and gave the skin a slow, deliberate lick,
08:58then bared his fangs,
08:59his voice a low growl against my ear.
09:01The scent of a spirit wolf,
09:02your new mate?
09:03Nyx, listen.
09:04No need.
09:05Once I devour it.
09:07A faint smile.
09:08You won't have a choice.
09:09You'll keep me.
09:17You hit me?
09:18Over her?
09:18That's the headmaster's spirit wolf,
09:20you idiot.
09:21It's an academy asset.
09:22Ness stopped throwing a fit
09:23and followed me like a loyal shadow.
09:25The dorm area was quiet.
09:26A few lower years told me
09:27Seraphina had taken the frost wing
09:29to the back mountain.
09:30Turns out,
09:30they were having a lover spat.
09:34Wipe that look off your face!
09:36I've done nothing wrong!
09:37Do you know how many potions
09:39I've wasted on you?
09:40I have nothing left
09:41for my own training!
09:42I gave you everything
09:43and you're still not satisfied!
09:45You want me to risk my life
09:46outside the academy
09:47for materials?
09:48You're insane!
09:49If you want me dead,
09:50just say it!
09:51Rowan C. Reflin
09:52has already shifted!
09:54And look at you!
09:55You can't even speak!
09:58Stop scratching words
10:00in the dirt!
10:01I'm done reading
10:02your pathetic notes!
10:04In my last life,
10:05I spent 10 years begging
10:06for a single glance
10:07from that bird.
10:08Now,
10:08he was literally scratching
10:10love letters in the mud
10:11just to get Seraphina
10:12to look at him.
10:13The irony was delicious.
10:14Seraphina,
10:16I've been looking for you.
10:17The Frostwing
10:17immediately scrambled
10:18to claw over the words
10:19on the ground.
10:20When Seraphina saw me
10:21with Ness,
10:21her face went pale,
10:23then tight with forced calm.
10:24What do you want Rowan?
10:25I patted Ness's arm.
10:26He let out a low,
10:27amused chuckle,
10:28dropped to one knee,
10:29and let me sit on his leg,
10:30his hand steady
10:31and possessive on my waist.
10:33Seraphina bit her lip,
10:34her eyes glued to Ness.
10:35She completely forgot
10:36about the bird beside her.
10:38I'm here to ask
10:38why you've been stalking
10:39my familiar.
10:40The Frostwing's feathers
10:41flared in a jealous rage.
10:42Seraphina panicked.
10:43No,
10:44you've got it all wrong.
10:45I was looking for you.
10:47She's lying,
10:47master.
10:49She told me
10:49you snatched me away from her,
10:51claimed I was rightfully hers.
10:53Ness rested his chin
10:54on my shoulder,
10:55acting like a kicked puppy.
10:56I kissed his cheek
10:57a little pat as a reward,
10:58then looked at Seraphina.
10:59Beside her,
11:00the Frostwing's chest exploded.
11:02He was livid.
11:03Finally,
11:03Seraphina realized
11:04what was happening.
11:05You're trying to drive
11:06a wedge between us!
11:08You started this game,
11:09Seraphina.
11:10Don't cry when I'm
11:11the one who finishes it.
11:12If you touch my familiar again,
11:14I'll see you at the tribunal.
11:15On the way back,
11:16I was in a great mood.
11:17Ness,
11:18however,
11:18was strangely quiet.
11:19As we entered the yard,
11:21he grabbed my arm.
11:22You know that bird,
11:22don't you?
11:23Well.
11:24We have a history.
11:25A miserable one.
11:26Want to hear it?
11:27No.
11:28I'm 10,000 times better
11:29than that trash bird.
11:30You're never bonding
11:31with anyone else,
11:32period.
11:32Don't worry.
11:34I'm a one-fenician kind of mage.
11:36You gave me your loyalty?
11:37I'll give you my word.
11:48Ten years vanished in a flash.
11:50I climbed the ranks,
11:52rising from a lowly neophyte
11:53to an elite arcanist.
11:55Then,
11:55the former head of the beast
11:56taming hall suddenly went on a trip,
11:58and the position fell into my lap.
12:05Professor Whitmore told me,
12:07We thought the Frostwing
12:08would raise Graymorrow's strength
12:09to a new level.
