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Reborn The Golden Dragon Burns Them All
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Pure blood golden serpent I dreamed of. I am the second princess of clan Aurelian.
00:05Pure blood golden scale. And I fell in love with a filthy black serpent.
00:10In my past life, I chose him at the selection rite. Insisted on him as my bonded mate.
00:15I was the one who defied every voice in clan Aurelian to drag him out of the serpent's abyss and
00:21up to drapes fire.
00:22We spent every night together.
00:24And on our wedding day, the black serpent I'd dreamed of for years drove a blade straight through me, three
00:31months pregnant.
00:32I collapsed in a pool of my own blood. Draven's voice was full of disgust.
00:37If you hadn't been in the way, I would have had Isoleth long ago. You deserve this.
00:43Only then did I understand. From the very beginning, he'd had his eyes on my sister, the one already chosen
00:50as the next Archon.
00:51Isoled nestled into his arms. Her foot slammed into my bleeding chest.
00:57Pathetic little wretch.
00:58The pain through my heart sent tremors down every limb.
01:02With my last breath, I curse you both to ruin without end.
01:09And if fate grants me another life, I'll be all the one holding the blade.
01:16My eyes open. I'm standing on the sacred altar. Wind howls across drake's fire, carrying ice and the scent of
01:23stone.
01:23I'm alive. No. I'm reborn.
01:27My father, the man who died long ago in my previous life, touches my shoulder.
01:32A quiet reminder.
01:34Seraphina, you're the one who insisted on bonding with the Black Serpent. Why are you standing there like you've seen
01:39a ghost?
01:40Bonding? I look down past the sacred altar. The serpent candidates stand in a line, waiting to be chosen.
01:47The selection rite. I've returned to the day I chose my bonded mate.
01:52Father.
01:53A voice cuts me off. Draven Vos steps out of the line. He walks right past me, his gaze burning
01:59toward Isoled behind me.
02:00He drops to one knee. Lord Artron, with all due respect, my heart does not answer to obligation.
02:07It knows only one name, and it is not Seraphina.
02:10He lifts his head toward Isoled.
02:12I wish only to stand beside the first princess, Isoled. For the rest of my days.
02:18Dead silence. Father's expression darkens.
02:21Everyone knows the Black Serpentine claim half-Leviathan blood, but the lineage is impure.
02:27By every rule, Draven Vos has no right to set foot on the sacred altar.
02:32I'm the reason he's here. I liked him. I chose him.
02:35I forced Father to make an exception, to let a serpent stand before dragons.
02:40And now, moments before the bond ceremony begins, he slaps me across the face in front of everyone.
02:47David's eyes were cold, contemptuous, and full of calculations.
02:50It hits me at once. He's reborn too.
02:53Draven thinks bonding with my sister will rocket him to the top.
02:57What he doesn't know is that who becomes the true Archon of Clan Aurelion isn't his choice.
03:02It's mine.
03:03This time around, without my designation, I'd love to see how far either of you climb.
03:09Father erupts.
03:10His dominance aura crashes down like a landslide.
03:14Draven's knees buckle. His forehead hits stone.
03:17You forget what you are.
03:18Seraphina is the second princess of Clan Aurelion.
03:22Do you think you're choosing livestock at market?
03:25Even with the Archon's aura grinding his joints to the breaking point,
03:28Draven refuses to yield. He speaks through clenched teeth.
03:32Lord Archon, what is my crime?
03:34Must I bond with the second princess simply because she fancies me?
03:38I love the first princess, Isolid.
03:40The first princess trains day and night, treats everyone with grace.
03:45The second princess is reckless, idle, never once honed her power.
03:51If any of you were in my position, who would you choose?
03:55Every word sounds sincere, but I know exactly what's behind it.
03:58In the last life, he learned Isolid was father's chosen successor.
04:02Bond with the Archon's chosen, share the ancestral power, catalyze his impure Leviathan blood,
04:08evolve into a true Leviathan.
04:10It's never been about love. It's about leverage.
04:14Father's fury deepens. The dominance aura intensifies.
04:18A filthy serpent daring to judge my daughter!
04:21You have a death wish!
04:24Father, stop!
04:25Isolid steps out from behind me.
04:27Her cheeks flush pink.
04:28Her eyes glistened with just the right amount of tears.
04:31Every word of Draven's confession, she heard it all.
04:35I accept him.
04:36Stunned silence.
04:37Father stares at her.
04:39Isolid, do you hear yourself?
04:42He is Seraphina's chosen mate, and Draymond Vos is nothing more than a mongrel serpent.
04:48Bonding with him would only drag you down.
04:51Before he finishes, Draven produces an obsidian case from inside his robes.
04:55He kneels again, presenting it to Isolde with both hands.
04:58The lid opens.
05:00Inside lies a pearl.
05:02I offer this to the first princess.
05:05Someone in the crowd recognizes it instantly.
05:07A Leviathan pearl!
05:08I glance at it, lower my lashes.
05:11Leviathan pearl.
05:12An ancient relic from the depths of the serpent's abyss.
05:15Nine out of ten who search for it, never come back.
05:17In my last life, I burned through every resource the clan gave me trying to find one for Draven.
05:22He'd held me close, voice soft.
05:24It's just a myth, Sarah.
05:26Don't waste yourself on it.
05:27The pearl was in his hands the whole time.
