Betrayed and murdered by her bonded mate Draven and her sister Isolde, Seraphina is reborn on the day of her Selection Rite. Refusing to repeat her tragic fate, she rejects the man who destroyed her life and chooses Cael, the loyal silver serpent who has loved her for lifetimes. As her divine powers awaken, Seraphina uncovers a conspiracy, exposes her family's treachery, and embraces her destiny as the legendary Golden Dragon. Reborn: The Golden Dragon Burns Them All is an epic fantasy romance packed with rebirth, revenge, dragon magic, and powerful female leads.
#RebornTheGoldenDragonBurnsThemAll #GoldenDragon #DragonQueen #Rebirth #FantasyRomance #RevengeDrama #DragonMagic #ShortDrama #FullEP #ENGSUB
#RebornTheGoldenDragonBurnsThemAll #GoldenDragon #DragonQueen #Rebirth #FantasyRomance #RevengeDrama #DragonMagic #ShortDrama #FullEP #ENGSUB
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Short filmTranscript
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
00:26blade straight through me, three months pregnant.
00:30I collapsed in a pool of my own blood. Draven's voice was full of disgust.
00:34If you hadn't been in the way, I would have had Isolute long ago. You deserve this.
00:40Only then did I understand. From the very beginning, he'd had his eyes on my sister, the one already chosen
00:47as the next Archon.
00:49Isolde nestled into his arms. The foot slammed into my bleeding chest.
00:54Pathetic little wretch.
00:56The pain through my heart sent tremors down every limb.
01:00With my last breath,
01:01I 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
01:20stone. 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 Isolde behind me. He drops to one knee.
01:59Lord Archeron, 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 Isolde.
02:10I wish only to stand beside the first princess Isolde. For the rest of my days.
02:15Dead silence. Father's expression darkens. Everyone knows the Black Serpentine claim half-Leviathan blood, but the lineage is impure.
02:24By every rule, Draven Vos has no right to set foot on the Sacred Altar. I'm the reason he's here.
02:31I liked him. I chose him.
02:33I 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.
02:50Draven 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.
03:06Father erupts. His dominance aura crashes down like a man's line. Draven's knees buckle. His forehead hits stone.
03:13You forget what you are.
03:15Seraphina is the second princess of Clan Aurelion. Do you think you're choosing livestock at market?
03:22Even with the Archon's aura grinding his joints to the breaking point, Draven refuses to yield. He speaks through clenched
03:29teeth.
03:29Lord Archer, what is my crime? Must I bond with the second princess simply because she fancies me?
03:34I love the first princess Isolida. 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.
04:07It'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!
04:22Isolde steps out from behind me. Her cheeks flush pink. Her eyes glistened with just the right amount of tears.
04:29Every word of Draven's confession, she heard it all.
04:32I accept him.
04:33Stunned silence. Father stares at her.
04:36Isolid, do you hear yourself? He is Seraphina's chosen mate, and Draymond Vos is nothing more than a mongrel serpent.
04:45Bonding with him would only drag you down.
04:47Before he finishes, Draven produces an obsidian case from inside his robes. He kneels again, presenting it to Isolde with
04:55both hands. The 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. Nine out of ten who search for it,
05:14never come back. In my last life, I burned through every resource the clan gave me trying to find one
05:19for Draven. He'd held me close, voice soft.
05:21It's just a myth, Sarah. Don't waste yourself on it.
05:24The pearl was in his hands the whole time. And now, to win my sister's favor, he pulls it out
05:29without a second thought. Everything I gave him. A joke.
05:33Isolid takes the obsidian case. Deeply moved. She flicks a glance at me. Sharp. Triumphant. Then turns to father. Tears
05:40shimmer. Her voice trembles just enough.
05:43My whole life. You favored Serafina. And now, finally, someone chooses me. Would you tear that away from your own
05:54daughter, just for Serafina's sake?
05:55Father hesitates. His gaze lingers on the Leviathan pearl. Then he turns to me.
06:01Serafina, don't make this difficult. If his heart lies with your sister, let it go. Don't be unreasonable.
06:07I close my eyes. A bone-deep exhaustion settles over me.
06:12Isolda and I share a father. That's all we share.
06:15Her mother, Ilara, was an iron-scale dragoness. The lowest subspecies among dragonkind.
06:21She died shortly after giving birth to Isolda. Too weak to survive.
06:24Father later married my mother, the previous female archon of clan Aurelion.
