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Follow a powerful story where relationships are tested, hidden truths are revealed, and lives change forever. From romantic moments to shocking surprises, this drama keeps you engaged from beginning to end.
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Follow a powerful story where relationships are tested, hidden truths are revealed, and lives change forever. From romantic moments to shocking surprises, this drama keeps you engaged from beginning to end.
Featuring stories about CEO, billionaire lifestyles, family connections, and life-changing decisions, this movie delivers strong emotions and unforgettable scenes.
Watch the full movie and discover what happens in the end.
New full drama movies uploaded regularly. Stay tuned for more captivating and trending stories.
#drama #fullmovie #lovestory #dramatic #billionaire #ceo #family #relationships #movie #story
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00:01I finally got the rarest magic core for you.
00:05You've worked hard.
00:13No!
00:19After rebirth, I abandoned the mighty Phoenix as my magical pet.
00:23Instead, chose an almost dead little black snake in my past life.
00:27I'd hunted rare ingredients for Phoenix.
00:29Pouring every resource I had into his growth, he cheated with my sister behind my back.
00:33Finally, to make their little love story easier, they killed me together.
00:37This 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.
00:46Even 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, just like in its previous life.
00:57Its face full of disdain.
00:59That was when my sister Evelyn walked in, cradling a limp little black snake in her palms.
01:04Tears rolling down her cheeks.
01:05My sister was too weak.
01:07Phoenix fell in love with her pitiful appearance immediately, which made me look like the villains standing between them.
01:12The ceremony elder shifted awkwardly and turned on Evelyn.
01:15Your 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, bit 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.
01:32I didn't have the patience to listen to her feign weakness.
01:34I reached out and lifted the limp black snake from her hands, smiled at the ceremony elder.
01:39I've taken a liking to this one.
01:41The Phoenix clearly doesn't want me.
01:43Why not let her have him?
01:44I'll take the snake.
01:45The others thought I'd lost my mind.
01:47They pulled me aside.
01:48You're the strongest here.
01:50This 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, scene had played out exactly the same way.
02:01The 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, he's so hard to get.
02:09I'm obsessed.
02:10As the Archmaster's student, I was supposed to be an example to the others.
02:14I told myself I had to tame the Phoenix, strengthen the Spirit Pact Academy.
02:18So I threw everything I had at him.
02:20Every student got a limited ration of elixirs.
02:22So I took assassin missions, hunting rogue creatures,
02:25the kind that had lost their minds and turned feral, to 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, took what he wanted, and walked away.
02:3710 years.
02:38I spent 10 years helping him break through his limits and take human form.
02:42When he finally did, he was stunning.
02:44Tall, sharp-featured.
02:46But the warmth stopped there.
02:47He always treated me like I was his errand girl.
02:50I told myself it was fine.
02:51Creatures with strong bloodlines had pride.
02:54One day he'd recognize what I'd given him.
02:56One day we'd fight side by side and I wouldn't have to face those feral creatures alone.
02:59Then one day, I saw him kissed my sister passionately.
03:03She was laughing, dancing around him.
03:05A fellow student rode past on her white tiger, saw them in the distance, and shook her head at me.
03:10Liar, you really need to stop asking Evelyn to look after the Phoenix when you go on contracts.
03:16When did I ever ask her that?
03:18She says it every time you leave.
03:19I saw stars.
03:21I'd been out there risking my life, and she was back here cheating with my things.
03:25Doesn't she have her own creature?
03:27That little black snake died in its second year.
03:30Then it clicked.
03:31I'd spent 10 years sewing a wedding dress for someone else.
03:34I wasn't some gentle, forgiving heroine.
03:36Turned on Evelyn.
03:37It enraged the Phoenix.
03:38As punishment, he lured me to the back forest under false pretenses,
03:42then broke open the wards keeping it sealed.
03:44The creatures trapped inside started pouring out,
03:46and among them was one that had fallen into complete madness.
03:50A leviathan.
03:51The Phoenix joined forces with my sister to shoot me down the cliff.
03:54In the end, I died in the beast's head,
03:56and I could only watch Evelyn snuggle up beside it.
03:58So this time around, I wasn't going to be anyone's sacrifice.
04:01I just wanted to see what this couple would do next.
04:04The Phoenix held onto Evelyn tightly, refusing to let go.
04:07The Elder sighed, and Spirit Pact Academy the Pact Circle drawn.
04:11Once a creature bonded with someone, they were bound to that person's commands.
04:14Harm the bonded partner, and the creature suffered for it.
04:17The bonding ritual's energy agitated the black snake.
04:20He wound himself around my arm with everything he had.
04:23Evelyn got the Phoenix, and was clearly thrilled.
04:26Then she looked at the snake clinging to me.
04:27You and that serpent really do seem meant for each other, Lyra.
04:30She was very smug.
04:31Had she also been reborn?
04:33Watch your tongue, Evelyn.
04:34If Lyra hadn't stepped in for you, you'd never have gotten the Phoenix.
04:38If I were you, I'd be on my knees thanking her.
04:40Oh, stop.
04:41She's crying again.
04:42Always crying.
04:43You'd think she was the tragic one.
04:45The Phoenix paced anxiously while Evelyn sniffled.
04:47Anxious didn't help him.
04:49Evelyn had almost no power at this stage.
04:51The creatures shared energy with their bonded partners,
04:54but Evelyn's reserves were basically empty.
04:57Probably the first time in either life,
04:59that the Phoenix had been on the losing side of the situation.
05:02Good.
05:03He'd adjust.
05:04This was the consequence of choosing weakness and cheating.
05:07The black snake, finally convinced I wasn't abandoning him, went limp and passed out in my arms.
05:14Back home, I finally got a good look at the snake.
05:18He was tiny, couldn't have been more than a few decades old, barely past the threshold of maturity.
05:24But he was strange, different from the serpents I knew.
05:27Water serpents had snake-like tails.
05:29This one had a tail more like a fish, with a fin.
05:33Mixed bloodline.
05:34Serpent and something older.
05:36Seafolk, maybe.
05:37I had a natural spring in the courtyard.
05:40The moment he hit the water, he came alive.
05:42Diving and surfacing, pulling in energy from the current.
05:46I laughed.
05:48Relax.
05:48I fed a golden phoenix for 10 years.
05:51I think I can manage one little snake.
05:53He froze, and stared at me with those tiny green eyes.
05:56Then he spat water at my face.
05:58I flicked him on the head.
06:00Heal up, you're not going anywhere.
06:02The next morning, I woke up wrong.
06:04I turned my head and found a face three inches from mine.
06:08Dark lashes, warm skin, the kind of face that belonged in a painting.
06:13Long lashes that trembled slightly, objectively gorgeous.
06:17Didn't stop me from nearly jumping out of my skin.
06:20He'd gotten into bed without waking me.