12:11But even now,
12:12there's no sign of him
12:14achieving his human form.
12:15The faculty even tried
12:17pooling resources
12:18to fuel his evolution.
12:19It's not enough.
12:20I cut in.
12:21Graymarsh was small.
12:22We didn't have the deep pockets
12:24of the top magic academies
12:25or the alchemy guild.
12:26Raising magical creatures
12:27took massive amounts
12:28of time and resources.
12:30There was never a surplus.
12:31But more importantly,
12:32the Frostwing couldn't
12:33be allowed to manifest.
12:35I remembered the bloodbath
12:36from my last life.
12:37I'd avoided that bird
12:38at all costs.
12:39But I knew his kind.
12:41A divine beast with a dark heart
12:42is a walking apocalypse.
12:43I'd thought about killing him.
12:45But every time I tried
12:46to warn Nyx or the headmaster
12:47about the future,
12:48it was as if an invisible wall
12:50blocked my voice.
12:51They couldn't hear a thing
12:52I said about my past life.
12:53I could only watch him.
12:55Suppress him.
12:57After all,
12:58in my last life,
12:59I didn't survive past this year.
13:03I was so busy
13:04I barely had time for Nyx.
13:05So he went off
13:06to find his own fun.
13:07That evening,
13:08before I even reached
13:09my front door,
13:10the world spun.
13:11Nyx had slung me
13:12over his shoulder
13:13like a sack of grain.
13:14What are you doing now?
13:15Come on.
13:16I'm taking you
13:17to see a show.
13:23The show was Serafina
13:25and the Frostwing arguing.
13:26Well,
13:27more like a one-sided
13:28screaming match.
13:29A loudspeaker yelling
13:30at a mute.
13:31Don't you dare
13:32blame me!
13:34I didn't took her
13:35that stick,
13:35Greyman,
13:36did it?
13:36Right odd,
13:38you fundy of
13:39Playmart!
13:39I didn't force you
13:41to come to Greymart!
13:42You said it was a good place
13:43to hone your magic!
13:46If it weren't for you,
13:47I'd be at the
13:48Alchemy Guild by now.
13:49Instead,
13:50I'm stuck in this
13:50pathetic,
13:51broke academy!
13:58Do you think I knew
13:59the monthly rations
14:00would be this meager?
14:01Professor Harthag
14:02tried to give you
14:03to Rowan,
14:04but you had
14:05to be arrogant!
14:07You feel at the...
14:08Now she's the
14:09Headmaster's
14:09golden child!
14:11She has everything!
14:13If you'd stayed
14:14with her,
14:14you'd have ascended
14:15ages ago!
14:16I clenched my fists.
14:17So that was it.
14:18I always wondered
14:19why the Frostwing
14:20chose Seraphina.
14:21They'd known each
14:22other all along.
14:23In my last life,
14:24if I hadn't been
14:25the pool who bled
14:26for them,
14:26it would've been
14:27someone else.
14:28Greymarsh was never
14:29a home to them.
14:30It was a stepping stone.
14:31The more I thought,
14:32the colder my blood ran.
14:34There are only two ways
14:35to break the soul bond.
14:36The caster
14:36William ceders it,
14:37or the caster dies.
14:43So I must die.
14:47The Frostwing was lurking
14:48outside my gate,
14:49glaring at Nyx
14:50as he soaked in the spring.
14:51Nyx was being
14:52his usual petty self,
14:53shifting into human form
14:54just to mock the bird.
14:55I didn't give the Frostwing
14:56a second glance.
14:58You're a familiar,
14:58aren't you?
15:00Why aren't you
15:01with Seraphina
15:01while she trains?
15:02Nyx followed my lead,
15:04dripping wet
15:04and leaning against me.
15:05Yeah.
15:07My mistress
15:08actually cares about me,
15:10so she lets me rest.
15:11Why aren't you
15:12with yours?
15:13He's decades older than me,
15:14yet he says master
15:15like it's candy
15:16on his tongue.
15:16I walked into the yard
15:17and glanced at the spring.
15:19At least that girl's
15:19manipulative aura
15:20hadn't tainted my spring.
