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Born of Moon, Cursed by Blood
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Short filmTranscript
00:00For a thousand years, the Dragonblood Empire has been shackled by an ancient blood curse.
00:05True dragons grow fewer with each passing generation.
00:08The dragon-blooded can only sustain their lineage by intermarrying with the Naga.
00:12Even so, not a single true dragon has been born in a hundred years.
00:16Emperor Ariel laid down an iron law.
00:19Among the nine princes, whoever's wife bears a true dragon shall be the next emperor.
00:24In my last life, I was born from the womb of the most renowned Naga woman, Mara.
00:30My father was Prince Kaelin, the third prince, the most ambitious and the favorite to claim the throne.
00:35Everyone believed that Mara, naturally fertile as she was, would surely birth a true dragon.
00:41The moment I came into this world, everything shattered.
00:45I was no dragon, no Naga, just a small, black, hideous snake.
00:50Kaelin turned his back before the entire court, discarding wife and child alike.
00:55Mara's pride crumbled to dust, and all her hatred poured down upon me.
00:59She cut out my tongue, she pierced my eyes.
01:02Before I was even half a year old, she threw me into the slave pens, leaving me to be tormented
01:08at will.
01:09I endured three months of darkness and agony.
01:11In the end, I was beaten to death.
01:14Just before I died, I saw Mara holding up my cold, limp body, smiling as she tossed it into the
01:19cage of an abuse house.
01:22Monster, you ruined me.
01:24Death is the best ending you deserve.
01:26The moment darkness swallowed me, the ancient dragon god descended.
01:31Poor child, I will give you one more chance.
01:35Into whose care do you wish to be re-owned?
01:38I didn't hesitate for a single breath.
01:41Love Dina.
01:41Lavina and Mara grew up together, as close as sisters, yet their natures stood worlds apart.
01:47She was gentle, quiet, soft-hearted, and kind.
01:51In my last life, she was the only one who secretly gave me warmth.
01:55The only one who, after I died, risked her life to snatch my broken bones from the jaws of the
02:00hounds.
02:00She built me a small grave and prayed there day and night.
02:04It was her prayers that brought me before the dragon god once more.
02:08A warmth washed over my consciousness.
02:10I was back in that summer, Mara had just confirmed her pregnancy, and I, I was nestled inside Lavina's womb.
02:18Lavina, can you believe it?
02:20We're both pregnant.
02:22I never thought I could have a child.
02:24Mara's voice.
02:25Forced excitement.
02:26Barely concealed unease.
02:28This is wonderful, Mara.
02:30We'll watch our children grow up together.
02:33We'll stay together forever.
02:35Her full name is Lavina Moonshade.
02:37Since birth, a layer of soft silver light has always clung to her form, like moonlight draped over her shoulders.
02:44Her people say she is a woman blessed by the moon.
02:46I stirred gently inside her womb and felt warmth.
02:49This time, I have a real mother.
02:51But the peace didn't last.
02:53Soon, Mara lowered her voice and spoke to the physician.
02:56I don't want this child.
02:57Give me an abort effective.
02:59The strongest you have.
03:00Lavina's voice trembled with shock.
03:02Mara, have you lost your mind?
03:04This is your child.
03:06You waited so long for this.
03:08In my last life, the moment Mara learned of her pregnancy, she was overjoyed and cautious beyond measure.
03:14Yet now, barely confirmed, she was demanding to end it.
03:18She has also been reborn.
03:23Sure enough, Mara's tone dripped with disgust.
03:26Because it's a monster.
03:28I know.
03:29It's that black snake from my last life.
03:32If I give birth to it, Caelan will abandon me.
03:35I'll lose everything.
03:37How can you think that?
03:39The child isn't even born yet.
03:40How can you know?
03:41Even if it isn't a true dragon.
03:43It's still your own flesh and blood.
03:46Mara refused to listen.
03:48She insisted on the drug.
03:49Your highness, by the emperor's decree, harming a dragon blood heir is forbidden.
03:54The penalty is exile to the abyss.
03:57If you persist, I will report this to his majesty immediately.
04:01Mara's voice drained of color.
04:03She could lose anything, anything but Caelan.
04:05Anything but her place in the dragon blood empire.