05:29And now, to win my sister's favor, he pulls it out without a second thought.
05:33Everything I gave him.
05:35A joke.
05:36Isolde takes the obsidian case.
05:37Deeply moved.
05:38She flicks a glance at me.
05:40Sharp.
05:41Triumphant.
05:42Then turns to father.
05:43Tears shimmer.
05:44Her voice trembles just enough.
05:46My whole life, you favored Seraphina.
05:50And now, finally, someone chooses me.
05:55Would you tear that away from your own daughter, just for Seraphina's sake?
05:58Father hesitates.
05:59His gaze lingers on the Leviathan pearl.
06:02Then he turns to me.
06:04Seraphina, don't make this difficult.
06:07If his heart lies with your sister, let it go.
06:09Don't be unreasonable.
06:10I close my eyes.
06:12A bone-deep exhaustion settles over me.
06:15Isolde and I share a father.
06:17That's all we share.
06:18Her mother, Ilara, was an iron-scale dragoness, the lowest subspecies among dragonkind.
06:24She died shortly after giving birth to Isolde, too weak to survive.
06:28Father later married my mother, the previous female archon of Clan Aurelion.
06:32Pure blood, golden scale.
06:34Her blood and her rank made me the rightful heir from the moment I drew my first breath.
06:39But growing up, even the clan could see it.
06:41Father measured us on two completely different scales.
06:45With Isolde, he was a merciless drillmaster.
06:47He threw her into the bone wastes as a child and never looked back.
06:51Even when she crawled home covered in wounds, he wouldn't let her shed a single tear.
06:56You are my daughter.
06:57Weakness is not yours to claim.
06:59With me?
07:00Even though my raw talent surpassed Isolde's, he said he worried I'd suffer on the path of cultivation.
07:06Without hesitation, he pulled me out of training entirely.
07:09You don't need to be strong, Seraph.
07:11Just be happy.
07:12To everyone else, I was the pampered princess.
07:15But I knew the truth.
07:17This wasn't love.
07:18It was a leash.
07:19He was raising me to be useless.
07:21In my past life, I wandered deep into the Clan crypts by accident.
07:25Found Father kneeling before a black obsidian tombstone.
07:28The name carved into it.
07:30Ilara.
07:30His voice was low, tender.
07:32Nothing like the way he spoke to me.
07:34Ilara, my love.
07:35After all these years, it is still you.
07:38It has always been you.
07:40Rest easy.
07:42I've kept my promise.
07:44The girl knows nothing.
07:46Not her power.
07:47Not her birthright.
07:48Nothing.
07:49Our daughter will have everything she deserves.
07:53I stood in the dark.
07:54Ice spreading through my veins.
07:56He wasn't spoiling me.
07:57He was making sure I'd never threaten Isolde.
08:00Father wanted me to choose Draven Vos.
08:02A black serpent with low standing.
08:04Once bonded to him, no one in the Clan would ever take me seriously.
08:08And now, Draven has produced a Leviathan Pearl.
08:11Father seizes the chance to boost Isolde's power.
08:13Pins the label of unreasonable on me.
08:16Orders me to step aside.
08:18Fine.
08:19You want it?
08:20Take it.
08:20I agree too fast.
08:22Father blinks.
08:22Draven's eyes flicker.
08:24Isolde, though.
08:25She walks up to me, voice coated in honey.
08:27I only want what's best for you, little sister.
08:31After all, a forced bond breaks both.
08:36Tell you what.
08:37She smiles, scanning the crowd.
08:39Pick another mate.
08:41I'll bond with Draven.
08:42You'll have your own match.
08:43And Father can stop worrying.
08:44Father watches Isolde with open adoration.
08:47But they both know the truth.
08:49Every candidate invited to the sacred altar today is a serpent.
08:52And aside from Draven, not one of them stands out.
08:55I don't bother with her games.
08:56I raise my hand lazily and point in a random direction.
08:59That one.
09:01I'm pointing at a silver serpent.
09:03In human form, he's unexpectedly striking.
09:05Pale skin.
09:07Silver irises with slit pupils.
09:09A lean frame.
09:10Wiry but strong.
09:12Almost a match for Draven Voss in appearance.
09:14But his mana is so faint it barely registers.
09:17A candle about to gutter out.
09:18If black serpentine blood is considered low, then silver serpentine, in the eyes of dragonkind,
09:24is nothing more than a worm with scales.
09:27Apart from shifting into human form, they have almost zero combat ability.
09:31The silver serpent freezes when my finger lands on him.
09:34Isolde presses her hand to her lips, feigning concern.
09:37Each word drifts with just enough sweetness to cut.
09:40Oh, Sarah.
09:41Are you sure?
09:42He looks...
09:44Fragile.
09:45I'd hate for him to reject you, too.
09:47The silver serpent speaks.
09:49No hesitation.
09:50No way.
09:51I accept.
09:53The entire crowd flinches.
09:55Even I pause.
09:56He walks straight out of the line, stops before me, and extends a pale, slender hand.
10:02Your Highness.
10:03My name is Kale.
10:05A beat of silence.
10:07His voice drops.
10:08Quieter.
10:09Almost to himself.
10:11I've always wanted you to know it.
10:13I take his hand.
10:14It isn't cold the way I expected.
10:16A warmth I didn't anticipate.
