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We curate and upload the most addictive short drama clips that are dominating global trends right now: passionate romance, intense revenge stories, emotional family sagas, billionaire twists, heart-breaking betrayals and powerful thrillers from around the world. All content comes with perfect multi-language support (English, Spanish, Arabic and more) so every viewer can enjoy without barriers.
Daily fresh uploads of the latest and most talked-about short dramas – the exact clips everyone is searching for and sharing. Whether you have 5 minutes or want to binge the hottest new releases, Amazon Shorts delivers non-stop, high-energy entertainment that keeps you coming back for more.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Pure blood golden serpent I dreamed of. I am the second princess of clan Aurelian.
00:05Pure blood golden scale. And I fell in love with a filthy black serpent.
00:10In my past life, I chose him at the selection rite. Insisted on him as my bonded mate.
00:15I was the one who defied every voice in clan Aurelian to drag him out of the serpent's abyss and
00:21up to drakes fire.
00:22We spent every night together.
00:24And on our wedding day, the black serpent I'd dreamed of for years drove a blade straight through me, three
00:31months pregnant.
00:32I collapsed in a pool of my own blood. Draven's voice was full of disgust.
00:37If you hadn't been in the way, I would have had Isoleth long ago. You deserve this.
00:43Only then did I understand. From the very beginning, he'd had his eyes on my sister, the one already chosen
00:50as the next archon.
00:51Isoled nestled into his arms. Her foot slammed into my bleeding chest.
00:57Pathetic little wretch.
00:58The pain through my heart sent tremors down every limb.
01:02With my last breath, I curse you both to ruin without end.
01:08And if fate grants me another life, I'll be all the one holding the blade.
01:16My eyes open. I'm standing on the sacred altar. Wind howls across drake's fire, carrying ice and the scent of
01:23stone.
01:23I'm alive. No, I'm reborn.
01:27My father, the man who died long ago in my previous life, touches my shoulder.
01:32A quiet reminder.
01:34Seraphina, you're the one who insisted on bonding with the Black Serpent. Why are you standing there like you've seen
01:39a ghost?
01:40Bonding?
01:41I look down past the sacred altar. The serpent candidates stand in a line, waiting to be chosen.
01:47The selection rites.
01:49I've returned to the day I chose my bonded mate.
01:52Father.
01:53A voice cuts me off. Draven Vos steps out of the line.
01:56He walks right past me, his gaze burning toward Isoled behind me.
02:01He drops to one knee.
02:02Lord Archeron, with all due respect, my heart does not answer to obligation.
02:07It knows only one name, and it is not Seraphina.
02:10He lifts his head toward Isoled.
02:12I wish only to stand beside the first princess Isoled. For the rest of my days.
02:18Dead silence. Father's expression darkens.
02:21Everyone knows the Black Serpentine claim half-Leviathan blood, but the lineage is impure.
02:27By every rule, Draven Vos has no right to set foot on the sacred altar.
02:32I'm the reason he's here.
02:33I liked him. I chose him.
02:35I forced Father to make an exception.
02:37To let a serpent stand before dragons.
02:40And now, moments before the bond ceremony begins, he slaps me across the face in front of everyone.
02:47David's eyes were cold, contemptuous, and full of calculations.
02:50It hits me at once. He's reborn, too.
02:53Draven thinks bonding with my sister will rocket him to the top.
02:57What he doesn't know is that who becomes the true Archon of Clan Aurelion isn't his choice.
03:02It's mine.
03:03This time around, without my designation, I'd love to see how far either of you climb.
03:09Father erupts.
03:10His dominance aura crashes down like a landslide.
03:14Draven's knees buckle.
03:15His forehead hits stone.
03:16You forget what you are.
03:18Seraphina is the second princess of Clan Aurelion.
03:22Do you think you're choosing livestock at market?
03:25Even with the Archon's aura grinding his joints to the breaking point,
03:29Draven refuses to yield.
03:30He speaks through clenched teeth.
03:32Lord Archon, what is my crime?
03:34Must I bond with the second princess simply because she fancies me?
03:37I love the first princess is the middle.
03:41The first princess trains day and night, treats everyone with grace.
03:45The second princess is reckless, idle, never once honed her power.
03:50If any of you were in my position, who would you choose?
03:55Every word sounds sincere, but I know exactly what's behind it.
03:58In the last life, he learned Isolde was father's chosen successor.
04:02Bond with the Archon's chosen, share the ancestral power, catalyze his impure Leviathan blood,
04:08evolve into a true Leviathan.
04:10It's never been about love.
04:12It's about leverage.
04:14Father's fury deepens.
04:16The dominance aura intensifies.
04:18A filthy serpent daring to judge my daughter!
04:21You have a death wish!
04:24Father, stop!
04:25Isolde steps out from behind me.
04:27Her cheeks flush pink.