06:22Whoever this was, his power was well above mine.
06:26He stirred, opened gold-slit eyes, and looked at me.
06:29I scrambled to the corner.
06:31Who are you?
06:32This is Spirit Pact Academy grounds.
06:34Don't try anything.
06:36He sat up.
06:37I noticed he was wearing the clothes I'd set aside for when a creature took human form.
06:41A dark, fitted robe with a subtle pattern.
06:44He wore it well.
06:45He was tall.
06:46He'd had to curl up to fit in my bed.
06:48Under those long lashes were a pair of gold, vertical pupil eyes.
06:52The answer was obvious.
06:54A snake?
06:55He smirked, reached out, and flicked me on the forehead.
06:58Rude.
06:59I have a name.
07:00It's Kieran.
07:01Kieran, it turned out, had been fleeing an enemy when he crossed paths with my tutor.
07:06He'd taken the form of a small, injured serpent.
07:08My tutor, true to form, had taken him in.
07:11Kieran clearly hadn't been injured because he was weak.
07:14Please tell me your enemies aren't about to show up here.
07:17We're bonded now.
07:18You're the master.
07:19I'm your mate.
07:21So I suggest you train hard and try not to slow me down.
07:24He taught me a breathing and absorption technique developed for serpentkind.
07:28Most days I sat in the spring practicing, while Kieran sprawled in the tree above me,
07:32watching with half closed eyes.
07:34The breeze moved his hair and caught the light on his skin.
07:36Evelyn appeared at my gate, peering in.
07:38I sighed and got out of the spring.
07:40Kieran dropped from the tree and draped a dry robe over my shoulders without being asked.
07:46Who is this?
07:47You remember him?
07:48The little black snake from the bonding ceremony.
07:50You said yourself we seemed meant for each other.
07:53A flicker of something crossed her face.
07:55What do you want?
07:56This is training time.
07:58I was hoping we could raise the phoenix together.
08:01Kieran's hand tightened on mine.
08:03I glanced at him.
08:04He was watching me, clearly unhappy.
08:05I'm not your backup plan.
08:07Figure it out yourself.
08:09How is it not your responsibility?
08:11You took the black snake and left me with the phoenix.
08:13You don't get to just walk away.
08:16Half a year's gone by and I've given him every elixir I had.
08:19There's nothing left for my own training.
08:21And I was in the lower ranks.
08:22I can't go hunting rare ingredients.
08:24I'd die out there.
08:25You bonded with the phoenix first.
08:27You should be helping.
08:28I cut her off mid-sentence, sent a gust of air to push her back through the gate,
08:32and led Kieran inside.
08:33Little sister, don't mistake everyone
08:35for a fool.
08:36I'm not spending my resources raising your creature for you.
08:39If you can't afford to keep him, dissolve the bond.
08:42Let someone else take him.
08:43I'm sure the elders would be happy to.
08:45She wouldn't do that.
08:46Her ambitions were too big.
08:48Weeks passed.
08:49I broke through to a new level of power, what those in the Spirit Pact Academy called Fourth Circle Stage.
08:55At the same time, the archmaster arranged for me to escort a rare spirit fox to the Spirit Pact Academy,
09:02alongside Elder Celia, who was about three centuries older than me and acted like a kid half the time.
09:09I sweet-talked her through the hand over to the creature registry, and she settled for it.
09:14Before she left, she pressed her hand over her mouth to hide a smile.
09:18Your little serpent is very clingy, you know.
09:21I didn't understand until I started up the mountain path and saw a silhouette leaning against a tree in the
09:26distance.
09:27I hear you.
09:28He didn't move.
09:29When I got closer, he reached out and grabbed the back of my neck.
09:33Lyra, am I not good to you?
09:35Why are you trying to give me away?
09:36What are you talking about?
09:38That girl came to the courtyard today.
09:40Said you sent her to check on me.
09:41Did you change your mind about bonding with me?
09:43You hit Fourth Circle and now you're done with me?
09:45...and again.
09:46Same playbook, different life.
09:48Before I could explain, Kieran's pupils contracted to thin lines.
09:53He bent his head and pressed his face into my neck.
09:55His tongue brushed the skin there.
09:58Light, quick.
09:59I shivered hard.
10:01Smells like fox.
10:03Lyra, did you already find yourself a replacement?
10:06Doesn't matter.
10:07Once I eat that fox, I'll be your only option.
10:10You hit me for her?
10:12That fox belongs to my Archmaster.
10:14You touch her and I will end you.
10:16Kieran stopped fighting me and let himself be pulled along.
10:19Most students weren't training, so the residences were quiet.
10:22A few people raised their eyebrows when they saw me coming.
10:26Short greetings.
10:27And then they told me, Evelyn had gone to the back forest with the phoenix.
10:31I frowned.
10:32I wasn't in the phoenix's way anymore.
10:34Why were they sneaking off to the forest?
10:36We found them mid-argument.
10:38Or rather, Evelyn was arguing and the phoenix, who still hadn't taken human form,
10:43was responding in scratched letters on the ground.
10:46Don't look at me like that.
10:48I've done nothing wrong.
10:49I didn't force you to come to the Spirit Pakt Academy.
10:52You said this place would help you grow.
10:55I've given you every elixir I had and you're still not satisfied?
10:59You want me to go out hunting rare ingredients?
11:02I just started training!
11:03You'd be sending me to die!
11:05I almost felt something.
11:07In my past life, he'd given me nothing for 10 years.
11:11Not a glance.
11:12Not a word.
11:13Not a gesture.
11:14Now he was writing letters in the dirt.
11:17The contrast was something.
11:19Evelyn.
11:19I've been looking for you.
11:21The phoenix scrambles to erase the letters when he heard us.
11:24Evelyn pulled herself together fast.
11:27Though not fast enough.
11:28What do you need, Lyra?
11:34I patted Kieran's arm.
11:36He gave me a long suffering look.
11:38Then dropped to one knee and let me settle onto it like a chair.
11:41His hands locked around my waist, steadying me.
11:44Evelyn's gaze locked onto Kieran and didn't move.
11:47I'm not here about anything in particular.
11:49Just wondering why you paid my companion a visit.
11:52The phoenix's feathers flared, angry.
11:55Evelyn hadn't expected me to know so fast.
11:57No, you've got it wrong.
11:59I was just coming to find you.
12:01He rested his chin on my shoulder.
12:02She lied to me.
12:04She said you stole me from her.
12:05That I was supposed to be hers.
12:07And what did you do?
12:08She came into your territory without permission.
12:10She was weak.
12:11I didn't even use my power.
12:13Just pushed until she left.
12:15I patted his cheek.
12:16I stood and faced Evelyn directly.
12:18If I remember correctly, you didn't want Kieran in the first place.
12:22He was badly injured.
12:24If he'd ended up with you, he probably wouldn't have survived his second year.