10:18In that instant, the skin over my collarbone flares hot.
10:22Kale's grip tightens around my fingers.
10:24He lifts his head.
10:25Looks straight into my eyes.
10:26His silver irises reflect my face.
10:29If you'll have me, I swear on my blood and my bones.
10:34Not in this life or any other.
10:37Tray you.
10:38Or leave you.
10:39Golden divine light slips through the sky and cracks across the sacred altar.
10:44The ceiling is open.
10:45The flash lights up his face.
10:47Something inside my chest cracks open.
10:50Melts.
10:50Kale is the first person in two lifetimes who chose me without a single moment of hesitation.
10:57The corner of my mouth lifts on its own.
10:59A voice shoves its way in from the side.
11:02Draven stands with his arms crossed, looking down at Kale like an insect.
11:05Your Highness.
11:07Silver serpentine have virtually no Morna.
11:10Bonding with him won't do a thing for your power.
11:12Kale lowers his head slightly.
11:14Not avoidance.
11:15Habit.
11:16He's heard this too many times.
11:17The smile on my lips goes cold.
11:20What's wrong, Draven?
11:21Jealous?
11:22And let's be clear.
11:24You call silver serpentine lowborn?
11:27Does black serpentine blood run any nobler?
11:30The smirk on Draven's face turns to stone.
11:33I catch it.
11:34The hatred that flashes across his features.
11:36A fraction too slow to hide.
11:38In my past life, I wasn't blind.
11:40I chose him over every candidate because he once saved my life in the bone wastes.
11:45That was the first time anyone shielded me with their own body.
11:48I thought it was real.
11:49Now he humiliates me in public and clings to my sister for power.
11:53So don't expect me to play nice.
11:55I turn to face the clan.
11:56From this day forward, Kale is under my protection.
12:00He is mine.
12:02My gaze sweeps the crowd.
12:03Touch him and you answer to me.
12:07The crowd shrinks back half a step under my stare.
12:10Draven's fists clench.
12:12Whatever makes you happy, your highness.
12:14Kale's fingertip brushes mine.
12:16I turn to look at him.
12:17Those silver slit pupils fix on me.
12:20Fragile, trembling, and impossibly bright.
12:23You're the only one who ever saw me.
12:24Something slams against my ribs.
12:27Enough.
12:28It's time.
12:29Begin the soul bond right.
12:30Four of us step into the runic circle at the center of the sacred altar.
12:34Ancient dragon script blazes to life beneath our feet.
12:38Divine lightning strikes.
12:39The altar channels it, tearing soul fragments from each pair and branding them into irreversible bonds.
12:45But the power gap between dragon and serpent is vast.
12:49The bond's energy surges from the stronger vessel to the weaker, seeking balance, like a flood pouring into a creek.
12:56Both serpents buckle at once.
12:58Draven collapses under the force.
13:00Blood spills from the corner of his mouth.
13:03He struggles to lift his head, reaching toward Isolda.
13:06Isoleth, please help me.
13:08Isolda starts to extend her hand.
13:10Father stops her cold.
13:11Serpent.
13:13Your blood is barely worthy of my daughter as it stands.
13:17If you can't endure this, then it's your fate.
13:20Draven's eyes go wide.
13:21He stares at Isolda, the same woman who blushed while accepting him moments ago, now standing safely outside the circle.
13:28Her expression is calm.
13:29Deren, I am the next Archean of Clan Avelion.
13:33Every drop of my martyr is precious.
13:35So, I can't give you any.
13:37Disbelief carves itself across his face.
13:40On my side, Kale is in just as bad shape.
13:43Silver scales surface along his neck and arms.
13:46His body convulses.
13:47I raise my hand to channel mana into him.
13:50Kale lurches back.
13:51Your Highness, the First Princess is right.
13:54If I can't endure the bond's power, then it means I'm not worthy of you.
13:59They call you Lowborn and you just accept it?
14:04We're bonded now.
14:07That means we live and die together.
14:10So shut up.
14:12I grab his shoulder.
14:13Mana pours from my palm, flooding into his body in a steady, relentless stream.
14:18Golden dragonfire threads along the bond's pathways, flowing into him.
14:23And then I notice something strange.
14:25Kale's body absorbs my mana with impossible efficiency.
14:29As if he was born to receive this exact power.
14:32For the weakest serpent alive?
14:34That makes no sense at all.
14:36Now isn't the time to ask.
14:38I file the anomaly away.
14:40The soul bond rite ends.
14:43Draven lies, soaked in sweat and blood, pinned to the ground, jaw locked, crimson still leaking from his mouth.
14:50Kale stands untouched.
14:52I feel Draven's stare.
14:54Turn to meet it.
14:55His eyes are dark, resentful.
14:57As if I owe him something.
14:59Last life, Draven barely took a scratch.
15:02I was always the one fighting his battles.
15:04Now he's chosen the clan's anointed next archon.
15:07And nearly died during a bond ceremony.
15:10And he has the nerve to look at me?
15:12I mouth one word at him.
15:13Ice cold.
15:15Deserved.
15:17Isolde doesn't notice the exchange.
15:19Her eyes close.
15:20She sinks into the fresh mana coursing through her.
15:23Satisfaction spreading across her face.
15:26Father, the covenant has spoken.
15:30I'm ready to receive the Archon's flame!
