- 2 hours ago
Short Film My Secret Serpent Mate
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Short filmTranscript
00:02I finally got the rarest magic core for you.
00:06You've worked hard.
00:20After rebirth, I abandoned the mighty phoenix as my magical pet.
00:24Instead, chose an almost dead little black snake in my past life.
00:28I'd hunted rare ingredients for phoenix.
00:30Pouring every resource I had into his growth, he cheated with my sister behind my back.
00:35Finally, to make their little love story easier, they killed me together.
00:38This time around, I wanted to see how that perfect couple managed without me as their stepping stone.
00:43The same pact ceremony, the same standout, undeniably that golden phoenix.
00:47Even caged with a suppression collar, he held his head high, like the rest of us were beneath him.
00:52As expected, the ceremony elder assigned him to me.
00:55The phoenix tilted its head back and rolled its eyes.
00:57Just like in its previous life, its face full of disdain.
01:01That was when my sister Evelyn walked in, cradling a limp little black snake in her palms, tears rolling down
01:06her cheeks.
01:07My sister was too weak.
01:09Phoenix fell in love with her pitiful appearance immediately, which made me look like the villain standing between them.
01:14The ceremony elder shifted awkwardly and turned on Evelyn.
01:17Your power isn't strong enough. Even if the phoenix is drawn to you now, you won't be able to handle
01:23him.
01:23She didn't react, instead pretended to be scared by my gaze, bit her lip with tears down.
01:28Lila, I know I have no right to compete with you. It's just, I've never seen a golden phoenix before.
01:34I didn't have the patience to listen to her feigned weakness. I reached out and lifted the
01:38limp black snake from her hands, smiled at the ceremony elder.
01:41I've taken a liking to this one. The phoenix clearly doesn't want me. Why not let her have him?
01:47I'll take the snake.
01:47The others thought I'd lost my mind. They pulled me aside.
01:51You're the strongest here. This black snake has a mixed bloodline. He's basically worthless.
01:56But I knew the truth about that phoenix. He was no prize.
01:59In my last life, in my past life, the scene had played out exactly the same way.
02:03The phoenix ignored me. I felt the sting of being rejected for the first time in my life.
02:08And instead of thinking clearly, I thought, he's so hard to get. I'm obsessed.
02:13As the Archmaster's student, I was supposed to be an example to the others.
02:16I told myself I had to tame the phoenix. Strengthen the Spirit Pact Academy.
02:21So I threw everything I had at him. Every student got a limited ration of elixirs.
02:25So I took assassin missions. Hunting rogue creatures. The kind that had lost their minds
02:30and turned feral. To earn extra elixirs. I came back bleeding every time.
02:34The phoenix pretended not to notice. He only came near me when I pulled out elixirs.
02:39Took what he wanted. And walked away.
02:4110 years. I spent 10 years helping him break through his limits and take human form.
02:45When he finally did, he was stunning. Tall. Sharp featured. But the warmth stopped there.
02:51He always treated me like I was his errand girl. I told myself it was fine.
02:55Creatures with strong bloodlines had pride. One day he'd recognize what I'd given him.
02:59One day we'd fight side by side and I wouldn't have to face those feral creatures alone.
03:03Then one day, I saw him kiss my sister passionately. She was laughing, dancing around him.
03:09A fellow student rode past on her white tiger, saw them in the distance, and shook her head at me.
03:14Liar. You really need to stop asking Evelyn to look after the phoenix when you go on contracts.
03:19When did I ever ask her that?
03:21She says it every time you leave.
03:23I saw stars. I'd been out there risking my life, and she was back here cheating with my legs.
03:28Doesn't she have her own creature?
03:31That little black snake died in its second year.
03:34Then it clicked. I'd spent 10 years sewing a wedding dress for someone else.
03:38I wasn't some gentle, forgiving heroine. Turned on Evelyn. It enraged the phoenix.
03:42As punishment, he lured me to the back forest under false pretenses, then broke open the wards keeping it sealed.
03:48The creatures trapped inside started pouring out, and among them was one that had fallen into complete madness. A leviathan.
03:55The phoenix joined forces with my sister to shoot me down the cliff.