15:21Nyx pressed closer,
15:23his damp skin
15:24radiating heat.
15:25I just wanted that bird
15:26to know there's no vacancy
15:27in this house,
15:28or our relationship.
15:29And what relationship
15:30is that?
15:30His golden pupils
15:31shimmered with mischief.
15:32We are whatever
15:33you desire us to be,
15:35master.
15:35Something shifted
15:36behind us.
15:37I went to turn,
15:38but Nyx caught my face
15:39in his hands.
15:40Don't bother.
15:41The trash bird flew away.
15:43I need to know
15:43why he was here.
15:44That bird is rotten
15:45to the core.
15:46He's regretting
15:47his choices, obviously.
15:48He realizes he's stuck
15:49with a loser novice
15:50and wants back
15:51in your good graces.
15:52I looked at the empty gate.
15:54My gut told me
15:55it was more than that.
15:56In this life,
15:56I've gone out of my way
15:57to avoid him.
15:58If he wanted a new master,
15:59he could have asked
16:00the faculty.
16:01Unless,
16:01he's reborn too.
16:02The thought sent
16:03a chill down my spine.
16:04I teleported
16:05to the back mountain
16:06instantly.
16:07The seal was intact,
16:08thank God.
16:09But then I saw them,
16:10blue-green feathers
16:11scattered near the array.
16:12He'd been here.
16:13He's too weak
16:14to break the seal now.
16:15But he knows it exists.
16:17Only a handful of people
16:18knew about the abyssal
16:19monster sealed here.
16:20My parents died
16:21protecting this place.
16:22And in my last life,
16:24I'd only ever shared
16:25that secret with one person.
16:26The Frostwing.
16:28Why was he here?
16:29He hasn't even manifested yet.
16:31There's no way
16:31he could survive
16:32letting the monsters out.
16:33I'll have to watch him
16:34like a hawk.
16:35This just got a lot
16:36more dangerous.
16:39Rumors started flying
16:40through the academy.
16:41Mostly about Seraphina.
16:43What annoyed me
16:44was that I got dragged
16:44into the crossfire.
16:46Anyone with eyes
16:46could see that Seraphina
16:48and her familiar
16:49had hit a wall.
16:50The Frostwing
16:50was a high-profile beast.
16:52And at first,
16:53Seraphina lived
16:54for the attention
16:54he brought her.
16:55Now,
16:56he refused to even
16:57enter her room
16:58and openly defied
16:58her commands.
16:59She'd already made
17:00a fool of herself
17:01on the training grounds
17:02more than once.
17:03The reason I was involved
17:04was simple.
17:04While the Frostwing
17:05rejected Seraphina,
17:07he started obsessively
17:08hovering around me.
17:09Every time I appeared,
17:10he'd follow me
17:11like a lost puppy.
17:12If looks could kill,
17:13Seraphina would've
17:14left me dead
17:14in a ditch
17:15a thousand times over.
17:16Little roba,
17:17doesn't that bird
17:18remind you of the
17:18kind of guy
17:19who dumps you,
17:20then realizes you
17:21were totally out
17:21of his lage
17:22and comes crawling back?
17:23He ignored you
17:24when you were beneath him
17:26and now he can't
17:26get enough.
17:27Nix was currently
17:28coiled around my neck
17:29in his serpent form.
17:30If I hadn't
17:31ripped him in time,
17:32the professor's unicorn
17:33would've been his lunch.
17:34The professor clutched
17:35her unicorn,
17:36saying how terrifying,
17:38though her eyes
17:39were twinkling
17:39with mischief.
17:40Since that girl
17:41can't afford
17:41to raise him anyway,
17:43why don't I talk to her?
17:44We'll find her
17:45a more suitable pet
17:47and just transfer
17:48the Frostwing to you.
17:49Professor Dawn,
17:50the unicorn's human form,
17:51a cute little girl,
17:52finally had enough.
17:53She clamped her hands
17:54over Whitmore's mouth,
17:55looking miserable.
17:56Please,
17:57stop talking.
17:58I patted Nix
17:59to calm him down.
18:01I'll pass.
18:02I'd rather stay
18:02far away from the tribunal.
18:04Besides,
18:05Nix is all I need.