15:33The crowd stirs with excitement.
15:35Every new Archon's ascension triggers the dragon's resonance.
15:39The resonance releases ambient mana that nourishes every dragon present, pushing them past barriers, sometimes by an entire rank or
15:47more.
15:48Father beams.
15:50The sacred altar is cleared.
15:52Isolde stands at the center of the open circle.
15:55She glances at me, motionless on the sideline, and her lip curls.
15:59Sarah, I understand you're upset about Drahan, but that's no reason to stand in the way of the resonance.
16:08Would you drag the entire clan down with you?
16:11The crowd catches it.
16:13Murmurs swell.
16:14Your Highness, settle your quarrel with the first princess in private.
16:18Don't delay the resonance!
16:20Draven was right.
16:21The second princess can't compare to the first princess.
16:23If it were me, I'd choose the first princess, too.
16:26Draven smiles.
16:28Sarah, everyone can see the truth.
16:30I must have been blind to ever stand by you.
16:33Kale's brow furrows.
16:35He shoulders Draven aside, steps in front of me, and gently presses his hands over my ears.
16:41Their words are poison.
16:42Don't let them in.
16:43The weight on my chest lifts.
16:46I give him a real smile, then turn toward Isolde, basking in her victory, and speak calmly.
16:52Islin, you will never be Archie, and the Covenant will not grant you the flame.
16:58If you try, the resonance will destroy your power from the inside out.
17:02A beat of silence.
17:03Then the crowd bursts into laughter.
17:06Draven folds his arms, contempt dripping from every glance.
17:09Who are you to judge the first princess?
17:12If she can't be Archie, who can?
17:15You?
17:16Enough of this nonsense.
17:18Father's expression hardens.
17:20Seraphina, step aside.
17:22Applicable waste.
17:23Mana shoves me and Kale to the edge of the platform.
17:26Isolde locks eyes with me, triumphant.
17:28Watch closely, Sarah.
17:31Watch what centuries of sacrifice look like.
17:35Isolde stands at the heart of the Sacred Altar.
17:37She unleashes her mama.
17:39A deep hum resonates through the stone.
17:42Power radiates outward.
17:43The ground shudders.
17:47Pillars of golden light converge from every direction.
17:51Ancestral echoes of countless dragon bloodlines answer the call, weaving together into a thunderous, sky-darkening tide of resonance.
18:00Isolde stands at the center, poised, regal.
18:03Layer upon layer of golden energy knits itself into a breathtaking tapestry.
18:08A net of staggering power.
18:11The clan watches, mesmerized.
18:13The dense mana begins to disperse, drifting toward every dragon present.
18:18Then, confusion.
18:20Strange.
18:21Why can't I absorb any of it?
18:23Same here.
18:24It just passes through me, like it doesn't recognize me.
18:29More voices.
18:31More unease.
18:32Heads turn back toward Isolde on the altar.
18:35She doesn't notice.
18:36Still lost in the moment.
18:38The ritual concludes.
18:39She bows to heaven and earth, then raises her voice.
18:42I, Isolet Aurelion, firstborn of the golden scale, call upon the dragon's re-resonance.
18:48Grant me the Archon's flame.
18:50Silence.
18:51Nothing happens.
18:53Panic flickers across her face.
18:55She prostrates herself, calls out again.
18:58I, Isolet Aurelion, invoke the rite of ascension.
19:03This time, she gets an answer.
19:06From me.
19:07I stand beside Kale, voice steady.
19:10You can kneel until your scales crack.
19:12The answer is no.
19:15Dead silence.
19:16Every pair of eyes in the clan turns to me.
19:20Father thinks I'm sabotaging the ceremony.
19:22Combined with Isolde's failed succession, his rage boils over.
19:26His full dominance aura crashes down, driving me to my knees.
19:32Serafina, you have never disappointed me more than today.
19:36I've indulged you in everything.
19:38But this, this is the clan's future.
19:41And you keep sabotaging it.
19:45Today I'll discipline you on your mother's behalf.
19:49He raises his hand.
19:50Mana compresses into a force field, hurtling toward my face.
19:53I watch it come, calm.
19:55Draven stands nearby, suddenly anxious.
19:57Sera, just apologize.
19:59Now.
19:59Do you actually want to get hit?
20:01The blast is inches away.
20:02He flinches.
20:04Self-preservation kicks in and darts to the side without a second thought.
20:07Then Kale launches himself forward.
20:09His eyes shift from silver to pure white.
20:11Slit pupils contract to pinpoints.
20:13Silver scales erupt across his neck and forearms.
20:16A low, guttural hiss tears from his throat.
20:19Half-shifted, he throws himself in front of me and takes the Archon's full-force strike head-on.
20:24Blood sprays from his mouth once, twice, three times, and he crashes backward into me.
20:30His fingers claw at my arm, trying to push his last scraps of mana into my body.
20:35Kale, truly, completely for me.
20:37Father sees a serpent openly defy him.
20:39Fury consumes what's left of his restraint.
20:42He begins charging another strike.
20:43In the same breath, I lean down, wrap my arms around Kale, and whisper against his ear.
20:48Don't be afraid.
20:49The Covenant of Flame answers to me.
20:51Father's attack never lands.
20:54A bolt of golden dragon fire descends from the heavens.
20:58Boom.