12:27That's not true!
12:29I would have taken care of him.
12:31The phoenix's crest was fully raised now.
12:33She caught herself.
12:35You're trying to drive a wedge between me and the phoenix.
12:38I stepped forward and put my hand on her shoulder.
12:41You played your game, little sister.
12:43Don't act surprised when I play mine.
12:46Next time you pull something like this, you will get my punishment.
12:49She blanched.
12:50The council didn't forgive moves against another member's bonded creature.
12:54She couldn't risk it.
12:56On the way back, I was in a good mood.
12:59Kieran was quiet, though.
13:00Wouldn't transform and carry me even when I asked.
13:03Once we were back in the courtyard, he grabbed my arm.
13:06You seem familiar with the phoenix.
13:08I didn't hide it.
13:09We have a history.
13:10It ended badly for me.
13:12Wanna hear it?
13:13He turned away, shifted into serpent form, and wound himself around my neck.
13:18No.
13:18I'm better than that bird by every measure.
13:21You're not going back to him.
13:23I won't have another mate.
13:25I promise.
13:27Days later.
13:29Laya.
13:30Your growth rate is pathetic.
13:33Sharing energy with you is a form of suffering.
13:37My arch master said, I'm one of the most talented young members in a generation.
13:42All those rare materials and elixirs I found went into me this time, not into the phoenix.
13:48Ten years passed.
13:49I moved steadily from fourth circle to sixth circle.
13:53Even the most mean elder Celia praised me.
13:55You are really a genius, Lyra.
13:57We all expected the phoenix to elevate the whole spirit-panned academy.
14:02But ten years in, there's still no sign of him breaking through.
14:06I'd expected this.
14:08Sustaining creatures took enormous resources, and the spirit-packed academy never had reserves.
14:14The phoenix couldn't break through.
14:15And in my past life, I'd seen exactly what happened when his patients ran out.
14:20I'd thought about removing him.
14:21Every time I tried to bring it up with my arch master or Kiran, it was like the words hit
14:26a wall.
14:26And acting unilaterally, killing the phoenix before anyone understood why,
14:31would have destroyed the spirit-packed academy from the inside.
14:34All I could do was watch him and contain him.
14:37Past that, I had no choice but to wait.
14:40My past life hadn't survived this year.
14:42I didn't know if this one would go differently.
14:45He stood there staring at Kiran, who was lazily floating in the spring in human form,
14:49making absolutely no effort to be welcoming.
14:52You have a bonded partner.
14:54Why are you at my gate?
14:57Right.
14:58What possible reason could you have for neglecting your own bonded partner
15:02to come stand outside someone else's home?
15:04Kiran climbed out, and immediately tried to lean against me.
15:08I don't want you on here, I'd have to know this.
15:10I just want that bird to know, there's no space for him here.
15:15What exactly is here between us?
15:18That's entirely your call.
15:19The phoenix flew away.
15:21Kiran grabbed my face with both hands.
15:23He left.
15:24Can you stop worrying about him for five minutes?
15:26I have to know what he's doing.
15:28That bird has a dark heart.
15:29I don't trust him idle.
15:32He regrets it.
15:34Doesn't want to stay with your little sister anymore.
15:36I turned toward the gate, empty.
15:39But something in my gut told me the phoenix was off.
15:42There was no logical reason for him to come to me specifically.
15:46Unless the phoenix had also been reborn.
15:50If that was true, then he knew about the back forest.
15:53He knew what was sealed there.
15:55He knew my parents had died there.
15:56Which I'd only ever told him directly, in my previous life.
16:00I didn't stop to explain to Kiran.
16:01I pulled out a slip and went straight to the forest wards.
16:04The wards were intact.
16:06I exhaled.
16:07Then I turned around and my stomach dropped.
16:09A handful of golden feathers lay near the edge of the barrier line.
16:12He'd been here.
16:13The phoenix had come back with knowledge he shouldn't have.
16:16The friction between Evelyn and the phoenix had gone public.
16:19He'd refused her commands in training sessions.
16:21Ignored her in front of others.
16:23Made her look incompetent in front of the whole yard more than once in recent weeks.
16:27The reason I kept getting dragged in was simpler and more aggravating.
16:30Every time I appeared, the phoenix drifted toward me.
16:33If looks could kill, Evelyn would have had me buried weeks ago.
16:36Elder Celia found the whole thing delightful.
16:38Her bird appeared at my shoulder one afternoon.
16:41You know what this reminds me of?
16:42One of those stories where the man realizes too late what he had.
16:46He freezes her out at the start and then spends the rest of the book chasing her.
16:52Oh dear.
16:53I could talk to the girl, offer her a different creature, something she could actually manage, and transfer the phoenix
16:59over to you quietly.
17:01No, I'm not going near the disciplinary council over this. Besides, I have Kieran. That's enough.
17:07Celia looked genuinely mournful. Then she shifted to her real point.
17:12A creature pulling against its bonded partner is a problem for everyone. And Evelyn hasn't advanced the first stage in
17:18ten years.
17:19The elders have discussed sending her out on a field assignment, a year or two away from the Spirit Pact
17:24Academy, practical experience, away from all of this.
17:27I understood what she wasn't saying. They'd given up on the phoenix as a resource for the Spirit Pact Academy.
17:32In the council hall, Evelyn made the whole thing into a production. She cried.
17:37She accused me of engineering her removal to take the phoenix. In front of all the senior elders, she made
17:43her counteroffer.
17:44If senior wants the phoenix, she should just say so. I won't stand in the way.
17:50But if she takes him, she gives me Kieran, a mixed lineage serpent for a pure-blooded phoenix. Honestly, Lyra
17:57comes out a laugh.
17:58Which one, Evelyn? You focus on your phoenix and stop coming up with terrible ideas.
18:03While the elders dealt with Evelyn, I was at the creature registry with the head keeper, investigating a disappearance.
18:11Three had vanished overnight. Two small rabbits and a unicorn.
18:15I reinforced the gate myself before I left. Any disturbance at all, and I would have felt it. There was
18:23nothing. Not a sound. Not a rogue creature. No trace of that energy anywhere. Right?
18:30I looked around. The registry was built into the mountainside. The rock face itself was warded. No slipping through the
18:38earth. No passing through walls.
18:40I was still thinking when the keeper started cooing at one of the deer.
18:44Don't be scared. Big Brother Serpent just looks mean. He won't eat you.
18:48That pulled something loose in my mind. I hesitated.
18:54Do creatures ever turn on each other? What a horrifying thing to say.
18:59They have awareness. They would never- Kieran slipped an arm around me and spoke low into my ear.
19:06People do terrible things to each other. Creatures aren't different. I've heard of a practice. A dark technique used by
19:14creatures who want to advance without resources.
