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