- 6 hours ago
Welcome to Persian Drama - your ultimate premium destination for the hottest trending short dramas and the newest viral drama shorts in stunning HD quality!
Immerse yourself in powerful stories that deliver full emotional journeys in just minutes. From heart-pounding revenge plots, passionate romances, emotional family sagas to billionaire twists and thrilling betrayals – every short drama is crafted to keep you hooked from the very first second.
We bring you the most talked-about and newest short dramas from around the world, updated daily with the freshest viral hits. With seamless multi-language support (English, Spanish, Arabic and more), you can enjoy every moment without language barriers.
Perfect for your busy schedule or when you need a quick, powerful emotional escape. Join millions of viewers who start and end their day with the best short dramas on the platform.
Turn on notifications now so you never miss the latest viral sensation!
Immerse yourself in powerful stories that deliver full emotional journeys in just minutes. From heart-pounding revenge plots, passionate romances, emotional family sagas to billionaire twists and thrilling betrayals – every short drama is crafted to keep you hooked from the very first second.
We bring you the most talked-about and newest short dramas from around the world, updated daily with the freshest viral hits. With seamless multi-language support (English, Spanish, Arabic and more), you can enjoy every moment without language barriers.
Perfect for your busy schedule or when you need a quick, powerful emotional escape. Join millions of viewers who start and end their day with the best short dramas on the platform.
Turn on notifications now so you never miss the latest viral sensation!
Category
🎥
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.
00:16I 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.
00:23We spent every night together. And on our wedding day, the black serpent I dreamed of for years
00:28drove a blade straight through me. Three months pregnant, I collapsed in a pool of my own blood.
00:35Draven'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.
00:49The one already chosen as the next archon. Isolde nestled into his arms.
00:53A foot slammed into my bleeding chest. Pathetic little wretch.
00:59The 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.
01:24I'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 rites. I've returned to the day I chose my bonded mate.
01:53Father.
01:53A voice cuts me off. Draven Vos steps out of the line. He walks right past me, his gaze burning
01:59toward Isolde behind me.
02:01He drops to one knee. Lord Archeron, 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 Isolde.
02:12I wish only to stand beside the first princess Isolde. 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.
02:51It 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.
03:11His dominance aura crashes down like a landslide.
03:14Draven's knees buckle.
03:15His forehead hits stone.
03:17You forget what you are.
03:18Serafina 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,
03:29Draven refuses to yield.
03:31He speaks through clenched teeth.
03:33Lord Archon, what is my crime?
03:35Must I bond with the second princess simply because she fancies me?
03:38I love the first princess, Isolida.
03:41The first princess trains day and night.
03:43Treats everyone with grace.
03:46The second princess is reckless, idle.
03:49Never 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.
04:03Bond with the Archon's chosen.
04:04Share the ancestral power.
04:06Catalyze his impure Leviathan blood.
04:08Evolve into a true Leviathan.
04:11It's never been about love.
04:13It's about leverage.
04:14Father's fury deepens.
04:16The 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.
04:29Her eyes glistened with just the right amount of tears.
04:32Every 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.
04:44And 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.
04:59The 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!
05:09I glance at it.
05:10Lower 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.
05:17Never come back.
05:18In my last life, I burned through every resource the clan gave me trying to find one for Draven.
05:23He'd held me close.
05:24Voice soft.
05:25It'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.
05:34Everything I gave him.
05:35A joke.
05:36Isolde takes the obsidian case.
05:38Deeply moved.
05:39She 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?
05:59Father hesitates.
06:00His 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.
06:11I 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.
06:22The lowest subspecies among dragonkind.
06:24She died shortly after giving birth to Isolde.
06:27Too weak to survive.
06:28Father later married my mother, the previous female archon of Clan Aurelion.
06:33Pure 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.
06:42Father 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.
06:58Weakness is not yours to claim.
07:00With me?
07:00Even though my raw talents 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.
07:13To everyone else, I was the pampered princess.
07:16But 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.
07:36After 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.
07:49Nothing.
07:50Our 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.
08:21I agree too fast.
08:22Father blinks.
08:23Draven's eyes flicker.
08:24Isolde, though.
08:25She walks up to me.
08:26Voice 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.
08:40Pick another mate.
08:41I'll bond with Draven.
08:42You'll have your own match.
08:43And Father can stop worrying.
08:45Father 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.
09:00That one.
09:01I'm pointing at a silver serpent.
09:03In human form, he's unexpectedly striking.
09:06Pale skin.
09:07Silver irises with slit pupils.
09:09A lean frame.
09:11Wiry 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.
09:19If black serpentine blood is considered low, then silver serpentine, in the eyes of dragonkind, is nothing more than a
09:26worm 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.
09:42Are you sure?
09:43He looks...
09:44Fragile.