19:15My skin had gone cold. Wild creatures had no access to elixirs or rare materials. If they wanted to grow
19:23in power fast, the most efficient shortcut was this. Consume the core of another creature.
19:29The higher the level of the creature they took from, the faster the gain. Kieran had nearly died at the
19:35hands of one practicing exactly that method ten years ago.
19:38Once it works, it will come back for more. We staked out the registry that night. Nothing happened. Quiet all
19:45the way until dawn. I reassured the keeper and headed out.
19:52Hallmaster, there's an incident at the residences.
19:54Kieran shifted, wrapped around me, and moved. When we landed, I didn't need to go inside to know it was
20:00bad. I could hear the crying from the courtyard.
20:03It was one of my newest students. A girl who'd come to the spirit-packed academy with his own creature.
20:07Fox. Soft and round and always sprawled in patches of sunlight.
20:11Kind of creature that made people smile just looking at it. She was sitting on the ground, holding what remained
20:16of her. Not much left.
20:17Your guess was right. The core was removed. One strike, clean. It happened before she could make a sound. She
20:23only noticed when she felt the bond break.
20:25I felt the cold settle in my chest. Without thinking, I looked around for the phoenix. He was standing beside
20:32Evelyn, still as a statue. The picture.
20:34Don't look. It's him. You're certain. I went to the archmaster.
20:40Don't move yet. You need proof. Catch him in the act. He said it with total gravity. Meanwhile, behind him,
20:48his courtyard had become a small zoo. Several of them had taken human form and were crowding around Kieran to
20:54ask about his parents' bloodlines.
20:55I keep all my creatures close. Your new firehound relieved himself on the floor. You could clean it up for
21:01your teacher. Absolutely not.
21:03The senior elders started watching the phoenix. Their eyes went to him more carefully during training. They noted that his
21:09power had grown noticeably in ways that weren't explained by his circumstances.
21:14Then, nothing. Weeks passed. No more disappearances. No incidents. Two weeks went by. The girl never quite recovered from losing
21:21his fox.
21:22The other students spoke about the disappearances less and less until the whole thing drifted into the category of strange
21:28spirit-packed academy legend.
21:30Something that had happened, maybe. Possibly. Nobody quite remembered the details. But I couldn't let it go. Kieran's certainty sat
21:37with me every day.
21:38I went to the archmaster and asked to have the phoenix formally restricted.
21:42You think we don't see it? But without evidence, what do I tell the students? If I punish someone without
21:48proof, I lose the trust of the whole spirit-packed academy. And without that trust, the spirit-packed academy dissolves.
21:55Then, one night, while I was deep in meditation, something flashed past my window. A pair of red eyes. Bright.
22:02Gone in an instant.
22:03Where was Kieran? I moved to the water's edge. Floating on the surface. A single golden feather. An invitation. Or
22:10a taunt.
22:10Find me and I'll give him back. I reached out through the bond and found Kieran's location. The back forest.
22:16I hit the ground running.
22:17I arrived through the wards in a flash of light. And walked straight into a shockwave from two powers colliding.
22:23Kieran and the phoenix were already fighting. Fully committed. I went rigid. When had the phoenix broken through?
22:30He moved through the trees in a golden coat. Fast and precise. Ducking and redirecting Kieran's strikes. With the ease
22:38of someone who'd had longer to prepare for this moment.
22:41Beside the ward barrier, Evelyn sat perfectly still. Like a doll that someone had set down and forgotten.
22:47When I got close enough to see her clearly, my stomach turned over. Evelyn was dead. Her eyes were still
22:54open.
22:54Fixed in an expression of complete disbelief. Her abdomen had been cut open. Her core. The source of her power.
23:02The root she'd spent years building. Was gone.
23:06I hadn't even had time to process it. Before the sky above the forest went dark. Clouds banking hard and
23:12fast. Thunder starting low and rolling.
23:15Your bond lies. Harm your bonded partner. And the consequence comes down from the sky itself. He'd killed his own
23:23bonded partner. He'd lost his mind.
23:26A lightning judgment of this scale would leave nothing of him. All that power. All that scheming. And he'd thrown
23:33it away for this moment. I didn't bother playing it soft.
23:37You spent ten years plotting with Evelyn against the Spirit Pact Academy. You used every person here as a platform.
23:44And this life you had the chance to change. And instead you gutted her for her core. The God is
23:49watching. Today it ends.
23:52Phoenix smiled. Cold and strange. Almost. One more step.
23:58His hands were already moving behind his back. Breaking the wards. The creatures locked in the forest felt the loosening.
24:05The ground shook. Thunder gathered directly above him. The Archmaster arrived in a streak of light from the peak.
24:11Lyra! Hold the creatures back. I'll work on resealing from out here.
24:18Lightning above. The forest breaking open below. The Phoenix stood in the middle of it all. With a look of
24:24pure madness. And he turned it on me.
24:28Lyra. You can't stop this. Come die with me. I'll do better by you this time. I swear it.
24:35In my past life I had died in this exact forest. In this exact way. With no one at my
24:41back.
24:42I felt fear. That was honest. Old fear. The kind that lived in the body. Then a hand landed on
24:49my shoulder.
24:50Kieran. Eyes lit with the cold fire of someone who had never once considered losing.
24:56You want to take her down with you?
24:58He laughed once. Short and sharp.
25:01Ask me first. You're nobody.
25:04Right. I had Kieran. This time I wasn't fighting alone.
25:10Kieran pressed forward and I covered him. He trusted me at his back without checking. I trusted him to end
25:16what he started.
25:18Kieran wasn't breaking and the Phoenix couldn't find a way past him. Then he understood. I wasn't going to die
25:25here. The plan had failed. He broke.
25:28This isn't right. You're supposed to die. We're supposed to die together.
25:32I raised one finger and pointed at the sky. Goodbye.
25:36The lightning came down in a column as wide as it was. The Phoenix didn't scream. No rebirth for those
25:43taken by judgment. Final and total.
25:46I finally got the rarest magic core for you. You've worked hard.
26:05After rebirth, I abandoned the mighty Phoenix as my magical pet. Instead chose an almost dead little black snake in
26:13my past life.
26:13I'd hunted rare ingredients for Phoenix. Pouring every resource I had into his growth, he cheated with my sister behind
26:19my back.
26:20Finally, to make their little love story easier, they killed me together. This time around, I wanted to see how
26:25that perfect couple managed without me as their stepping stone.
26:27The same packed ceremony. The same standout, undeniably that golden Phoenix. Even caged with a suppression collar, he held his
26:34head high, like the rest of us were beneath him.
26:36As expected, the ceremony elder assigned him to me. The Phoenix tilted its head back and rolled its eyes, just
26:42like in its previous life, its face full of disdain.
26:45That was when my sister Evelyn walked in, cradling a limp little black snake in her palms, tears rolling down
26:51her cheeks.