03:58In the end, I died in the beast head, and I could only watch Evelyn snuggle up beside it.
04:03So this time around, I wasn't going to be anyone's sacrifice.
04:06I just wanted to see what this couple would do next.
04:08The phoenix held onto Evelyn tightly, refusing to let go.
04:12The elder sighed, and spirit-packed academy'd the pact circle drawn.
04:15Once a creature bonded with someone, they were bound to that person's commands.
04:19Harm the bonded partner, and the creature suffered for it.
04:22The bonding ritual's energy agitated the black snake.
04:25He wound himself around my arm with everything he had.
04:28Evelyn got the phoenix, and was clearly thrilled.
04:30Then she looked at the snake clinging to me.
04:32You and that serpent really do seem meant for each other, Lyra.
04:35She was very smug. Had she also been reborn?
04:38Watch your tongue, Evelyn!
04:39If Lyra hadn't stepped in for you, you'd never have gotten the phoenix.
04:43If I were you, I'd be on my knees thanking her.
04:45Oh, stop. She's crying again. Always crying.
04:48You'd think she was the tragic one.
04:50The phoenix paced anxiously while Evelyn sniffled.
04:53Anxious didn't help him. Evelyn had almost no power at this stage.
04:56The creatures shared energy with their bonded partners,
04:59but Evelyn's reserves were basically empty.
05:02Probably the first time in either life,
05:04that the phoenix had been on the losing side of a situation.
05:07Good. He'd adjust.
05:10This was the consequence of choosing weakness and cheating.
05:13The black snake, finally convinced I wasn't abandoning him, went limp and passed out in my arms.
05:20Back home, I finally got a good look at the snake.
05:23He was tiny. Couldn't have been more than a few decades old.
05:27Barely passed the threshold of maturity, but he was strange.
05:31Different from the serpents I knew.
05:33Water serpents had snake-like tails.
05:35This one had a tail more like a fish, with a fin.
05:38Mixed bloodline. Serpent and something older. Seafolk, maybe.
05:43I had a natural spring in the courtyard.
05:46The moment he hit the water, he came alive. Diving and surfacing.
05:50Pulling in energy from the current.
05:52I laughed. Relax.
05:55I fed a golden phoenix for 10 years. I think I can manage one little snake.
05:59He froze, and stared at me with those tiny green eyes.
06:02Then he spat water at my face. I flicked him on the head.
06:07Heal up. You're not going anywhere.
06:09The next morning, I woke up wrong.
06:10I turned my head and found a face three inches from mine.
06:14Dark lashes. Warm skin. The kind of face that belonged in a painting.
06:19Long lashes that trembled slightly. Objectively gorgeous.
06:23Didn't stop me from nearly jumping out of my skin.
06:26He'd gotten into bed without waking me. Whoever this was, his power was well above mine.
06:32He stirred, opened gold-slit eyes, and looked at me.
06:36I scrambled to the corner.
06:38Who are you?
06:39No. This is Spirit Pact Academy grounds. Don't try anything.
06:42He sat up. I noticed he was wearing the clothes I'd set aside for when a creature took human form.
06:48A dark-fitted robe with a subtle pattern. He wore it well. He was tall. He'd had to curl up
06:54to fit in my bed.
06:56Under those long lashes were a pair of gold vertical pupil eyes. The answer was obvious.
07:01Snake?
07:01Snake? He smirked, reached out, and flicked me on the forehead.
07:05Rude. I have a name. It's Kieran.
07:08Kieran, it turned out, had been fleeing an enemy when he crossed paths with my tutor.
07:13He'd taken the form of a small, injured serpent. My tutor, true to form, had taken him in.
07:18Kieran clearly hadn't been injured because he was weak.
07:21Please tell me your enemies aren't about to show up here.
07:24We're bonded now. You're the master. I'm your mate. So I suggest you train hard and try not to slow
07:31me down.
07:31He taught me a breathing and absorption technique developed for serpentkind.
07:35Most days I sat in the spring practicing, while Kieran sprawled in the tree above me, watching with half-closed
07:41eyes.
07:41The breeze moved his hair and caught the light on his skin.
07:44Evelyn appeared at my gate, peering in. I sighed and got out of the spring.
