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We curate and upload the most addictive short drama clips that are dominating global trends right now: passionate romance, intense revenge stories, emotional family sagas, billionaire twists, heart-breaking betrayals and powerful thrillers from around the world. All content comes with perfect multi-language support (English, Spanish, Arabic and more) so every viewer can enjoy without barriers.
Daily fresh uploads of the latest and most talked-about short dramas – the exact clips everyone is searching for and sharing. Whether you have 5 minutes or want to binge the hottest new releases, Nile Shorts delivers non-stop, high-energy entertainment that keeps you coming back for more.
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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.
00:16I was the one who defied every voice in clan Aurelian to drag him out of the serpent's abyss and
00:21up to drakes 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 Isoluf 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.
00:52Isolde nestled into his arms. The foot slammed into my bleeding chest.
00:56Pathetic 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 drakes fire, carrying ice and the scent of
01:23stone. I'm alive. No, I'm reborn.
01:27My father, the man who died long ago in my previous life, touches my shoulder. A 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. The
01:47Selection Rite.
01:49I'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 Isoled behind me. He drops to one knee.
02:02Lord Archeron, with all due respect, my heart does not answer to obligation. It knows only one name, and it
02:09is not Seraphina.
02:10He lifts his head toward Isoled.
02:13I wish only to stand beside the first princess Isoled. For the rest of my days.
02:18Dead silence. Father's expression darkens. Everyone 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. I'm the reason he's here.
02:33I 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. It hits me at once. He's reborn too.
02:53Draven thinks bonding with my sister will rocket him to the top. What he doesn't know is that who becomes
02:59the true Archon of Clan Aurelion isn't his choice.
03:02It's mine. This time around, without my designation, I'd love to see how far either of you climb.
03:10Father erupts. His dominance aura crashes down like a landslide. Draven's knees buckle. His forehead hits stone.
03:16You forget what you are.
03:19Seraphina is the second princess of Clan Aurelion. Do you think you're choosing livestock at market?
03:25Even with the Archon's aura grinding his joints to the breaking point, Draven refuses to yield. He speaks through clenched
03:32teeth.
03:33Lord Archon, what is my crime? Must I bond with the second princess simply because she fancies me?
03:38I love the first princess Isolid. The first princess trains day and night, treats everyone with grace.
03:45The second princess is reckless, idle, never once honed her power. If any of you were in my position, who
03:54would 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. Share the ancestral power. Catalyze his impure Leviathan blood. Evolve into a true Leviathan.
04:11It's never been about love. It's about leverage. Father's fury deepens. The dominance aura intensifies.
04:18A filthy serpent daring to judge my daughter! You have a death wish!
04:24Father, stop!
04:26Isolid steps out from behind me. Her cheeks flush pink. Her 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, father 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.
04:50Before he finishes, Draven produces an obsidian case from inside his robes.
04:55He kneels again, presenting it to Isolid with both hands.
04:59The lid opens. Inside 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, lower my lashes.
05:11Leviathan pearl. An 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.
05:23He'd held me close, voice soft.
05:25It's just a myth, Seraph. Don'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. A joke.
05:36Isolid takes the obsidian case. Deeply moved.
05:39She flicks a glance at me. Sharp. Triumphant.
05:42Then turns to father. Tears 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. His 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.
06:14Isolde 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, Sarah.
07:12Just 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.
08:22Draven'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.
08:39Pick 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.
09:10Wiry 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.
09:19If black serpentine blood is considered low,
09:21then silver serpentine, in the eyes of dragonkind,
09:25is nothing more than a worm with scales.
09:27Apart from shifting into human form,
09:29they 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 drips with just enough sweetness to cut.
09:40Oh, Sarah.
09:41Are 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.
09:51I 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,
10:19the 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.
10:28If you'll have me,
10:31I swear on my blood and my bones.
10:34Not in this life or any other.
10:37Tray you.
10:38Or leave you.
10:40Golden divine lightning
10:41flips the sky
10:42and cracks across the sacred altar.
10:44Ceiling is open.
10:45The flash lights up his face.
10:47Something inside my chest
10:49cracks open, melts.
10:51Kale is the first person
10:52in two lifetimes
10:54who chose me
10:54without a single moment of hesitation.
10:56The corner of my mouth
10:58lifts on its own.
