- 12 hours ago
99 Broken Promises
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00:00I was two months pregnant and suffering from severe anemia.
00:00:03Excessive blood loss would cause a miscarriage,
00:00:05yet my husband forced me onto an operating table and drew 800 cubic centimeters of my blood.
00:00:09His beloved childhood sweetheart had been injured,
00:00:12and I was the only person with a matching blood type to hers.
00:00:15Let me go! What are you doing?
00:00:18I'm anemic and pregnant! I can't give blood!
00:00:23Oliver, I'm your wife! I'm pregnant!
00:00:25The doctor said I'm severely anemic!
00:00:28If you take my blood...
00:00:29Christina, stop causing a scene.
00:00:32Elena is dying. Don't be so selfish.
00:00:34What about our baby?
00:00:36Last night you kissed my stomach.
00:00:38You said you couldn't wait.
00:00:39Now you want to kill it yourself?
00:00:41Just a blood draw. The baby will be fine.
00:00:43Do it.
00:00:45No!
00:00:46Blood flowed down the tube, drop by drop, pulled straight out of me.
00:00:49As the blood left me, my vision blurred.
00:00:52Oliver, you're going to regret this.
00:00:54A sharp pain tore through my stomach.
00:00:56I could feel it.
00:00:57My baby was slipping away.
00:00:58Blood pooled beneath me, spreading in dark red waves.
00:01:01Oliver didn't even look.
00:01:02All he saw was Elena.
00:01:04He was holding her hand.
00:01:05As everything went black, I woke up in an empty room.
00:01:08Only for a doctor to confirm the nightmare.
00:01:10My baby was gone.
00:01:11I lay alone in that hospital bed for three long days.
00:01:13Meanwhile, Oliver never left Elena's side.
00:01:15I watched a billionaire play nurse for someone else.
00:01:18No screaming.
00:01:19No crying.
00:01:19I simply dialed my lawyer.
00:01:21Draft my divorce papers.
00:01:25I stared at the divorce papers, turning the ring in my hand.
00:01:28Ring number 95.
00:01:29Five years ago, Oliver was the untouchable billionaire heir.
00:01:32I was the broke scholarship girl.
00:01:34I thought his 99 proposals were a sick game.
00:01:36I was just some bet.
00:01:37A girl he'd win, then dump.
00:01:39His first proposal?
00:01:40He lit up the whole Manhattan sky.
00:01:41A thousand drones spelling Christina marry me over Central Park.
00:01:44Proposal 2?
00:01:45A real Van Gogh delivered to my dorm.
00:01:47The frame was covered in pink diamonds.
00:01:49Three.
00:01:49Four.
00:01:50I kept pushing the rings away.
00:01:51But he broke down my walls.
00:01:53Then came the 99th time.
00:01:54Christina.
00:01:5599 times I chose you.
00:01:57Every time I break your heart throw one away.
00:01:59I won't stop you.
00:02:00Just say yes.
00:02:02I thought I was the exception.
00:02:04And for years, I was.
00:02:06He gave me everything.
00:02:07I never threw a single ring away.
00:02:09I'd stare at that wall-sized safe at night.
00:02:11Rows of massive, flawless diamonds.
00:02:13Then Elena showed up.
00:02:14Everything changed.
00:02:15In just a few months, I threw away ring after ring.
00:02:18Today, it's ring number 95.
00:02:20I dropped the diamond straight into the hospital trash can.
00:02:22Christina, what the hell are you doing?
00:02:26It was Oliver.
00:02:27Holding Elena up.
00:02:28His boys all around him.
00:02:29Just me.
00:02:30Gripping my bag.
00:02:31Looking like a ghost.
00:02:35Why are you still here?
00:02:36What did you just toss?
00:02:37Looked familiar.
00:02:38He reached for the trash.
00:02:39But Elena gasped and crumbled to the floor.
00:02:41He rushed straight to her.
00:02:43Forgot about me on the spot.
00:02:44I swallowed the news of the miscarriage.
00:02:46I just turned and walked away.
00:02:47But Oliver grabbed my arm.
00:02:49You're coming with us.
00:02:51At the car, Elena slid right into the passenger seat.
00:02:54Christina, I get so carsick after surgery.
00:02:57You don't mind if I take the front, right?
00:02:58Too exhausted to fight.
00:02:59I reached for the back door.
00:03:01But Lucas and one of his friends shoved past me.
00:03:03Sorry, Christina.
00:03:04Elena's fragile.
00:03:05We're crashing at your place to keep an eye on her.
00:03:08I stared at Oliver behind the wheel.
00:03:10Jaw clenched.
00:03:10Not saying a word to stop them.
00:03:12I let out a laugh.
00:03:13Why did I expect anything different?
00:03:15Oliver's crew always hated me.
00:03:17To them, Oliver and Elena were endgame.
00:03:19Same world.
00:03:20Same money.
00:03:21And me?
00:03:21I was just the broke interloper.
00:03:23Whenever they crashed at our place, they treated me like the maid.
00:03:26Cleaning up their messes.
00:03:27And Oliver watched in utter silence.
00:03:29Even today.
00:03:29I was carrying his baby.
00:03:31And he still forced me to give blood for her.
00:03:33It wasn't the first time they treated me like trash.
00:03:35But it was the first time I felt nothing.
00:03:36I'll find my own way home.
00:03:38But first, sign it.
00:03:42Oliver didn't even read the cover.
00:03:43He just scribbled his name without looking.
00:03:46What is it this time?
00:03:47A house?
00:03:48A new car?
00:03:49We'll talk later.
00:03:50Stop making a scene.
00:03:51Elena isn't feeling well.
00:03:52Rolled up the window.
00:03:53And sped off.
00:03:54I looked at his signature.
00:03:55A faint smile crossed my face.
00:03:57Ring number 96 was next.
00:03:59Clink.
00:04:00The ring dropped straight into the storm drain.
00:04:02Rush hour.
00:04:03Not a single cabin sight.
00:04:04I called the estate.
00:04:06Could you send a car to pick me up?
00:04:07Ma'am.
00:04:08Mr. Oliver took the whole fleet.
00:04:09He went to pick up imported flowers for Elena.
00:04:11Got it.
00:04:1290 degrees out.
00:04:13I had just left the hospital after the procedure.
00:04:15And I walked an hour in the blazing sun just to get home.
00:04:18The second I walked in, the complaints hit me.
00:04:21Christina, what took you so long?
00:04:23I'm starving.
00:04:24Go whip up something good.
00:04:25The AC was off in the dead of summer.
00:04:27All because poor little Elena might get cold.
00:04:29Don't just stand there.
00:04:30Go fix us something to eat.
00:04:32Christina, go make dinner.
00:04:33Oh, and make that lobster bisque for Elena.
00:04:35She needs her strength.
00:04:36A knife twisted in my chest.
00:04:37I couldn't breathe.
00:04:38I walked into the kitchen.
00:04:40I pulled out ring number 97.
00:04:42And tossed it into the trash.
00:04:45I carried the steaming pot of soup to the dining room.
00:04:48I was drenched in sweat.
00:04:49Elena stood up.
00:04:50She reached out to take the bowl.
00:04:52The second I let go, her fingers snapped back.
00:04:54Shattered porcelain and boiling soup erupted across the floor.
00:04:57Watch out!
00:04:57He shielded Elena completely.
00:04:58But the scalding liquid seared my calves.
00:05:01It burned my skin red.
00:05:02Christina, I know you hate me.
00:05:04But you didn't have to throw it.
00:05:06What the hell, Christina?
00:05:07You've had it out for her for months.
00:05:09She's just our friend.
00:05:09What is wrong with you?
00:05:10Apologize.
00:05:11She dropped it.
00:05:12On purpose.
00:05:13You crossed a line today.
00:05:14She just got out of the hospital.
00:05:15You terrified her.
00:05:1690 degrees out.
00:05:17And I was freezing.
00:05:17The searing pain on my leg was nothing.
00:05:19The pain in my chest was killing me.
00:05:22Fine.
00:05:22I'm sorry.
00:05:24The food is ready.
00:05:25I apologized.
00:05:27Can I go treat my burn now?
00:05:29I turned my back on the shattered porcelain and retreated to my room.
00:05:32Outside, it was pure chaos.
00:05:34I could hear Elena crying.
00:05:36Please don't fight over me.
00:05:37I'm just making things worse.
00:05:39I'll get out of your way.
00:05:42I retrieved the velvet box from my safe.
00:05:44Inside was another ring.
00:05:46Ring 98.
00:05:47Just as my fingers closed around it, the bedroom door clicked open.
00:05:52Oliver didn't run after her.
00:05:53He came in.
00:05:54His eyes landed on the diamond ring in my hand.
00:05:57He froze for a split second.
00:05:58Then, his face went blank.