04:08A joke.
04:09It was only a joke.
04:11How could I ever want to harm my own child?
04:13But the moment she turned into a deserted corridor, she slammed her fist against her own belly, venom pooling in
04:20her eyes.
04:21You little monster, you think you can escape?
04:23In this life, I will end you for certain.
04:27Word that Mara and Lovina were both with child soon reached the emperor's ears.
04:32A double pregnancy unheard of in a century.
04:35The emperor was overjoyed.
04:36He lavished them with magical herbs, rare treasures, and assigned attendants to watch over them day and night.
04:42When Prince Elion, the seventh prince, learned of Lovina's pregnancy, he did not sleep the entire night.
04:48His heart was full.
04:50Gentle and frail of body, he cared nothing for power.
04:53He cared only for Lovina.
04:55He pressed his ear to her belly and whispered low,
04:58Little one, don't trouble your mother.
05:01Grow strong and healthy.
05:03Once you're born, father will take you to the mortal market.
05:06Whatever you want, it's yours.
05:08Lovina laughed and swatted at him.
05:10The child is still too small.
05:12It can't hear a thing.
05:14Elion's voice turned serious.
05:15I wanted to know how much we love it.
05:18Lovina fell silent for a moment, then asked, her voice barely above a breath.
05:22If our child is not a dragon, if it's only a snake, would you still love me?
05:27Would you leave?
05:32I love you, dragon, snake, ordinary mortal.
05:36It doesn't matter.
05:37I will never leave.
05:38A warmth spread through me inside her womb.
05:40In my last life, the moment I was born, Caelan saw I was a black snake.
05:46He drew his sword to strike me down on the spot, cursing me for defiling the bloodline.
05:51Had Elion not thrown himself in the way, there would have been nothing left of me but bones and ash.
05:56This time, I got it right.
05:57All right, Elion began learning to be a father.
05:59He carved a cradle with his own hands, along with a wooden horse and small toys.
06:04Every night, he told me ancient legends.
06:07He followed the old maid servants, learning how to care for a mother and her newborn.
06:12Lovina was equally careful, her voice soft, her movements gentle.
06:15The moonlight around her ebbed and flowed in quiet ripples, wrapping me in warmth and tenderness.
06:21I was a mindful child, too.
06:23I never troubled her, never stole nutrients.
06:26Instead, I quietly absorbed the sickness and toxins within her body.
06:31Four months passed.
06:32Instead of growing weak from the pregnancy, Lovina's complexion glowed.
06:36Her old ailments vanished.
06:38Her body grew stronger than before.
06:40The royal physician examined her, his face filled with shock.
06:45A miracle.
06:46Unprecedented.
06:47Her highness's constitution is stronger now than before she conceived.
06:54The last time I felt a life force this pure and poutless
06:57was when the old queen carried our current emperor.
07:02Elion, did you hear?
07:03The child is protecting me, healing me.
07:06Our child is a blessing from the gods.
07:08No one thought to probe further.
07:10That life force was identical to the emperor's in his mother's womb.
07:14They loved me.
07:15Bloodline had nothing to do with it.
07:18Lovina's thoughts turned to Mara.
07:20Her heart softened with worry.
07:21Her own body had been delicate, and she had been in seclusion, unable to visit her friend.
07:26The moment Mara's name came up, the royal physician shook his head, again and again.
07:31Never have I seen a mother so bent on self-devastruction.
07:35He said that over these four months, Mara had tormented herself without pause.
07:40Spices and poisons, one after another, passed her lips.
07:43She rode horses at full gallop, pushed her body to violent extremes, and secretly bathed
07:49in the forbidden black spring, all to make the fetus unstable.
07:52Four months pregnant, yet the unborn child's life force was as faint as one at two months.
07:57The fetus clings to life with unnatural tensity.
08:00It has suffered repeated harm and yet refuses to scatter.
08:04A rare sight, indeed.
08:08A chill crept through me inside the womb.
08:11Thank the gods, this life, I am not inside her.
08:14In the end, Lovina's heart was too soft.
08:17She prepared a cartload of nourishing herbs and went herself to visit Mara, hoping to persuade
08:21her to cherish both herself and the child.