18:06Besides,
18:07Nix is all I need.
18:08Whitmore looked disappointed.
18:10But the bird
18:10clinging to you like this
18:11isn't a long-term solution.
18:13A familiar estranged
18:14from its partner
18:15is worthless to the academy.
18:16He's just a drain
18:17on Serafina.
18:18She hasn't progressed
18:19past the novice stage
18:20in ten years.
18:21The faculty is discussing
18:22sending her and the bird
18:23down the mountain
18:24for field training.
18:25I knew exactly
18:26what the headmaster
18:27and the professors
18:27were doing.
18:28They were protecting me.
18:29They had also officially
18:30given up on the frost wing.
18:32This was largely thanks
18:33to the terrifying
18:33combat power Nix displayed.
18:35The Leviathan clan
18:36is born for war.
18:37Together,
18:38he and I could even
18:38hold our own
18:39against high-level professors.
18:42When Serafina heard
18:43the academy wanted her
18:44to leave for field training,
18:45she burst into tears
18:46on the spot.
18:47Grey Marsh might not be rich,
18:48but it never mistreats
18:49its students.
18:50She'd finally found a place
18:51that offered protection.
18:52There was no way
18:53she was going back
18:54to a life on the road.
18:55She even managed
18:55to convince herself
18:56this was all my idea.
18:57In her head,
18:58I was trying to drive her out
18:59just so I could claim
19:00the frost wing for myself.
19:01In front of the professors,
19:03she wept like her world
19:04was ending,
19:04refusing to budge an inch.
19:06If Rowan wants the frost wing,
19:08she only have to ask.
19:09She's an upperclassman,
19:11of course I'd say yes.
19:12But if she takes my bird,
19:14shouldn't she give me
19:14Nix in return?
19:17Trading a mutt serpent
19:19for a pure-blood frost wing?
19:21No matter how you look at it,
19:22she'd be getting
19:23the better end of the bargain.
19:24The headmaster
19:25shut her down instantly.
19:27Uh, Miss Voss?
19:30Let's just focus on you
19:32and your bird, shall we?
19:34We won't be entertaining
19:35any creative trades today.
19:39All of this was relayed
19:40to me later.
19:40While they were dealing
19:41with Serafina's drama,
19:42I was at the Beast Taming Hall
19:43investigating a series
19:44of strange disappearances.
19:46Any magical creature
19:47that was unbonded
19:47or too wild to tame
19:48was kept here.
19:49But yesterday,
19:50two Kelbys and a unicorn
19:51had vanished into thin air.
19:53The warden looked ready
19:53to break down.
19:54I reinforced the wards myself.
19:57If anything had tampered
19:58with the locks,
19:58I would have felt it.
20:00But last night,
20:02nothing.
20:04Not a single
20:05ripple in the mana.
20:07It wasn't
20:07Abyssant Monsters.
20:08I don't smell
20:09their filth here.
20:10I don't smell
20:11their filth here.
20:11The Beast Taming Hall
20:12is carved directly
20:13into the mountain.
20:14The rock itself
20:15is enchanted
20:15with heavy anti-magic wards.
20:17Teleportation
20:17and phasing spells
20:18are useless here.
20:19Only those carrying
20:20the Academy's sigil
20:21can pass through.
20:22To steal three large
20:22creatures without a sound,
20:24the thief had to be
20:24someone who knew
20:25Grey Marsh inside and out.
20:26I was still running
20:27through the list of suspects
20:28when I heard the curator
20:29using a high-pitched
20:30baby voice
20:30to comfort a trembling pixie.
20:32Don't be scared.
20:34Big Brother Nikes
20:35only looks fierce.
20:36He won't eat you,
20:38I promise.
20:38That one sentence
20:39made everything click.
20:41Professor,
20:42do magical creatures
20:43ever kill their own kind?
20:45What a terrifying
20:46thing to say!
20:48These creatures
20:49are sentient!
20:50They would never...
20:51Oh, it's okay, pixie.
20:52It's okay.
20:53Humans kill
20:54their own kind.
20:55Magical creatures
20:56are no different.
20:57There's a type of
20:58forbib and sorry.
20:59Do you want to hear
20:59the details?