04:29Her eyes glistened with just the right amount of tears.
04:31Every word of Draven's confession, she heard it all.
04:35I accept him.
04:36Stunned silence.
04:37Father stares at her.
04:39Isoled, do you hear yourself?
04:42He is Seraphina's chosen mate, and Draymond Vos is nothing more than a mongrel serpent.
04:48Bonding with him would only drag you down.
04:51Before he finishes, Draven produces an obsidian case from inside his robes.
04:55He kneels again, presenting it to Isolde with both hands.
04:58The lid opens.
05:00Inside lies a pearl.
05:02I offer this to the first princess.
05:05Someone in the crowd recognizes it instantly.
05:07A Leviathan pearl!
05:08I glance at it.
05:09Lower my lashes.
05:11Leviathan pearl.
05:12An ancient relic from the depths of the serpent's abyss.
05:15Nine out of ten who search for it, never come back.
05:17In my last life, I burned through every resource the clan gave me trying to find one for Draven.
05:22He'd held me close, voice soft.
05:24It's just a myth, Sarah.
05:26Don't waste yourself on it.
05:27The pearl was in his hands the whole time.
05:29And now, to win my sister's favor, he pulls it out without a second thought.
05:33Everything I gave him.
05:35A joke.
05:36Isolde takes the obsidian case.
05:37Deeply moved.
05:38She flicks a glance at me, sharp, triumphant.
05:42Then turns to father.
05:43Tears shimmer.
05:44Her voice trembles just enough.
05:46My whole life, you've favored Serafina.
05:50And now, finally, someone chooses me.
05:55Would you tear that away from your own daughter just for Serafina's sake?
05:58Father hesitates.
05:59His gaze lingers on the Leviathan pearl.
06:02Then he turns to me.
06:04Serafina, don't make this difficult.
06:07If his heart lies with your sister, let it go.
06:09Don't be unreasonable.
06:11I close my eyes.
06:12A bone-deep exhaustion settles over me.
06:15Isolde and I share a father.
06:17That's all we share.
06:18Her mother, Ilara, was an iron-scale dragoness.
06:21The lowest subspecies among dragonkind.
06:24She died shortly after giving birth to Isolde.
06:27Too weak to survive.
06:28Father later married my mother, the previous female archon of clan Aurelion.
06:32Pure blood, golden scale.
06:34Her blood and her rank made me the rightful heir from the moment I drew my first breath.
06:39But growing up, even the clan could see it.
06:41Father measured us on two completely different scales.
06:45With Isolde, he was a merciless drillmaster.
06:47He threw her into the bone wastes as a child and never looked back.
06:51Even when she crawled home covered in wounds, he wouldn't let her shed a single tear.
06:55You are my daughter.
06:57Weakness is not yours to claim.
07:00With me?
07:00Even though my raw talents surpassed Isolde's, he said he worried I'd suffer on the path of cultivation.
07:06Without hesitation, he pulled me out of training entirely.
07:09You don't need to be strong, Sarah.
07:11Just be happy.
07:13To everyone else, I was the pampered princess.
07:15But I knew the truth.
07:17This wasn't love.
07:18It was a leash.
07:19He was raising me to be useless.
07:21In my past life, I wandered deep into the clan crypts by accident.
07:24Found father kneeling before a black obsidian tombstone.
07:28The name carved into it.
07:30Ilara.
07:30His voice was low, tender.
07:32Nothing like the way he spoke to me.
07:34Ilara, my love.
07:35After all these years, it is still you.
07:38It has always been you.
07:40Rest easy.
07:42I've kept my promise.
07:44The girl knows nothing.
07:46Not her power.
07:47Not her birthright.
07:48Nothing.
07:49Our daughter will have everything she deserves.
07:52I stood in the dark.
07:54Ice spreading through my veins.
07:56He wasn't spoiling me.
07:57He was making sure I'd never threaten Isolda.
08:00Father wanted me to choose Draven Vos.
08:02A black serpent with low standing.
08:04Once bonded to him, no one in the clan would ever take me seriously.
08:08And now, Draven has produced a Leviathan Pearl.
08:11Father seizes the chance to boost Isolda's power.
08:13Pins the label of unreasonable on me.
08:16Orders me to step aside.
08:18Fine.
08:19You want it?
08:20Take it.
08:20I agree too fast.
08:22Father blinks.
08:22Draven's eyes flicker.
08:24Isolda, though.
08:25She walks up to me, voice coated in honey.
08:27I only want what's best for you, little sister.
08:31After all, a forced bond breaks both.
08:36Tell you what.
08:37She smiles, scanning the crowd.
08:39Pick another mate.
08:41I'll bond with Draven.
08:42You'll have your own match.
08:43And Father can stop worrying.
08:44Father watches Isolda with open adoration.
08:47But they both know the truth.