00:06:00He probably figured I had plenty left.
00:06:03Christina, why can't you just let it go?
00:06:05Elena is fragile right now.
00:06:07She needs you to cut her some slack.
00:06:09Besides, we're having a baby.
00:06:11Once work slows down, I'll give you a real wedding.
00:06:13So don't start again.
00:06:14So you did remember I'm pregnant.
00:06:20I reached into my bag.
00:06:21My fingers hit the report.
00:06:23The one about the miscarriage.
00:06:24Right then, his phone blared.
00:06:26What's wrong?
00:06:27Oliver, get out here.
00:06:29Elena just got hit by a car.
00:06:41Seven years after his death, my husband came back to life at Flame Keep Spring Feast.
00:06:46Adrian, you black-hearted dog.
00:06:48To feign your death upon the field, poor liar must have wept herself blind.
00:06:51So what?
00:06:52She was utterly devoted to me.
00:06:54The only reason I married her was the gold her father brought me.
00:06:57Otherwise, what makes a merchant's daughter like her think she's worthy of climbing into my bed?
00:07:01If it weren't for her, how could Leora have committed suicide after marrying my brother?
00:07:05She should feel ashamed and beg for our forgiveness.
00:07:08If not, I will not go back.
00:07:09He'd been living easy all these years.
00:07:11He had no notion that his desertion had long since been laid bare, nor that White Flame Keep had passed
00:07:15to another hand.
00:07:16The day he faked his death.
00:07:18But on that same day, the Iron Cavalry of Sarn smashed the gates of White Flame Keep.
00:07:22In a single night, he was branded a traitor and a deserter.
00:07:26The city was put to the sword.
00:07:27Nearly all were butchered, including my parents.
00:07:30There was not even enough left of them for a proper burial.
00:07:33Had Lord Roderick Harwin not descended from the sky on Dragonback,
00:07:37I would not be standing here now.
00:07:38And Torrin, the old Lord of White Flame Keep, the father Edren kept talking about.
00:07:43On the day Lord Harwin pulled him from the ruins,
00:07:45he confessed his son's treason and threw himself into the flames.
00:07:50As for me, I survived.
00:07:52But I had remarried a long time ago.
00:07:54Darren was still jeering, playing to the crowd.
00:07:57By the gods, that's cold.
00:07:59Your lyre was a beauty.
00:08:01Were you not afraid she would run off with another?
00:08:05Run off?
00:08:06She was eight months pregnant.
00:08:07What man of honor would have her?
00:08:09And she was crazy about me.
00:08:11She was likely clutching my air to her breast every night, praying for my return.
00:08:15She would never have left.
00:08:16Given how hard Lyre was obsessed with you,
00:08:19she spent all these years hiding like a rat
00:08:21and will die alone still whispering your name.
00:08:24Honestly, she brought it on herself.
00:08:26Shameless, the way she begged for the marriage.
00:08:28No wonder she found herself a widow so young.
00:08:30I wager she's wasting away in her grief.
00:08:31If she saw you now, she'd probably lose her mind.
00:08:35He didn't object to a single word.
00:08:37I only slept with her once.
00:08:39And she got pregnant.
00:08:40What does that make her, huh?
00:08:42Sounds like a whore to me.
00:08:43Several men exchanged leave grins.
00:08:45I locked my eyes on Edrin's face,
00:08:47and a coal fire began to burn in my veins.
00:08:49Seven years ago, he abandoned us all.
00:08:52Old Torrin was forced to drag his alien body into a suit of rusted armor and ride out to make
00:08:56a war.
00:08:56Mira and I were left behind in the war camp,
00:08:59huddled together,
00:09:00counting the last of our meager supplies.
00:09:01And there was nothing we could do.
00:09:07Torrin's forces were broken, again and again.
00:09:10From the rear, we heard the news from the front.
00:09:13Each report worse than the last.
00:09:15I heard my parents had been slain.
00:09:17I heard my family's law, gathered over generations, had been looted.
00:09:21On the distant ridgelines, the warning beacons were lit.
00:09:24One after another.
00:09:25Until he came.
00:09:27Down from the clouds, through the smoke and ash,
00:09:29on the back of the dragon, Lord Roderick Pollard.
00:09:33The dragon lord, he mastered the scarlet and dragons,
00:09:35the keeper of the iron flame throne, ruler of the scarlet sun kingdom,
00:09:38lord of flame keep and the dragon's pine sea.
00:09:40He buried the truth of Edrin's treason.
00:09:42In return, I was wed to him.
00:09:45The keeper of the iron flame throne held too much power for anyone to question him.
00:09:48The official story was that Torrin and Mira Castwood had died of a sudden sickness.
00:09:52It was a lie that preserved what little honor their name had left.
00:09:55Then someone in the crowd spotted me.
00:09:58His face lit up.
00:09:59He slapped Edrin on the arm and pointed straight in my direction.
00:10:04Laya, what are you doing here?
00:10:06Damn, Aedlin, you're barely back from the grave and she's already tracked you down.
00:10:09Someone's desperate.
00:10:10Have you no shame?
00:10:11This feast is Lady Harwood's.
00:10:13Were you even summoned?
00:10:14Do not disgrace me before the guards drag you out.
00:10:16The dragon lord is insanely protective of his wife.
00:10:19Lady Harwood doesn't like seeing people,
00:10:20so he keeps her completely hidden away.
00:10:22No one's ever seen her face.
00:10:23This is the first feast she's ever hosted.
00:10:25We all came tonight hoping for a glimpse of her.
00:10:27So, Leah, I know you missed Edrin,
00:10:29but try not to ruin the feast for the rest of us.
00:10:32You just crawled out of your grave, Sir Caitlid.
00:10:34Worry about yourself.
00:10:36White flame coal is not as you remember it.
00:10:39Back then, Torrin sent him to the war hoping he'd earn some glory.
00:10:43I remember my belly was so swollen it was hard to walk,
00:10:46but I stood with him at the gates, terrified, begging him to stay safe.
00:10:49The only news we received was that he'd faked his death and fled the battlefield.
00:10:53I was eight months pregnant,
00:10:55hauling arrows and tending to the wounded in the rear camp.
00:10:58But the enemy broke into the army of those bastards that anyone feared.
00:11:01Boy, it's a fat-bellied one.
00:11:03Any of you had the taste?
00:11:04One of them kicked me hard.
00:11:06I hit the ground.
00:11:07Blood poured down my legs.
00:11:09You don't have to make up such pathetic lies to lure me back.
00:11:13If loneliness has made you so desperate,
00:11:15beg me sweetly enough and I may grant you one night in my bed.
00:11:18He saw the flicker of pain in my eyes and thought he'd hit the mark.
00:11:21He looked proud of himself.
00:11:24Why, Laia?
00:11:25Is that you?
00:11:27You poor thing.
00:11:29Having to look after Whiteflame Ward all these years.
00:11:32Aedlin, that is cruel.
00:11:33You have spent so long tending to us that poor Laia has been left to grieve alone.
00:11:38It was Leora Fane.
00:11:39She hid behind the lie that died of heartbreak and gone away with Edrin,
00:11:43to live as man and wife in some other place.
00:11:45And Edrin, who knew the whole thing was a lie,
00:11:47I remember.
00:11:49He once forced me to stand outside in the freezing cold all night as penance for Leora.
00:11:52My nails dug into my palms as I stared at the two of them.
00:11:55After Leora's tragedy, a healer managed to save her.
00:11:58Turns out she was already pregnant.
00:12:00She's been recovering in seclusion all these years.
00:12:01It hasn't been easy for her.
00:12:02A widow with a child.
00:12:03I couldn't just abandon them, so I decided to marry her.
00:12:05Make her my wife.
00:12:06Her son will inherit the title of Whiteflame Keep.
00:12:07The least I can do to honor my brother's memory.
00:12:09You will return and make the keep ready.
00:12:11And if I hear so much as a whisper against her, you will answer for it.
00:12:14I had never heard such shamelessness uttered aloud.
00:12:17That boy was obviously his.
00:12:19His and Leora's.
00:12:20Whom you wed is no concern of mine, Sir Castwood.
00:12:24I was wed again long ago.
00:12:26Remarried?
00:12:27You think I give a damn?
00:12:28I didn't come back for a woman like you.
00:12:30I heard the dragon egg at Whiteflame Keep hatched.
00:12:32The ice dragon egg my family has guarded for generations.
00:12:34I, Adian of House Castwood, shall mount the ice dragon and rule as king,
00:12:37and that dragon is my bloodlite.
00:12:38Don't you come crying back to me when it happens.
00:12:40Of course!
00:12:41No wonder you came back now, Adrian.
00:12:43You're about to become a dragon lord!
00:12:45Even Lord Harwin will have to bow to you then, won't he?