21:00Wild magical creatures
21:01don't have potions
21:02to rely on.
21:03They want to ascend.
21:03The ultimate shortcut
21:04is the Magitrain essence.
21:06Ten years ago,
21:08Nikes nearly died
21:08at the hands
21:09of one of those monsters.
21:10The higher the rank
21:10of the target,
21:11the swifter the dark wizard
21:12gains power.
21:13Once they get a taste for it,
21:14they never stop.
21:16That night,
21:16we set an ambush
21:18at the Beast Hang Hall.
21:20But the night
21:21passed in silence.
21:23Nothing happened.
21:24A student came running
21:25toward us.
21:26Rowan, something's happened!
21:28At the dorms!
21:30His face pale
21:31as a ghost.
21:33Nikes shifted
21:34into a certain form
21:38and carried me
21:39straight there.
21:40His pupils narrowed
21:41into sharp slits.
21:42I smell blood.
21:44We heard the gut-wrenching
21:45sobs.
21:45It was one of the first
21:46years I'd been coaching.
21:47He'd come to Graymorph
21:48with a tiny kitten familia.
21:50Now he was cradling
21:50a blood-soaked clump of fur,
21:52wailing in a voice
21:52that broke my heart.
21:53You were right,
21:54it was a professional hit.
21:55Gutted for its core
21:56and killed in a single strike
21:57it didn't even have time
21:57to scream.
21:58The kid only ran out
21:59after he felt
21:59the soulbond snap.
22:00But by then
22:01it was too late.
22:03My heart tightened
22:04with a cold fury.
22:06Instinctively,
22:06my eyes searched
22:07for the frost wing.
22:08He was standing
22:09obediently beside
22:10Seraphina.
22:11My vision blurred
22:12with rage.
22:12Don't look.
22:13It was him.
22:15How can you be so sure?
22:16I know the stench
22:17of a dark wizard.
22:18That bird reeks of it.
22:21I reported everything
22:22to the headmaster.
22:23He listened in grim silence,
22:25then finally looked up.
22:27We can't alert him yet,
22:28we need to catch him red-handed.
22:29Keep a close watch on him,
22:30wait for his next move.
22:33But from that day on
22:34the bird went silent.
22:36Not a single creature
22:37went missing
22:38for two long years.
22:39But Nex could still smell
22:40the stench
22:41of a dark sorcerer
22:42on that bird.
22:43Night fell,
22:44and I was meditating inside.
22:45Suddenly,
22:46a pair of blood-red eyes
22:47flashed past my window.
22:48A chill raced down my spine.
22:50I rushed outside
22:51into the silence.
22:52The moon was thin,
22:53the spring was calm,
22:54but where was nice.
22:56I ran to the water's edge.
22:57A single blue-green feather
22:59floated on the surface.
23:00It was an invitation.
23:01Find me,
23:02and maybe I'll give him back.
23:03I focused,
23:04sensing the bond.
23:06The back mounting,
23:07the seal.
23:08What the hell
23:08was that bird trying to do?
23:10The moment I teleported in,
23:11a violent shockwave of mana
23:13nearly knocked me off my feet.
23:15Nox and the frostwing
23:16were locked in a vicious duel.
23:17I froze.
23:18When had the bird
23:19attained his human form?
23:20He stood there
23:21in robes of teal,
23:22dodging Nox's strikes
23:23with effortless grace.
23:25And beside the sealing array
23:26sat Seraphina.
23:28She looked like
23:28a discarded marionette.
23:29I stepped closer,
23:31horror clawing at my throat.
23:32She was bleeding
23:33from every orasis,
23:34her eyes wide
23:35with a lingering,
23:36frozen terror.
23:37Her abdomen had been gutted,
23:38her magical essence
23:39ripped out and stolen.
23:41Nox!
23:41Get back here!
23:42Stay away from him!
23:43Nox faltered
23:44the second he heard my voice,
23:46taking a direct hit
23:47from the bird.
23:47He stumbled back
23:49to me,
23:50clutching his shoulder
23:51and looking at me
23:52with those damn
23:52puppy dog eyes.
23:53The frostwing hissed
23:55in rage.
23:55You did that on purpose!