06:29Pure blood, golden scale. Her blood and her rank made me the rightful heir from the moment I drew my
06:35first breath.
06:36But growing up, even the clan could see it. Father measured us on two completely different scales.
06:41With Isolda, he was a merciless drillmaster. He threw her into the bone wastes as a child and never looked
06:47back.
06:48Even when she crawled home covered in wounds, he wouldn't let her shed a single tear.
06:52You are my daughter. Weakness is not yours to claim.
06:56With me? Even though my raw talent surpassed Isolda's, he said he worried I'd suffer on the path of cultivation.
07:02Without hesitation, he pulled me out of training entirely.
07:06You don't need to be strong, Sarah. Just be happy.
07:10To everyone else, I was the pampered princess. But I knew the truth.
07:13This wasn't love. It was a leash. He was raising me to be useless.
07:17In my past life, I wandered deep into the clan crypts by accident.
07:21Found father kneeling before a black obsidian tombstone.
07:25The name carved into it. Ilara.
07:26His voice was low, tender. Nothing like the way he spoke to me.
07:30Ilara, my love. After all these years, it is still you. It has always been you. Rest easy.
07:39I've kept my promise. The girl knows nothing. Not her power. Not her birthright. Nothing.
07:46Our daughter will have everything she deserves.
07:49I stood in the dark. Ice spreading through my veins. He wasn't spoiling me. He was making sure I'd never
07:55threaten Isolda.
07:56Father 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.
08:04And now, Draven has produced a leviathan pearl.
08:07Father seizes the chance to boost Isolda's power.
08:10Pins the label of unreasonable on me.
08:12Orders me to step aside.
08:15Fine.
08:15You want it? Take it.
08:17I agree too fast.
08:18Father blinks. Draven's eyes flicker.
08:20Isolda, though.
08:21She walks up to me, voice coated in honey.
08:24I only want what's best for you, little sister.
08:27After all, a forced bond breaks both.
08:32Tell you what.
08:33She smiles, scanning the crowd.
08:36Pick another mate. I'll bond with Draven. You'll have your own match.
08:40And Father can stop worrying.
08:41Father watches Isolda with open adoration.
08:43But 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.
08:51I 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.
09:03Silver irises with slit pupils.
09:05A lean frame.
09:07Wiry but strong.
09:08Almost a match for Draven Vos in appearance.
09:10But 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.
09:27The silver serpent freezes when my finger lands on him.
09:30Isolde presses her hand to her lips, feigning concern.
09:33Each word drips with just enough sweetness to cut.
09:36Oh, Sarah, are you sure?
09:39He looks...fragile.
09:41I'd hate for him to reject you, too.
09:43The silver serpent speaks.
09:45No hesitation.
09:46No 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.
10:01A beat of silence.
10:03His voice drops.
10:05Quieter.
10:06Almost to himself.
10:07I've always wanted you to know it.
10:09I take his hand.
10:11It isn't cold the way I expected.
10:12A 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.
10:22His silver irises reflect my face.
10:24If 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
10:38and cracks across the sacred altar.
10:40Ceiling is over.
10:42The flash lights up his face.
10:44Something inside my chest
10:45cracks open,
10:46melts.
10:47Kale is the first person
10:48in two lifetimes
10:50who chose me
10:50without a single moment of hesitation.
10:53The corner of my mouth
10:54lifts on its own.
10:55A voice
10:56shoves its way in from the side.
10:58Draven stands with his arms crossed,
11:00looking down at Kale like an insect.
11:02Your Highness,
11:03Silver Serpentine
11:04have virtually no Morna.
11:06Bonding with him
11:07won't do a thing for 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 goes cold.
11:16What's wrong, Draven?
11:17Jealous?
11:18And let's be clear,
11:20you call Silver Serpentine
11:22lowborn?
11:23Does Black Serpentine blood
11:25run 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,
11:32a fraction too slow to hide.
11:35In my past life,
11:36I wasn't blind.
11:37I chose him over every candidate
11:38because 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 for power.
11:49So don't expect me to 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.
12:10Kale's fingertip brushes mine.
12:12I turn to look at him.
12:13Those silver slit pupils
12:15fix on me.
12:16Fragile,
12:16trembling,
12:17and impossibly bright.
12:18You're the only one
12:19who never swallowed me.
12:21Something slams against my ribs.
12:22Enough.
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
12:31blazes 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
12:39into irreversible bonds.
12:41But the power gap
12:42between dragon and serpent
12:44is vast.