20:58It hits Father dead on.
21:00Scales to bone.
21:01Everything scorches black.
21:03But that's only the beginning.
21:05One bolt.
21:06Two.
21:07They hammer down like divine tribulation made personal.
21:10By the end, Father is blasted back into his beast form.
21:16Isolde agapes at me.
21:18Seraphina, what did you do to Father?
21:20I pull my hand from Kale's healed wounds and rise slowly.
21:26Centuries ago, my mother gave her life defending Clan Auralian against the Dark Horde.
21:31The ancient dragon god Pyracis honored her sacrifice with a divine gift to her bloodline.
21:36I, Seraphina of Orion, second princess of Clan Avorian, hold the right of designation.
21:40Anyone who strikes me will face divine repriotion.
21:43And anyone who harbors malice towards me will never be Archon.
21:46I don't believe you!
21:47You're lying!
21:48You're nothing!
21:49You haven't grown a single rank in centuries!
21:52You!
21:53Designate Archon!
21:55You must have sabotaged me!
21:57Set some trap!
21:58I won't let you get away with this!
22:00She charges at me.
22:01Her flawless features twisting into something feral.
22:05I exhale.
22:06You're no exception.
22:09Golden dragon fire falls on Isolde.
22:11Her cultivation is nowhere near Father's level.
22:14The bolts chase her across the platform.
22:17Scrambling.
22:18Stumbling.
22:18All dignity stripped away.
22:20The same Clan members who worshipped her moments ago don't dare move an inch.
22:25Sarah, you hid this from me.
22:28If you'd told me the truth, I wouldn't have done it this way.
22:31I laugh.
22:32Scalding tears roll down.
22:34Wouldn't have what?
22:35Wouldn't have put a blade through my heart?
22:38Derevan, didn't I tell you?
22:39Yes, I can never be Arpen myself.
22:42But bond with me.
22:43Stay faithful.
22:44And on the day I ascend, you would have evolved into a true Leviathan.
22:49Our children would have inherited the Covenant.
22:51But you didn't believe me.
22:53Do you know why you were reborn with me?
22:55Because the moment I died, the bond tore your soul apart with mine.
23:00My death was yours.
23:02You just didn't feel the blade.
23:04Draven stumbles backward.
23:06He looks down at the bond mark on his hand.
23:08The one tying him to Isolde.
23:11The color drains from his face.
23:13A dragon's roar erupts from the sacred altar.
23:16Isolde, scorched, humiliated by divine retribution,
23:21consumed by jealousy over the power I hold,
23:24loses the last thread of reason.
23:27The dormant void taint in her iron scale bloodline ignites.
23:31She shifts into beast form.
23:32Golden scales begin to darken at the edges.
23:35Her eyes bleed from gold to the empty black of the void.
23:39Her dragon form warps, twists, until she looks less like a noble dragon
23:43and more like something that clawed its way out of an abyss.
23:48Why?
23:50Why is her mother purebred and mine was not?
23:54Why does she get everything without lifting a finger?
23:57I refuse to accept this.
23:59It should all be mine!
24:02She attacks indiscriminately.
24:04Corrupted dragon fire sprays in every direction.
24:08Clan members scatter, screaming.
24:10The sacred altar, once solemn and revered, becomes an inferno.
24:16Father drags himself toward me in beast form.
24:19Tears line his reptilian eyes.
24:23Sarah, please.
24:25Spare Islet.
24:26This is all my fault.
24:27I was wrong.
24:28I should never have done what I did to you.
24:31But she has trained for centuries.
24:34I can't watch her lose everything.
24:37I look into his eyes.
24:38My mother's last words echo back.
24:41Sarah, I hate him.
24:44You know what the saddest part of my life is?
24:46I can never compete with a ghost.
24:50There is one way to save her power.
24:52Hope flares in his gaze.
24:55Deren is bonded to Islet.
24:57He bears half her karmic burden.
24:59I point at Draven.
25:01To save her, you'll need to sacrifice him.
25:04Extract his serpent's core.
25:05Let Islet absorb it completely.
25:07She'll stabilize.
25:11No!
25:12Take my core and I'll never evolve!
25:14Never become a Leviathan!
25:17Sarah, this is revenge!
25:19Father doesn't even glance at him.
25:21Serpent, you swore you'd give everything for Isleth.
25:27Now keep your word.
25:29Father extracts the serpent's core himself.
25:31The moment the fist-sized, pulsing black crystal is torn free.
25:36In that instant, Draven seems to age centuries.
25:39He can only watch as father feeds the core to Isolda.
25:43No!
25:45I've seen enough.
25:46Kale leans against my shoulder, voice low.
25:49Sarah, let's go.
25:51Deep into the night, I lean against the edge of the moonvale hot springs.
25:55A silver serpent glides across the surface toward me.
25:58Kale shifts to human form.
26:00He rests against me, letting my palm wander across his chest.
26:04I study him.
26:06Kale's silver irises glow faintly in the dark.
26:09No calculation in them.
26:10Nothing but feeling.
26:12Deep, bare, bottomless.
26:13The question has been circling since this morning.
26:16We've never met before.
26:17Why does he feel like this about me?
26:19Is it because of my title?
26:20Kale reads the doubt on my face.
26:22This isn't the first time we've met.
26:25His silver scales shimmer.