23:57Nex bared his fangs.
23:58On purpose?
24:00You're the one
24:00who's rotten to the core.
24:02Killing your own binder
24:03wasn't enough?
24:03You had to come
24:04after mine too?
24:05If I hadn't followed
24:06your trail,
24:07she'd be dead by now!
24:08So those red eyes
24:09at my window
24:10had been his.
24:11He ignored Nix
24:12and turned to me,
24:13his gaze burning.
24:14Rowan,
24:14you were reborn too,
24:16weren't you?
24:16I stared back at him,
24:18cold as the abbess.
24:19What do you really want?
24:21Let me guess.
24:23You came back
24:24on the day of the rite.
24:25That's why you rejected me.
24:27Tell me, Rowan,
24:28what gave you the nerve
24:29to choose that snake
24:30over me?
24:31His face twisted
24:32into something monstrous.
24:34Fine.
24:34If we can't have this life,
24:36we'll try the next!
24:37I'll break the seal,
24:38let the monsters out,
24:40and we can restart
24:40this whole nightmare together!
24:42But next time,
24:44I won't give that snake
24:45a chance.
24:47Save your fake devotion.
24:50The Frostwing smiled.
24:52Too late.
24:53I'm only one step away.
24:55His hand moved,
24:56brooms flaring
24:56behind his back.
24:57The mountain groaned.
24:58The abyssal monsters
24:59sensed the array loosening.
25:01The ground groaned
25:02and trembled
25:02under their growing agitation.
25:04At that moment,
25:05a massive bolt of lightning
25:06tore through the clouds.
25:07Gathering right above
25:08the bird's head,
25:09beams of light erupted
25:10from the peaks of Grey Marsh.
25:12As the academy's
25:13defense systems
25:13flared to life,
25:15the headmaster's voice
25:16cut through it.
25:18Rowan!
25:19Hold the line!
25:20I'll reseal the breach!
25:23Lightning above,
25:24a tide of monsters below.
25:26And yet,
25:26the Frostwing showed no fear.
25:28Rowan, it's over.
25:30You can't stop it.
25:32Just come with me
25:33to the next life.
25:34I died here once.
25:34Same sky,
25:35same beard.
25:36I couldn't breathe.
25:36I promise,
25:37this time,
25:38I'll give you everything.
25:40Then, a warm,
25:41heavy hand landed
25:41on my shoulder.
25:42Nyx let out a turn.
25:43Sharp laugh.
25:44Taking her?
25:46Try.
25:47Nyx stepped in behind me.
25:49Lifting it,
25:50just slight,
25:51like this.
25:53Steadying the wand,
25:55adjusting the angle.
25:56Focus.
25:57His voice dropped low,
25:58steady.
25:58Don't fight it.
26:01The tremor in my hand
26:02slowed.
26:04Say it.
26:05The wand flickered,
26:06his grip tightened.
26:07I guess.
26:08And then,
26:09his voice dropped over mine.
26:10I guess.
26:11Fire.
26:12The wand flared,
26:13light burst from the tip,
26:14blinding,
26:14violent.
26:15A barrier surged outward,
26:17tearing through the air.
26:21The barrier held.
26:22His hand,
26:23still over mine.
26:24I didn't pull away.
26:25Then the ground cracked again.
26:27Something below slammed against the barrier.
26:30Harder this time.
26:31My grip tightened instinctively.
26:33No.
26:33His fingers pressed tighter over mine,
26:35guiding the wand forward.
26:37We're not done.
26:38The fight's just starting.
26:40Stay with me.
26:41Nyx shifted into his massive serpent form,
26:43and launched his attack.
26:45I immediately wove my seals to cast a heavy shield over him.
26:48Every familiar has its own nature.
26:49And a mage must adapt to match.
26:51A leviathan is built for war.
26:53So the caster must master defense.
26:55A spirit fox is built for deception,
26:58requiring mastery of illusions.
27:00A frost wing is built for speed.
27:01It needs a partner who can keep up.
27:03In my last life,
27:04my skills were wasted.
27:06I was a shield maiden trying to catch a bird that didn't want to be caught.
27:09But now,
27:10fighting alongside Nyx.