12:45The bond's energy
12:46surges from the stronger vessel
12:47to the weaker,
12:48seeking 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 to lift his head,
13:00reaching toward Isolda.
13:02Isolda,
13:02please,
13:03help me.
13:04Isolda starts to extend her hand.
13:06Father stops her cold.
13:07Serpent,
13:09your blood is barely worthy
13:10of my daughter
13:11as it stands.
13:13If you can't endure this,
13:14then it's your fate.
13:16Draven's eyes go wide.
13:17He 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.
13:25Deren,
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.
13:36On my side,
13:37Kale is in just as bad shape.
13:39Silver scales surface
13:41along his neck and arms.
13:42His body convulses.
13:43I raise my hand
13:44to channel mana into him.
13:46Kale lurches back.
13:47Your highness,
13:48the first princess is right.
13:50If 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?
14:00We're bonded now.
14:03That means we live
14:04and die together.
14:06So shut up.
14:07I grab his shoulder.
14:09Mana pours from my palm,
14:11flooding into his body
14:12in a steady,
14:13relentless stream.
14:14Golden dragonfire
14:15threads along the bond's pathways,
14:18flowing into him.
14:19And then I notice
14:20something strange.
14:21Kale's body absorbs my mana
14:23with impossible efficiency.
14:24As if he was born
14:26to receive this exact power.
14:28For the weakest serpent alive?
14:30That makes no sense at all.
14:32Now isn't the time to ask.
14:34I file the anomaly away.
14:36The soul bond rite ends.
14:38Draven lies soaked in sweat and blood,
14:41pinned to the ground,
14:42jaw locked,
14:43crimson still leaking from his mouth.
14:46Kale stands untouched.
14:48I feel Draven's stare.
14:50Turn to meet it.
14:51His eyes are dark,
14:52resentful.
14:53As if I owe him something.
14:54Last life,
14:55Draven barely took a scratch.
14:57I was always the one
14:58fighting his battles.
14:59Now he's chosen the clan's
15:01anointed next archon.
15:02And nearly died during a bond ceremony.
15:05And he has the nerve to look at me?
15:07I mouth one word at him.
15:09Ice cold.
15:11Deserved.
15:12Isolde doesn't notice the exchange.
15:14Her eyes close.
15:15She sinks into the fresh mana
15:17coursing through her.
15:19Satisfaction spreading across her face.
15:22Father,
15:23the covenant has spoken.
15:26I'm ready to receive the archon's flame!
15:29The crowd stirs with excitement.
15:30Every new archon's ascension
15:32triggers the dragon's resonance.
15:34The resonance releases ambient mana
15:37that nourishes every dragon present,
15:39pushing them past barriers,
15:41sometimes by an entire rank or more.
15:44Father beams.
15:45The sacred altar is cleared.
15:48Isolde stands at the center
15:49of the open circle.
15:50She glances at me,
15:52motionless on the sideline,
15:53and her lip curls.
15:54Sarah,
15:55I understand you're upset about Draven,
15:59but that's no reason
16:00to stand in the way
16:01of the resonance.
16:04Would you drag the 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 to the first princess.
16:19If it were me,
16:20I'd choose the first princess too.
16:22Draven smiles.
16:23Sarah,
16:24everyone can see the truth.
16:26I must have been blind
16:27to ever stand by you.
16:29Hale's brow furrows.
16:31He shoulders Draven aside,
16:33steps in front of me,
16:34and gently presses his hands
16:35over my ears.
16:36Their words are poison.
16:38Don't let them in.
16:39The weight on my chest lifts.
16:41I give him a real smile,
16:43then turn toward Isolde,
16:44basking in her victory,
16:46and speak calmly.
16:48Islein,
16:48you will never be Archie,
16:51and the Covenant
16:52will not grant you the flame.
16:54If you try,
16:55the resonance will destroy
16:56your power from the inside out.
16:58A beat of silence.
16:59Then the crowd bursts into laughter.
17:01Draven folds his arms,
17:03contempt dripping from every glance.
17:05Who are you to judge
17:06the first princess?
17:08If she can't be Archie,
17:09who can?
17:10You?
17:11Enough of this nonsense.
17:13Father's expression hardens.
17:16Serafina,
17:17step aside.
17:18A flick of the wrist,
17:19mana shoves me and Kale
17:20to the edge of the platform.
17:22Isolde locks eyes with me,
17:23triumphant.
17:24Watch closely, Sera.