00:12:47Already picturing himself on the back of a great ice dragon.
00:12:50And all I could think was, he has no idea that dragon hatched seven years ago.
00:12:54It hatched on the night Whiteflame Keep was slaughtered.
00:12:57It hatched while the Sarnriders were swimming over me.
00:12:59After my blood soaked into the dirt, my blood fell upon the ancient shell, already split with cracks.
00:13:04Then it broke.
00:13:05A little dragon, blue as winter ice.
00:13:08And you, the nerve you have, saying things like that.
00:13:12If I remember correctly, you were eight months pregnant.
00:13:15What man of rank would take a woman swollen with another man's bastard,
00:13:18or'd you have to go crawling to some lowborn merchant?
00:13:20Right.
00:13:21You are common trash, after all.
00:13:23The men are not together.
00:13:25Mother, when is father coming back?
00:13:26These people are so loud.
00:13:29You want me back that badly?
00:13:30You even brought the child with you?
00:13:33This child, she should be seven by now, should she not?
00:13:38Why is she so slight?
00:13:40Liar, even if you're angry with Adrien, you can't take it out on the child.
00:13:44That's just cruel.
00:13:46Just then, her son came charging back.
00:13:49He saw the unique dragon scale pendant around Alia's neck.
00:13:52Give me that!
00:13:54Mom said you and everything this woman has belongs to me.
00:13:58Give it back!
00:14:01It's my birthday present!
00:14:03It's not yours!
00:14:05It all happened so fast.
00:14:06I didn't have time to think.
00:14:08I just shoved the boy back and scooped Alia into my arms.
00:14:11The boy fell on his back and let out a piercing, theatrical shriek.
00:14:17You dare lay a hand on a child?
00:14:21Leora was right.
00:14:22You're a bitch who belongs in the slums, or a brothel!
00:14:26I've known Edrin since we were children.
00:14:28When other kids would corner me and bully me, he was the one who fought for me.
00:14:32He'd get his face bruised and bloodied, but he would always stand stubbornly in front of me.
00:14:37Back then, I thought he would protect me forever, and that I would love and cherish him forever.
00:14:42But now, in front of this whole crowd, for another woman, he had just humiliated me without a second thought
00:14:47for my dignity.
00:14:48He reeled from the slap, his rage about to explode.
00:14:52But when he saw my red-rimmed eyes, he faltered for a second.
00:14:55For the briefest instant, he looked almost ashamed.
00:14:58Leora seized the moment.
00:15:00She clutched her son to her chest and let out a choked sob.
00:15:03It seems Leora doesn't want us to come back.
00:15:05I always knew Meera preferred her.
00:15:08But now that I'm a widow, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised I'm not welcome.
00:15:12Maybe we should just leave.
00:15:14I left you in charge.
00:15:16To see to my parents and the running of the keep.
00:15:18How dare you waste the keep's money on useless things like this!
00:15:22His eyes fell on the dragon scale hanging around Alia's neck.
00:15:25Wait!
00:15:26Where did you get that dragon scale?
00:15:28That's a scale from my family's ice dragon!
00:15:31That scale is mine by blood!
00:15:33Mine!
00:15:33You have the nerve to scavenge it and wear it?
00:15:36That belongs to me!
00:15:37You've been squatting in white flame keep all these years.
00:15:40You probably never even got to touch the egg, did you?
00:15:44Now the dragon has hatched and that scale is mine!
00:15:48You're a commoner's daughter!
00:15:49By what right do you touch it?
00:15:51I couldn't even be bothered to answer him.
00:15:53I turned to a handmaiden who had just rushed over.
00:15:56Get the healer.
00:15:59Being ignored sent Edrin over the edge.
00:16:02He grabbed my arm.
00:16:03It's a little scratch.
00:16:05And you're gonna bother Lord Harwin's people over that?
00:16:10Liar, what the hell is wrong with you?
00:16:12I've seven years alone surely made you so bitter.
00:16:14Are you just lonely, is that it?
00:16:16Blaming me because you've had no one?
00:16:18Ask pardon as you ought, and I may yet come to your bed today.
00:16:22I have told you I am remarried.
00:16:25You need to start worrying about yourself.
00:16:30Fine, be stubborn.
00:16:31I'll be waiting for the day you come begging me to take you back!
00:16:35After the healer had cleaned and dressed Alia's cheek, a deep wave of exhaustion washed over me.
00:16:39I used to wonder, for a long time, if Edrin had a reason.
00:16:43Some secret hardship that made him abandon his wife, his unborn child, and his home for seven years.
00:16:48I remember the night before Mira walked into the throne room and took her own life.
00:16:53I never should have gone to your father's house with Torrid.
00:16:55I never should have promised you, on that monster's behalf, that he would be good to you.
00:17:01We did this.
00:17:03We ruined you!
00:17:05Mira had always been so full of life, a woman who refused to grow old.
00:17:08From the day I married Edrin, she treated me like her own daughter.
00:17:12But in one single night, the weight of it all had broken her.
00:17:15Liar.
00:17:17White Flame Keep has failed you.
00:17:19If that animal ever comes back, I give you my blessing to kill him yourself.
00:17:24Now you go find a good man.
00:17:26And don't you dare grieve for us.
00:17:28In the seven years since I married Roderick Harwin, I've rarely left the castle.
00:17:32This was the day the stranger took Mira.
00:17:34I hosted this feast to tell the spirit of the old woman who loved me like a daughter that I
00:17:38was okay.
00:17:39That I had finally moved on.
00:17:42I took a breath, composed myself, and walked back to the great hall.
00:17:46Edrin and Leora were sitting together, acting for all the world like a happy couple.
00:17:50I walked right past their table without even glance.
00:17:55But as I passed, Luke caught my gun.
00:18:00I remember her.
00:18:01That's Adrin Casper's wife.
00:18:03The one who's been lonely for seven years.
00:18:06Is she doing this to get his attention?
00:18:07How shameless.
00:18:08Is she crazy?
00:18:09Making a scene at a feast by Lady Harwin?
00:18:12Liar!
00:18:12How could you?
00:18:15I know you're upset with Adrin, but you can't act like this at Lady Harwin's feast.
00:18:20Are you trying to make Lord Harwin angry with Adrin on purpose?
00:18:23Edrin's expression turned lethal.
00:18:25Leah, so you are here to cause trouble.
00:18:27Seven years, and you still haven't learned a thing?
00:18:34Directive received.
00:18:35Die.
00:18:37They replaced me with an AI that wants crying now.
00:18:40Mom and Dad brought home an AI daughter.
00:18:43The day she arrived, I became the difficult one.
00:18:46Dad thought I was too hard to deal with.
00:18:49Mom thought I'd never measure up to AI Seraphine.
00:18:52Kayla yelled to write in my face.
00:18:54All you ever do is fight me for everything!
00:18:57What else are you good for?
00:18:58I wanted to cry, but I couldn't.
00:19:01I rushed over and shoved Seraphine to the floor.
00:19:05Seraphine is your sister!
00:19:06If you had half her obedience, I wouldn't have migraine every single day because of you!
00:19:11I'm sending you to the Harmony Institute.
00:19:14Maybe they can teach you how to be a decent daughter.
00:19:16Just like that, she replaced me.
00:19:19I was sent to the Harmony Institute for reconditioning.
00:19:23Three years later, Dad, Mom, and Caleb came to pick me up.
00:19:27Nora, I didn't move an inch.
00:19:30Mrs. Ashford, you have to say, activate.
00:19:33Otherwise, Unit 1314 won't boot up.
00:19:36Mom looked at the back of my neck.
00:19:38Activate.
00:19:41Unit 1314.
00:19:42She had no idea what the word meant to me.
00:19:45She was just parroting the director.
00:19:49Unit 1314, Able.
00:19:51Awaiting directive.
00:19:52We designed a special system for our students, Mrs. Ashford.
00:19:55She requires a verbal trigger to be awakened.
00:19:58Once activated, she will never disobey you again.
00:20:01Caleb shopped forward.
00:20:03He was five years older than me.
00:20:05Making me cry used to be his favorite gang.
00:20:08I used to chase him around the house until Mom screamed at us both.
00:20:13Unit 1314.
00:20:15Bark like a dog.
00:20:17The second I heard the command,
00:20:19I hunched my shoulders,
00:20:21stuck out my tongue,
00:20:23and barked.
00:20:26Looks like Nora finally learned her lesson.
00:20:29It used to take half an hour just to get her to practice piano.
00:20:33Now tell her to bark like a dog,
00:20:34and she does it instantly.
00:20:36On the drive home,
00:20:38Mom tried to make small talk.
00:20:40Nora, how were your three years at the Institute?
00:20:43I said nothing,
00:20:43because she hadn't used the command to answer.
00:20:46Nora?
