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