17:26Watch what centuries
17:28of sacrifice look like.
17:30Isolde stands at the heart
17:31of the Sacred Altar.
17:33She unleashes her mama.
17:34A deep hum resonates
17:36through the stone.
17:37Power radiates outward.
17:38The ground shudders.
17:42Pillars 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,
17:52sky-darkening tide of residence.
17:55Isolde stands at the center,
17:57poised, regal.
17:58Layer upon layer
18:00of golden energy
18:01nits itself
18:01into a breathtaking tapestry,
18:04a net of staggering power.
18:06The clan watches,
18:07mesmerized.
18:08The dense mana
18:09begins to disperse,
18:11drifting toward
18:11every dragon present.
18:13Then, confusion.
18:16Strange.
18:17Why can't I absorb
18:17any of it?
18:18Same here.
18:20It just passes 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.
18:34She bows to heaven
18:36and earth,
18:36then 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.
18:46Nothing happens.
18:48Panic flickers across her face.
18:50She 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
19:05until your scales crack.
19:07The answer
19:08is no.
19:10Dead silence.
19:11Every pair of eyes
19:13in the clan
19:13turns to me.
19:15Father thinks
19:15I'm sabotaging
19:16the ceremony.
19:17Combined with Isolde's
19:18failed succession,
19:19his rage boils over.
19:21His full dominance aura
19:23crashes down,
19:24driving me to my knees.
19:26Seraphina,
19:27you have never
19:28disappointed me
19:29more than today.
19:30I've indulged you
19:31in everything.
19:33But this,
19:34this is the clan's future,
19:36and you keep
19:37sabotaging it.
19:40Today I'll discipline you
19:41on your mother's behalf.
19:43He raises his hand.
19:44Mana compresses
19:45into a force field,
19:47hurtling toward my face.
19:48I watch it come,
19:49calm.
19:49Draven stands nearby,
19:50suddenly anxious.
19:51Seraphina,
19:52just apologize.
19:53Now.
19:54Do you actually
19:55want to get hit?
19:56The blast is anxious.
19:57He flinches.
19:58Self-preservation kicks in
20:00and darts to the side
20:01without a second thought.
20:02Then Kale launches
20:03himself forward.
20:03His eyes shift
20:04from silver to pure white.
20:06Slit pupils contract
20:07to pinpoints.
20:08Silver scales erupt
20:09across his neck
20:10and forearms.
20:11A low, guttural hiss
20:12tears from his throat.
20:13Half-shifted,
20:14he throws himself
20:15in front of me
20:16and takes the Archon's
20:17full-force strike
20:18head-on.
20:18Blood sprays
20:20from his mouth
20:20once,
20:21twice,
20:22three times
20:23and he crashes
20:23backward into me.
20:24His fingers claw at my arm,
20:26trying to push
20:26his last scraps
20:27of mana into my body.
20:29Kale,
20:30truly,
20:31completely,
20:31for me.
20:32Father sees a serpent
20:33openly defy him.
20:34Fury consumes
20:35what's left
20:36of his restraint.
20:36He begins charging
20:37another strike.
20:38In the same breath,
20:39I lean down,
20:40wrap my arms around Kale
20:41and whisper
20:42against his ears.
20:43The Covenant of Flame
20:45answers to me.
20:47Father's attack
20:47never 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
20:58the beginning.
21:00One bolt.
21:01Two.
21:01They hammer down
21:02like divine tribulation
21:03made personal.
21:05By the end,
21:06Father is blasted back
21:07into his beast form.
21:11Isolde agapes at me.
21:12Seraphina,
21:13what did you do
21:14to Father?
21:15I pull my hand
21:16from 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
21:26Pyracis honored her sacrifice
21:28with a divine gift
21:29to her bloodline.
21:30I, Seraphina of Orion,
21:31second princess
21:32of Clan of Orion,
21:33hold the right of designation.
21:34Anyone who strikes me
21:35will face divine repriotions.
21:37And anyone who harbors
21:38malice towards me
21:39will never be Archon.
21:40I don't believe you!
21:41You're lying!
21:43You're nothing!
21:44You haven't grown
21:45a single rank
21:45in 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 something
21:58feral.
21:59I exhale.
22:01You're no exception.
22:03Golden dragon fire
22:04falls on Isolde.
22:06Her cultivation
22:06is nowhere near
22:07father's level.
22:08The bolts chase her
22:10across the platform,
22:11scrambling,
22:12stumbling,
22:13all dignity stripped away.