26:52My sister was too weak. Phoenix fell in love with her pitiful appearance immediately, which made me look like the
26:57villain standing between them.
26:58The ceremony elder shifted awkwardly and turned on Evelyn.
27:01Your power isn't strong enough. Even if the Phoenix is drawn to you now, you won't be able to handle
27:07him.
27:07She didn't react, instead pretended to be scared by my gaze, bit her lip with tears down.
27:12Lila, I know I have no right to compete with you. It's just, I've never seen a golden Phoenix before.
27:18I didn't have the patience to listen to her feigned weakness. I reached out and lifted the limp black snake
27:22from her hands, smiled at the ceremony elder.
27:25I've taken a liking to this one. The Phoenix clearly doesn't want me. Why not let her have him? I'll
27:31take the snake.
27:31The others thought I'd lost my mind. They pulled me aside.
27:34You're the strongest here. This black snake has a mixed bloodline. He's basically worthless.
27:39But I knew the truth about that Phoenix. He was no prize. In my last life, in my past life,
27:45scene had played out exactly the same way.
27:47The Phoenix ignored me. I felt the sting of being rejected for the first time in my life.
27:52And instead of thinking clearly, I thought, he's so hard to get. I'm obsessed.
27:56As the Archmaster's student, I was supposed to be an example to the others.
28:00I told myself I had to tame the Phoenix, strengthen the Spirit Pact Academy. So I threw everything I had
28:06at him.
28:06Every student got a limited ration of elixirs. So I took assassin missions, hunting rogue creatures, the kind that had
28:12lost their minds and turned feral, to earn extra elixirs.
28:15I came back bleeding every time. The Phoenix pretended not to notice. He only came near me when I pulled
28:21out elixirs, took what he wanted, and walked away.
28:24Ten years. I spent ten years helping him break through his limits and take human form. When he finally did,
28:30he was stunning. Tall, sharp-featured. But the warmth stopped there.
28:34He always treated me like I was his errand girl. I told myself it was fine. Creatures with strong bloodlines
28:39had pride.
28:40One day, he'd recognize what I'd given him. One day, we'd fight side by side, and I wouldn't have to
28:44face those feral creatures alone.
28:46Then one day, I saw him kiss my sister passionately. She was laughing, dancing around him. A fellow student rode
28:52past on her white tiger, saw them in the distance, and shook her head at me.
28:56Liar. You really need to stop asking Evelyn to look after the Phoenix when you go on contracts.
29:02When did I ever ask her that?
29:04She says it every time you leave.
29:06I saw stars. I'd been out there risking my life, and she was back here cheating with my feelings.
29:11Doesn't she have her own creature?
29:13That little black snake died in its second year.
29:16Then it clicked.
29:17I'd spent ten years sewing a wedding dress for someone else.
29:20I wasn't some gentle, forgiving heroine.
29:22Turned on Evelyn.
29:23It enraged the Phoenix.
29:25As punishment, he lured me to the back forest under false pretenses.
29:28Then broke open the wards keeping it sealed.
29:30The creatures trapped inside started pouring out.
29:33And among them was one that had fallen into complete madness.
29:36A Leviathan.
29:37The Phoenix joined forces with my sister to shoot me down the cliff.
29:40In the end, I died in the beast head.
29:42And I could only watch Evelyn snuggle up beside it.
29:44So this time around, I wasn't going to be anyone's sacrifice.
29:48I just wanted to see what this couple would do next.
29:50The Phoenix held onto Evelyn tightly, refusing to let go.
29:53The elder sighed and spirit-packed academy the pact circle drawn.
29:57Once a creature bonded with someone, they were bound to that person's commands.
30:01Harm the bonded partner, and the creature suffered for it.
30:04The bonding ritual's energy agitated the black snake.
30:07He wound himself around my arm with everything he had.
30:10Evelyn got the Phoenix and was clearly thrilled.
30:12Then she looked at the snake clinging to me.
30:14You and that serpent really do seem meant for each other, Lyra.
30:17She was very smug.
30:18Had she also been reborn?
30:19Watch your tongue, Evelyn.
30:21If Lyra hadn't stepped in for you, you'd never have gotten the Phoenix.
30:24If I were you, I'd be on my knees thanking her.
30:26Oh, stop.
30:27She's crying again.
30:29Always crying.
30:30You'd think she was the tragic one.
30:31The Phoenix paced anxiously while Evelyn sniffled.
30:34Anxious didn't help him.
30:35Evelyn had almost no power at this stage.
30:37The creatures shared energy with their bonded partners, but Evelyn's reserves were basically empty.
30:43Probably the first time in either life that the Phoenix had been on the losing side of the situation.
30:49Good.
30:49He'd adjust.
30:50This was the consequence of choosing weakness and cheating.
30:54The black snake, finally convinced I wasn't abandoning him, went limp and passed out in my arms.
31:01Back home, I finally got a good look at the snake.
31:04He was tiny.
31:05Couldn't have been more than a few decades old.
31:08Barely passed the threshold of maturity.
31:10But he was strange.
31:11Different from the serpents I knew.
31:13Water serpents had snake-like tails.
31:16This one had a tail more like a fish.
31:18With a fin.
31:19Mixed bloodline.
31:20Serpent and something older.
31:23Seafolk, maybe.
31:24I had a natural spring in the courtyard.
31:26The moment he hit the water, he came alive.
31:29Diving and surfacing.
31:30Pulling in energy from the current.
31:33I laughed.
31:34Relax.
31:35I fed a golden phoenix for ten years.
31:37I think I can manage one little snake.
31:39He froze.
31:40And stared at me with those tiny green eyes.
31:43Then he spat water at my face.
31:45I flicked him on the head.
31:47Heal up.
31:48You're not going anywhere.
31:49The next morning, I woke up wrong.
31:51I turned my head and found a face three inches from mine.
31:54Dark lashes.
31:56Warm skin.
31:57The kind of face that belonged in a painting.
31:59Long lashes that trembled slightly.
32:02Objectively gorgeous.
32:03Didn't stop me from nearly jumping out of my skin.
32:06He'd gotten into bed without waking me.
32:08Whoever this was.
32:10His power was well above mine.
32:12He stirred.
32:13Opened gold slit eyes.
32:15And looked at me.
32:16I scrambled to the corner.
32:18Who are you?
32:18This is Spirit Pact Academy grounds.
32:21Don't try anything.
32:21He sat up.
32:23He sat up.
32:23I noticed he was wearing the clothes I'd set aside for when a creature took human form.
32:27A dark fitted robe with a subtle pattern.
32:30He wore it well.
32:31He was tall.
32:33He'd had to curl up to fit in my bed.
32:35Under those long lashes were a pair of gold vertical pupil eyes.
32:38The answer was obvious.
32:40Snake?
32:41He smirked.
32:42Reached out.
32:42And flicked me on the forehead.