08:24The moment she stepped into Mara's chambers, the acrid stench of medicine assaulted her senses.
08:30Mara was lifting a bowl of pitch black liquid, tilting her head back to gulp it down.
08:35Mara, what are you drinking?
08:39A potion from the Black Marsh Sorcerer.
08:42It can turn a snake into a dragon.
08:44That man is a fraud.
08:45The potion is pure poison.
08:47It will kill the child.
08:49Then it dies.
08:50Saves me the trouble.
08:52That is your own flesh and blood.
08:54Spare me your noble act.
08:56You carry a true dragon.
08:57The prince treats you like a goddess.
08:59If you were carrying a snake instead, do you think Elion would still look at you the same way?
09:07Ever since the royal physician's examination, whispers had spread through the palace that
09:11Lovina carried a true dragon.
09:14Mara, in her paranoia, had twisted it into something else, that all love and favor were nothing but
09:20the reward of bloodline.
09:22Their argument ended in bitterness.
09:24Neither left with peace.
09:25Mara's abuse of her unborn child could not stay hidden forever.
09:29Word reached the emperor.
09:30To protect the bloodline, he moved both women into the imperial palace and placed them under
09:35constant guard.
09:36Then one day, she came to Lovina of her own accord.
09:39Lovina, I was lost.
09:41It was as if a demon held my heart captive.
09:44I see clearly now.
09:46Whatever this child is, I will love it and care for it.
09:50I'm so glad you've come to understand.
09:52The ancient texts say a snake can still transform into a dragon.
09:56What matters most is how we raise them.
09:59You're right.
10:01Mara spoke with newfound gentleness, asking earnestly about caring for an infant.
10:05She listened with patience and humility.
10:08Before leaving, she accepted quite a few tonics to stabilize her pregnancy.
10:12Everyone believed it.
10:14I was the only one who knew.
10:16This was her mask.
10:17A far greater scheme lay beneath.
10:22Sure enough, a month later, as Lovina's time drew near, Mara bribed a handmaiden and
10:28had Lovina drugged into unconsciousness.
10:30My mind clouded over.
10:32Through the haze, I heard Mara's voice cold as ice.
10:35Administer the labor in Juta.
10:37We will give birth at the same hour.
10:39Then we switch the children.
10:42You always preach that all life is equal.
10:45Let's see how composed you remain when you birth something low and contempt it.
10:50I thrashed wildly inside the womb, desperate to wake Lovina.
10:54But the drug held her too deep.
10:55She gave no response.
10:57Then a violent pressure seized my lower body.
11:00The labor inducer was taking effect.
11:02Despair crashed over me.
11:03Was I doomed to relive the same nightmare?
11:06At that very moment, Lovina's eyes snapped open.
11:08A sharp cry tore from her throat.
11:11Who are you?
11:12Un-unhand me!
11:17Her shouts roused the guards.
11:19Footsteps and the clatter of armor surged closer.
11:21A flash of white light.
11:23I was born.
11:24I landed in a warm embrace.
11:26The familiar scent of soft moonlight wrapped around me.
11:29I lifted my head and for the first time, smiled at Lovina.
11:34Elion!
11:35She smiled!
11:36She's so gentle!
11:38The crowd pressed closer.
11:40Nothing but blessings surrounded me.
11:42Not a single trace of disgust.
11:45Let me see the child!
11:46From behind the gathering, Mara rushed in.
11:49Her face taut with urgency and panic.
11:51Mara's gaze fell upon my face.
11:53Her pupils shrank.
11:55Every trace of color drained from her skin.
11:57It's you.
11:59That streak of light on your forehead.
12:03What streak of light?
12:04Mara looked again.
12:05The light had already faded.
12:07I was nothing more than a common little black snake once more.
12:10Yet her agitation only sharpened.
12:13She should be my child!
12:15Then what is inside me?
12:17Before the words could fully leave her lips, her waters broke.
12:20A scream of pain tore from her as she collapsed to the ground her labor had begun.
12:28Compared to my smooth arrival, Mara's labor was an agony that stretched three full days and three full nights.
12:34Her screams tore through the palace without end.
12:38We are so blessed to be safe.
12:40You came into this world and I barely felt any pain.