10:59A voice
11:00shoves its way in from the side.
11:02Draven stands with his arms crossed,
11:04looking down at Kale like an insect.
11:06Your Highness.
11:07Silver Serpentine have virtually no Morna.
11:10Bonding with him
11:11won'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?
11:21Jealous?
11:22And let's be clear.
11:24You call Silver Serpentine lowborn?
11:27Does Black Serpentine blood
11:29run any nobler?
11:31The smirk on Draven's face
11:32turns to stone.
11:33I catch it.
11:34The hatred that flashes
11:35across his features.
11:36A fraction too slow to hide.
11:38In my past life,
11:40I wasn't blind.
11:41I chose him over every candidate
11:42because he once saved my life
11:44in the bone wastes.
11:45That was the first time
11:46anyone shielded me
11:47with their own body.
11:48I thought it was real.
11:49Now he humiliates me in public
11:51and clings to my sister for power.
11:53So don't expect me to play nice.
11:55I turn to face the clan.
11:57From this day forward,
11:58Kale is under my protection.
12:00He is mine.
12:02My gaze sweeps the crowd.
12:04Touch him
12:05and you answer to me.
12:07The crowd shrinks back
12:09half a step under my stare.
12:10Draven's fists clench.
12:12Whatever makes you happy,
12:14your highness.
12:15Kale's fingertip brushes mine.
12:17I turn to look at him.
12:18Those silver slit pupils
12:19fix on me.
12:20Fragile,
12:21trembling,
12:21and impossibly bright.
12:23You're the only one
12:24who ever swung 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
12:33at the center of the sacred altar.
12:34Ancient dragon script
12:36blazes to life beneath our feet.
12:38Divine lightning strikes.
12:40The altar channels it,
12:41tearing soul fragments from each pair
12:43and branding them
12:44into irreversible bonds.
12:45But the power gap
12:46between dragon and serpent
12:48is vast.
12:49The bond's energy surges
12:50from the stronger vessel
12:52to the weaker,
12:53seeking balance,
12:54like a flood
12:54pouring into a creek.
12:56Both serpents buckle at once.
12:58Draven collapses under the force.
13:00Blood spills from the corner
13:02of his mouth.
13:03He struggles to lift his head,
13:05reaching toward Isolda.
13:06Isolda,
13:07please,
13:07help me.
13:08Isolda starts to extend her hand.
13:10Father stops her cold.
13:12Serpent,
13:13your blood is barely worthy
13:15of my daughter
13:15as it stands.
13:17If you can't endure this,
13:19then it's your fate.
13:20Draven's eyes go wide.
13:22He stares at Isolda,
13:23the same woman who blushed
13:24while accepting him moments ago,
13:26now standing safely
13:27outside the circle.
13:28Her expression is calm.
13:29Deren,
13:30I am the next Archean
13:31of Clan Avelion.
13:33Every drop of my martyr
13:34is precious.
13:35So,
13:36I can't give you any.
13:38Disbelief carves itself
13:39across his face.
13:40On my side,
13:41Kale is in just as bad shape.
13:43Silver scales surface
13:45along his neck and arms.
13:46His body convulses.
13:48I raise my hand
13:48to channel mana into him.
13:50Kale lurches back.
13:51Your Highness,
13:52the First Princess is right.
13:55If I can't endure
13:56the Bond's power,
13:57then it means
13:58I'm not worthy of you.
13:59They call you Lowborn
14:01and you just accept it?
14:05We're bonded now.
14:07That means we live
14:08and die together.
14:10So shut up.
14:12I grab his shoulder.
14:13Mana pours from my palm,
14:15flooding into his body
14:16in a steady,
14:17relentless stream.
14:18Golden Dragonfire
14:20threads along
14:21the Bond's pathways,
14:22flowing into him.
14:23And then I notice
14:24something strange.
14:25Kale's body
14:26absorbs my mana
14:27with impossible efficiency,
14:29as if he was born
14:30to receive
14:31this exact power.
14:32For the
14:32weakest serpent alive,
14:35that makes no sense at all.
14:36Now isn't the time to ask.
14:38I file the anomaly away.
14:41The Soulbond Rite ends.
14:43Draven lies
14:44soaked in sweat and blood,
14:46pinned to the ground,
14:47jaw locked,
14:48crimson still leaking
14:49from his mouth.