26:27Memory fragments flow through the bond and into my mind.
26:30A flash, a finger-length silver snake, pinned under the boots of dragon-born boys, battered
26:37and bleeding.
26:37A younger version of me barges in, plants herself between them, and chases them off with a tongue
26:43lashing.
26:43Another flash, the little silver snake, barely alive, curled in a crack between rocks.
26:49A teenage version of me crouches down.
26:52A wild rabbit, a handful of berries, again and again.
26:56Without knowing it, I saved him more times than I can count.
26:59The last image.
27:01Kale, now in human form, standing at the farthest edge of the crowd, watching me on the sacred
27:06altar, about to begin the soul bond rite with Draven.
27:09The memory breaks off.
27:11My voice comes out rough.
27:13Is this about dead?
27:14Who chose me because I saved you?
27:17It isn't suspicion.
27:18It's fear.
27:19Fear that one day, he'll say what Draven said, that I chained him with kindness.
27:23I didn't fall in love with you because you saved me.
27:26I was already in love with you.
27:28Everything you did only proved I wasn't wrong.
27:32My heart hammers against my ribs.
27:35Kale rests his head on my shoulder.
27:37His voice drops to a murmur.
27:39Warm breath against my skin.
27:41From now on, you're all I have.
27:43You scared me today.
27:45Will you stay close tonight?
27:48His lower half shifts.
27:50Silver tail coiling around my calf.
27:52Sliding higher.
27:53Slow.
27:54Deliberate.
27:55My eyes narrow.
27:56My voice drops.
27:57A little hoarse.
27:59What kind of close did you have in mind?
28:02He leans in.
28:03Hot spring water laps over both our shoulders.
28:06Silver scale marks glow beneath the surface.
28:09Kale's body temperature rises the instant he presses against me.
28:13Nothing like the cold serpents are known for.
28:15You're warm.
28:17Only when I touch you.
28:19His lips find my collarbone.
28:21Then, a sharp, brief sting.
28:23A silver serpent mark brands itself into my skin.
28:26Mate mark.
28:27I grip the back of his neck and bite down.
28:29A golden dragon scale mark surfaces on his name.
28:32From this moment, the bond is absolute.
28:35He is mine, and I am his.
28:37One night of passion.
28:39Serpents aren't that impressive, honestly.
28:41He just flipped me around and wore me out until dawn.
28:44I could barely stand.
28:45The next morning, I haul myself upright.
28:48One hand braced on my lower back.
28:51And kick Kale in the side.
28:52He blinks up at me, genuinely wounded.
28:55Did I break you?
28:57Satisfied.
28:57Very satisfied.
28:59Kale scrambles up to help me walk.
29:01We barely make it past the sanctum's ward line before I stop.
29:05Someone is crouching outside the barrier.
29:07Draven.
29:08Draven looks years older than yesterday.
29:11His gaze finds the silver mate mark on my collarbone.
29:14His pupils shrink.
29:15His face goes gray.
29:16He stares for a long time before he speaks.
29:18Sarah, I was wrong.
29:21Isoleth and your father.
29:22They don't see me as a living thing.
29:25Only you ever treated me as an equal.
29:28Draven thought bonding with the Archons Chosen would launch him to the top.
29:32But beyond that Leviathan Pearl, he has nothing of value to offer.
29:35They stripped him and threw him aside.
29:38Last night, father's rage needed a target.
29:41He doesn't dare touch me again.
29:43Those dozen bolts of divine dragon fire already hammered him back to beast form.
29:48Provoking me further might annihilate his soul entirely.
29:51But the fury needed somewhere to go.
29:53The daughter he spent years crippling turns out to be the Covenant's bearer.
29:57Everything he built for Isolde.
29:59A joke.
30:00Overnight.
30:01So he turned on Draven.
30:03A mongrog like you is utterly useless.
30:07You're not even fit to be my daughter's pet.
30:10I'm starting to wonder if your little display was a performance you and Seraphina arranged together.
30:15Father used a soul siphon on Draven, forced his way through layer after layer of memory, searching for proof of
30:23betrayal.
30:23The process is agony.
30:25He found nothing.
30:27Draven barely survived.
30:28But relief didn't last.
30:30When Isolde awoke and the full humiliation of the day settled in, something in her curdled.
30:36She seized Draven by the throat, teeth bared.
30:39You declared your love for me in front of everyone.
30:41And when it mattered, you chose a worthless organ over my life.
30:45Deven Vox, you deserve to rot.
30:50I look at his broken body, feel nothing.
30:53The moment that blade went through my heart, whatever connected us died with me.
30:57Kale speaks for me.
30:58You merely hu-iliated Seraphina in public, then abandoned Isoleth when she needed you.
31:05And now you come crawling back.
31:08Draven, where is your shame?
31:10Killing intent flashes in Draven's eyes.
31:13His body tenses.
31:15Then the realization crashes in.
31:17No serpent's core.
31:19No power.
31:20Just a shell.
31:21He crumbles, pleading.
31:23Seraph, you hold the rite of desigonation.
31:26You must be able to break a bond too, right?
31:28Break my bond with Isoleth, and I'll serve alongside the White Spurpent.
31:32As your mate, after everything we had, you'll help me.
31:37I know you will.
31:38Kale's head whips toward me.
31:40Panic in his eyes.
31:43How adorable.