12:44Lavina held me close, the fear still lingering in her eyes.
12:48I had a name now, Serenity.
12:50In my last life, the only names I ever had were Monster and Lowly Creature.
12:56In this life, Lavina named me Serenity.
12:59It meant peace and safety.
13:01She wished me a life free from disaster and harm.
13:05Elian pinched my cheek gently.
13:07Our Serenity is the sweetest child.
13:10Never cries, never fusses.
13:13The most beautiful of them all.
13:15I curved my mouth into a smile.
13:17In their eyes, I was the best child there could be.
13:20At that moment, a handmaiden rushed in.
13:24The third Princess Conceit has given birth.
13:26A golden dragon!
13:30The first true dragon in a century.
13:33The palace shook with the news.
13:35Everyone flooded toward the birthing chamber.
13:38Mara clutched the swaddled infant, laughing in triumph.
13:42I knew it!
13:43I bore a true dragon!
13:45I am the dragon mother!
13:48She handed the golden dragon to Caelan.
13:50Mad with joy, he carried it before the Emperor.
13:53Father!
13:55A true dragon is born!
13:56The Emperor was overjoyed.
13:58He took the infant into his arms for a closer look,
14:01and his brow furrowed sharply.
14:03Why does it have only two claws?
14:06Before anyone could speak, the dragon convulsed.
14:09White foam bubbled from its mouth,
14:11its neck lolled to the side.
14:13The breath left its body.
14:15The royal physician examined the infant.
14:17It was poisoned repeatedly in the womb,
14:20congenitrally damaged.
14:21That it survived until birth is already a miracle.
14:23Caelan's fury erupted.
14:25He seized Mara by the collar.
14:27What did you do?
14:28You killed my dragon son!
14:31It was her!
14:33The tonics she gave me were poisoned!
14:35She envied me for bearing a true dragon!
14:40Caelan's gaze swung toward Lavena, cold and sharp, murder blazing behind it.
14:46I took the same tonics, the same doses.
14:50My child is perfectly healthy.
14:51Everyone here knows you have been consuming the Black Marsh sorcerer's poisons for months.
14:55In desperation, Mara demanded the sorcerer's formula be brought forth.
15:00The royal physician examined it and shook his head.
15:03A highly toxic recipe.
15:05This is what destroyed the dragon child.
15:07You killed your own offspring with your own hands.
15:10Mara crumbled.
15:11Her eyes went vacant.
15:13She muttered as if to herself,
15:23News of the golden dragon's death spread across the empire.
15:27Mara became a laughing stock, but she cared nothing for the ridicule.
15:30Her mind was fixed on one thing alone, conceiving again.
15:34The Naga are naturally fertile.
15:36Within two months, Mara was pregnant once more.
15:39This time, she was meticulously cautious.
15:42Tonic after tonic.
15:43Every gesture poised.
15:45Every word measured.
15:46To the world, she proclaimed the child in her poem a sacred heir.
15:50The emperor assigned attendance to her care.
15:52Kaelin stayed by her side day after day.
15:55For a time, all eyes were on her.
16:00This pregnancy lasted many years.
16:03Suspicion curdled into awe.
16:05Awe deepened into reverence.
16:06The court grew convinced she was carrying a divine child.
16:10And I?
16:10Those years wrapped me in nothing but love.
16:13Lavina and Elian cradled me like a treasure in their palms.
16:16The emperor himself doted on me, summoning me often to the palace.
16:21On my 16th birthday, he held a grand banquet, granted me the title of princess, and placed a protective amulet
16:27around my neck.
16:30Whatever serenity wants, grandfather will give it to you.
16:35I wish for your good health.
16:38Laughter rippled through the hall.
16:40Only one face failed to hide its disgust Mara's.
16:43After the banquet, I stayed the night at the palace.
16:46An old handmaiden guided me through winding paths to a secluded courtyard.
16:49Mara was already waiting.
16:51I spun to run.
16:53Her hand clamped down on my shoulder.
16:55Nails digging into my flesh.
16:57Why run?
16:59I prepared a birthday gift just for you.
17:06Eat it.
17:09Eat it yourself!
17:14Eat it whether you want to or not!
17:17Help!
17:18She's trying to kill me!