14:50Kale stands untouched.
14:52I feel Draven's stare.
14:54Turn to meet it.
14:55His eyes are dark,
14:57resentful.
14:57As if I owe him something.
14:59Last life,
15:00Draven barely took a scratch.
15:01I was always the one
15:03fighting his battles.
15:04Now he's chosen
15:05the clan's anointed
15:06next Archon,
15:07and nearly died
15:08during a Bond ceremony.
15:10And he has the nerve
15:11to look at me?
15:12I mouth one word at him.
15:14Ice cold.
15:15Deserved.
15:17Isolde doesn't notice
15:18the exchange.
15:19Her eyes close.
15:20She sinks into
15:21the fresh mana
15:22coursing through her,
15:23satisfaction spreading
15:25across her face.
15:26Father,
15:27the Covenant has spoken.
15:30I'm ready to receive
15:32the Archon's flame!
15:33The crowd stirs
15:34with excitement.
15:35Every new Archon's ascension
15:37triggers the dragon's resonance.
15:39The resonance releases
15:40ambient mana
15:41that nourishes
15:42every dragon present,
15:44pushing them past barriers,
15:46sometimes by an entire rank
15:47or more.
15:48Father beams.
15:50The sacred altar is cleared.
15:52Isolde stands at the center
15:54of the open circle.
15:55She glances at me,
15:56motionless on the sideline,
15:58and her lip curls.
15:59Sarah,
16:00I understand you're
16:02upset about Drahan,
16:04but that's no reason
16:05to stand in the way
16:06of the resonance.
16:09Would you drag
16:10the entire clan
16:10down with you?
16:11The crowd catches it.
16:13Murmurs swell.
16:14Your Highness,
16:16settle your quarrel
16:17with the first princess
16:17in private.
16:18Don't delay the resonance!
16:20Draven was right.
16:21The second princess
16:22can't compare
16:22to the first princess.
16:23If it were me,
16:24I'd choose
16:25the first princess too.
16:26Draven smiles.
16:27Sarah,
16:28everyone can see
16:29the truth.
16:31I must have been blind
16:32to ever stand by you.
16:34Kale's brow furrows.
16:35He shoulders Draven aside,
16:37steps in front of me,
16:38and gently presses
16:39his hands over my ears.
16:41Their words are poison.
16:42Don't let them in.
16:43The weight on my chest
16:45lifts.
16:46I give him a real smile,
16:47then turn toward Isolde,
16:49basking in her victory,
16:50and speak calmly.
16:52Islien,
16:53you will never be Archie,
16:55and the Covenant
16:56will not grant you
16:57the flame.
16:58If you try,
16:59the resonance
17:00will destroy your power
17:01from the inside out.
17:02A beat of silence.
17:04Then the crowd
17:04bursts into laughter.
17:06Draven folds his arms,
17:07contempt dripping
17:08from every glance.
17:09Who are you
17:10to judge
17:11the first princess?
17:12If she can't be Archie,
17:14who can?
17:15You?
17:16Enough of this nonsense.
17:18Father's expression hardens.
17:21Seraphina,
17:21step aside.
17:23Applicable twist,
17:24Manna shoves me and Kale
17:25to the edge of the platform.
17:26Isolde locks eyes with me,
17:28triumphant.
17:29Watch closely, Sarah.
17:31Watch what centuries
17:32of sacrifice look like.
17:35Isolde stands
17:36at the heart
17:36of the Sacred Altar.
17:38She unleashes her monop.
17:39A deep hum
17:40resonates through the stone.
17:42Power radiates outward.
17:43The ground shudders.
17:47Pillars of golden light
17:49converge from every direction.
17:51Ancestral echoes
17:52of countless dragon bloodlines
17:54answer the call,
17:55weaving together
17:56into a thunderous,
17:57sky-darkening tide
17:59of resonance.
18:00Isolde stands at the center,
18:02poised,
18:03regal.
18:03Layer upon layer
18:05of golden energy
18:06knits itself
18:07into a breathtaking tapestry.
18:08A net of staggering power.
18:11The clan watches,
18:12mesmerized.
18:13The dense Manna
18:14begins to disperse,
18:16drifting toward
18:17every dragon present.
18:18Then,
18:19confusion.
18:21Strange,
18:22why can't I absorb
18:22any of it?