08:49Every candidate invited to the sacred altar today is a serpent.
08:52And aside from Draven, not one of them stands out.
08:55I don't bother with her games.
08:56I raise my hand lazily and point in a random direction.
08:59That one.
09:01I'm pointing at a silver serpent.
09:03In human form, he's unexpectedly striking.
09:06Pale skin.
09:07Silver irises with slit pupils.
09:09A lean frame.
09:10Wiry but strong.
09:12Almost a match for Draven Vos in appearance.
09:14But his mana is so faint it barely registers.
09:17A candle about to gutter out.
09:19If black serpentine blood is considered low,
09:21then silver serpentine, in the eyes of dragonkind,
09:24is nothing more than a worm with scales.
09:27Apart from shifting into human form,
09:29they have almost zero combat ability.
09:31The silver serpent freezes when my finger lands on him.
09:34Isolde presses her hand to her lips, feigning concern.
09:37Each word drips with just enough sweetness to cut.
09:40Oh, Sarah, are you sure?
09:42He looks fragile.
09:45I'd hate for him to reject you, too.
09:47The silver serpent speaks.
09:49No hesitation.
09:50No way.
09:51I accept.
09:53The entire crowd flinches.
09:55Even I pause.
09:56He walks straight out of the line,
09:58stops before me,
09:59and extends a pale, slender hand.
10:02Your Highness,
10:03my name is Kale.
10:05A beat of silence.
10:07His voice drops.
10:08Quieter.
10:09Almost to himself.
10:11I've always wanted you to know it.
10:13I take his hand.
10:14It isn't cold the way I expected.
10:16A warmth I didn't anticipate.
10:18In that instant,
10:19the skin over my collarbone flares hot.
10:22Kale's grip tightens around my fingers.
10:24He lifts his head,
10:25looks straight into my eyes.
10:26His silver irises reflect my face.
10:28If you'll have me,
10:31I swear on my blood and my bones,
10:34not in this life or any other,
10:37tray you or leave you.
10:40Golden divine light
10:41slips through the sky
10:42and cracks across the sacred altar.
10:44Ceiling is open.
10:45The flash lights up his face.
10:47Something inside my chest
10:49cracks open,
10:50melts.
10:51Kale is the first person
10:52in two lifetimes
10:53who chose me
10:54without a single moment of hesitation.
10:56The corner of my mouth
10:58lifts on its own.
10:59A voice shoves its way in from the side.
11:02Draven stands with his arms crossed,
11:04looking down at Kale like an insect.
11:05Your Highness,
11:07Silver Serpentine have virtually no Morna.
11:10Bonding with him won't do a thing for your power.
11:13Kale lowers his head slightly.
11:14Not avoidance, habit.
11:16He's heard this too many times.
11:17The smile on my lips goes cold.
11:20What's wrong, Draven Jealous?
11:22And let's be clear,
11:24you call Silver Serpentine lowborn?
11:27Does Black Serpentine blood run any nobler?
11:30The smirk on Draven's face turns to stone.
11:33I catch it.
11:34The hatred that flashes across his features.
11:36A fraction too slow to hide.
11:38In my past life,
11:39I wasn't blind.
11:40I chose him over every candidate
11:42because he once saved my life in the bone wastes.
11:45That was the first time
11:46anyone shielded me with their own body.
11:48I thought it was real.
11:49Now he humiliates me in public
11:51and clings to my sister for power.
11:53So don't expect me to play nice.
11:55I turn to face the clan.
11:56From this day forward,
11:58Kale is under my protection.
12:00He is mine.
12:02My gaze sweeps the crowd.
12:03Touch him
12:05and you answer to me.
12:07The crowd shrinks back
12:08half a step under my stare.
12:10Draven's fists clench.
12:12Whatever makes you happy,
12:14your highness.
12:14Kale's fingertip brushes mine.
12:16I turn to look at him.
12:17Those silver slit pupils fix on me.
12:20Fragile,
12:20trembling,
12:21and impossibly bright.
12:22You're the only one
12:23who ever saw me.
12:24Something slams against my ribs.
12:27Enough.
12:28It's time.
12:29Begin the soul bond right.
12:31Four of us step into the runic circle
12:33at the center of the sacred altar.
12:34Ancient dragon script
12:36blazes to life beneath our feet.
12:38Divine lightning strikes.
12:39The altar channels it,
12:41tearing soul fragments from each pair
12:43and branding them into irreversible bonds.
12:45But the power gap
12:46between dragon and serpent is vast.
12:49The bond's energy surges
12:50from the stronger vessel
12:52to the weaker,
12:53seeking balance,
12:54like a flood pouring into a creek.
12:56Both serpents buckle at once.
12:58Draven collapses under the force.
13:00Blood spills from the corner of his mouth.
13:03He struggles to lift his head,
13:04reaching toward Isolda.