00:20:47Interrogative statements do not constitute valid commands.
00:20:50If a response is required,
00:20:52please use imperative format.
00:20:55Answer.
00:20:56Life at the Institute was productive and enriching.
00:20:59I completed the three core modules,
00:21:02Emotional Suppression,
00:21:03Absolute Compliance,
00:21:04and Rational Overrill.
00:21:06My final evaluation was optimal.
00:21:08The handler graded me as the most successful conversion case of the year.
00:21:11The backseat was silent.
00:21:13Kellogg muttered.
00:21:14She's just like Serafina.
00:21:16Three years ago,
00:21:18real trees had lined this road.
00:21:20Now,
00:21:20they'd been replaced by glowing air purification columns.
00:21:24A holographic billboard played an Elysian in the streets as
00:21:28an AI girl smiled at the camera.
00:21:31The text below read,
00:21:32The child you've always dreamed of.
00:21:34As we drove past,
00:21:36the girl tilted her head,
00:21:38the exact same way Serafina did.
00:21:40The city blurred past the window.
00:21:43The skyscrapers and the sky bridges
00:21:45looked nothing like I remembered.
00:21:47Inside the Institute,
00:21:49time was just a series of commands.
00:21:51A day and a month felt the same.
00:21:54I tracked time using the telling marks
00:21:56I scratched inside the sensory deprivation pot.
00:22:00Eventually,
00:22:00I forgot how to count.
00:22:02It was dark
00:22:03when the car pulled into the parking level.
00:22:05Serafina waited by the front door.
00:22:07Her hands folded neatly in front of her.
00:22:09Her lips were fixed in a calculated smile.
00:22:12She looked the same as she did three years ago.
00:22:15Back then,
00:22:16mom crouched down to speak to her.
00:22:18Serafina,
00:22:19welcome home.
00:22:20I jumped off the couch
00:22:22to see my new sister.
00:22:23My food caught on something.
00:22:25I hit the floor face first.
00:22:27Nobody helped me up.
00:22:29They just said
00:22:29I was clumsy.
00:22:31After that,
00:22:32no one looked at me the same way.
00:22:33Caleb rolled his eyes
00:22:35when I spoke.
00:22:36Mom pulled Serafina behind her
00:22:38when I entered the kitchen.
00:22:40Dad stopped calling me,
00:22:42kiddo.
00:22:42I wasn't as obedient as Serafina.
00:22:44I wasn't as sweet.
00:22:46In the end,
00:22:47they sent me away.
00:22:48Welcome home, Nora.
00:22:50Her voice was just as sweet
00:22:52and glowing
00:22:53as I remembered.
00:22:54I didn't answer.
00:22:56She hadn't issued
00:22:57the answer directive.
00:22:58Are you still mad at Serafina?
00:23:01Did you learn nothing?
00:23:03Say something!
00:23:05Acknowledged.
00:23:08Serafina's smile never wavered.
00:23:10Mom nodded in approval.
00:23:12At dinner,
00:23:13everyone sat around the table.
00:23:15Serafina sat to Ma's right.
00:23:17Caleb sat to Dad's left.
00:23:20I was seated
00:23:21at the far end of the table.
00:23:23Steam rose from the plates.
00:23:25The smell of roast chicken
00:23:26from the food printer
00:23:27hung in the air,
00:23:28but I felt nothing.
00:23:30At the Institute,
00:23:31eating was categorized
00:23:33as energy intake behavior.
00:23:35It had nothing to do
00:23:37with hunger or pleasure.
00:23:39Let's eat.
00:23:40I instantly picked up my fork.
00:23:42Caleb stopped eating.
00:23:44His eyes went wide.
00:23:45No way.
00:23:45Since when do you eat Brussels sprouts?
00:23:47Used to gag just looking at them.
00:23:48I didn't answer.
00:23:49I just dabbed another Brussels sprout
00:23:51with my fork.
00:23:53The handler told us that
00:23:54personal preferences are
00:23:55emotional residue,
00:23:56proof of an incomplete conversion.
00:23:59During my third month,
00:24:00I refused to eat Brussels sprouts.
00:24:02They locked me inside
00:24:03the sensory deprivation pot
00:24:05for two full days.
00:24:07The pot had no white,
00:24:09no sound,
00:24:09and no physical cessation.
00:24:11There was nothing
00:24:12but total darkness.
00:24:14When they finally let me out,
00:24:16I ate the Brussels sprouts.
00:24:17Then came the liver,
00:24:19the mushrooms,
00:24:20and the asparagus.
00:24:21I ate every single thing
00:24:23I used to refuse to touch.
00:24:26Mom nodded approvingly.
00:24:28She'd always hated picky eaters.
00:24:30A second later,
00:24:31I reached for the peanuts on my plate.
00:24:33I put a peanut into my mouth.
00:24:35I chewed exactly 15 times.
00:24:38Then I swallowed.
00:24:40Did she just eat a peanut?
00:24:42Nora is severely allergic to peanuts.
00:24:43She ate one when she was little,
00:24:44and her lips swelled up.
00:24:46We had to rush her straight to the ER.
00:24:49Since when can Harmony cure allergies?
00:24:51At the Institute,
00:24:53allergies were treated
00:24:54as a form of weakness.
00:24:56The hinder simply smeared
00:24:57peanut butter onto my bare arm.
00:25:00The redness,
00:25:01the blisters,
00:25:02and the rotting skin
00:25:03spread across my arm.
00:25:04An allergy is a physical weakness.
00:25:06Weakness can be trained into strength.
00:25:08My skin rotted
00:25:09and healed over and over again.
00:25:11But the allergic reactions
00:25:13never stopped.
00:25:14Back at the dinner table,
00:25:16my body gave a sudden jolt.
00:25:18I felt my throat tightening
00:25:19and my skin starting to itch.
00:25:21Angry red wells erupted
00:25:23all over my neck and face.
00:25:25Face is getting red!
00:25:26That's not blushing!
00:25:28That's an allergic reaction!
00:25:29Nora, stop eating right now!
00:25:31You know you're allergic to peanuts!
00:25:34Is that a directive?
00:25:38Patient presents allergic reaction.
00:25:41Respiratory distress level,
00:25:43moderate.
00:25:44Skin inflammation coverage,
00:25:45approximately 23%.
00:25:47Recommend immediate administration
00:25:49of epinephrine.
00:25:50They reacted instantly.
00:25:52They scrambled to find
00:25:53an EpiPen
00:25:54and jammed it
00:25:55into my leg.
00:25:59Once my breathing
00:26:01returned to normal,
00:26:02the living room
00:26:03fell dead silent.
00:26:04Caleb's voice
00:26:05drifted from the couch.
00:26:06Something's wrong with her.
00:26:09She used to cry,
00:26:11she used to throw tantrums.
00:26:13She didn't act like...
00:26:15like Seraphine.
00:26:17Can you just be normal?
00:26:19Stop acting like Seraphine!
00:26:22We just wanted a sister
00:26:23who listens,
00:26:24not a machine!
00:26:24Please define normal.
00:26:27Caleb turned pale.
00:26:28Dad and Mom
00:26:29looked rattled.
00:26:30Dad immediately
00:26:31called the Institute.
00:26:33The voice on the phone
00:26:34explained
00:26:35it was a standard reaction
00:26:37to deep behavioral
00:26:39reconditioning.
00:26:40They promised
00:26:41it would fade
00:26:42in a few days.
00:26:43Unit 1314
00:26:44is our highest performing
00:26:45case right now.
00:26:46Her compliance
00:26:47surpasses any AI model.
00:26:49Rest assured,
00:26:50this is completely
00:26:50normal behavior.
00:26:51Dad hung up
00:26:52and repeated the words
00:26:53to Mom.
00:26:54She nodded.
00:26:54They both
00:26:55let out a sigh of relief.
00:26:57For the next few days,
00:26:58I became the most useful
00:26:59tool in the house.
00:27:00Mom told me
00:27:01to wash the dishes.
00:27:02I scrubbed them
00:27:03cleaner than
00:27:03Seraphine ever could.
00:27:05Dad told me
00:27:05to organize the garage.
00:27:07I moved
00:27:07every single box
00:27:09by myself.
00:27:10Caleb told me
00:27:11to grab his delivery
00:27:12downstairs.
00:27:12I made a round trip
00:27:14in under two minutes.
00:27:16Mom actually laughed.
00:27:17She's even better
00:27:18than Seraphina now.
00:27:20No one disagreed
00:27:21until that night.
00:27:23Caleb forgot
00:27:24to issue
00:27:24the shutout directive.
00:27:26Everyone went to sleep.
00:27:27I sat on the living room
00:27:28couch from dusk
00:27:29until dawn.
00:27:31When Mom came
00:27:32downstairs the next morning,
00:27:34she found me
00:27:35sitting in the exact
00:27:36same position
00:27:37I'd been in
00:27:38the night before.