32:44Rude.
32:45I have a name.
32:46It's Kieran.
32:47Kieran, it turned out, had been fleeing an enemy when he crossed paths with my tutor.
32:52He'd taken the form of a small, injured serpent.
32:55My tutor, true to form, had taken him in.
32:57Kieran clearly hadn't been injured because he was weak.
32:59Please tell me your enemies aren't about to show up here.
33:03We're bonded now.
33:04You're the master.
33:06I'm your mate.
33:07So I suggest you train hard and try not to slow me down.
33:10He taught me a breathing and absorption technique developed for serpentkind.
33:14Most days I sat in the spring practicing, while Kieran sprawled in the tree above me, watching with half-closed
33:19eyes.
33:20The breeze moved his hair and caught the light on his skin.
33:23Evelyn appeared at my gate, peering in.
33:25I sighed and got out of the spring.
33:26Kieran dropped from the tree and draped a dry robe over my shoulders without being asked.
33:32Who is this?
33:33You remember him?
33:34The little black snake from the bonding ceremony.
33:36You said yourself we seem meant for each other.
33:39A flicker of something crossed her face.
33:41What do you want?
33:42This is training time.
33:44I was hoping we could raise the phoenix together.
33:47Kieran's hand tightened on mine.
33:49I glanced at him.
33:50He was watching me, clearly unhappy.
33:52I'm not your backup plan.
33:54Figure it out yourself.
33:55How is it not your responsibility?
33:57You took the black snake and left me with the phoenix.
34:00You don't get to just walk away.
34:02Half a year's gone by and I've given him every elixir I had.
34:05There's nothing left for my own training.
34:07And I was in the lower ranks.
34:08I can't go hunting rare ingredients.
34:10I'd die out there.
34:11You bonded with the phoenix first.
34:13You should be helping.
34:14I cut her off mid-sentence.
34:16Sent a gust of air to push her back through the gate.
34:18And led Kieran inside.
34:20Little sister.
34:21Don't mistake everyone for a fool.
34:22I'm not spending my resources raising your creature for you.
34:25If you can't afford to keep him.
34:27Dissolve the bond.
34:28Let someone else take him.
34:30I'm sure the elders would be happy to.
34:32She wouldn't do that.
34:33Her ambitions were too big.
34:34Weeks passed.
34:35I broke through to a new level of power.
34:38What those in the Spirit Pact Academy called.
34:40Fourth circle stage.
34:42At the same time.
34:43The Archmaster arranged for me to escort a rare spirit fox.
34:47To the Spirit Pact Academy.
34:49Alongside Elder Celia.
34:51Who was about three centuries older than me.
34:53And acted like a kid half the time.
34:55I sweet talked her through the hand over to the creature registry.
34:58And she settled for it.
35:00Before she left.
35:01She pressed her hand over her mouth to hide a smile.
35:04Your little serpent is very clingy you know.
35:07I didn't understand until I started up the mountain path.
35:10And saw a silhouette leaning against a tree in the distance.
35:14He didn't move.
35:15When I got closer he reached out and grabbed the back of my neck.
35:19Lyra.
35:20Am I not good to you?
35:21Why are you trying to give me away?
35:23What are you talking about?
35:24That girl came to the courtyard today.
35:26Said you sent her to check on me.
35:28Did you change your mind about bonding with me?
35:30You hit fourth circle and now you're done with me?
35:31I'm pulling again.
35:33Same playbook.
35:34Different life.
35:35Before I could explain.
35:36Kieran's pupils contracted to thin lines.
35:39He bent his head and pressed his face into my neck.
35:42His tongue brushed the skin there.
35:44Light.
35:45Quick.
35:45I shivered hard.
35:47Smells like fox.
35:49Lyra.
35:50Did you already find yourself a replacement?
35:52Doesn't matter.
35:54Once I eat that fox I'll be your only option.
35:56You hit me for her?
35:58That fox belongs to my arch master.
36:00You touch her and I will end you.
36:02Kieran stopped fighting me and let himself be pulled along.
36:05Most students weren't training.
36:07So the residences were quiet.
36:09A few people raised their eyebrows when they saw me coming.
36:12Short greetings.
36:13And then they told me.
36:14Evelyn had gone to the back forest with the phoenix.
36:17I frowned.
36:18I wasn't in the phoenix's way anymore.
36:20Why were they sneaking off to the forest?
36:22We found them mid-argument.
36:25Or rather.
36:26Evelyn was arguing in the phoenix.
36:28Who still hadn't taken human form.
36:30Was responding in scratched letters on the ground.
36:33Don't look at me like that.
36:34I've done nothing wrong.
36:36I didn't force you to come to the spirit pocked academy.
36:39You said this place would help you grow.
36:41I've given you every elixir I had and you're still not satisfied?
36:45You want me to go out hunting rare ingredients?
36:48I just started training.
36:50You'd be sending me to die.
36:51I almost felt something.
36:54In my past life.
36:55He'd given me nothing for 10 years.
36:58Not a glance.
36:59Not a word.
36:59Not a gesture.
37:01Now he was writing letters in the dirt.
37:03The contrast was something.
37:05Evelyn.
37:06I've been looking for you.
37:07The phoenix scrambles to erase the letters when he heard us.
37:11Evelyn pulled herself together fast.
37:13Though not fast enough.
37:15What do you need Lyra?
37:20I patted Kieran's arm.
37:22He gave me a long suffering look.
37:24Then dropped to one knee and let me settle onto it like a chair.
37:27His hands locked around my waist.
37:29Steadying me.
37:30Evelyn's gaze locked onto Kieran and didn't move.
37:33I'm not here about anything in particular.
37:36Just wondering why you paid my companion a visit.
37:38The phoenix's feathers flared.
37:40Angry.
37:41Evelyn hadn't expected me to know so fast.
37:43No, you've got it wrong.
37:45I was just coming to find you.
37:47He rested his chin on my shoulder.
37:49She lied to me.
37:50She said you stole me from her.
37:51That I was supposed to be hers.
37:53And what did you do?
37:54She came into your territory without permission.
37:56She was weak.
37:58I didn't even use my power.
37:59Just pushed until she left.
38:01I patted his cheek.
38:02I stood and faced Evelyn directly.
38:05If I remember correctly, you didn't want Kieran in the first place.
38:08He was badly injured.
38:10If he'd ended up with you, he probably wouldn't have survived his second year.
38:14That's not true!
38:15I would have taken care of him.
38:17The phoenix's crest was fully raised now.
38:19She caught herself.
38:21You're trying to drive a wedge between me and the phoenix.
38:24I stepped forward and put my hand on her shoulder.
38:27You played your game, little sister.
38:29Don't act surprised when I play mine.
38:32Next time you pull something like this, you will get my punishment.
38:36She blanched.
38:37The council didn't forgive moves against another member's bonded creature.