13:06Isoleth, please, help me.
13:08Isolda starts to extend her hand.
13:10Father stops her cold.
13:11Serpent,
13:13your blood is barely worthy of my daughter
13:15as it stands.
13:17If you can't endure this,
13:19then it's your fate.
13:20Draven's eyes go wide.
13:21He stares at Isolda,
13:23the same woman who blushed
13:24while accepting him moments ago,
13:26now standing safely outside the circle.
13:28Her expression is calm.
13:29Deren,
13:30I am the next Archean of Clan Avelion.
13:33Every drop of my martyr is precious.
13:35So,
13:36I can't give you any.
13:38Disbelief carves itself across his face.
13:40On my side,
13:41Kale is in just as bad shape.
13:43Silver scales surface along his neck and arms.
13:46His body convulses.
13:47I raise my hand to channel mana into him.
13:50Kale lurches back.
13:51Your Highness,
13:52the First Princess is right.
13:54If I can't endure the Bond's power,
13:56then it means I'm not worthy of you.
13:59They call you Lowborn and you just accept it?
14:04We're bonded now.
14:07That means we live and die together.
14:10So shut up.
14:12I grab his shoulder.
14:13Mana pours from my palm,
14:15flooding into his body in a steady, relentless stream.
14:18Golden Dragonfire threads along the Bond's pathways,
14:22flowing into him.
14:23And then I notice something strange.
14:25Kale's body absorbs my mana with impossible efficiency.
14:29As if he was born to receive this exact power.
14:32For the weakest serpent alive?
14:34That makes no sense at all.
14:36Now isn't the time to ask.
14:38I file the anomaly away.
14:40The Soulbond Rite ends.
14:43Draven lies soaked in sweat and blood,
14:45pinned to the ground,
14:47jaw locked,
14:48crimson still leaking from his mouth.
14:50Kale stands untouched.
14:52I feel Draven's stare.
14:54Turn to meet it.
14:55His eyes are dark, resentful.
14:57As if I owe him something.
14:59Last life, Draven barely took a scratch.
15:01I was always the one fighting his battles.
15:04Now he's chosen the clan's anointed next Archon,
15:07and nearly died during a bond ceremony.
15:10And he has the nerve to look at me?
15:12I mouth one word at him.
15:13Ice cold.
15:15Deserved.
15:17Isolde doesn't notice the exchange.
15:19Her eyes close.
15:20She sinks into the fresh mana coursing through her,
15:23satisfaction spreading across her face.
15:26Father,
15:27the Covenant has spoken.
15:30I'm ready to receive the Archon's flame.
15:33The crowd stirs with excitement.
15:35Every new Archon's ascension triggers the dragon's resonance.
15:39The resonance releases ambient mana that nourishes every dragon present,
15:44pushing them past barriers,
15:45sometimes by an entire rank or more.
15:48Father beams.
15:49The sacred altar is cleared.
15:52Isolde stands at the center of the open circle.
15:55She glances at me,
15:56motionless on the sideline,
15:58and her lip curls.
15:59Sarah,
16:00I understand you're upset about Draven,
16:04but that's no reason to stand in the way of the resonance.
16:09Would you drag the entire clan down with you?
16:11The crowd catches it.
16:13Murmurs swell.
16:14Your Highness,
16:15settle your quarrel with the First Princess in private.
16:18Don't delay the resonance.
16:20Draven was right.
16:21The Second Princess can't compare to the First Princess.
16:23If it were me,
16:24I'd choose the First Princess too.
16:26Draven smiles.
16:28Sarah,
16:28everyone can see the truth.
16:30I must have been blind to ever stand by you.
16:33Kale's brow furrows.
16:35He shoulders Draven aside,
16:37steps in front of me,
16:38and gently presses his hands over my ears.
16:41Their words are poison.
16:42Don't let them in.
16:44The weight on my chest lifts.
16:46I give him a real smile,
16:47then turn toward Isolde,
16:49basking in her victory,
16:50and speak calmly.
16:52Islien,
16:53you will never be Archie,
16:55and the Covenant will not grant you the flame.
16:58If you try,
16:59the resonance will destroy your power from the inside out.
17:02A beat of silence.
17:03Then the crowd bursts into laughter.
17:06Draven folds his arms,
17:07contempt dripping from every glance.
17:09Who are you to judge the First Princess?
17:12If she can't be Archie,
17:14who can?
17:15You?
17:16Enough of this nonsense.
17:18Father's expression hardens.
17:20Seraphina, step aside.
17:22Applicative twist.
17:24Manna shoves me and Kale to the edge of the platform.
17:26Isolde locks eyes with me,
17:28triumphant.
17:28Watch closely, Sarah.
17:31Watch what centuries of sacrifice look like.
17:35Isolde stands at the heart of the sacred altar.
17:37She unleashes her mama.