09:45I'd hate for him to reject you, too.
09:47The silver serpent speaks.
09:49No hesitation.
09:50No way.
09:52I accept.
09:53The entire crowd clinches.
09:55Even I pause.
09:56He walks straight out of the line.
09:58Stops before me.
09:59And extends a pale, slender hand.
10:02Your Highness.
10:04My name is Kale.
10:05A beat of silence.
10:07His voice drops.
10:09Quieter.
10:09Almost to himself.
10:11I've always wanted you to know it.
10:13I take his hand.
10:15It 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.
10:37Trey you.
10:38Or leave you.
10:39Golden divine light flips to the sky and cracks across the sacred altar.
10:44Ceiling is open.
10:46The flash lights up his face.
10:47Something inside my chest cracks open.
10:50Melts.
10:51Kale is the first person in two lifetimes who chose me without a single moment of hesitation.
10:56The 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.
11:06Your Highness.
11:07Silver Serpentine have virtually no Morna.
11:10Bonding with him won't do a thing for your power.
11:13Kale lowers his head slightly.
11:15Not avoidance.
11:15Habit.
11:16He's heard this too many times.
11:18The smile on my lips goes cold.
11:20What's wrong, Draven Jealous?
11:22And let's be clear.
11:24You call Silver Serpentine lowborn?
11:27Does Black Serpentine blood run any nobler?
11:31The 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.
11:41I 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.
12:04Touch 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.
12:18Those silver-slit pupils fix on me.
12:20Fragile, trembling, and impossibly bright.
12:23You're the only one who ever saw me.
12:25Something slams against my ribs.
12:27Enough.
12:28It's time.
12:29Begin the soul bond right.
12:31Four 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.
13:01Blood spills from the corner of his mouth.
13:03He struggles to lift his head, reaching toward Isolda.
13:06Isolda, please, help me.
13:08Isolda starts to extend her hand.
13:10Father stops her cold.
13:12Serpent.
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.
13:22He 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.
13:38Disbelief carves itself across his face.
13:40On my side, Kale is in just as bad shape.
13:44Silver scales surface along his neck and arms.
13:46His body convulses.
13:48I raise my hand to channel mana into him.
13:50Kale lurches back.
13:52Your Highness, the First Princess is right.
13:55If I can't endure the bond's power, then it means I'm not worthy of you.
14:00They call you Lowborn and you just accept it?
14:05We'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, as if he was born to receive this exact power.
14:32For the weakest serpent alive, that makes no sense at all.
14:36Now isn't the time to ask.
14:38I file the anomaly away.
14:41The soul bond rite ends.
14:43Draven lies, soaked in sweat and blood, pinned to the ground, jaw locked, crimson still leaking from his mouth.
14:51Kale stands untouched.
14:52I feel Draven's stare, turned to meet it.
14:56His eyes are dark, resentful, as 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, and nearly died during a bond ceremony.
15:10And he has the nerve to look at me?
15:12I mouth one word at him.
15:14Ice cold.
15:15Deserved.
15:17Isolde doesn't notice the exchange.
15:19Her eyes close.
15:20She sinks into the fresh mana coursing through her, satisfaction 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
15:48more.
15:49Father 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.
16:09Would 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.
16:27Sarah, everyone can see the truth.
16:31I must have been blind to ever stand by you.
16:34Kale'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.
16:43Don't let them in.
16:44The 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.
16:56And 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.
17:04Then 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.
17:21Serafina, step aside.
17:23A flick of a waste.
17:24Mana shoves me and Kale to the edge of the platform.
17:26Isolde locks eyes with me, triumphant.
17:29Watch closely, Sarah.
17:31Watch what centuries of sacrifice look like.
17:34Isolde stands at the heart of the sacred altar.
17:38She unleashes her mama.
17:40A deep hum resonates through the stone.
17:42Power radiates outward.
17:44The ground shudders.
17:47Pillars of golden light converge from every direction.
17:51Ancestral echoes of countless dragon bloodlines answer the call,
17:55weaving 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.
18:09A net of staggering power.
18:11The clan watches, mesmerized.
18:13The dense mana begins to disperse, drifting toward every dragon present.
18:18Then, confusion.
18:21Strange, why can't I absorb any of it?
18:23Same here.
18:25It just passes through me, like it doesn't recognize me.
18:30More voices, more 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.
18:40She bows to heaven and earth, then raises her voice.
18:43I, Isolet Aurelion, firstborn of the golden scale,
18:46call upon the dragon's re-resonance.
18:48Grant me the Archon's flame.
18:50Silence.
18:52Nothing happens.
18:53Panic flickers across her face.
18:56She prostrates herself, calls out again.
18:58I, Isolet Aurelion, invoke the Rite of Ascension!
19:04This 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.
