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