17:39A deep hum resonates through the stone.
17:42Power radiates outward.
17:43The ground shudders.
17:47Pillars of golden light converge from every direction.
17:51Ancestral echoes of countless dragon bloodlines answer the call,
17:55weaving together into a thunderous, sky-darkening tide of resonance.
18:00Isolde stands at the center,
18:01poised, regal.
18:03Layer upon layer of golden energy knits itself into a breathtaking tapestry.
18:08A net of staggering power.
18:11The clan watches, mesmerized.
18:13The dense Manna begins to disperse,
18:16drifting toward every dragon present.
18:18Then, confusion.
18:21Strange. Why can't I absorb any of it?
18:23Same here.
18:24It just passes through me,
18:27like it doesn't recognize me.
18:29More voices.
18:31More unease.
18:32Heads turn back toward Isolde on the altar.
18:35She doesn't notice.
18:36Still lost in the moment,
18:38the ritual concludes.
18:39She bows to heaven and earth,
18:41then raises her voice.
18:42I, Isolet Aurelion,
18:44firstborn of the golden scale,
18:45call upon the dragon's re-resonance.
18:48Grant me the Archon's flame.
18:50Silence.
18:51Nothing happens.
18:53Panic flickers across her face.
18:55She prostrates herself,
18:57calls out again.
18:58I, Isolet Aurelion,
19:00invoke the rite of ascension!
19:01Attention!
19:04This time,
19:05she gets an answer.
19:06From me.
19:07I stand beside Kale,
19:09voice steady.
19:09You can kneel until your scales crack.
19:12The answer
19:13is no.
19:15Dead silence.
19:16Every pair of eyes in the clan
19:18turns to me.
19:20Father thinks I'm sabotaging the ceremony.
19:22Combined with Isolde's failed succession,
19:24his rage boils over.
19:27His full dominance aura
19:28crashes down,
19:29driving me to my knees.
19:32Seraphina,
19:32you have never disappointed me
19:35more than today.
19:36I've indulged you in everything.
19:38But this,
19:39this is the clan's future,
19:41and you keep sabotaging it.
19:45Today I'll discipline you
19:47on your mother's behalf.
19:48He raises his hand.
19:50Mana compresses into a force field,
19:52hurtling toward my face.
19:53I watch it come,
19:54calm.
19:55Draven stands nearby,
19:56suddenly anxious.
19:57Seraphina,
19:57just apologize!
19:58Now!
19:59Do you actually want to get hit?
20:01The blast is inched away.
20:03He flinches,
20:04self-preservation kicks in,
20:05and darts to the side
20:06without a second thought.
20:07Then Kale launches himself forward.
20:09His eyes shift
20:09from silver to pure white.
20:11Slit pupils contract
20:12to pinpoints.
20:13Silver scales erupt
20:15across his neck and forearms.
20:16A low, guttural hiss
20:17tears from his throat.
20:19Half-shifted,
20:19he throws himself in front of me
20:21and takes the Archon's
20:22full-force strike,
20:23head-on.
20:24Blood sprays from his mouth
20:26once,
20:26twice,
20:27three times,
20:28and he crashes backward into me.
20:30His fingers claw at my arm,
20:31trying to push his last scraps
20:33of mana into my body.
20:35Kale,
20:35truly,
20:36completely,
20:36for me.
20:37Father sees a serpent
20:38openly defy him.
20:39Fury consumes what's left
20:41of his restraint.
20:42He begins charging another strike.
20:43In the same breath,
20:44I lean down,
20:45wrap my arms around Kale,
20:47and whisper against his ear,
20:48Don't be afraid.
20:49The Covenant of Flame
20:50answers to me.
20:52Father's attack
20:53never lands.
20:54A bolt of golden dragon fire
20:56descends from the heavens.
20:58Boom.
20:58It hits Father dead on.
21:00Scales to bone,
21:01everything scorches black.
21:03But that's only the beginning.
21:05One bolt.
21:06Two,
21:07they hammer down
21:08like divine tribulation
21:09made personal.
21:10By the end,
21:11Father is blasted back
21:13into his beast form.
21:16Isolde agapes at me.
21:18Serafina,
21:19what did you do to Father?
21:21I pull my hand
21:22from Kale's healed wounds
21:24and rise slowly.
21:26Centuries ago,
21:27my mother gave her life
21:28defending Clan Auralian
21:29against the Dark Horde.
21:31The ancient dragon god Pyrasis
21:33honored her sacrifice
21:34with a divine gift
21:35to her bloodline.
21:36I,
21:36Serafina of Aurean,
21:37second princess of Clan Aurean,
21:39hold the right of designation.
21:40Anyone who strikes me
21:41will face divine repriotion,
21:43and anyone who harbors
21:44malice towards me
21:45will never be Arcan.
21:46I don't believe you!