07:48Kieran dropped from the tree and draped a dry robe over my shoulders without being asked.
07:53Who is this? You remember him? The little black snake from the bonding ceremony?
07:58You said yourself we seem meant for each other.
08:01A flicker of something crossed her face.
08:03What do you want? This is training time.
08:06I was hoping we could raise the phoenix together.
08:09Kieran's hand tightened on mine. I glanced at him. He was watching me, clearly unhappy.
08:14I'm not your backup plan. Figure it out yourself.
08:17How is it not your responsibility? You took the black snake and left me with the phoenix.
08:22You don't get to just walk away. Half a year's gone by and I've given him every elixir I had.
08:27There's nothing left for my own training. And I was in the lower ranks. I can't go hunting
08:31rare ingredients. I'd die out there. You bonded with the phoenix first. You should be helping.
08:36I cut her off mid-sentence, sent a gust of air to push her back through the gate,
08:40and led Kieran inside.
08:42Little sister, don't mistake everyone for a fool. I'm not spending my resources raising your creature
08:47for you. If you can't afford to keep him, dissolve the bond. Let someone else take him. I'm sure the
08:53elders would be happy to. She wouldn't do that. Her ambitions were too big.
08:56Weeks passed. I broke through to a new level of power, what those in the Spirit Pact Academy
09:02called Fourth Circle Stage. At the same time, the Archmaster arranged for me to escort a rare
09:09spirit fox to the Spirit Pact Academy, alongside Elder Celia, who was about three centuries older
09:15than me and acted like a kid half the time. I sweet-talked her through the handover to the
09:20creature registry, and she settled for it. Before she left, she pressed her hand over her mouth to
09:26hide a smile. Your little serpent is very clingy, you know. I didn't understand until I started up
09:32the mountain path and saw a silhouette leaning against a tree in the distance. He didn't move.
09:39When I got closer, he reached out and grabbed the back of my neck. Lyra, am I not good to
09:44you?
09:44Why are you trying to give me away? What are you talking about? That girl came to the courtyard today,
09:49said you sent her to check on me. Did you change your mind about bonding with me? You hit Fourth
09:54Circle
09:54her, now you're done with me? Same playbook, different life. Before I could explain,
10:00Kieran's pupils contracted to thin lines. He bent his head and pressed his face into my neck.
10:05His tongue brushed the skin there. Light, quick. I shivered hard.
10:10Smells like fox. Lyra, did you already find yourself a replacement? Doesn't matter. Once I eat that fox,
10:18I'll be your only option. You hit me for her? That fox belongs to my archmaster. You touch her and
10:25I
10:25will end you. Kieran stopped fighting me and let himself be pulled along. Most students weren't
10:30training, so the residences were quiet. A few people raised their eyebrows when they saw me coming.
10:36Short greetings, and then they told me, Evelyn had gone to the back forest with the phoenix. I frowned.
10:42I wasn't in the phoenix's way anymore. Why were they sneaking off to the forest? We found them mid-argument.
10:48Or rather, Evelyn was arguing and the phoenix, who still hadn't taken human form, was responding in
10:55scratched letters on the ground. Don't look at me like that. I've done nothing wrong. I didn't force
11:01you to come to the Spirit-Pocked Academy. You said this place would help you grow. I've given you every
11:07elixir I had and you're still not satisfied. You want me to go out hunting rare ingredients?
11:12I just started training. You'd be sending me to die. I almost felt something in my past life.
11:20He'd given me nothing for 10 years. Not a glance, not a word, not a gesture. Now he was writing
11:26letters
11:26in the dirt. The contrast was something. Evelyn, I've been looking for you. The phoenix scrambles to
11:33erase the letters when he heard us. Evelyn pulled herself together fast, though not fast enough.
11:39What do you need, Lyra? I patted Kieran's arm. He gave me a long-suffering look,
11:49then dropped to one knee and let me settle onto it like a chair. His hands locked around my waist,
11:54steadying me. Evelyn's gaze locked onto Kieran and didn't move. I'm not here about anything in
11:59particular. Just wondering why you paid my companion a visit. The phoenix's feathers flared,
12:05angry. Evelyn hadn't expected me to know so fast. No, you've got it wrong. I was just coming to find
12:11you. He rested his chin on my shoulder. She lied to me. She said you stole me from her,
12:17that I was supposed to be hers. And what did you do? She came into your territory without permission.