00:27:39She stopped
00:27:40dead in her tracks.
00:27:41The coffee mug
00:27:42slipped from her hand
00:27:43and shattered.
00:27:44The Holy Light
00:27:45cover on the continent
00:27:46of Atheus.
00:27:47During the last war
00:27:49of the gods and demons,
00:27:50I expended my very
00:27:51last ounce of divine power
00:27:53to seal the Dark Lord
00:27:54Neverland,
00:27:55banishing him forever
00:27:57into the endless sea.
00:28:08Great!
00:28:09It's the Master!
00:28:23The Master!
00:28:25The Master!
00:28:26The Master!
00:28:27The Master!
00:28:31The Master!
00:28:36The Master!
00:28:36The Master!
00:28:37The Master!
00:28:38The Master!
00:28:38The Master!
00:28:38The Master!
00:28:38The Master!
00:28:41The Master!
00:28:41The Master!
00:28:42The Master!
00:28:48Let! You think this is the end? You'll die with me!
00:28:57Luke's Cloud!
00:29:01My entire soul has been sealed within this ring.
00:29:05I never imagined that I would return to the world in a different way a thousand years later.
00:29:15Please, let Evan go! I'm sure I can save him!
00:29:18Isabel, have you lost your mind, Isabella? It's the Black Plague!
00:29:22If we don't burn him, the whole village will die!
00:29:25No, Evan, no! No! No!
00:29:33Evan, no! Evan!
00:29:45Where am I?
00:29:48He... he becomes a ghost!
00:29:51Evan wakes up! This must be the will of the gods! Please spare him!
00:29:56No way! He's already dead! This must be a demon! Burn him! We can't let him back to the village!
00:30:02It's the will of the village!
00:30:09No, Evan! No!
00:30:30Thank God, Evan, you're okay.
00:30:33He must be a monster, a demon.
00:30:36He should be burned at the stake.
00:30:37Shut up.
00:30:38The only way you're touching Evan is over my dead body.
00:30:42It seems I have taken possession of that dying boy's body.
00:30:45The woman standing before me must be his mother.
00:30:49I, the creator god of the holy light coven, have returned to the mortal world only to find
00:30:54myself as a frail, sickly child?
00:30:59We cannot keep this child.
00:31:04I'm not a monster.
00:31:06I've awakened my magic.
00:31:10What are you dreaming of?
00:31:13Apart from the direct descendants of the holy light coven, ordinary awakeners are few and
00:31:20far between.
00:31:22The only awakened in our village is the chief.
00:31:25You are truly shameless as a good for nothing who's caught the black death.
00:31:30You'll find out if it works when I try it.
00:31:32I was only at D-rage when I first awakened, not even good enough to stand guard in the holy
00:31:37light coven.
00:31:38If you really have awakened magic as a mundane through your own talent, you'll be our village
00:31:43hero, if not.
00:31:46I'll make you die in a way that's a hundred times more painful than just now.
00:31:56Now, place your hand on the mirror and it will test whether you have awakened and determine
00:32:02your magic level.
00:32:14How could such a lowly magic mirror be fit to reveal myself?
00:32:32Run!
00:32:33Our village must have been attacked by monsters!
00:32:36I used barely a tenth of my divine power, yet it caused such cataclysmic changes to the landscape.
00:32:42It seems that, a thousand years on, the mages of the Aetheris continent have made no progress
00:32:48whatsoever.
00:32:52Tapos Volaris, come on!
00:33:05She's a mid-level mage at C-Rank.
00:33:07How on earth does she have a flying carpet reserved for the nobility of the Coven?
00:33:12I'm sorry, Evan.
00:33:14Mum didn't mean to keep our status as wizards a secret from you.
00:33:18It's just that for certain reasons, I've been forbidden from using magic.
00:33:22It's okay, Mum.
00:33:47A thousand years have passed, and I too look forward to returning.
00:34:10Evan, you haven't been fully confirmed as having awakened your magic yet, so you must
00:34:14stay close to me.
00:34:15What?
00:34:22Locker 42 only has three minutes of magic time.
00:34:25We absolutely cannot afford any slip-ups.
00:34:51I never imagined the magical world would have evolved like this a thousand years on.
00:34:55How interesting.
00:34:58Can you believe a lonely Mondian using Locker 42 and dares to go to the Holy City?
00:35:04That's ridiculous.
00:35:18Evan, I believe that one day you'll awaken your magic.
00:35:23First of all, let's find the Holy Spring and heal your body.
00:35:31Are you lot off to the Holy City for the elections too?
00:35:34Carriage 42 for Junior Wizards is at the very back.
00:35:49You wait here for me, Evan, I'm going to the front to get the...
00:35:53The Holy City for the first time.
00:35:54I'm going to the third of all.
00:35:58I was supposed to be part of Still vaccinated.
00:35:58We've been on this for now.
00:36:01I've been on this for now.
00:36:07We've been on this for now, as you have the first of the night.
00:36:10We've been on this for now.
00:36:10We've been on this for now.
00:36:13The end.
00:36:20I have the final day.
00:36:21We've been on this for now.
00:38:30Is this the token of the Holy Knight?
00:38:33What?
00:38:34You thief!
00:38:36How dare you!
00:38:39This is mine!
00:38:41I didn't steal it!
00:38:42What?
00:38:42You're just a low wizard.
00:38:43The value of all your gear put together isn't even worth the gem on my boot!
00:38:52If you don't tell the truth, I'll chop your head off and feed it.
00:38:55To the monsters.
00:38:58Marcus!
00:38:59She's a wizard too!
00:39:00Don't be so rude!
00:39:01You're the head of the Holy Light!
00:39:02You can't just let them get away with it, Morgana.
00:39:05Only the direct descendants of the Holy Light have the Knight's token.
00:39:08We must get them back and conduct a thorough investigation.
00:39:21Don't worry, Mom!
00:39:22Don't worry, Mom!
00:39:23Don't worry, me!
00:39:24No one can touch you!
00:39:39Who designed that statue?
00:39:41Who designed that statue?
00:39:42It doesn't even capture a tenth of my charm.
00:39:45How dare you!
00:39:46To look directly at the Creator God!
00:39:49Do you want to lose your head?
00:39:52Evan!
00:39:52Evan is just a child!
00:39:54He's just a child!
00:39:55He doesn't understand the rules.
00:39:57Please let him off.
00:40:09Don't wet your pants, Hick Mondaean.
00:40:14Don't worry.
00:40:16Once we get to the bottom of the matter of the token, no one will cause you any trouble.
00:40:21What on earth is going on?
00:40:24Marcus?
00:40:25Morgana?
00:40:27Aren't you supposed to be preparing for the elections?
00:40:31Grandmother!
00:40:32The quintennial Holy Knight elections are about to begin.
00:40:36Holy Light Coven is the foremost coven on the continent of Etherus,
00:40:39and you too are the most talented members of our new generation.
00:40:42Don't waste your energy on Trivial Mater.
00:40:45Grandma,
00:40:46the thief to our token is no trivial matter,
00:40:48and I suspect the thief used it to steal the magic spring.
00:41:14I don't know.
00:41:15I don't know.
00:41:18I don't know.
00:41:20I don't know.
00:41:21I don't know.
00:41:22I don't know.
00:41:23I don't know.
00:41:23I don't know.
00:41:24I don't know.
00:41:24You show your face here again!
00:41:30Grandma, who's she?
00:41:35I am the Pope's youngest daughter, and like you, I am a full-fledged member of the Holy Light Coven.
00:41:41But while your brothers are fighting for the coven on the battlefield, what are you doing?
00:41:47You chose to anoint with the coach room.
00:41:50My abilities are limited, and the Pope would not allow me to go to war.
00:41:55I simply refused the Duke's proposal of marriage, and chose happiness instead.
00:42:01What is wrong with that?
00:42:03How shameless!
00:42:06God!
00:42:07Strip her of her magic and the token, and banish her from the Holy City forever!
00:42:23And send you up!
00:42:31Now it's your turn.
00:42:34We're family!
00:42:36Why are you pushing up so hard?
00:42:38Brought us to your rats.
00:42:40And you call yourselves family?
00:42:43How dare you?
00:42:44When the coven was first founded,
00:42:46we never sent women into battle.
00:42:48Nor did we rely on political marriages to survive.
00:42:51We are really our sole state of affairs.
00:42:55Shut up! Who do you think you are?
00:42:57You're a civilian!
00:43:09You have no right to point a wand at me,
00:43:12let alone claim to speak for the Holy Light.
00:43:21Depulsio!
00:43:28Ah!
00:43:31Marcus!
00:43:32Are you okay?
00:43:34What on earth is that lad's background?