19:23Combined with Isolde's failed succession, his rage boils over.
19:27His full dominance aura crashes down, driving me to my knees.
19:32Seraphina, 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.
19:46Today I'll discipline you on your mother's behalf.
19:48He 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.
19:57Seraphina, just apologize.
19:59Now.
20:00Do you actually want to get hit?
20:01The blast is inches away.
20:03He 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.
20:12Slit pupils contract to pinpoints.
20:14Silver 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.
20:40Fury 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.
20:52Father's attack never lands.
20:54A bolt of golden dragonfire descends from the heavens.
20:58Boom.
20:58It hits Father dead on.
21:00Scales to bone, everything scorches black.
21:03But that's only the beginning.
21:06One 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?
21:21I 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 Aurion, second princess of Clan of Aurion, 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 Arcan.
21:46I don't believe you!
21:47You're lying!
21:49You're nothing!
21:50You haven't grown a single rank in centuries!
21:53You!
21:54Designate 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 him, her flawless features twisting into something feral.
22:05I exhale.
22:07You're no exception.
22:09Golden Dragonfire falls on Isolde.
22:12Her cultivation is nowhere near Father's level.
22:14The bolts chase her across the platform, scrambling, stumbling, all 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.
22:34I wouldn't have what?
22:35Wouldn't have put a blade through my heart?
22:38Derevan, didn't I tell you?
22:40Yes, I can never be Arcan myself.
22:42But bond with me.
22:44Stay faithful.
22:45And on the day I ascend, you would have evolved into a true Leviathan.
22:49Our children would have inherited the Covenant.
22:52But 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.
23:04Derevan stumbles backward.
23:06He looks down at the bond mark on his hand.
23:09The one tying him to Isolde.
23:11The color drains from his face.
23:13A dragon's roar erupts from the sacred altar.
23:17Isolde, 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.
23:33Golden 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,
23:42until she looks less like a noble dragon
23:44and more like something that clawed its way out of an abyss.
23:48Why?
23:51Why's her mother purebred and mine was not?
23:54Why does she get everything without lifting a finger?
23:58I refuse to accept this.
24:00It should all be mine.
24:02She attacks indiscriminately.
24:05Corrupted dragon fire sprays in every direction.
24:08Clan members scatter, screaming.
24:11The sacred altar, once solemn and revered,
24:14becomes an inferno.
24:16Father drags himself toward me in beast form.
24:19Tears line his reptilian eyes.
24:23Sarah, please, spare Islet.
24:26This is all my fault.
24:27I was wrong.
24:29I 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.
24:39My mother's last words echo back.
24:41Sarah, I hate him.
24:44You know what the saddest part of my life is?
24:47I can never compete with a ghost.
24:50There is one way to save her power.
24:53Hope flares in his gaze.
24:55Deren is bonded to Islet.
24:57He bears half her karmic burden.
25:00Appoint a Draven.
25:01To save her, you'll need to sacrifice him.
25:04Extract his serpent's core.
25:06Let Islet absorb it completely.
25:07She'll stabilize.
25:11No, take my core and I'll never evolve.
25:14Never become a leviathan.
25:17Sarah, this is revenge.
25:20Father doesn't even glance at him.
25:22Serpent, 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.
25:35In that instant, Draven seems to age centuries.
25:39He can only watch as Father feeds the core to Isolda.
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.
25:59Kale shifts to human form.
26:01He 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.
26:11Nothing but feeling.
26:12Deep, bare, bottomless.
26:14The 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?
26:21Kale reads the doubt on my face.
26:23This 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 and bleeding.
26:38A younger version of me barges in, plants herself between them, and chases them off with a tongue lashing.
26:44Another 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.
26:55Again and again.
26:56Without knowing it, I saved him more times than I can count.
27:00The last image.
27:01Kale, now in human form.
27:03Standing at the farthest edge of the crowd.
27:05Watching me on the sacred altar.
27:07About to begin the soul bond rite with Draven.
27:10The memory breaks off.
27:11My voice comes out rough.
27:13Is this about dead?
27:15Who chose me because I saved you?
27:17It isn't suspicion.
27:19It's fear.
27:19Fear that one day, he'll say what Draven said.
27:22That 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.
27:33My 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.
27:54Slow.
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.
28:18Only 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 nape.
28:33From this moment, the bond is absolute.
28:35He is mine.
28:36And I am his.
28:38One 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.
28:46The 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.
28:58Very 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.
29:09Draven 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.
29:19Sarah, I was wrong.
29:21Isoleth and your father, they don't see me as a living thing.
29:26Only 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.
29:36They 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.
29:58Everything he built for Isolde.
30:00A 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 Serafina arranged together.
30:16Father used a soul siphon on Draven.
30:18Forced his way through layer after layer of memory.