17:19Kill me, and the dragon god will turn your child into a worm!
17:30You...
17:31How do you...
17:32The gates burst open.
17:33I threw myself into Lovina's arms.
17:38Mother!
17:39She tried to poison me!
17:42Mara?
17:44Is this true?
17:45Tears welled in Mara's eyes at once.
17:47Your majesty, she's lying!
17:49I only wanted to give her a birthday pastry!
17:52She slanders me for no reason!
17:54The handmaiden stepped forward to testify.
17:56The pastry was indeed made by Mara's own hands.
17:59The secluded courtyard?
18:00Nothing more than fear that Lovina would not allow the child sweets.
18:04Faces around the courtyard shifted.
18:06Mara's voice softened into magnanimous gentleness.
18:10Serenity, I don't blame you.
18:12But you must never tell lies.
18:14She's the one lying!
18:20She bribed a handmaid,
18:22drugged my mother unconscious,
18:23and administered a labor in Juta.
18:26She planned to swap us at birth.
18:27Only because my mother woke in time did her scheme fail.
18:31You lie!
18:32I carried a true dragon.
18:34You are a black snake.
18:35Why would I ever trade my child for you?
18:39Mara's face contorted.
18:40Her voice slashed back, shrill and sharp.
18:43Because you thought I was the true dragon back then.
18:47And you believed what you carried in your womb was a snake.
18:51The emperor gave the order.
18:52The handmaiden from three years past was dragged before them.
18:56Under torture, she confessed everything.
18:59Every detail.
19:00Every truth.
19:00The emperor's fury shook the air.
19:03He hurled the written confession at Mara's feet.
19:06Attempting to poison your own sister and her daughter.
19:08The punishment for this is death!
19:10Mara crumpled to the ground, babbling denials.
19:14No one believed her now.
19:16The moment you laid hands on my child,
19:19you ceased to be my sister.
19:22The emperor moved to pass sentence.
19:23But Mara suddenly clutched her belly,
19:25a scream of pain tearing from her throat.
19:28The baby!
19:29It hurts!
19:30I'm in labor!
19:34Mara's labor was unnervingly swift.
19:37Within half a day, the infant was born.
19:39The midwife held it up.
19:41A deathly stillness smothered the chamber
19:43in the swaddling cloth writhed.
19:45A tiny, squirming, abyss worm.
19:48The emperor's face turned iron gray.
19:51Caelan stood as if thunderstruck.
19:53Weak and desperate, Mara demanded her child.
19:56The moment her eyes focused.
19:58That's not mine!
19:59Where is my dragon?!
20:01Caelan drew his sword,
20:03ready to strike the worm dead.
20:05You have destroyed everything I had!
20:08It was you!
20:11You cursed my child!
20:16You have ruined two of my lifetimes.
20:20Die!
20:21You deserve to die.
20:24The sword plunged into my chest.
20:27Agony ripped through me.
20:28Then golden light exploded from the wound,
20:31swallowing my entire body in blinding radiance.
20:34Golden dragon markings unfurled across my skin.
20:40I rose into the air.
20:42A dragon's roar tore through the heavens and shook the earth.
20:45The palace trembled.
20:46The clouds churned.
20:47Golden light blazed in all directions.
20:49A massive dragon.
20:51Scales of pure gold.
20:52Hovered in the sky, majestic and sacred.
20:54The dragon descended, shifting back into human form.
20:57The wound sealed itself.
20:58Dragon horns crowned my forehead.
21:00The golden markings faded softly beneath my skin.
21:04Impossible.
21:05You were a snake.
21:08I was meant to be the dragon mother.
21:10I have always been a true dragon.
21:13In my past life.
21:15In this life.
21:16Only by breaking that seal could I awaken.
21:20You were destined to bear a true dragon son.
21:23But you poisoned him with your own hands.
21:26The emperor named Elian the new emperor.
21:28The empire rejoiced.
21:29On the day of the coronation,
21:31I told my parents everything both lifetimes.
21:33Our precious child,
21:35you have suffered far too much.
21:38Thank you for choosing us.
21:39In this life,
21:40I am no longer alone.
21:42No longer in pain.
21:43I have finally found true love and peace.
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