00:43:36He disabled Marcus' wand with a single spell,
00:43:39left him with injuries that severe.
00:43:41Guards!
00:43:42Seize Isabella and this brat at once!
00:43:45Have them thrown into the Gaul to face the fiery punishment!
00:43:53Go on then.
00:43:54Have at it.
00:43:55But I make no promises that your lives are worth as much as your bravery.
00:44:00What are you waiting for?
00:44:02Get him!
00:44:03Everyone, stop!
00:44:16Your Holiness!
00:44:25Father...
00:44:27Father...
00:44:28I am already apprised of what has just transpired.
00:44:30It was Marcus who was imperturbished first.
00:44:33Yet I cast myself rather curious about this lad's method.
00:44:36Magic at an A-plus standard,
00:44:38far superior to those other wasters,
00:44:40but scarcely of the calibre required to serve as the Pope.
00:44:45Father...
00:44:45Evan has only just come into his magical powers.
00:44:48They are not yet steady.
00:44:49And he has been frail since childhood.
00:44:51We return this time to stand in the Great Election.
00:44:54If he might obtain the Holy Spring,
00:44:56then Evan may yet have a chance to live.
00:44:58I can afford you that chance.
00:45:01The collection is at hand.
00:45:03If you truly have the metal to carry off first honours,
00:45:06all our past grievances shall be wiped clean.
00:45:08If should you prove wanting,
00:45:10I shall personally see you undone.
00:45:16Thank you, Father.
00:45:18Let them go.
00:45:29You wretch!
00:45:30I'll never let you and that little bastard off the hook.
00:45:41This is the Dragonspine Bridge,
00:45:44laid under the curse that the unworthy shall fall.
00:45:46Only by crossing it through one's own magic
00:45:48may one be deemed to have properly entered the trial.
00:46:06Acquia Forma!
00:46:13Good luck, mate!
00:46:21Don't be afraid, Mummy's here.
00:46:23No matter how hard it gets, I'll get you through it.
00:46:26Even if you fall, I'll catch you with my own body.
00:46:28Mum, I'm not scared.
00:46:30I'll protect you.
00:46:34Vines arise!
00:46:35Weave and bind!
00:46:37Hans Yuva!
00:46:39Let's go!
00:46:47Evan!
00:46:49Hold me!
00:46:50A shoddery wand and a few ragged vines,
00:46:53dare you challenge the Dragonspine trial?
00:46:58Since you like it so much, let him hang here forever.
00:47:04Let everyone see a lowly Mondin
00:47:07who isn't even worthy of setting foot on the trial field.
00:47:10Leave Evan alone!
00:47:12Face me instead!
00:47:14Very well.
00:47:16My familiar hasn't broken its fast this morning.
00:47:19You shall make a fine meal for it.
00:47:21Don't hurry, I'll make sure to savour it.
00:47:23Fight, fight, fight!
00:47:29No!
00:47:31I'll go with you.
00:47:32Just let him go.
00:47:33Oh, no.
00:48:04Oh, no.
00:48:39Oh, no.
00:48:53I don't expect you to achieve great things.
00:48:54I just want you to be safe and healthy.
00:48:56I'd give anything for you, even my life.
00:48:59She was a great mother.
00:49:00She gave me the warmth of human kindness and a mother's love I hadn't felt in so long.
00:49:04I suppose that was the gift of coming here.
00:49:50I suppose that was the gift of human kindness and a mother's love I hadn't felt in so long.
00:49:52Here, the acolytes of our orders shall clash in combat, proving their might through magic and vying for the highest
00:50:00glory of the coven.
00:50:01Now, I declare the final duel of the Holy Light trial begin!
00:50:31If you've got the guts, come on then.
00:50:35You lot of spines, cowards.
00:50:38Still, there are only one person I truly want to take on this day.
00:50:43Evan, I'll show you with my own two hands exactly what real power is.
00:50:49Today is the day that little bastard Evan meets his end.
00:50:54Where's Evan?
00:50:55Has he wet himself and run off to hide behind his mother blubbering?
00:50:59I'm here!
00:51:11I'm here!
00:51:12Isabella?
00:51:14Have you come here to get yourself killed?
00:51:22I've finally got the 10,000th.
00:51:24Elias will be so pleased.
00:51:31Elias.
00:51:33The 10,000th level 8 essence.
00:51:36Today's the day you take human form.
00:51:41You have no idea how dangerous it was.
00:51:52We can form the bond now, can't we?
00:51:54Thank you, sister.
00:51:58Thanks to 10 years of your devotion, we couldn't have bonded without you.
00:52:09Supreme Essence.
00:52:12How dare you keep this from me all along.
00:52:16No!
00:52:17The Academy's shield relies on it!
00:52:37Compared to you, she's nothing.
00:52:39Pathetic.
00:52:39See?
00:52:40Elias has always chosen me, no matter how much you did for him.
00:52:44Farewell, sister.
00:52:56I curse you both.
00:52:58If I get another charge, I will not let this happen.
00:53:10Everyone is still here.
00:53:12Good.
00:53:13That's good.
00:53:14That's good.
00:53:15As tradition dictates, I now proclaim the decennial bonding ceremony of Beast Word Academy underway.
00:53:23I have returned to the day it all started.
00:53:30Fire Dragon.
00:53:31He boasts a pure bloodline unseen in a decade.
00:53:36Elaine Tidesong.
00:53:38As our premier apprentice, you are the only one fit to master him.
00:53:44Though he is not easily tame.
00:53:46The Fire Dragon just refused her?
00:53:48He is of noble blood, proud beyond measure, but there's no one better than Elaine.
00:53:51Hilda!
00:53:52Step away, it's dangerous!
00:54:00Professor, I know I'm nothing compared to my sister.
00:54:02It's just...
00:54:03I've never seen such a magnificent creature.
00:54:05And he seems to...
00:54:06like me more?
00:54:08Professor Talon, since their hearts are already entwined, let them have each other.
00:54:12What?
00:54:13She's a mere initiate!
00:54:13I will not bond with the Fire Dragon.
00:54:16In fact, my choice lies...
00:54:21Feathered Serpent!
00:54:22A lowly half-breed?
00:54:35Professor Talon, since the Fire Dragon refused to serve as my mount, I shall take this little serpent.
00:54:42Elaine, you're the premier!
00:54:43Only the Fire Dragon is worthy of you!
00:54:45Such lowly beast isn't even worthy of being the Fire Dragon's lackey!
00:54:50Professor, my decision stands.
00:54:52Then it's done.
00:54:54The Fire Dragon goes to Hilda.
00:54:56In three months, the Beastware trials will judge your progress with the utmost rigor.
00:55:01Hilda, how could you do that?
00:55:02The Fire Dragon was meant for Elaine!
00:55:04Right!
00:55:05How can you steal from your own sister?
00:55:07I didn't...
00:55:08He chose me first!
00:55:13The Fire Dragon's lackey!
00:55:14With that Fire Dragon, she'll be our new premier by morning!
00:55:17Hmph!
00:55:18The newest initiate, and yet she scoops the finest prize in the hall.
00:55:21A treacherous beast was never a good choice.
00:55:25In my past life, Alias was just as arrogant.
00:55:29He refused to forge the bond with me.
00:55:34To feed his growth, I risked death on every hunt.
00:55:38Hunting man-eaters.
00:55:41Just to secure the beast essence.
00:55:46He never once spared a glass for my wounds.
00:55:50He only had eyes for what he needed.
00:56:00When I was away, Hilda would come to him.
00:56:03I knew.
00:56:05I told myself she was just trying to help.
00:56:11In this life, I won't let them betray me.
00:56:14Not again.
00:56:22No!
00:56:26Elaine?
00:56:28Elaine?
00:56:30Elaine?
00:56:30Professor?
00:56:36A familiar shares its master's magic.
00:56:39You and Alias.
00:56:40You would have made an unstoppable pairing.
00:56:42But as you saw, Professor, he has no desire to bond with me.
00:56:47A beast's will can be guided.
00:56:49I shall speak with Hilda again and have Alias return to him.
00:56:51Professor, I seek no mighty instrument of power, but a true companion.
00:56:59He is not so bad, after all.
00:57:04Fine.
00:57:05But remember, the beastward trials is in three months.
00:57:08Academy's judgment is absolute.
00:57:10Any beast that falls short of the standard will be stripped from its master.
00:57:29Oh, Elaine.
00:57:30If you truly wanted Alias, why didn't you just ask?
00:57:33What?
00:57:34No.
00:57:35Weren't you begging him?
00:57:37Hoping the Professor hand Alias back to you?
00:57:39Ridiculous.
00:57:42My dearest sister.
00:57:44I'd love to return him, but...
00:57:48He refuses to leave with you.
00:57:51Drop the act, Hilda.
00:57:52I have no interest in your precious mount.