21:47You're lying!
21:48You're nothing!
21:49You haven't grown
21:50a single rank
21:51in centuries!
21:52You!
21:53Designate Archon!
21:55You must have
21:56sabotaged me!
21:57Set some trap!
21:58I won't let you
21:59get away with this!
22:00She charges at me,
22:01her flawless features
22:02twisting into something feral.
22:05I exhale.
22:06You're no exception.
22:09Golden Dragonfire
22:10falls on Isolde.
22:11Her cultivation
22:12is nowhere near
22:13Father's level.
22:14The bolts chase her
22:15across the platform,
22:17scrambling,
22:18stumbling,
22:18all dignity stripped away.
22:20The same Clan members
22:21who worshipped her
22:22moments ago
22:23don't dare move
22:24an inch.
22:25Sarah,
22:26you hid this from me.
22:28If you'd told me the truth,
22:29I wouldn't have done it
22:30this way.
22:31I laugh.
22:32Scalding tears
22:33roll down.
22:34I wouldn't have what?
22:35Wouldn't have put a blade
22:36through my heart?
22:38Derevan,
22:38didn't I tell you?
22:39Yes, I can never
22:40be Arcan myself.
22:42But bond with me,
22:43stay faithful,
22:44and on the day I ascend,
22:46you would have evolved
22:47into a true Leviathan.
22:49Our children would have
22:50inherited the Covenant.
22:52But you didn't believe
22:53me.
22:53Do you know why
22:53you were reborn with me?
22:55Because the moment I died,
22:57the bond tore your soul
22:59apart with mine.
23:00My death was yours.
23:02You just didn't feel the blade.
23:04Derevan stumbles backward.
23:05He looks down
23:06at the bond mark
23:07on his hand,
23:08the one tying him
23:10to Isolda.
23:11The color drains
23:12from his face.
23:13A dragon's roar
23:14erupts from the sacred altar.
23:16Isolda, scorched,
23:18humiliated by divine retribution,
23:20consumed by jealousy
23:22over the power I hold,
23:24loses the last thread
23:26of reason.
23:27The dormant void taint
23:28in her iron scale
23:29bloodline ignites.
23:31She shifts
23:31into beast form.
23:32Golden scales
23:33begin to darken
23:34at the edges.
23:35Her eyes bleed
23:36from gold
23:37to the empty black
23:38of the void.
23:39Her dragon form
23:40warps, twists,
23:41until she looks
23:42less like a noble dragon
23:43and more like something
23:45that clawed its way
23:46out of an abyss.
23:48Why?
23:50Why's her mother purebred
23:52and mine was not?
23:54Why does she get everything
23:56without lifting a finger?
23:57I refuse to accept this.
23:59It should all be mine!
24:02She attacks indiscriminately.
24:04Corrupted dragon fire
24:06sprays in every direction.
24:08Clan members scatter,
24:09screaming.
24:10The sacred altar,
24:11once solemn and revered,
24:13becomes an inferno.
24:16Father drags himself
24:17toward me
24:18in beast form.
24:19Tears line
24:20his reptilian eyes.
24:23Sarah,
24:24please,
24:25spare Islet.
24:26This is all my fault.
24:27I was wrong.
24:28I should never have done
24:30what I did to you.
24:31But she has trained
24:32for centuries.
24:34I can't watch her
24:35lose everything.
24:37I look into his eyes.
24:38My mother's last words
24:40echo back.
24:41Sarah,
24:42I hate him.
24:44You know what the saddest
24:45part of my life is?
24:46I can never compete
24:48with a ghost.
24:50There is one way
24:51to save her power.
24:52Hope flares in his gaze.
24:55Deren is bonded
24:56to Islet.
24:57He bears half
24:58her karmic burden.
24:59I point at Draven.
25:01To save her,
25:02you'll need to sacrifice him.
25:04Extract his serpent's core.
25:05Let Islet absorb it completely.
25:07She'll stabilize.
25:11No!
25:12Take my core
25:13and I'll never evolve!
25:14Never become a Leviathan!
25:17Sarah,
25:18this is revenge!
25:19Father doesn't even
25:20glance at him.
25:21Serpent,
25:22you swore
25:23you'd give everything
25:25for Isleth.
25:27Now keep your word.
25:29Father extracts
25:30the serpent's core himself.
25:31The moment
25:32the fist-sized
25:33pulsing black crystal
25:34is torn free.
25:36In that instant,
25:37Draven seems to age centuries.
25:39He can only watch
25:41as father feeds the core
25:42to Isolda.
25:43No!
25:45I've seen enough.
25:46Kale leans against my shoulder,
25:48voice low.
25:49Sarah,
25:50let's go.
25:51Deep into the night,
25:52I lean against the edge
25:53of the moon veil hot springs.
25:55A silver serpent
25:56glides across the surface
25:57toward me.