18:23Same here.
18:25It just
18:25passes through me,
18:27like it doesn't recognize me.
18:29More voices,
18:31more unease.
18:32Heads turn back
18:33toward Isolde
18:34on the altar.
18:35She doesn't notice.
18:36Still lost in the moment,
18:38the ritual concludes.
18:40She bows to heaven and earth,
18:41then raises her voice.
18:43I, Isolet Aurelion,
18:44firstborn of the golden scale,
18:46call upon the dragon's
18:47re-resonance.
18:48Grant me the Archon's flame.
18:50Silence.
18:52Nothing happens.
18:53Panic flickers across her face.
18:55She prostrates herself,
18:57calls out again.
18:58I, Isolet Aurelion,
19:00invoke the rite of ascension!
19:04This time,
19:05she gets an answer,
19:06from me.
19:07I stand beside Kale,
19:09voice steady.
19:10You can kneel
19:10until your scales crack.
19:13The answer
19:13is no.
19:15Dead silence.
19:16Every pair of eyes
19:18in the clan
19:18turns to me.
19:20Father thinks
19:21I'm sabotaging
19:22the ceremony.
19:22Combined with Isolde's
19:24failed succession,
19:25his rage boils over.
19:27His full dominance aura
19:28crashes down,
19:29driving me to my knees.
19:32Serafina,
19:33you have never
19:34disappointed me
19:35more than today.
19:36I've indulged you
19:37in everything.
19:38But this,
19:39this is the clan's future,
19:41and you keep
19:42sabotaging it.
19:45Today,
19:46I'll discipline you
19:47on your mother's behalf.
19:49He raises his hand.
19:50Mana compresses
19:51into a force field,
19:52hurtling toward my face.
19:53I watch it come,
19:54calm.
19:55Draven stands nearby,
19:56suddenly anxious.
19:57Sera,
19:57just apologize.
19:59Now!
19:59Do you actually
20:00want to get hit?
20:01The blast
20:02is inches away.
20:03He flinches,
20:04self-preservation kicks in,
20:05and darts to the side
20:06without a second thought.
20:07Then Kale launches
20:08himself forward.
20:09His eyes shift
20:10from silver to pure white.
20:11Slit pupils contract
20:13to pinpoints.
20:14Silver scales erupt
20:15across his neck
20:16and forearms.
20:16A low,
20:17guttural hiss
20:18tears from his throat.
20:19Half-shifted,
20:20he throws himself
20:20in front of me
20:21and takes the Archon's
20:22full-force strike
20:23head-on.
20:24Blood sprays
20:25from his mouth
20:26once,
20:27twice,
20:27three times,
20:28and he crashes
20:29backward into me.
20:30His fingers claw at my arm,
20:31trying to push
20:32his last scraps
20:33of mana into my body.
20:35Kale,
20:35truly,
20:36completely,
20:37for me.
20:37Father sees a serpent
20:38openly defy him.
20:40Fury consumes
20:41what's left
20:41of his restraint.
20:42He begins charging
20:43another strike.
20:43In the same breath,
20:44I lean down,
20:45wrap my arms around Kale,
20:47and whisper
20:47against his ear.
20:48Don't be afraid.
20:49The Covenant of Flame
20:50answers to me.
20:52Father's attack
20:53never lands.
20:55A bolt of golden dragonfire
20:57descends from the heavens.
20:58Boom.
20:59It hits Father
20:59dead on.
21:00Scales to bone,
21:01everything scorches black.
21:03But that's only the beginning.
21:06One bolt.
21:06Two,
21:07they hammer down
21:08like divine tribulation
21:09made personal.
21:11By the end,
21:12Father is blasted back
21:13into his beast form.
21:16Isolde agapes at me.
21:18Seraphina,
21:19what did you do
21:20to Father?
21:21I pull my hand
21:22from Kale's healed wounds
21:24and rise slowly.
21:26Centuries ago,
21:27my mother gave her life
21:28defending Clan Auralian
21:30against the Dark Horde.
21:31The ancient dragon god
21:32Pyracis honored her sacrifice
21:34with a divine gift
21:35to her bloodline.
21:36I,
21:36Seraphina of Orion,
21:37second princess of Clan Avarian,
21:39hold the right of designation.