27:11I finally understood that a binder and their familiar,
27:14are more than just owner and servant.
27:16They are partners.
27:17Someone you can trust with your life.
27:19A traitorous beast who kills its own kin would never understand that.
27:23Nyx pressed forward with realer efficiency,
27:25herding the frost wing directly into the strike zone.
27:28Divine lightning coiled in the sky like a massive silver dragon,
27:31ready to descend.
27:32At first,
27:33the frost wing relied on his pureblood arrogance,
27:35assuming a mutt like Nyx could never defeat him.
27:38But a hundred strikes later,
27:39his face went pale.
27:41Nyx was hitting every vital point with lethal precision,
27:44while the bird couldn't even put a dent in Nyx's shield.
27:46He finally realized the truth.
27:48I wasn't going to die in a monster's jaws today like he'd planned.
27:51He completely snapped.
27:53No!
27:53This is wrong!
27:55You're supposed to die!
27:56We're supposed to die together!
27:58I stopped weaving my seals.
28:00Nyx flashed back to my side in a heartbeat.
28:02Looking down at the bird with a mocking grin.
28:04The frost wing froze.
28:06Realizing he was standing alone in the center of the array.
28:08I raised my hand and pointed to the heavens.
28:10I gave him one last smile.
28:12See you never!
28:13A pillar of lightning,
28:14thick as a wall,
28:16lured down and struck him dead center.
28:18He didn't even have time to scream before he was erased from existence.
28:21Just like that,
28:22he was nothing but ash in the wind.
28:25With the frost wing gone,
28:27the real nightmare began.
28:28The monsters in the back mountain were on another level.
28:31They couldn't be killed,
28:32only seal.
28:33Especially the abyssal dragon.
28:35The previous headmaster gave his soul to anchor the seal.
28:38And even then,
28:38he barely managed to cage her.
28:40She's been stewing in her own rage for a century.
28:43The second she breaks free,
28:44she'll level this academy to the ground.
28:46The current headmaster and the professors were working frantically,
28:49but the seal was cracking faster than they could repair it.
28:52The freezing chill of the abyss was already crawling under my skin.
28:55Nyx was leaning against a tree,
28:57teasing me about his reward for the fight.
28:59When he suddenly froze,
29:01he stared into the heart of the forbidden forest,
29:03his eyes sharp and predatory.
29:05What is that?
29:06He asked.
29:07The abyssal dragon.
29:08I replied,
29:09my voice trembling.
29:10His face turned grave.
29:12Wait for me out here.
29:13I have to go in.
29:14I caught his hand before he could move.
29:15I'm going with you.
29:17He frowned.
29:17Rowan,
29:18it's a death trap in there.
29:20I know.
29:20I said,
29:21looking him dead in the eye.
29:22In my last life,
29:23I died right here.
29:25I watched the frost wing shield Serafina and fly away,
29:28leaving me to be torn apart by the monsters.
29:30I tightened my grip on his hand.
29:32I'm not letting history repeat itself.
29:34I'm not leaving you.
29:37Nyx and I charged headlong into the shattered seal.
29:40The forbidden forest was a graveyard of toxic mist.
29:43Thousands of eyes tracked our every move from the shadows,
29:45hungry and cold.
29:46Nyx was no longer the little snake on my wrist.
29:49He had shifted into his true form.
29:51A massive,
29:51lethal serpent.
29:53The abyssal monsters had lost their minds to the darkness,
29:55but instinct still screamed at them to keep their distance from him.
29:58I clung to his back,
30:00whispering,
30:00What exactly are we looking for?
30:02His voice rumbled through his massive chest.
30:04The dragon.
30:07I nearly lost it.
30:08I followed him straight into the jaws of death without even asking for the itinerary.
30:12Then,
30:13he added softly,
30:14Rowan,
30:14I can smell my mother here.
30:17I'd always assumed he was just a hybrid.
30:19Part sea serpent,
30:20part siren.
30:21He never spoke of his past,
30:22and I never pushed.
30:24Now I knew the truth.
30:25He had sea serpent blood,
30:26yes,
30:27but his mother was a literal ancient dragon.
30:29No wonder he fights like a god,
30:31and sings like a dying toad.