25:58Kale shifts to human form.
26:00He rests against me,
26:02letting my palm
26:03wander across his chest.
26:04I study him.
26:06Kale's silver irises
26:07glow faintly in the dark.
26:09No calculation in them.
26:10Nothing but feeling.
26:12Deep,
26:12bare,
26:13bottomless.
26:13The question has been
26:14circling since this morning.
26:16We've never met before.
26:17Why does he feel like
26:18this about me?
26:19Is it because of my title?
26:20Kale reads the doubt
26:21on my face.
26:22This isn't the first time
26:23we've met.
26:25His silver scales shimmer.
26:27Memory fragments
26:28flow through the bond
26:29and into my mind.
26:30A flash.
26:31A finger-length
26:32silver snake
26:33pinned under the boots
26:34of dragon-born boys,
26:36battered and bleeding.
26:37A younger version of me
26:39barges in,
26:40plants herself between them,
26:41and chases them off
26:42with a tongue lashing.
26:44Another flash.
26:45The little silver snake,
26:46barely alive,
26:47curled in a crack
26:48between rocks.
26:49A teenage version of me
26:51crouches down.
26:52A wild rabbit.
26:53A handful of berries.
26:55Again and again.
26:56Without knowing it,
26:57I saved him more times
26:59than I can count.
27:00The last image.
27:01Kale,
27:01now in human form,
27:03standing at the farthest
27:04edge of the crowd,
27:05watching me on the sacred altar,
27:07about to begin
27:08the soul bond rite
27:09with Draven.
27:09The memory breaks off.
27:11My voice comes out rough.
27:13Is this about debt?
27:14You chose me
27:15because I saved you?
27:17It isn't suspicion.
27:18It's fear.
27:19Fear that one day,
27:20he'll say what Draven said,
27:21that I chained him
27:22with kindness.
27:23I didn't fall in love
27:24with you because you saved me.
27:26I was already in love
27:27with you.
27:28Everything you did
27:29only proved I wasn't wrong.
27:33My heart hammers
27:34against my ribs.
27:35Kale rests his head
27:36on my shoulder.
27:37His voice drops
27:38to a murmur,
27:39warm breath
27:39against my skin.
27:41From now on,
27:42you're all I have.
27:43You scared me today.
27:45Will you stay close tonight?
27:48His lower half shifts,
27:50silver tail coiling
27:51around my calf,
27:52sliding higher,
27:53slow, deliberate.
27:55My eyes narrow,
27:56my voice drops,
27:57a little hoarse.
27:58What kind of close
28:00did you have in mind?
28:01He leans in.
28:03Hot spring water
28:04laps over both our shoulders.
28:06Silver scale marks
28:07glow beneath the surface.
28:09Kale's body temperature
28:10rises the instant
28:11he presses against me.
28:13Nothing like the cold serpents
28:14are known for.
28:15You're warm.
28:17Only when I touch you.
28:19His lips find my collarbone.
28:21Then,
28:21a sharp,
28:22brief sting.
28:23A silver serpent mark
28:24brands itself into my skin.
28:26Mate mark.
28:27I grip the back of his neck
28:28and bite down.
28:29A golden dragon scale mark
28:31surfaces on his nape.
28:32From this moment,
28:33the bond is absolute.
28:35He is mine,
28:36and I am his.
28:37One night of passion.
28:39Serpents aren't that impressive,
28:40honestly.
28:41He just flipped me around
28:42and wore me out until dawn.
28:44I could barely stand.
28:45The next morning,
28:46I haul myself upright,
28:48one hand braced on my lower back,
28:50and kick Kale in the side.
28:52He blinks up at me,
28:54genuinely wounded.
28:55Did I break you?
28:56Satisfied.
28:57Very satisfied.
28:59Kale scrambles up
29:00to help me walk.
29:01We barely make it past
29:02the sanctum's ward line
29:03before I stop.
29:05Someone is crouching
29:06outside the barrier.
29:07Draven.
29:08Draven looks years older
29:10than yesterday.
29:11His gaze finds
29:11the silver mate mark
29:13on my collarbone.
29:14His pupils shrink.
29:15His face goes gray.
29:16He stares for a long time
29:17before he speaks.
29:19Sarah, I was wrong.
29:21Isoleth and your father,
29:22they don't see me
29:24as a living thing.
29:25Only you ever treated me
29:27as an equal.
29:28Draven thought bonding
29:29with the Archons chosen
29:30would launch him to the top,
29:32but beyond that Leviathan pearl,
29:34he has nothing of value
29:35to offer.
29:36They stripped him
29:36and threw him aside.
29:38Last night,
29:39father's rage needed a target.
29:41He doesn't dare
29:41touch me again.
29:43Those dozen bolts
29:44of divine dragon fire
29:45already hammered him
29:46back to beast form.