38:40She couldn't risk it.
38:42On the way back, I was in a good mood.
38:45Kieran was quiet though.
38:46Wouldn't transform and carry me even when I asked.
38:49Once we were back in the courtyard, he grabbed my arm.
38:52You seem familiar with the phoenix.
38:54I didn't hide it.
38:55We have a history.
38:56It ended badly for me.
38:57Wanna hear it?
38:59He turned away, shifted into serpent form, and wound himself around my neck.
39:04No.
39:05I'm better than that bird by every measure.
39:07You're not going back to him.
39:09I won't have another mate.
39:11I promise.
39:13Days later.
39:15Lya.
39:16Lya.
39:17Your growth rate is pathetic.
39:19Sharing energy with you is a form of suffering.
39:23My Arch Master said, I'm one of the most talented young members in a generation.
39:28All those rare materials and elixirs I found went into me this time.
39:32Not into the phoenix.
39:34Ten years passed.
39:36I moved steadily from fourth circle to sixth circle.
39:39Even the most mean elder Celia praised me.
39:41You are really a genius, Lyra.
39:44We all expected the phoenix to elevate the whole Spirit Panda Academy.
39:48But ten years in, there's still no sign of him breaking through.
39:52I'd expected this.
39:54Sustaining creatures took enormous resources.
39:57And the Spirit Pact Academy never had reserves.
40:00The phoenix couldn't break through.
40:02And in my past life, I'd seen exactly what happened when his patience ran out.
40:06I'd thought about removing him.
40:07Every time I tried to bring it up with my Arch Master or Kiran, it was like the words hit
40:12a wall.
40:13And acting unilaterally, killing the phoenix before anyone understood why, would have destroyed the Spirit Pact Academy from the inside.
40:20All I could do was watch him and contain him.
40:23Past that, I had no choice but to wait.
40:26My past life hadn't survived this year.
40:29I didn't know if this one would go differently.
40:31He stood there staring at Kiran, who was lazily floating in the spring in human form, making absolutely no effort
40:37to be welcoming.
40:38You have a bonded partner.
40:40Why are you at my gate?
40:43Right.
40:44What possible reason could you have for neglecting your own bonded partner to come stand outside someone else's home?
40:51Kiran climbed out and immediately tried to lean against me.
40:54I don't worry you're near. I'll have to know this.
40:57I just want that bird to know there's no space for him here.
41:01What exactly is here between us?
41:04That's entirely your call.
41:06The phoenix flew away.
41:07Kiran grabbed my face with both hands.
41:09He left.
41:10Can you stop worrying about him for five minutes?
41:12I have to know what he's doing.
41:14That bird has a dark heart.
41:16I don't trust him idle.
41:19He regrets it.
41:20Doesn't want to stay with your little sister anymore.
41:23I turned toward the gate.
41:24Empty.
41:25But something in my gut told me the phoenix was off.
41:29There was no logical reason for him to come to me specifically.
41:33Unless the phoenix had also been reborn.
41:35If that was true then he knew about the back forest.
41:39He knew what was sealed there.
41:41He knew my parents had died there.
41:43Which I'd only ever told him directly.
41:45In my previous life.
41:46I didn't stop to explain to Kiran.
41:48I pulled out a slip and went straight to the forest wards.
41:50The wards were intact.
41:52I exhaled.
41:53Then I turned around and my stomach dropped.
41:55A handful of golden feathers lay near the edge of the barrier line.
41:58He'd been here.
41:59The phoenix had come back with knowledge he shouldn't have.
42:02The friction between Evelyn and the phoenix had gone public.
42:05He'd refused her commands in training sessions.
42:07Ignored her in front of others.
42:09Made her look incompetent in front of the whole yard more than once in recent weeks.
42:13The reason I kept getting dragged in was simpler and more aggravating.
42:16Every time I appeared, the phoenix drifted toward me.
42:19If looks could kill, Evelyn would have had me buried weeks ago.
42:22Elder Celia found the whole thing delightful.
42:24Her bird appeared at my shoulder one afternoon.
42:26You know what this reminds me of?
42:29One of those stories where the man realizes too late what he had.
42:33He freezes her out at the start and then spends the rest of the book chasing her.
42:38Oh dear.
42:39I could talk to the girl.
42:41Offer her a different creature.
42:42Something she could actually manage.
42:44And transfer the phoenix over to you.
42:46Quietly.
42:47No.
42:48I'm not going near the disciplinary council over this.
42:50Besides, I have Ciaran.
42:52That's enough.
42:53Celia looked genuinely mournful.
42:56Then she shifted to her real point.
42:58A creature pulling against its bonded partner is a problem for everyone.
43:02And Evelyn hasn't advanced the first stage in ten years.
43:05The elders have discussed sending her out on a field assignment.
43:08A year or two away from the Spirit Pact Academy.
43:11Practical experience away from all of this.
43:13I understood what she wasn't saying.
43:15They'd given up on the phoenix as a resource for the Spirit Pact Academy.
43:19In the council hall, Evelyn made the whole thing into a production.
43:22She cried.
43:23She accused me of engineering her removal to take the phoenix.
43:26In front of all the senior elders, she made her counter-offer.
43:31If senior wants the phoenix, she should just say so.
43:34I won't stand in the way.
43:36But if she takes him, she gives me Ciaran.
43:39A mixed lineage serpent for a pure-blooded phoenix.
43:42Honestly, Lyra comes out a laugh.
43:44Which one, Evelyn?
43:46You focus on your phoenix and stop coming up with terrible ideas.
43:50While the elders dealt with Evelyn,
43:52I was at the creature registry with the head keeper,
43:55investigating a disappearance.
43:57Three had vanished overnight.
43:59Two small rabbits and a unicorn.
44:01I reinforced the gate myself before I left.
44:05Any disturbance at all and I would have felt it.
44:08There was nothing.
44:10Not a sound.
44:11Not a rogue creature.
44:13No trace of that energy anywhere.
44:16Right?
44:17I looked around.
44:18The registry was built into the mountainside.
44:21The rock face itself was warded.
44:23No slipping through the earth.
44:25No passing through walls.
44:26I was still thinking when the keeper started cooing at one of the deer.
44:30Don't be scared.
44:31Big Brother Serpent just looks mean.
44:33He won't eat you.
44:35That pulled something loose in my mind.
44:37I hesitated.
44:40Do creatures ever turn on each other?
44:43What a horrifying thing to say.
44:46They have awareness.
44:48They would never-
44:49Kieran slipped an arm around me and spoke low into my ear.
44:52People do terrible things to each other.
44:54Creatures aren't different.
44:56I've heard of a practice.
44:58A dark technique used by creatures who want to advance without resources.
45:02My skin had gone cold.
45:04Wild creatures had no access to elixirs or rare materials.
45:08If they wanted to grow in power fast, the most efficient shortcut was this.