31:44You actually believe that?
31:49Darren, why would I help you?
31:51I gave you everything.
31:53You wanted her.
31:54I carried your child.
31:56You put a blade through my heart.
31:59I gave you the right to stand on the Sacred Ultra.
32:02You humiliated me in front of my entire clan.
32:04Every.
32:05Single.
32:06One.
32:07The fact that you're still breathing is mercy enough.
32:09The light dies in Draven's eyes, a long silence.
32:13Then he covers his face, and a strangled sound escapes.
32:16What have I done?
32:17He knows me well enough to know I don't look back.
32:20Draven returns to Isold.
32:21In my last life, I never let anyone in the clan belittle him.
32:25I shielded his pride at every turn, in public, in private.
32:29Isold doesn't bother with any of that.
32:31She tears him apart in front of everyone.
32:34Strips him down to nothing, whenever the mood strikes.
32:38The clan follows her lead.
32:40They only kneel to whoever holds the leash.
32:43Draven's life now, compared to the one I gave him, worlds apart.
32:49Father summons me to the Sacred Altar.
32:51Before the entire clan, he performs the appropriate gesture.
32:55Forces Isold to lower her head and kneel in front of me.
32:58But her words give everything away.
33:00Sarah, perhaps Father went too far.
33:02But the clan cannot go a single day without an Archen.
33:06Would the Covenant let Clan Aureon crumble, just to protect you?
33:09Let's set our differences aside.
33:12The clan's survival matters more than either of us.
33:15Not an apology.
33:16A negotiation.
33:18It works on the crowd.
33:20Hesitation ripples through, then voices join in.
33:23Your Highness, the last Archic, your mother,
33:25gave her life to protect us from the Dark Horde.
33:28The Dark Horde is growing restless.
33:30Without a new Archen, when the wards fall,
33:32we won't survive a single assault.
33:35Please, grant the succession to the First Princess.
33:39I stay silent.
33:41My gaze catches the knowing glance Isold and Father exchange.
33:45The picture crystallizes.
33:47Father, Mother was right about you.
33:49You have no vision.
33:50You'd do anything to put your first love's daughter on the throne.
33:54Even lie to the entire clan!
33:57Seraphina, what are you talking about?
33:59I raise my hand.
34:00The Covenant responds.
34:02Every clan member's mana rank materializes before my eyes.
34:06Laid bare.
34:07Isolda's power is impressive.
34:08Radiant, even.
34:09But she's not the strongest here.
34:11Issa Leith is your arch's chosen.
34:14But Clan Avelion has never chosen its arch in by blood.
34:19It has always been by strength.
34:21My mother put you in power to prevent a civil war.
34:24And after all these years, you just couldn't let go.
34:27A voice rings out from the crowd.
34:29Thyra.
34:30Copper Scale Dragon.
34:31The only one who never mocked me since the Selection Rite.
34:35She stands straight-backed.
34:37Power should be earned by those who prove it.
34:40Not handed to those born with the right name.
34:43I meet her eyes.
34:44Give a single nod.
34:45Clan Aelion will hold open trial of merit.
34:49Whoever stands last earns the right to rule.
34:52The clan erupts in cheers.
34:54Only Father and Isolda stand pale and still.
34:58That night, Kale clings to me as usual.
35:01He nuzzles his forehead into the curve of my neck.
35:04His nose brushes my jaw.
35:06I sigh, about to pull him closer.
35:08The world lurches.
35:09I sense it instantly.
35:11The ward barrier, shattered.
35:13Drakespire's protective wards were set by my mother, sealed with a fragment of her own soul.
35:18No Dark Horde, no matter how powerful, could breach them easily.
35:22Unless someone opened them from the inside.
35:25By the time Kale and I reach the surface, Drakespire is in chaos.
35:30Dark Horde.
35:31Everywhere.
35:31High-tier beasts rampaging through the clan.
35:35A dragon hatchling is pinned under a beast's clawed foot, seconds from death.
35:40I move without thinking.
35:41One strike.
35:42The head rolls.
35:43Warm blood splashes across the hatchling's face.
35:46She throws herself into my arms, sobbing.
35:49Your Highness, I almost died.
35:51Mama and my sister.
35:52They led the beast away to protect me.
35:55I hand her to Kale, tell him to keep her hidden, and run in the direction she pointed.
36:00I arrive to find the mother and sister cornered by a pack of beasts, barely hanging on.
36:06I cut in.
36:07Save one.
36:09Then a second.
36:10A third.
36:11Through the smoke and carnage, I spot Phyra.
36:14She's shifted, copper dragon form, leading a small squad in a defensive line, shielding
36:20the elderly, the young, the wounded.
36:22Her commands are sharp.
36:23Her fighting is vicious.
36:24I make a note of her.
36:25By the end, I'm running on fumes.
36:27Then I see them.
36:28Isolde.
36:29Father.
36:29No surprise.
36:30The moment I announced the trial of merit, I felt it through the covenant.
36:34Someone was deliberately weakening the ward barrier.
36:37I knew he'd gamble everything.
36:39Isolde crouches in front of me.
36:41Her arm moves.
36:42A blade punches through my chest.
36:44I cough blood.
36:45Her eyes are fully black now.
36:47Void corruption running deeper than before.
36:50Sarah, so what if you hold the covenant?