22:14The same clan members
22:15who worshipped her
22:16moments ago
22:17don't dare move
22:18an inch.
22:19Sarah,
22:20you hid this from me.
22:22If you'd told me the truth,
22:23I wouldn't have done it this way.
22:25I laugh.
22:26Scalding tears roll down.
22:28I wouldn't have what?
22:29I wouldn't have put a blade
22:30through my heart.
22:32Derevan,
22:33didn't I tell you?
22:34Yes,
22:34I can never be Arpen myself.
22:36But bond with me,
22:38stay faithful,
22:39and on the day I ascend,
22:41you would have evolved
22:41into a true Leviathan.
22:43Our children would have
22:44inherited the covenant.
22:46But you didn't believe me.
22:47Do you know why
22:48you were reborn with me?
22:49Because the moment I died,
22:51the bond tore your soul
22:53apart with mine.
22:54My death was yours.
22:56You just didn't feel the blade.
22:58Derevan stumbles backward.
23:00He looks down
23:01at the bond mark
23:02on his hand,
23:03the one tying him
23:04to Isolde.
23:05The color drains
23:06from his face.
23:07A dragon's roar
23:09erupts from the sacred altar.
23:11Isolde,
23:11scorched,
23:12humiliated by divine retribution,
23:15consumed by jealousy
23:16over the power I hold,
23:18loses the last thread
23:20of reason.
23:21The dormant void taint
23:22in her iron scale
23:23bloodline ignites.
23:25She shifts into beast form.
23:27Golden scales begin
23:28to darken at the edges.
23:30Her eyes bleed from gold
23:31to the empty black
23:32of the void.
23:33Her dragon form warps,
23:35twists,
23:36until she looks less
23:36like a noble dragon
23:38and more like something
23:39that clawed its way
23:40out of an abyss.
23:42Why?
23:44Why's her mother purebred
23:46and mine was not?
23:48Why does she get everything
23:49without lifting a finger?
23:51I refuse to accept this.
23:53It should all be mine!
23:56She attacks indiscriminately.
23:58Corrupted dragon fire
24:00sprays in every direction.
24:02Clan members scatter,
24:03screaming.
24:04The sacred altar,
24:05once solemn and revered,
24:07becomes an inferno.
24:10Father drags himself
24:11toward me in beast form.
24:13Tears line his reptilian eyes.
24:17Sarah,
24:18please,
24:19spare Islet.
24:20This is all my fault.
24:21I was wrong.
24:22I should never have done
24:24what I did to you.
24:25But she has trained
24:26for centuries.
24:27I can't watch her
24:29lose everything.
24:31I look into his eyes.
24:32My mother's last words
24:34echo back.
24:35Sarah,
24:36I hate him.
24:37You know what the saddest
24:39part of my life is?
24:40I can never compete
24:42with a ghost.
24:44There is one way
24:45to save her power.
24:47Hope flares in his gaze.
24:49Deren is bonded
24:50to Islet.
24:51He bears half
24:52her karmic burden.
24:53Appoint a Draven.
24:55To save her,
24:56you'll need to sacrifice him.
24:58Extract his serpent's core.
24:59Let Islet absorb it completely.
25:01She'll stabilize.
25:05No!
25:06Take my core
25:06and I'll never evolve!
25:08Never become a Leviathan!
25:10Sarah,
25:11this is revenge!
25:13Father doesn't even glance at him.
25:15Serpent,
25:16you swore you'd give
25:18everything for Isleth.
25:21Now keep your word.
25:22Father extracts
25:23the serpent's core himself.
25:25The moment the fist-sized
25:27pulsing black crystal
25:28is torn free.
25:29In that instant,
25:31Draven seems to
25:32age sentries.
25:33He can only watch
25:34as father feeds the core
25:35to Isolda.
25:37No!
25:38I've seen enough.
25:40Kale leans against my shoulder,
25:41voice low.
25:42Sarah,
25:43let's go.
25:45Deep into the night,
25:46I lean against the edge
25:47of the moon veil hot springs.
25:48A silver serpent
25:50glides across the surface
25:51toward me.
25:52Kale shifts to human form.
25:54He rests against me,
25:55letting my palm
25:56wander across his chest.
25:58I study him.
25:59Kale's silver irises
26:01glow faintly in the dark.
26:02No calculation in them.
26:04Nothing but feeling.
26:05Deep,
26:06bare,
26:06bottomless.
26:07The question has been circling
26:08since this morning.