00:57:55Save that energy for the trials.
00:57:57Speaking of the trials...
00:57:59I have to apologize in advance.
00:58:01When Alias makes me the new premiere,
00:58:03where will that leave you?
00:58:11This time, let me see how Hilda gets this bloodsucker to take human form without me.
00:58:17Only if you can afford him.
00:58:22Of course I can!
00:58:24But can your little worm even survive three months?
00:58:49So you would defend your master, Alias?
00:58:52You just detest me.
00:58:53Elaine, the Fire Dragon is Academy's most precious beast in a decade.
00:58:57You will be punished if you hurt him.
00:58:58So my serpent deserves to die?
00:59:00It's just a lowly half-breed.
00:59:02There are hundreds like it in the Beast Pavilion.
00:59:04No wonder last time he died at your hands in just a year.
00:59:12Hilda, where is your familiar?
00:59:15It was too frail.
00:59:16It couldn't survive.
00:59:18I tried everything I could to save him.
00:59:20What did you try?
00:59:21What potions?
00:59:22What healing spells?
00:59:23I...
00:59:24You're an apprentice of Beast Word Academy.
00:59:26And you don't even know basic of beast care?
00:59:29How dare you question her?
00:59:41Alasius, you never answered my summons, yet here you are for Hilda.
00:59:45Have you forgotten who your master is?
00:59:47I share no bond with you.
00:59:50You!
00:59:51It's my fault.
00:59:53It's her I refuse to acknowledge.
00:59:56Halt!
00:59:57At the Premier, I speak for the Dean himself.
01:00:00I order you to stay, Hilda.
01:00:03As you wish, Elaine.
01:00:04For your incompetence and the death of your familiar.
01:00:07I sentence you to the Outer Valley to clear out the trolls.
01:00:10No!
01:00:11I can't, I can't do that.
01:00:13Please, please.
01:00:14Do not panic, Hilda.
01:00:15I will come with you.
01:00:16My flames will be your shield.
01:00:17I gathered essence all on my own.
01:00:20A thousand times.
01:00:21All for you.
01:00:22And you never came.
01:00:23Not once.
01:00:27As long as he chooses me and stands by my side, I will treat him right in return.
01:00:32A fallen Premier and a mutt from the gutter.
01:00:34Perfect match.
01:00:35I hope you can last five minutes in the trials.
01:00:37Keep yourself and your mountain check, Hilda.
01:00:39Next time, it won't be just a splash of water.
01:01:01Drop your weapons, or die with the usurter.
01:01:07Mercy, King Roman.
01:01:14My queen.
01:01:17The baby's coming.
01:01:20Get the medics.
01:01:22Bring both women to the castle.
01:01:24No child should be born in this slaughter.
01:01:40Our little Rosalind.
01:01:45She smells like white lilies.
01:01:48That's the scent of a pure white wolf.
01:01:50She'll be strong.
01:01:51For my future daughter-in-law, let's unite our kingdoms, Roman.
01:01:57That ruby carries ancient magic.
01:02:00Only a white wolf can wear it.
01:02:02When her wolf awakens, the necklace will find its way to her.
01:02:08The nurse says the baby's fine.
01:02:11My eyes were damaged in the war.
01:02:13Soon I'll be completely blind.
01:02:15If we'd won the war, I'd be a lord.
01:02:18Instead, we're stuck as slaves.
01:02:21Then we fix it.
01:02:22How?
01:02:29We switch the babies.
01:02:31Our girl gets the silk bed and the royal title.
01:02:35And their precious princess rots in the dungeon with us slaves.
01:02:39When our girl becomes queen, she frees us.
01:02:42And we take it all.
01:02:44To fool the king, we trade their sense.
01:02:54Say goodbye to your crown, little princess.
01:02:57Welcome to the gutter.
01:03:00Mother.
01:03:01I finished scrubbing the floors.
01:03:03And the laundry is done.
01:03:05Royal tournament starts today.
01:03:07I want to go watch.
01:03:09Just to learn.
01:03:10I've always dreamed of being a knight like Queen Selina.
01:03:14A knight?
01:03:15You're a damn slave.
01:03:17Born in the dirt and you'll die in it.
01:03:19You dare dodge me, punk?
01:03:28Open this door, brat.
01:03:30I'll kill ya!
01:03:33Your dad lose his mind again?
01:03:36The tournament's starting.
01:03:38Go.
01:03:38It is your dream, right?
01:03:40Thank you, Tess.
01:03:41I owe you.
01:03:50Trash.
01:03:51All of it!
01:03:56I want that!
01:04:02Patience, my little moon.
01:04:04But I want to wear it for the tournament!
01:04:05And you will.
01:04:07Once your white wolf awakens tonight, the ruby will recognize you.
01:04:12It'll come to its true master on its own.
01:04:18And when Prince Arthur wins the tournament today, he'll crown you his Queen of Beauty.
01:04:24He's finally going to propose.
01:04:27Mother, stop.
01:04:29We don't know for sure he'll pick me.
01:04:39There she is.
01:04:40The jewel of my kingdom.
01:04:43Tell me, Arthur.
01:04:45Doesn't my daughter look like a goddess today?
01:04:51Thank you for dedicating today's tournament to me, Arthur.
01:04:57She's my destined queen.
01:04:59So why do I feel no connection to her?
01:05:02Happy coming of age, sister.
01:05:08Enough dallying.
01:05:09The crowds are waiting.
01:05:11To the arena!
01:05:22God, Rosamund, they are stunning!
01:05:26You should see the magical ruby Arthur's father gave me.
01:05:29I can only wear it tonight, once my white wolf awakens.
01:05:36Don't wear trash in my presence.
01:06:00What the hell was that?
01:06:02Am I finally getting my wolf?
01:06:08You idiot!
01:06:09You scared the princess!
01:06:10Princess!
01:06:11Please!
01:06:12You threw the necklace.
01:06:13It startled the horse.
01:06:15So now it's my fault?
01:06:17No!
01:06:18No!
01:06:18No!
01:06:18Of course not!
01:06:19It was that slave girl.
01:06:21She spooked the horses!
01:06:23I didn't block anything.
01:06:24Your horse lost control.
01:06:26Liar!
01:06:27On your knees, rat!
01:06:28Or my king father will chop off your head for this.
01:06:33Being a noble doesn't give you the right to be a tyrant.
01:06:37Let go of me, bitch!
01:06:38What's happening here?
01:06:41Queen Selene.
01:06:43The fiercest white wolf in the realm.
01:06:45My hero.
01:06:46Mother!
01:06:47Thank the goddess you're here!
01:06:49This slave attacked us!
01:06:51She tried to flip the royal carriage!
01:06:53She ambushed us, your grace.
01:06:54I only came to watch the tournament, your grace.
01:06:56Her horse spooked!
01:06:57I didn't touch her carriage!
01:06:59My daughter carries royal blood.
01:07:00A white wolf does not lie.
01:07:02Guards, drag this slave to the dungeon.
01:07:11Please, your grace!
01:07:12I know I'm lowborn.
01:07:28She's got Elijah!
01:07:29The
01:07:29She's got young!
01:07:29.
01:08:06A white wolf?
01:08:11Mother, it hurts!
01:08:16Guards, kill that slave!
01:08:24The first knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
01:08:27He's magnificent.
01:08:28Perfect match for Princess Rosalyn.
01:08:31For the Champion's sweat, Arthur.
01:08:38Who is she?
01:08:39Why do I feel so...
01:08:42inexplicably drawn to her?
01:08:44That rat again?
01:08:45She humiliated me,
01:08:47and now she's trying to seduce my Arthur?
01:08:49I'll kill her myself.
01:09:08I'll kill her.
01:09:10What the hell does she do?
01:09:10She suits her, and then she's right back.
01:09:10And then you're right, Arthur.
01:09:10And then you have the hidden armor.
01:09:16And then you're right...
01:09:20Prince Arthur versus the Mystery Challenger!
01:09:34Goddess, I'm dead.
01:09:38Stay focused, Elina. Breathe.
01:09:42Charge!
01:09:52Incredible! This Mystery Night has better balance than most of my generals.
01:09:56There is a rhythm to the movie. It's almost familiar.
01:10:01Why won't he just kill that piece of filth? Fall already!
01:10:17The Moondancer Strike. No one else knows that move. It's like looking into a mirror.
01:10:44Finish it, Arthur. Take her head off.
01:10:50This is it. He's going to kill me.
01:10:58A girl?
01:11:01A girl just fought the first knight of the realm to a standstill?
01:11:04She fights like a pureborn white wolf.
01:11:07Did you see her face? She looks exactly like Queen Selene at the Battle of the Red Flats!
01:11:19It's you.
01:11:21The champion has won! Crown the Queen of Beauty!