36:52Put you in the ground, and the next archon will still be me!
36:56I look down at the sword in my chest.
36:59Then I look up at Isolde.
37:00I smile.
37:02Thank you, sister.
37:03I needed you to do exactly that.
37:06Isolde freezes.
37:08Pain blazes through me.
37:10Stamped into the soul.
37:11A memory the body never forgets.
37:13I can't stop the trembling.
37:16Father walks to my side.
37:18His voice is almost gentle.
37:19If you weren't the bearer, if you hadn't stood in Isolde's way, I might have let you live.
37:25Pity.
37:26I lift my head.
37:28My voice doesn't waver.
37:30So to kill me, you broke the ward barrier.
37:35Let the dark horde in.
37:38Let your own people die!
37:41Father doesn't blink.
37:42Acceptable losses.
37:43Everything I've done is to give Isolde the flame.
37:48To give the clan a stronger leader.
37:51The weak die to beasts because they were never meant to survive.
37:57One thrust isn't enough for Isolde.
37:59She snaps.
38:00The blade drives into me again and again, pouring out everything she's held in.
38:04I'm stronger than you!
38:06Why do you get to decide?
38:08I suffered for centuries and I was so close.
38:13And you took it all away with a few words.
38:18Even Drarin.
38:20Her teeth grind harder.
38:22That mongrel said he regretted choosing me.
38:26Said I could never compare to you.
38:29So I took his core.
38:33Let him go ahead and wait for you.
38:36Sarah, the clan's faith belongs to me.
38:40So you have to die!
38:43Behind me, the roar of beasts.
38:46The screams of the dying, all tangled together.
38:49I look at Isolde.
38:50When the Covenant granted me the right of designation.
38:53It also feared the power would be too concentrated.
38:57So it sealed half my divine power inside you as your talent.
39:01And it barred me from becoming Archon myself.
39:04If you had truly served the clan.
39:07If you'd held no malice towards me.
39:09The succession would have been yours without question.
39:12But you chose the wrong path.
39:14Your suffering wasn't my doing.
39:16It was Father's obsession and your own hunger for power.
39:19But you blamed me for all of it.
39:21And now that you've struck me with intent to kill.
39:29The seal is broken.
39:32Iselet.
39:34Your talent was never yours.
39:36It was my power holding you up.
39:39Now it comes home.
39:40The blade buried in my body erupts with golden light.
39:43Isolde tries to release the hilt.
39:45Her hands won't move.
39:46Mana drains from her body.
39:48Torrential.
39:48Unstoppable.
39:49Flooding into mine.
39:51Father help me!
39:52My power!
39:53It's draining!
39:55I look up at Father.
39:57He's always loved Isolde best.
39:59The daughter of the woman who owned his heart.
40:01That devotion never wavered.
40:03Not even now.
40:04He moves to kill me outright.
40:06But in his desperation, he forgets.
40:08Striking me carries a price.
40:12This time, the covenant shows no mercy.
40:15Golden dragon fire hammers father until his soul disintegrates.
40:19He scatters into nothing before our eyes.
40:22Isolde doesn't have time to grieve.
40:24Every shred of gifted talent has been reclaimed.
40:27Her mana plummets to that of an ordinary dragon.
40:30And behind her, the dark horde circles.
40:33I pull the sword from my chest and walk away.
40:36Isolde finally grasps her situation.
40:38Terror floods her face.
40:40Sarah, you can't do this to me!
40:42I'm Isoleth!
40:43I'm the first princess of Clan Arion!
40:45I'm your sister!
40:47You can't abandon me for those!
40:49Scream behind me.
40:50This time, I don't turn around.
40:52I drive out every last beast and rebuild order on Drake's fire.
40:56The hatchling from before runs up and wraps herself around my leg.
41:00Your Highness, without you, I'd be an orphan.
41:03Clan members who used to look through me now kneel at my feet.
41:06Your Highness, we were blind before.
41:08You drove back the horde.
41:10You saved, Dragonspine.
41:11The Archon's crown belongs to you.
41:14I shake my head.
41:15I place the Archon's crown into Thyra's hands.
41:17The one who never mocked me.
41:19The first to stand up for an open trial.
41:21The one who held the line when the dark horde came.
41:23Shielding the weak.
41:24Saving lives while others ran.
41:26I will always protect Clan Arion.
41:29But the Archon's seat was never meant to be inherited by blood.
41:32Power belongs to those who protect, not those who take.
41:34Thyra is the right choice.
41:36I return to the Sanctum.
41:37Devote myself to cultivation.
41:38With my full divine power restored, my strength surges beyond anything I imagined.
41:43Divine tribulation descends, bolt after bolt, and I weather every one.
41:47Then, Ascension.
41:48Under the gaze of the entire clan, I shift into my true form.
41:52A complete golden dragon, blazing against the sky.
41:55A silver dragon coils beside me.
41:57Kale, transformed through the bond.
41:59No longer silver serpentine, a silver dragon.
42:01Though his clingy nature hasn't changed one bit.
42:04His voice flows through the bond.
42:05Where you go, I go.
42:07That was the oath.
42:08I tilt my dragon head toward him.
42:09Then hold on tight.
42:11I've heard the divine realm has terrible weather.
42:13Two dragons, one gold, one silver, spiral upward and vanish into the clouds.
42:18They never come back.
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