21:40Anyone who strikes me
21:41will face divine repriotion,
21:43and anyone who harbors
21:44malice towards me
21:45will never be Archim.
21:46I don't believe you!
21:47You're lying!
21:49You're nothing!
21:50You haven't grown
21:50a single rank
21:51in centuries!
21:53You!
21:54Designate Archon!
21:55You must have sabotaged me!
21:57Set some trap!
21:58I won't let you
21:59get away with this!
22:00She charges at me,
22:01her flawless features
22:03twisting into something feral.
22:05I exhale.
22:07You're no exception.
22:09Golden Dragonfire
22:10falls on Isolde.
22:12Her cultivation
22:12is nowhere near
22:13Father's level.
22:14The bolts chase her
22:15across the platform,
22:17scrambling,
22:18stumbling,
22:18all dignity stripped away.
22:20The same Clan members
22:21who worshipped her
22:22moments ago
22:23don't dare move
22:24an inch.
22:25Sarah,
22:26you hid this from me.
22:28If you'd told me the truth,
22:29I wouldn't have done it this way.
22:31I laugh.
22:32Scalding tears roll down.
22:34I wouldn't have what?
22:35I wouldn't have put a blade
22:36through my heart?
22:38Derevan,
22:39didn't I tell you?
22:40Yes,
22:40I can never be Arpen myself.
22:42But bond with me,
22:44stay faithful,
22:45and on the day I ascend,
22:46you would have evolved
22:47into a true Leviathan.
22:49Our children would have
22:50inherited the Covenant.
22:52But you didn't believe me.
22:53Do you know why
22:54you were reborn with me?
22:55Because the moment I died,
22:57the bond tore your soul
22:59apart with mine.
23:00My death was yours.
23:02You just didn't feel the blade.
23:04Derevan stumbles backward.
23:06He looks down
23:07at the bond mark
23:08on his hand,
23:09the one tying him
23:10to Isolde.
23:11The color drains
23:12from his face.
23:13A dragon's roar
23:14erupts from the sacred altar.
23:16Isolde,
23:17scorched,
23:18humiliated by divine retribution,
23:20consumed by jealousy
23:22over the power I hold,
23:24loses the last thread
23:26of reason.
23:27The dormant void taint
23:28in her iron scale bloodline
23:30ignites.
23:31She shifts
23:31into beast form.
23:33Golden scales
23:34begin to darken
23:34at the edges.
23:35Her eyes bleed
23:36from gold
23:37to the empty black
23:38of the void.
23:39Her dragon form
23:40warps,
23:41twists,
23:42until she looks
23:42less like a noble dragon
23:44and more like something
23:45that clawed its way
23:46out of an abyss.
23:48Why?
23:51Why's her mother
23:52purebred
23:52and mine was not?
23:54Why does she get
23:55everything
23:56without lifting a finger?
23:57I refuse to accept this.
24:00It should all be mine!
24:02She attacks
24:03indiscriminately.
24:05Corrupted dragon fire
24:06sprays in every direction.
24:08Clan members
24:09scatter,
24:09screaming.
24:10The sacred altar,
24:12once solemn
24:13and revered,
24:13becomes an inferno.
24:16father drags himself
24:17toward me
24:18in beast form.
24:19Tears line
24:20his reptilian eyes.
24:23Sarah,
24:24please,
24:25spare Islet.
24:26This is all my fault.
24:27I was wrong.
24:28I should never have done
24:30what I did to you.
24:31But she has trained
24:32for centuries.
24:34I can't watch her
24:35lose everything.
24:37I look into his eyes.
24:39My mother's last words
24:40echo back.
24:41Sarah,
24:42I hate him.
24:44You know what the saddest
24:45part of my life is?
24:46I can never compete
24:48with a ghost.
24:50There is one way
24:51to save her power.
24:53Hope flares in his gaze.
24:55Deren is bonded
24:56to Islet.
24:57He bears half
24:58her karmic burden.
25:00Appoint a Draven.
25:01To save her,
25:02you'll need to sacrifice him.
25:04Extract his serpent's core.
25:05Let Islet absorb it
25:07completely.
25:07She'll stabilize.
25:11No!
25:12Take my core
25:13and I'll never evolve!
25:14Never become a Leviathan!
25:17Sarah,
25:18this is revenge!
25:20Father doesn't even glance at him.