30:33He told me his mother wasn't always a monster.
30:36Two centuries ago,
30:37a dark mage ripped the magical essence from his father's chest.
30:40Consumed by grief and vengeance,
30:42she lost herself to the darkness and fell into the abyss.
30:45I didn't have the words to comfort him.
30:47All I could do was lean forward and press a hand to his scales.
30:50But there was no time for heart to hearts.
30:52The monsters around us were starting to close in,
30:54their patience wearing thin.
30:56Nick set me down,
30:57shifting back into human form.
30:59We stood back to back,
31:00a circle of two against the dark.
31:02Rowan,
31:02he said,
31:03his voice tight.
31:04If things go south,
31:05I'm going to throw you out of here.
31:07Don't look back.
31:08Just run.
31:09In that moment,
31:10the fear vanished.
31:11I looked at the horde and felt a strange calm.
31:14If the Frostwing was right,
31:15and I can just start my life after I die,
31:18maybe that wouldn't be so bad.
31:19I felt him stiffen.
31:20I leaned my head against his shoulder.
31:22But you told me,
31:23I can only ever have one family, Naxx.
31:26I took that seriously.
31:27If you don't want to watch me get eaten alive,
31:29then you'd better fight like hell to keep me standing.
31:34The Abyssal Monsters had been warped by the Void for too long.
31:37They were barely recognizable anymore.
31:40Just walking piles of teeth and homicidal instinct.
31:42They swarmed us in a frenzy,
31:45forcing us onto a desperate defense.
31:49Naxx batted away a spray of toxic venom,
31:51his voice thick with regret.
31:53This is on me.
31:55I let my heart get in the way.
31:57I just wanted to see her one last time.
32:00Suddenly, I went turdy.
32:02Naxx whipped around,
32:03his face pale with alarm,
32:05thinking I'd been hit.
32:06But then he saw it too.
32:08The monsters that had been clawing at us just seconds ago
32:11vanished in an instant.
32:13The silence was deafening.
32:15Through the shifting fog,
32:16two blood-red beacons ignited.
32:18She was a mountain of scales and rage.
32:21Every breath she exhaled it tore through the fog like a hurricane.
32:25Beneath the scales,
32:26a woman's face.
32:28A horrific mask.
32:30The second she caught our scent,
32:31she lunged.
32:32Her massive jaws opened to swallow the world.
32:35I wanted to scream.
32:36To run.
32:37But my limbs were lead.
32:39In two lifetimes,
32:41I had never stood before a true god.
32:43This wasn't just fear.
32:45It was a primal dread etched into my very soul.
32:48But the killing blow never came.
32:50Nyx stepped in front of me,
32:52shielding me with his body.
32:54Mother!
32:54Stop!
32:55Don't hurt her!
32:58It's me!
32:59It's Ness!
33:01N-
33:02Ness!
33:03The crimson in her eyes flickered.
33:05Little Nine,
33:06end this.
33:07Kill me!
33:07The dragon exhaled the magical essence.
33:10A shimmering,
33:11pulsing orb of pure power.
33:12And motioned for Nyx to shatter it.
33:14He caught the crystal.
33:15Those hands,
33:16strong enough to crush mountains,
33:18were now trembling,
33:19unable to break a single,
33:20fragile stone.
33:21He looked at his mother with pleading in his eyes.
33:24I...
33:25I can't.
33:26The dragon was fighting for every second of control.
33:29Her body jerking as the darkness tried to pull her back under dot.
33:33The core slipped from Nyx's shaking hands and floated toward me.
33:37Good child.
33:39You do it.
33:40I caught the crystal,
33:42my heart racing.
33:43The core's power slammed into me.
33:45A bolt of pure lightning.
33:46Raw energy began tearing through my veins like wildfire.
33:49A warm hand covered mine.
33:50I looked up and saw tears streaming down Nyx's face.
33:53The first time I had ever seen him cry.
33:55He looked at the dragon one last time.
33:57His grip on my hand tightening with resolve.
34:00Goodbye mother.
34:02With a sharp,
34:03crystal and crack.
34:04The core shattered in my palm.
34:05The dragon let out a long,
34:07final breath.
34:07At last,
34:09I can sleep.
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