12:22She was weak. I didn't even use my power. Just pushed until she left. I patted his cheek.
12:27I stood and faced Evelyn directly. If I remember correctly, you didn't want Kieran in the first
12:33place. He was badly injured. If he'd ended up with you, he probably wouldn't have survived his
12:38second year. That's not true! I would have taken care of him. The phoenix's crest was fully raised
12:44now. She caught herself. You're trying to drive a wedge between me and the phoenix. I stepped forward
12:51and put my hand on her shoulder. You played your game, little sister. Don't act surprised when I play mine.
12:58Next time you pull something like this, you will get my punishment. She blanched. The council didn't
13:03forgive moves against another member's bonded creature. She couldn't risk it. On the way back,
13:09I was in a good mood. Kieran was quiet though. Wouldn't transform and carry me even when I asked.
13:15Once we were back in the courtyard, he grabbed my arm. You seem familiar with the phoenix. I didn't hide
13:21it.
13:21We have a history. It ended badly for me. Wanna hear it? He turned away, shifted into serpent form,
13:28and wound himself around my neck. No. I'm better than that bird by every measure.
13:33Laya. You're not going back to him. I won't have another mate. I promise. Days later.
13:42Laya, your growth rate is pathetic. Sharing energy with you is a form of suffering.
13:50My arch master said, I'm one of the most talented young members in a generation. All those rare
13:56materials and elixirs I found went into me this time, not into the phoenix. Ten years passed. I moved
14:03steadily from fourth circle to sixth circle. Even the most mean elder Celia praised me. You are really
14:09a genius, Lyra. We all expected the phoenix to elevate the whole spirit-panned academy. But ten
14:16years in, there's still no sign of him breaking through. I'd expected this. Sustaining creatures
14:22took enormous resources. And the spirit-packed academy never had reserves. The phoenix couldn't
14:28break through. And in my past life, I'd seen exactly what happened when his patients ran out.
14:33I'd thought about removing him. Every time I tried to bring it up with my arch master, or Kieran,
14:38it was like the words hit a wall. And acting unilaterally, killing the phoenix before anyone
14:43understood why, would have destroyed the spirit-packed academy from the inside. All I could do was watch
14:49him and contain him. Past that, I had no choice but to wait. My past life hadn't survived this year.
14:56I didn't know if this one would go differently. He stood there, staring at Kieran, who was lazily
15:01floating in the spring in human form, making absolutely no effort to be welcoming.
15:06You have a bonded partner. Why are you at my gate?
15:11Right. What possible reason could you have for neglecting your own bonded partner
15:16to come stand outside someone else's home?
15:18Kieran climbed out and immediately tried to lean against me. I don't worry you're near. I'll have
15:23to know this. I just want that bird to know there's no space for him here.
15:30What exactly is here between us? That's entirely your call.
15:34The phoenix flew away. Kieran grabbed my face with both hands. He left. Can you stop worrying about him
15:40for five minutes? I have to know what he's doing. That bird has a dark heart. I don't trust him
15:45idle.
15:47He regrets it. Doesn't want to stay with your little sister anymore.
15:51I turned toward the gate. Empty. But something in my gut told me the phoenix was off.
15:57There was no logical reason for him to come to me specifically. Unless the phoenix had also been reborn.
16:04If that was true, then he knew about the back forest. He knew what was sealed there. He knew
16:10my parents had died there, which I'd only ever told him directly, in my previous life.
16:14I didn't stop to explain to Kieran. I pulled out a slip and went straight to the forest wards.