45:13Consume the core of another creature.
45:15The higher the level of the creature they took from, the faster the gain.
45:20Kieran had nearly died at the hands of one practicing exactly that method ten years ago.
45:24Once it works, it will come back for more.
45:28We staked out the registry that night.
45:30Nothing happened.
45:31Quiet all the way until dawn.
45:33I reassured the keeper and headed out.
45:38Hallmaster, there's an incident at the residences.
45:41Kieran shifted, wrapped around me, and moved.
45:43When we landed, I didn't need to go inside to know it was bad.
45:47I could hear the crying from the courtyard.
45:49It was one of my newest students.
45:51A girl who'd come to the Spirit Pact Academy with his own creature.
45:54Fox.
45:54Soft and round and always sprawled in patches of sunlight.
45:57Kind of creature that made people smile just looking at it.
46:00She was sitting on the ground, holding what remained of her.
46:03Not much left.
46:04Your guess was right.
46:05The core was removed.
46:06One strike, clean.
46:07It happened before she could make a sound.
46:09She only noticed when she felt the bond break.
46:12I felt the cold settle in my chest.
46:15Without thinking, I looked around for the phoenix.
46:17He was standing beside Evelyn, still as a statue.
46:20The picture.
46:21Don't look.
46:22It's him.
46:24You're certain?
46:25I went to the Archmaster.
46:27Don't move yet.
46:28You need proof.
46:29Catch him in the act.
46:31He said it with total gravity.
46:33Meanwhile, behind him, his courtyard had become a small zoo.
46:36Several of them had taken human form and were crowding around Kieran to ask about his parents' bloodlines.
46:42I keep all my creatures close.
46:44Your new firehound relieved himself on the floor.
46:46You could clean it up for your teacher.
46:48Absolutely not.
46:49The senior elders started watching the phoenix.
46:52Their eyes went to him more carefully during training.
46:55They noted that his power had grown noticeably in ways that weren't explained by his circumstances.
47:00Then, nothing.
47:01Weeks passed.
47:02No more disappearances.
47:04No incidents.
47:05Two weeks went by.
47:06The girl never quite recovered from losing his fox.
47:08The other students spoke about the disappearances less and less until the whole thing drifted into the category of
47:14Strange spirit-packed academy legend.
47:16Something that had happened, maybe.
47:18Possibly.
47:18Nobody quite remembered the details.
47:20But I couldn't let it go.
47:22Kieran's certainty sat with me every day.
47:24I went to the Archmaster and asked to have the phoenix formally restricted.
47:28You think we don't see it?
47:30But without evidence, what do I tell the students?
47:33If I punish someone without proof, I lose the trust of the whole spirit-packed academy.
47:37And without that trust, the spirit-packed academy dissolves.
47:41Then one night, while I was deep in meditation, something flashed past 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.
47:55An invitation.
47:56Or a taunt.
47:56Find me and I'll give him back.
47:58I reached out through the bond and found Kieran's location.
48:01The back forest.
48:02I hit the ground running.
48:03I arrived through the wards in a flash of light.
48:06And walked straight into a shockwave from two powers colliding.
48:10Kieran and the phoenix were already fighting.
48:12Fully committed.
48:13I went rigid.
48:14When had the phoenix broken through?
48:16He moved through the trees in a golden coat.
48:19Fast and precise.
48:21Ducking and redirecting Kieran's strikes.
48:23With the ease of someone who'd had longer to prepare for this moment.
48:27Beside the ward barrier, Evelyn sat perfectly still.
48:30Like a doll that someone had set down and forgotten.
48:34When I got close enough to see her clearly.
48:36My stomach turned over.
48:38Evelyn was dead.
48:39Her eyes were still open.
48:41Fixed in an expression of complete disbelief.
48:44Her abdomen had been cut open.
48:46Her core.
48:47The source of her power.
48:49The root she'd spent years building.
48:51Was gone.
48:52I hadn't even had time to process it.
48:54Before the sky above the forest went dark.
48:57Clouds banking hard and fast.
48:59Thunder starting low and rolling.
49:02The bond flies.
49:04Harm your bonded partner.
49:05And the consequence comes down from the sky itself.
49:08He'd killed his own bonded partner.
49:11He'd lost his mind.
49:12A lightning judgment of this scale would leave nothing of him.
49:16All that power.
49:17All that scheming.
49:18And he'd thrown it away for this moment.
49:21I didn't bother playing it soft.
49:23You spent ten years plotting with Evelyn against the Spirit Pact Academy.
49:27You used every person here as a platform.
49:30And this life you had the chance to change.
49:32And instead you gutted her for her core.
49:35The God is watching.
49:37Today it ends.
49:38Phoenix smiled.
49:39Cold and strange.
49:41Almost.
49:42One more step.
49:44His hands were already moving behind his back.
49:47Breaking the wards.
49:48The creatures locked in the forest felt the loosening.
49:51The ground shook.
49:52Thunder gathered directly above him.
49:54The Archmaster arrived in a streak of light from the peak.
49:58Lyra!
49:58Hold the creatures back!
50:02I'll work on resealing from out here.
50:05Lightning above.
50:05The forest breaking open below.
50:07The phoenix stood in the middle of it all.
50:10With a look of pure madness.
50:12And he turned it on me.
50:14Lyra.
50:15You can't stop this.
50:17Come die with me.
50:19I'll do better by you this time.
50:21I swear it.
50:22In my past life I had died in this exact forest.
50:25In this exact way.
50:27With no one at work out.
50:28I felt fear.
50:30That was honest.
50:31Old fear.
50:32The kind that lived in the body.
50:34Then a hand landed on my shoulder.
50:36Kieran.
50:37Eyes lit with the cold fire of someone who had never once considered losing.
50:42You wanna take her down with you?
50:44He laughed once.
50:45Short.
50:46And sharp.
50:47Ask me first.
50:49You're nobody.
50:51Right.
50:52I had Kieran.
50:53This time.
50:54I wasn't fighting alone.
50:56Kieran pressed forward.
50:57And I covered him.
50:59He trusted me at his back without checking.
51:01I trusted him.
51:02To end what he started.
51:04Kieran wasn't breaking.
51:05And the phoenix couldn't find a way past him.
51:08Then he understood.
51:09I wasn't going to die here.
51:11The plan had failed.
51:13He broke.
51:14This isn't right.
51:16You're supposed to die.
51:17We're supposed to die together.
51:18I raised one finger and pointed at the sky.
51:21Goodbye.
51:22The lightning came down in a column as wide as a well.
51:26The phoenix didn't scream.
51:28No rebirth for those taken by judgment.
51:31Final.
51:32And total.
51:32It's the one Cinderella Channel.
51:33H participatory videoought to Kyle by Danielleres.
51:33Is a star-면 that Jeff Anderson V가지고.
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