25:22Serpent,
25:22you swore you'd give
25:24everything for Isleth.
25:27Now keep your word.
25:29Father extracts
25:30the serpent's core himself.
25:31The moment the fist-sized
25:33pulsing black crystal
25:34is torn free.
25:36In that instant,
25:37Draven seems to age centuries.
25:40He can only watch
25:41as Father feeds the core
25:42to Isolde.
25:43No!
25:45I've seen enough.
25:46Kale leans against my shoulder,
25:48voice low.
25:49Sarah,
25:50let's go.
25:51Deep into the night,
25:52I lean against the edge
25:53of the Moonveil hot springs.
25:55A silver serpent glides
25:57across the surface toward me.
25:58Kale shifts to human form.
26:01He rests against me,
26:02letting my palm
26:03wander across his chest.
26:04I study him.
26:06Kale's silver irises
26:07glow faintly in the dark.
26:09No calculation in them.
26:11Nothing but feeling.
26:12Deep,
26:12bare,
26:13bottomless.
26:14The question has been circling
26:15since 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
26:29and into my mind.
26:30A flash.
26:31A finger-length silver snake
26:33pinned under the boots
26:34of dragon-born boys,
26:36battered and bleeding.
26:38A younger version of me barges in,
26:40plants herself between them,
26:41and chases them off
26:42with a tongue lashing.
26:44Another flash.
26:45The little silver snake,
26:46barely alive,
26:47curled in a crack between rocks.
26:49A teenage version of me
26:51crouches down.
26:52A wild rabbit.
26:53A handful of berries.
26:55Again and again.
26:56Without knowing it,
26:57I saved him more times
26:59than I can count.
27:00The last image.
27:01Kale,
27:02now in human form,
27:03standing at the farthest edge
27:04of the crowd,
27:05watching me on the sacred altar,
27:07about to begin the soul bond rite
27:09with Draven.
27:10The 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,
27:20he'll say what Draven said,
27:22that I chained him with kindness.
27:23I didn't fall in love with you
27:25because you saved me.
27:26I was already in love with you.
27:28Everything you did
27:29only 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,
27:42you'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.
28:17Only 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.
28:26Nate 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, and 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.
28:45The next morning, I haul myself upright.
28:48One hand braced on my lower back and 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.
29:08Draven 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.
29:19Sarah, 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 Isolda.
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 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.
30:24The 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, 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.
30:46Devenbox, 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 Seraph in public, then abandoned Isoleth when she needed you.
31:05And now you come crawling back.
31:08Drarren, where is your shame?
31:11Killing 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 Sperpens.
31:32As your mate, after everything we had, you'll help me.
31:37I know you will.
31:38Kale's head whips toward me, panic in his eyes.
31:43How adorable.
31:44You actually believe that.
31:49Darren, why would I help you?
31:52I gave you everything.
31:53You 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.
32:05Single.
32:06One.
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 Isolde.
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.
32:28In private.
32:29Isolde 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.
32:44Draven'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 Isolde 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, just to protect you?
33:10Let's set our differences aside.
33:12The clan's survival matters more than either of us.
33:15Not an apology.
33:17A 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,
33:33we 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 Isolde 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!
33:57Serafina, 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.
34:07Isolde's power is impressive.
34:08Radiant, even.
34:10But she's not the strongest here.
34:11Issa Leith is your Arch's chosen.
34:15But Clan Avelion has never chosen its Archen 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, Copper Scale Dragon.
34:31The only one who never mocked me since the Selection Rite.
34:35She stands straight-backed.
34:38Power 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.
34:54Only 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, about to pull him closer.
35:08The world lurches.
35:10I sense it instantly.
35:11The ward barrier shattered.
35:13Drake's fire's protective wards were set by my mother,
35:16sealed with a fragment of her own soul.
35:19No 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,
35:28Drake's fire is in chaos.
35:30Dark horde, everywhere.
35:32High-tier beasts rampaging through the clan.
35:35A dragon hatchling is pinned under a beast's clawed foot,
35:39seconds from death.
35:40I move without thinking.
35:41One strike, the 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.
35:53They led the beasts away to protect me.
35:55I hand her to Kale, tell him to keep her hidden,
35:58and run in the direction she pointed.
36:00I arrive to find the mother and sister cornered by a pack of beasts,
36:04barely 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.