16:19The wards were intact. I exhaled. Then I turned around and my stomach dropped. A handful of golden
16:25feathers lay near the edge of the barrier line. He'd been here. The phoenix had come back with knowledge
16:30he shouldn't have. The friction between Evelyn and the phoenix had gone public. He'd refused her
16:35commands in training sessions. Ignored her in front of others. Made her look incompetent in
16:39front of the whole yard more than once in recent weeks. The reason I kept getting dragged in was
16:44simpler and more aggravating. Every time I appeared, the phoenix drifted toward me. If looks could kill,
16:49Evelyn would have had me buried weeks ago. Elder Celia found the whole thing delightful. Her bird appeared
16:54at my shoulder one afternoon. You know what this reminds me of? One of those stories where the
17:00man realizes too late what he had. He freezes her out at the start and then spends the rest of
17:05the
17:05book chasing her. Oh dear. I could talk to the girl. Offer her a different creature. Something she
17:12could actually manage. And transfer the phoenix over to you. Quietly. No. I'm not going near the
17:18disciplinary council over this. Besides, I have Kieran. That's enough. Celia looked genuinely
17:25mournful. Then she shifted to her real point. A creature pulling against its bonded partner is a
17:31problem for everyone. And Evelyn hasn't advanced the first stage in ten years. The elders have
17:36discussed sending her out on a field assignment. A year or two away from the Spirit Pact Academy.
17:41Practical experience. Away from all of this. I understood what she wasn't saying. They'd given up on the
17:46phoenix as a resource for the Spirit Pact Academy. In the council hall, Evelyn made the whole thing
17:51into a production. She cried. She accused me of engineering her removal to take the phoenix.
17:57In front of all the senior elders, she made her counteroffer. If senior wants the phoenix,
18:02she should just say so. I won't stand in the way. But if she takes him, she gives me Kieran,
18:09a mixed lineage serpent for a pure-blooded phoenix. Honestly, Lyra comes out a laugh.
18:14Which one, Evelyn? You focus on your phoenix and stop coming up with terrible ideas.
18:21While the elders dealt with Evelyn, I was at the creature registry with the headkeeper,
18:26investigating a disappearance. Three had vanished overnight. Two small rabbits and a unicorn.
18:32I reinforced the gate myself before I left. Any disturbance at all and I would have felt it.
18:39There was nothing. Not a sound. Not a rogue creature. No trace of that energy anywhere.
18:47Right? I looked around. The registry was built into the mountainside. The rock face itself was
18:53warded. No slipping through the earth. No passing through walls. I was still thinking when the keeper
18:59started cooing at one of the deer. Don't be scared. Big brother serpent just looks mean.
19:05He won't eat you. That pulled something loose in my mind. I hesitated.
19:12Do creatures ever turn on each other? What a horrifying thing to say. They have awareness.
19:19They would never... Kieran slipped an arm around me and spoke low into my ear.
19:24People do terrible things to each other. Creatures aren't different. I've heard of a practice.
19:29A dark technique used by creatures who want to advance without resources.
19:33My skin had gone cold. Wild creatures had no access to elixirs or rare materials. If they
19:40wanted to grow in power fast, the most efficient shortcut was this. Consume the core of another
19:46creature. The higher the level of the creature they took from, the faster the gain. Kieran had
19:52nearly died at the hands of one practicing exactly that method 10 years ago.
19:56Once it works, it will come back for more.
19:59We staked out the registry that night. Nothing happened. Quiet all the way until dawn. I reassured
20:05the keeper and headed out.
20:10Hallmaster, there's an incident at the residences.
20:13Kieran shifted, wrapped around me, and moved. When we landed, I didn't need to go inside to know
20:18it was bad. I could hear the crying from the courtyard. It was one of my newest students. A girl
20:23who'd
20:23come to the spirit-packed academy with his own creature. Fox. Soft and round and always sprawled in
20:29patches of sunlight. Kind of creature that made people smile just looking at it. She was sitting
20:33on the ground, holding what remained of her. Not much left. Your guess was right. The core was
20:38removed. One strike, clean. It happened before she could make a sound. She only noticed when she felt
20:43the bond break. I felt the cold settle in my chest. Without thinking, I looked around for the phoenix.
20:50You were standing beside Evelyn, still as a statue. The picture. Don't look. It's him.
20:57You're certain. I went to the Archmaster. Don't move yet. You need proof. Catch him in the act.
21:04He said it with total gravity. Meanwhile, behind him, his courtyard had become a small zoo. Several
21:09of them had taken human form and were crowding around Kieran to ask about his parents' bloodlines.