26:09We've never met before.
26:11Why does he feel like this about me?
26:13Is it because of my title?
26:14Kale reads the doubt on my face.
26:16This isn't the first time we've met.
26:18His silver scales shimmer.
26:20Memory fragments flow through the bond
26:22and into my mind.
26:23A flash.
26:24A finger-length silver snake
26:26pinned under the boots
26:27of dragon-born boys,
26:29battered and bleeding.
26:31A younger version of me barges in,
26:33plants herself between them,
26:34and chases them off
26:35with a tongue lashing.
26:37Another flash.
26:38The little silver snake,
26:39barely alive,
26:40curled in a crack between rocks.
26:42A teenage version of me crouches down.
26:45A wild rabbit.
26:46A handful of berries.
26:48Again and again.
26:49Without knowing it,
26:50I saved him more times
26:52than I can count.
26:53The last image.
26:54Kale,
26:54now in human form,
26:56standing at the farthest edge
26:57of the crowd,
26:58watching me on the sacred altar,
27:00about to begin the soul bond rite
27:02with Draven.
27:03The memory breaks off.
27:04My voice comes out rough.
27:06Is this about Dad?
27:07Who chose me because I saved you?
27:10It isn't suspicion.
27:11It's fear.
27:12Fear that one day,
27:13he'll say what Draven said,
27:15that I chained him with kindness.
27:17I didn't fall in love with you
27:18because you saved me.
27:19I was already in love with you.
27:21Everything you did
27:22only proved I wasn't wrong.
27:26My heart hammers against my ribs.
27:28Kale rests his head on my shoulder.
27:30His voice drops to a murmur,
27:32warm breath against my skin.
27:34From now on,
27:35you're all I have.
27:36You scared me today.
27:38Will you stay close tonight?
27:41His lower half shifts,
27:43silver tail coiling around my calf,
27:45sliding higher,
27:47slow,
27:47deliberate,
27:48my eyes narrow,
27:49my voice drops,
27:50a little hoarse.
27:52What kind of close
27:53did you have in mind?
27:55He leans in.
27:56Hot spring water
27:57laps over both our shoulders.
27:59Silver scale marks
28:00glow beneath the surface.
28:02Kale's body temperature
28:03rises the instant
28:04he presses against me.
28:06Nothing like the cold serpents
28:07are known for.
28:08You're warm.
28:10Only when I touch you.
28:12His lips find my collarbone.
28:14Then,
28:14a sharp,
28:15brief sting.
28:16A silver serpent mark
28:17brands itself into my skin.
28:19Mate mark.
28:20I grip the back of his neck
28:21and bite down.
28:22A golden dragon scale mark
28:24surfaces on his nape.
28:25From this moment,
28:27the bond is absolute.
28:28He is mine,
28:29and I am his.
28:31One night of passion.
28:32Serpents aren't that impressive,
28:33honestly.
28:34He just flipped me around
28:35and wore me out until dawn.
28:37I could barely stand.
28:38The next morning,
28:40I haul myself upright,
28:41one hand braced on my lower back,
28:43and kick Kale 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 past
28:55the sanctum's ward line
28:57before I stop.
28:58Someone is crouching
28:59outside the barrier.
29:00Draven.
29:01Draven looks years older
29:03than yesterday.
29:03His gaze finds the silver mate mark
29:05on my collarbone.
29:06His pupils shrink.
29:08His face goes gray.
29:09He stares for a long time
29:10before he speaks.
29:11Sarah, I was wrong.
29:13Isoleth and your father,
29:15they don't see me
29:16as a living thing.
29:18Only you ever treated me
29:20as an equal.
29:21Draven thought bonding
29:22with the Archons Chosen
29:23would launch him to the top.
29:24But beyond that Leviathan Pearl,
29:26he has nothing of value
29:27to offer.
29:28They stripped him
29:29and threw him aside.
29:30Last night,
29:32father's rage needed a target.
29:34He doesn't dare touch me again.
29:35Those dozen bolts
29:37of divine dragon fire
29:38already hammered him
29:39back to beast form.
29:40Provoking me further
29:41might annihilate
29:42his soul entirely.
29:44But the fury
29:44needed somewhere to go.
29:46The daughter
29:46he spent years 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.
29:55A mongrog like you
29:57is utterly useless.
29:59You're not even fit
30:01to be my daughter's pet.
30:02I'm starting to wonder
30:03if your little display
30:05was a performance
30:05you and Seraphina
30:07arranged together.