01:11:33To the fiercest and most beautiful on this field.
01:11:38No.
01:11:39He's crowning a slave?
01:11:41This is a complete insult to the royal family.
01:11:45She is an assassin!
01:11:46She ambushed my carriage and tried to murder me!
01:11:49Arthur, take that crown off her head immediately.
01:11:52Criminals get no honor in this kingdom.
01:11:55Her parents are war prisoners.
01:11:57They fought for the usurper Lucian.
01:11:59She has traitor blood in her veins.
01:12:01Traitor! Slave! Hacker!
01:12:04For assaulting the princess and polluting a royal tradition.
01:12:09I declare this slave a traitor to the realm!
01:12:11Death to the slave!
01:12:13Execute her right now!
01:12:16Execute her! Execute her! Execute her!
01:12:22Anyone who wants her head goes through me.
01:12:34Jalabi!
01:12:35Jalabi!
01:12:47Run! They're after you! Run!
01:12:50And this pathetic bastard sister of mine is what you turned me down for?
01:12:55You simple-minded beast!
01:12:57If it wasn't the frost out of nowhere that killed my dragon,
01:13:00I would never have even considered you!
01:13:02Trainor!
01:13:16To be continued!
01:13:21To be continued!
01:13:30This stupid animal may be a curve, but its flesh carries resistance to the frost.
01:13:36Solve it and consume its flesh.
01:13:37You will all inherit the resistance.
01:13:45Brugan, go!
01:13:47You chose him, and yet, you failed him.
01:13:50Your whole existence is a disgrace to our family.
01:13:57Die, crockroach.
01:14:04As expected, this gray-maned bear of rather modest lingonagy has been left unchosen.
01:14:11And in that case, Brugan, it seems you'll be bound to our lowest-ranking student, Emma.
01:14:18Be bound? Did I survive?
01:14:20Wait. Am I back to the day when I was bound with Brugan?
01:14:25So, Emma. Though I suppose your choices are rather limited.
01:14:29Professor Rockweld, I'll take him.
01:14:32Laugh while you can. When the frost takes over everything in half a month, you will all be overwhelming with
01:14:38jealous.
01:14:40Wait.
01:14:46I'm taking the bear. You can bind with the dragon, sister.
01:14:50What is Fiona doing? The heir to the Drake family has always binded dragons.
01:14:54Why would she go with anything else?
01:14:56And that's an Aurelian dragon. They appear only once in centuries.
01:14:59Fiona must be out of her mind to choose an inferior beast over that.
01:15:02Fiona, I must remind you that the selection of your bonded creature is not a trivial matter.
01:15:08It will affect not only your graduation, but also the limits of your future magical potential.
01:15:13Professor Rockweld, and that's precisely why Emma needs the dragon more than I do.
01:15:18My grades speak for themselves.
01:15:20I can handle myself regardless of what I bind with.
01:15:22But Emma, on the other hand, look at her. She's already struggling.
01:15:27And on top of that, if she's paired with an inferior creature, I fear she may not graduate at all.
01:15:32A fine sentiment, Fiona. For a witch, power is secondary to character.
01:15:38And with a heart of gold like yours, you will go very far even if your bound creature is lesser.
01:15:44Well, Emma, don't you think you owe Fiona your gratitude?
01:15:48Um, thank you for the offer, Fiona. But this is really unnecessary.
01:15:52I quite like Bruggen, to be honest.
01:15:55Oh, come on, Emma. I'm trying to help you.
01:15:58Don't let your pride get in the way.
01:16:00No, it's really... Ouch!
01:16:08This... This is the unique way dragons bind with humans.
01:16:12This means the dragon chose me?
01:16:15Well, so much for it's really unnecessary.
01:16:18She refused it, then bound the dragon the moment she could.
01:16:21Shameless.
01:16:22That's an Anerian dragon.
01:16:25Some noble bloodline that appears once in centuries.
01:16:28If not for Fiona, she'd never have laid a hand on it.
01:16:31Lucky bastard.
01:16:34Lucky my ass.
01:16:36They have no idea.
01:16:38Indeed, Aurelian dragons possess extraordinary magical affinity.
01:16:44But their hatchlings are fragile in the cold.
01:16:51No!
01:16:52No!
01:16:53And that's exactly why last time it was killed in the frost on the first day.
01:17:00Thalrax!
01:17:01Thalrax!
01:17:02You gave up a dragon, and took my bear.
01:17:06I see, sister.
01:17:09You also came back with your memories.
01:17:13Bruggen, I'm not worried about surviving the frost without you.
01:17:17But I'm worried, what if Fiona mistreats you?
01:17:26Don't worry.
01:17:27Bruggen got you.
01:17:36Our fist hump?
01:17:38He remembers.
01:17:39It means he's alright.
01:17:41Did he also come back with his memories?
01:17:44Last time, Fiona drove the others and torn Bruggen to pieces.
01:17:48He may look gentle and simple-minded,
01:17:51but Bruggen never forgets.
01:17:53This time, this is going to be fun.
01:17:57Are you done staring at him?
01:18:00Are you talking to me?
01:18:02Your skills, they are beautiful.
01:18:04Naturally.
01:18:05I am an Aurelian dragon.
01:18:07We do not choose lightly.
01:18:09You should feel honoured, human,
01:18:12rather than getting distracted by lesser creatures.
01:18:16Fair enough, little one.
01:18:18But why me?
01:18:19That ferocious woman.
01:18:21Her soul reeks.
01:18:23I can smell it out.
01:18:24But yours?
01:18:26It smells rather delightful.
01:18:28In fact, it is the most agreeable in this room.
01:18:31And do refrain from calling me little one.
01:18:34You may address me as your majesty.
01:18:37Of course, your majesty.
01:18:42All right, class.
01:18:43Copy this formation exactly as shown.
01:18:45Then speak the incantation.
01:18:48Voluntas, Ligot.
01:18:50The bond will complete once you cast the spell.
01:18:53You may begin now.
01:19:05Where's my wand?
01:19:10I taught you the difference.
01:19:13Ruggish, could you pass me my wand?
01:19:19Aqua.
01:19:32Now you are using this knowledge against Fiona, clever bear.
01:19:39Voluntas, Ligot.
01:19:51When a wand is reversed, the magic turns back on the caster.
01:19:55And that means, Rugen has become your master.
01:20:04Must you keep exchanging looks with that bear?
01:20:07Aurelian dragons are not only of noble blood.
01:20:10We are also particular about what belongs to us.
01:20:14You've bound yourself to me.
01:20:16Then your attention should follow.
01:20:18Um, okay.
01:20:20I will keep that in mind.
01:20:53Select your share, and you are dismissed.
01:21:03Jalabi!
01:21:11Well done.
01:21:13That was a month's supply.
01:21:15She fed it all at once?
01:21:17Has she lost her mind?
01:21:20She clearly wasn't paying attention.
01:21:22Last in the class, and now this?
01:21:24Poor Valrax is doomed with her.
01:21:27Finding with Valrax is wasted on her.
01:21:29Let me remind you.
01:21:30Fire salve-amanders are not easily obtained.
01:21:34They are to be used with care.
01:21:36And in accordance with Academy guidelines.
01:21:39Do not waste them.
01:21:41Of course, Professor Rockweil.
01:21:43I assure you, it wasn't wasted.
01:21:47We only have half a month till the frost arrives.
01:21:49Valrax has to grow fast to survive and protect me.
01:21:53If he dies right at the beginning again, that would be a real waste.
01:21:58Class is over.
01:22:09You remember too, don't you, sister?
01:22:12Last time, you survived by clinging to that curt bear.
01:22:15This time, it's my turn.
01:22:18Hmph.
01:22:19Then I wish you best of luck.
01:22:21Of course.
01:22:22I will just fine with him by my side.
01:22:24Freezing to death on the first day of the frost.
01:22:33Get that cursed, feral creature of yours away from me!
01:22:36I'm sorry.
01:22:38But you shouldn't have woken him up from his nap.
01:22:54Are you hungry already?
01:22:55You gotta be kidding me.
01:22:58Where am I supposed to find the extra salamers for you?
01:23:00I don't have the money for it.
01:23:02Did you hear?
01:23:03A freshman went into the shadow woods last night.
01:23:05Got completely lost.
01:23:06I'm not surprised.
01:23:08That place is covered in heavy fog all year round.
01:23:11The shadow woods.
01:23:12If I remember correctly, before the frost, someone found a salamander's nest there.
01:23:18If the timeline hasn't changed, no one's discovered it yet.
01:23:22This is going to take forever.
01:23:24If you want to crawl like this, hop on my back.
01:23:28I will take you there.
01:23:30But you are still just a hatchling.
01:23:32You're hardly big enough to carry.
01:23:34I will take you there.
01:23:41I will take you there.
01:24:02You
Comments