21:15I keep all my creatures close. Your new firehound relieved himself on the floor. You could clean it
21:20up for your teacher. Absolutely not. The senior elders started watching the phoenix. Their eyes
21:26went to him more carefully during training. They noted that his power had grown noticeably in ways
21:31that weren't explained by his circumstances. Then, nothing. Weeks passed. No more disappearances. No
21:37incidents. Two weeks went by. The girl never quite recovered from losing his fox. The other students spoke
21:43about the disappearances less and less until the whole thing drifted into the category of
21:47strange spirit-packed academy legend. Something that had happened, maybe. Possibly. Nobody quite
21:52remembered the details. But I couldn't let it go. Kieran's certainty sat with me every day.
21:58I went to the Archmaster and asked to have the phoenix formally restricted.
22:02You think we don't see it? But without evidence, what do I tell the students? If I punish someone
22:08without proof, I lose the trust of the whole spirit-packed academy. And without that trust,
22:13the spirit-packed academy dissolves. Then one night, while I was deep in meditation,
22:18something flashed past my window. A pair of red eyes. Bright. Gone in an instant. Where was Kieran?
22:24I moved to the water's edge. Floating on the surface. A single golden feather. An invitation.
22:30Or a taunt. Find me and I'll give him back. I reached out through the bond and found Kieran's
22:34location. The back forest. I hit the ground running. I arrived through the wards in a flash of light.
22:40And walked straight into a shockwave from two powers colliding. Kieran and the phoenix were
22:45already fighting. Fully committing. I went rigid. When had the phoenix broken through? He moved through
22:52the trees in a golden coat. Fast and precise. Ducking and redirecting Kieran's strikes. With the ease of
22:58someone who'd had longer to prepare for this moment. Beside the ward barrier, Evelyn sat perfectly
23:04still. Like a doll that someone had set down and forgotten. When I got close enough to see her
23:10clearly, my stomach turned over. Evelyn was dead. Her eyes were still open. Fixed in an expression of
23:17complete disbelief. Her abdomen had been cut open. Her core. The source of her power. The route she'd
23:24spent years building. Was gone. I hadn't even had time to process it. Before the sky above the forest
23:31went dark. Clouds banking hard and fast. Thunder starting low and rolling. Bond lost.
23:38Harm your bonded partner. And the consequence comes down from the sky itself. He'd killed his
23:44own bonded partner. He'd lost his mind. A lightning judgment of this scale would leave nothing of him.
23:51all that power. All that scheming. And he'd thrown it away for this moment. I didn't bother playing it
23:58soft. You spent ten years plotting with Evelyn against the spirit-packed academy. You used every
24:04person here as a platform. And this life you had the chance to change and instead you gutted her for
24:09her core. The god is watching. Today it ends. Nick smiled. Cold and strange. Almost. One more step.
24:19His hands were already moving behind his back. Breaking the wards. The creatures locked in the
24:25forest felt the loosening. The ground shook. Thunder gathered directly above him. The archmaster
24:31arrived in a streak of light from the peak. Lyra! Hold the creatures back! I'll work on resealing from
24:39out here. Lightning above. The forest breaking open below. The phoenix stood in the middle of it all
24:46with a look of pure madness. And he turned it on me. Lyra. You can't stop this. Come die with
24:54me.
24:55I'll do better by you this time. I swear it. In my past life I had died in this exact
25:00forest.
25:01In this exact way. With no one at my back. I felt fear. That was honest. Old fear. The kind
25:09that lived in the body. Then a hand landed on my shoulder. Kieran. Eyes lit with the cold fire of
25:16someone who had never once considered losing. You want to take her down with you? He laughed once.
25:22Short and sharp. Ask me first. You're nobody. Right. I had Kieran. This time I wasn't fighting
25:32alone. Kieran pressed forward and I covered him. He trusted me at his back without checking. I trusted
25:38him to end what he started. Kieran wasn't breaking and the phoenix couldn't find a way past him.
25:45Then he understood. I wasn't going to die here. The plan had failed. He broke.
25:51This isn't right. You're supposed to die. We're supposed to die together.
25:55I raised one finger and pointed at the sky. Goodbye.
25:59The lightning came down in a column as wide as a well. The phoenix didn't scream.
26:05The lightning came. No rebirth for those taken by judgment. Final and
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