30:08Father used a soul siphon
30:10on Draven,
30:11forced his way
30:11through layer
30:12after layer of memory,
30:14searching for proof
30:15of betrayal.
30:16The process is agony.
30:18He found nothing.
30:19Draven 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 curdled.
30:28She seized Draven
30:29by the throat,
30:30teeth bared.
30:31You declared your love
30:32for 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.
30:45The moment that blade
30:46went through my heart,
30:48whatever connected us
30:49died with me.
30:50Kale speaks for me.
30:51You merely hu-iliated
30:53Sarah in public,
30:54then abandoned Isoleth
30:56when she needed you.
30:58And now you come
30:59crawling back.
31:00Drarian,
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.
31:11No power.
31:13Just a shell.
31:14He crumbles,
31:15pleading.
31:16Sarah,
31:16you hold the rite
31:17of dezygonation.
31:18You must be able
31:19to break a bond too,
31:20right?
31:21Break my bond
31:21with Izalek.
31:22And I'll,
31:23I'll serve alongside
31:24the White Spurpent.
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,
31:33panic in his eyes.
31:35How adorable.
31:36You actually believe that.
31:40Daron,
31:42why would I help you?
31:43I gave you?
31:44I gave you everything.
31:46I gave you everything.
31:46You wanted her.
31:47I carried your child.
31:49You put a blade through my heart.
31:51I gave you the right to stand on the Sacred Ultra.
31:54You humiliated me in front of my entire clan.
31:57Every.
31:57single.
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.
32:05Then 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 Isolde.
32:14In my last life,
32:15I never let anyone in the clan
32:16belittle him.
32:17I shielded his pride
32:18at every turn.
32:19In public.
32:20In private.
32:21Isolde doesn't bother
32:22with any of that.
32:24She tears him apart
32:25in front of everyone.
32:26Strips him down to nothing
32:28whenever the mood strikes.
32:30The clan follows her lead.
32:32They 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.
32:43Before the entire clan,
32:45he performs the appropriate gesture.
32:47Forces Isolde to lower her head
32:49and kneel in front of me.
32:51But her words give everything away.
32:52Sarah, perhaps father
32:54went 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 than
33:06either of us.
33:07Not an apology.
33:09A negotiation.
33:10It works on the crowd.
33:12Hesitation ripples through.
33:14Then voices join in.
33:15Your Highness,
33:16the last Archic,
33:17your mother,
33:18gave her life
33:18to 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
33:25a single assault.
33:27Please,
33:28grant the succession
33:29to the First Princess.
33:31I stay silent.
33:33My gaze catches
33:34the knowing glance
33:35Isolde and Father
33:36exchange.
33:37The picture crystallizes.
33:40Father,
33:40Mother was right about you.
33:41You have no vision.
33:43You'd do anything
33:44to put your first love's
33:45daughter on the throne.
33:46Even lie
33:47to the entire clan.
33:49Seraphina,
33:49what are you talking about?
33:51I raise my hand.
33:52The Covenant responds.
33:54Every clan member's
33:55mana rank
33:55materializes
33:56before my eyes,
33:57laid bare.
33:59Isolde's power
33:59is impressive.
34:00Radiant, even.
34:01But she's not
34:02the strongest here.
34:03Issa Leith
34:04is your arch's chosen.
34:06But Clan Avelion
34:08has never chosen
34:09its Archen by blood.
34:10It 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
34:17you 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.
34:37Clan Aelion
34:38will hold open
34:39trial of merit.
34:41Whoever stands last
34:42earns the right to rule.
34:44The Clan erupts
34:45in cheers.
34:46Only 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.
34:57I 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
35:06protective wards
35:07were set by my mother,
35:08sealed with a fragment
35:09of her own soul.
35:10No 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 Kale and I
35:18reach the surface,
35:19Drake Spire is in chaos.
35:21Dark Horde.
35:22Everywhere.
35:24High-tier beasts
35:25rampaging through the clan.
35:26A dragon hatchling
35:28is pinned under
35:28a beast's clawed foot,
35:30seconds from death.
35:31I move without thinking.
35:33One strike,
35:33the head rolls.
35:34Warm blood splashes
35:36across the hatchling's face.
35:37She throws herself
35:38into my arms,
35:39sobbing.
35:40Your Highness,
35:41I almost died.
35:42Mama and my sister,
35:44they led the beast away
35:45to protect me.
