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