30:21Searching for proof of betrayal.
30:24The 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.
30:38Teeth 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.
30:46Devin 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 Sera in public, then abandoned Isolde when she needed you.
31:05And now you come crawling back.
31:08Dren, 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.
31:23Sera, you hold the right of desigonation.
31:26You must be able to break a bond too, right?
31:28Break my bond with Izzalik.
31:30And 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.
31:41Panic in his eyes.
31:43How adorable.
31:44You actually believe that?
31:49Deren, why would I help you?
31:51I gave you everything.
31:54You wanted her.
31:55I carried your child.
31:57You 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.
32:05Every. Single. One.
32:07The fact that you're still breathing is mercy enough.
32:10The light dies in Draven's eyes.
32:12A 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 Izzold.
32:22In my last life, I never let anyone in the clan belittle him.
32:25I shielded his pride at every turn.
32:27In public, in private.
32:29Izzold doesn't bother with any of that.
32:32She 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.
32:44Draven'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 Izzold to lower her head and kneel in front of me.
32:59But her words give everything away.
33:00Sarah, perhaps father went too far.
33:03But the clan cannot go a single day without an Archen.
33:06Would the Covenant let Clan Aureon crumble?
33:08Just to protect you?
33:10Let's set our differences aside.
33:12The clan's survival matters more than either of us.
33:14Not an apology.
33:17A negotiation.
33:18It works on the crowd.
33:20Hesitation ripples through.
33:21Then voices join in.
33:23Your Highness, the last Archic, your mother, gave 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, we 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 Izzold and Father exchange.
33:45The picture crystallizes.
33:47Father, Mother was right about you.
33:49You have no vision.
33:51You'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.
34:01Every clan member's mana rank materializes before my eyes.
34:06Laid bare.
34:07His oldest power is impressive.
34:09Radiant, even.
34:10But she's not the strongest here.
34:11Issa Lee is your Arch's chosen.
34:15But 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.
34:46Clan Arion will hold open trial of merit.
34:49Whoever stands last earns the right to rule.
34:52The clan erupts in cheers.
34:55Only Father and Isolde 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.
35:07About to pull him closer.
35:08The world lurches.
35:10I sense it instantly.
35:11The ward barrier shattered.
35:13Drake Spire's protective wards were set by my mother, sealed with a fragment of her own soul.
35:19No Dark Horde, no matter how powerful, could breach them easily unless someone opened them from the inside.
35:25By the time Kale and I reach the surface, Drake Spire is in chaos.
35:30Dark Horde.
35:31Everywhere.
35:32High-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, they 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.
36:08Save one.
36:09Then a second.
36:10A third.
36:11Through the smoke and carnage I spot Phyra.
36:14She's shifted.
36:15Copper dragon form.
36:16Leading a small squad in a defensive line.
36:19Shielding the 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.
36:28Then I see them.
36:28Isolde.
36:29Father.
36:30No 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, stamped 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.
37:20If you weren't the bearer, if you hadn't stood in Isolde's way, I might have let you live.
37:26Pity.
37:27I 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.
37:44Everything I've done is to give Islith the flame.
37:49To give the clan a stronger leader.
37:52The weak die to beasts, because they were never meant to survive.
37:56One 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.
38:05I'm stronger than you!
38:07Why 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 Drarren.
38:20Her teeth grind harder.
38:22That mongrel said he regretted choosing me.
38:26Said I could never compare to you.
38:30So 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.
38:48All 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, if you'd held no malice towards me, the succession would have been yours
39:11without question.
39:12But you chose the wrong path.
39:15Your 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, Isolde.
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.
39:49Unstoppable.
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.
40:09Striking me carries a price.
40:12This time, the covenant shows no mercy.
40:15Golden Dragonfire hammers Father until his soul disintegrates.
40:19He scatters into nothing before our eyes.
40:22Isolde doesn't have time to grieve.
40:25Every shred of gifted talent has been reclaimed.
40:28Her mana plummets to that of an ordinary dragon.
40:31And behind her, the dark horde circles.
40:33I pull the sword from my chest and walk away.
40:36Isolde finally grasps her situation.
40:39Terror 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!
40:46I'm your sister!
40:47You can't abandon me for those!
40:49Scream behind me.
40:51This 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.
41:24Shielding the weak.
41:25Saving lives while others ran.
41:26I will always protect Clan Arion, but the Archon's seat was never meant to be inherited by blood.
41:32Power belongs to those who protect, not those who take.
41:35Thyra is the right choice.
41:36I return to the Sanctum, devote myself to cultivation.
41:39With my full divine power restored, my strength surges beyond anything I imagined.
41:43Divine Tribulation descends, bolt after bolt, and I weather everyone.
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.
42:02Though 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.
42:10Then 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.
42:19They never come back.
Comments