35:47I hand her to Kale,
35:48tell him to keep her hidden,
35:49and run in the direction
35:51she pointed.
35:51I arrive to find
35:53the mother and sister
35:54cornered by a pack of beasts,
35:55barely hanging on.
35:57I cut in.
35:59Save one.
36:00Then a second.
36:01A third.
36:03Through the smoke
36:04and carnage,
36:04I 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,
36:12the 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.
36:25Someone was deliberately
36:27weakening the ward barrier.
36:28I knew he'd gamble everything.
36:30Isolde crouches in front of me.
36:32Her arm moves.
36:34A blade punches through my chest.
36:36I cough blood.
36:37Her eyes are fully black now.
36:39Void corruption
36:39running deeper than before.
36:41Sarah,
36:42so what if you hold the covenant?
36:43Put you in the ground,
36:45and the next archon
36:46will still be me!
36:47I look down at the sword
36:49in 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.
37:10If you weren't the bearer,
37:12if you hadn't stood
37:13in Isolde's way,
37:14I might have let you live.
37:16Pity.
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 Islith the flame.
37:39To give the clan
37:41a stronger leader.
37:42The weak die to beasts
37:45because they were
37:46never meant to survive.
37:48One thrust isn't enough
37:49for Isolde.
37:50She snaps.
37:51The blade drives into me
37:52again and again,
37:53pouring out everything
37:54she's held in.
37:55I'm stronger than you!
37:57Why do you get to decide?
37:59I 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.
38:17Said I could never compare to you.
38:21So I took his core.
38:24Let him go ahead
38:25and wait for you.
38:27Sarah,
38:28the clan's faith belongs to me.
38:31So you have to die!
38:34Behind me,
38:35the roar of beasts,
38:37the screams of the dying,
38:38all tangled together.
38:40I look at Isolde.
38:41When the Covenant granted me
38:42the right of designation,
38:44it also feared the power
38:46would be too concentrated.
38:48So it sealed half my divine power
38:50inside you
38:51as your talent.
38:52And it barred me
38:53from becoming Archon myself.
38:55If you had truly served the clan,
38:58if you'd held no malice towards me,
39:00the succession would have been yours
39:02without question.
39:03But you chose the wrong path.
39:06Your suffering wasn't my doing.
39:07It was father's obsession
39:08and your own hunger for power.
39:10But you blamed me for all of it.
39:12And now that you've struck me
39:13with 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
39:33erupts with golden light.
39:34Isolde tries to release the hilt.
39:36Her hands won't move.
39:37Mana drains from her body,
39:39torrential, unstoppable,
39:40flooding into mine.
39:42Father, help me!
39:43My power!
39:44It's draining!
39:46I look up at father.
39:47He's always loved Isolde best,
39:50the daughter of the woman
39:51who owned his heart.
39:52That devotion never wavered.
39:54Not even now.
39:55He moves to kill me outright.
39:56But in his desperation,
39:58he forgets.
39:59Striking me carries a price.
40:02This time,
40:04the covenant shows no mercy.
40:05Golden dragon fire hammers father
40:08until 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.
40:30Sarah, you can't do this to me!
40:32I'm Isoleth!
40:34I'm the first princess of Clan Arion!
40:36I'm your sister!
40:37You can't abandon me for those!
40:39No!
40:40Scream behind me.
40:41This time, I don't turn around.
40:43I drive out every last beast
40:45and rebuild order on Drake's fire.
40:47The hatchling from before runs up
40:49and wraps herself around my leg.
40:51Your Highness,
40:52without you, I'd be an orphan.
40:53Clan members who used to look through me
40:55now kneel at my feet.
40:56Your Highness,
40:57we were blind before.
40:59You drove back the horde.
41:00You saved Dragonspine.
41:02The Archon's crown belongs to you.
41:04I 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,
41:24not those who take.
41:25Thyra is the right choice.
41:26I 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.
41:36And I weather everyone.
41:38Then, Ascension.
41:39Under the gaze of the entire clan,
41:41I shift into my true form.
41:42A complete golden dragon.
41:44Blazing against the sky.
41:45A silver dragon coils beside me.
41:47Kale.
41:48Transformed through the bond.
41:49No longer silver serpentine.
41:51A silver dragon.
41:52Though his clingy nature hasn't changed one bit.
41:54His 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.
42:01I've heard the divine realm has terrible weather.
42:04Two dragons,
42:05one gold,
42:06one silver,
42:07spiral upward and vanish into the clouds.
42:09They never come back.
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