36:17Leading 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.
36:29No surprise.
36:30The moment I announced the trial of merit,
36:32I 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.
36:46Her 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,
36:53and the next Archen will still be me!
36:56I look down at the sword in my chest.
36:59Then I look up at Isolde.
37:01I 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,
37:21if you hadn't stood in Isolde's way,
37:23I might have let you live.
37:26Pity.
37:27I lift my head.
37:28My voice doesn't waver.
37:31So to kill me,
37:33you broke the ward barrier.
37:34Let the dark horde in.
37:38Let your own people die!
37:41Father doesn't blink.
37:42Acceptable losses.
37:44Everything I've done
37:45is to give Isolde the flame.
37:49To give the clan a stronger leader.
37:52The weak die to beasts
37:54because they were never meant to survive.
37:57One thrust isn't enough for Isolde.
37:59She snaps.
37:59The blade drives into me again and again,
38:03pouring out everything she's held in.
38:04I'm stronger than you!
38:06Why do you get to decide?
38:08I suffered for centuries,
38:10and I was so close.
38:13And you took it all away
38:15with a few words!
38:18Even Drarin.
38:20Her teeth grind harder.
38:22That mongrel
38:23said 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,
38:37the clan's faith belongs to me.
38:40So you have to die!
38:43Behind me,
38:44the roar of beasts,
38:46the screams of the dying,
38:47all tangled together.
38:49I look at Isolde.
38:50When the Covenant granted me
38:51the right of designation,
38:53it also feared the power
38:55would be too concentrated.
38:57So it sealed half my divine power
38:59inside you as your talent,
39:01and it barred me
39:02from becoming Archon myself.
39:04If you had truly served the clan,
39:07if you'd held no malice towards me,
39:10the 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
39:18and your own hunger for power.
39:19But you blamed me for all of it.
39:21And now that you've struck me
39:23with intent to kill,
39:29the seal is broken.
39:32Isolde.
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
39:42erupts with golden light.
39:43Isolde tries to release the hilt.
39:45Her hands won't move.
39:46Mana drains from her body,
39:48torrential, unstoppable,
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
40:00who owned his heart.
40:01That devotion never wavered.
40:03Not even now.
40:04He moves to kill me outright.
40:06But in his desperation,
40:07he forgets.
40:08Striking me carries a price.
40:12This time,
40:13the covenant shows no mercy.
40:15Golden Dragonfire hammers Father
40:17until his soul disintegrates.
40:19He scatters into nothing
40:21before our eyes.
40:23Isolde doesn't have time to grieve.
40:25Every shred of gifted talent
40:26has been reclaimed.
40:28Her mana plummets
40:29to that of an ordinary dragon.
40:31And behind her,
40:31the dark horde circles.
40:33I pull the sword from my chest
40:35and 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!
40:49No!
40:49Scream behind me.
40:50This time,
40:51I don't turn around.
40:52I drive out every last beast
40:54and rebuild order on Drake's fire.
40:56The hatchling from before
40:58runs up and wraps herself
40:59around my leg.
41:00Your highness,
41:01without you,
41:02I'd be an orphan!
41:03Clan members who used to look through me
41:05now kneel at my feet.
41:06Your highness,
41:07we were blind before.
41:08You drove back the horde.
41:10You saved Dragonspine.
41:11The Archon's crown
41:12belongs to you.
41:14I shake my head.
41:15I place the Archon's crown
41:16into 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,
41:25saving lives while others ran.
41:27I 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,
41:34not those who take.
41:35Thyra is the right choice.
41:36I return to the Sanctum,
41:37devote myself to cultivation.
41:39With my full divine power restored,
41:41my strength surges beyond anything I imagined.
41:43Divine tribulation descends,
41:45bolt after bolt,
41:46and I weather everyone.
41:47Then, Ascension.
41:48Under the gaze of the entire clan,
41:50I shift into my true form.
41:52A complete golden dragon,
41:54blazing against the sky.
41:55A silver dragon coils beside me.
41:57Kale,
41:57transformed through the bond.
41:59No longer silver serpentine,
42:01a 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.
42:10I've heard the divine realm has terrible weather.
42:13Two dragons,
42:14one gold,
42:15one silver,
42:16spiral upward and vanish into the clouds.
42:19They never come back.
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