29:48Provoking me further
29:49might annihilate
29:50his soul entirely.
29:51But the fury
29:52needed somewhere to go.
29:53The daughter
29:54he spent years crippling
29:55turns out to be
29:56the Covenant's bearer.
29:57Everything he built
29:59for Isolde,
29:59a joke,
30:00overnight.
30:01So he turned on Draven.
30:03A mongrog like you
30:04is utterly useless.
30:07You're not even fit
30:08to be my daughter's pet.
30:10I'm starting to wonder
30:11if your little display
30:12was a performance
30:13you and Seraphina
30:14arranged together.
30:15Father used a soul siphon
30:17on Draven,
30:18forced his way
30:19through layer
30:19after layer of memory,
30:21searching for proof
30:22of betrayal.
30:23The process is agony.
30:25He found nothing.
30:27Draven barely survived,
30:28but relief didn't last.
30:30When Isolde awoke
30:31and the full humiliation
30:32of the day settled in,
30:34something in her curdled.
30:36She seized Draven
30:37by the throat,
30:38teeth bared.
30:39You declared your love
30:40for me in front of everyone,
30:42and when it mattered,
30:43you chose a worthless organ
30:44over my life.
30:45Devin Vox,
30:46you deserve to rot.
30:50I look at his broken body,
30:52feel nothing.
30:53The moment that blade
30:54went through my heart,
30:55whatever connected us
30:56died with me.
30:57Kale speaks for me.
30:58You merely hu-iliated
31:00Seraphina in public,
31:02then abandoned Isoleth
31:03when she needed you.
31:05And now you come
31:06crawling back.
31:08Drerrin,
31:09where is your shame?
31:11Killing intent
31:11flashes in Draven's eyes.
31:13His body tenses.
31:14Then the realization
31:16crashes in.
31:17No serpent's core.
31:19No power.
31:20Just a shell.
31:21He crumbles,
31:22pleading.
31:23Seraph,
31:24you hold the rite
31:25of dezygonation.
31:26You must be able
31:27to break a bond too,
31:28right?
31:28Break my bond
31:29with Izalek,
31:29and I'll serve
31:31alongside the White Spurpent.
31:32As your mate,
31:34after everything we had,
31:35you'll help me.
31:37I know you will.
31:38Kale's head whips toward me,
31:41panic in his eyes.
31:42How adorable.
31:44You actually believe that.
31:48Deren,
31:50why would I help you?
31:51I gave you everything.
31:53You wanted her.
31:55I carried your child.
31:57You put a blade
31:58through my heart.
31:59I gave you the right
32:00to stand on the Sacred Ultra.
32:01You humiliated me
32:03in front of my entire clan.
32:04Every.
32:05Single.
32:06One.
32:07The fact that you're still breathing
32:08is mercy enough.
32:10The light dies
32:11in Draven's eyes.
32:12A long silence.
32:13Then he covers his face
32:14and a strangled sound escapes.
32:16What have I done?
32:17He knows me well enough
32:18to know I don't look back.
32:20Draven returns to Isolde.
32:21In my last life,
32:23I never let anyone
32:24in the clan belittle him.
32:25I shielded his pride
32:26at every turn,
32:27in public,
32:28in private.
32:29Isolde doesn't bother
32:30with any of that.
32:31She tears him apart
32:33in front of everyone,
32:34strips him down to nothing
32:36whenever the mood strikes.
32:38The clan follows her lead.
32:40They only kneel
32:41to whoever holds the leash.
32:43Draven's life now,
32:45compared to the one
32:46I gave him,
32:47worlds apart.
32:49Father summons me
32:50to the Sacred Altar.
32:51Before the entire clan,
32:53he performs
32:54the appropriate gesture.
32:55Forces Isolde
32:56to lower her head
32:57and kneel in front of me.
32:58But her words
32:59give everything away.
33:00Sarah,
33:01perhaps Father went too far.
33:02But the clan cannot go
33:04a single day
33:05without an archer.
33:06Would the Covenant
33:06let Clan Aureon crumble?
33:08Just to protect you?
33:09Let's set our differences aside.
33:12The clan's survival
33:13matters more
33:13than either of us.
33:15Not an apology.
33:16A negotiation.
33:18It works on the crowd.
33:20Hesitation ripples through,
33:21then voices join in.
33:23Your Highness,
33:24the last archic,
33:25your mother,
33:25gave her life
33:26to protect us
33:27from the Dark Horde.
33:28The Dark Horde
33:28is growing restless.
33:30Without a new archer,
33:31when the wards fall,
33:32we won't survive
33:33a single assault.
33:35Please,
33:36grant the succession
33:37to the first princess.
33:39I stay silent.
33:41My gaze catches
33:42the knowing glance
33:43Isolde and Father exchange.
33:45The picture crystallizes.
33:47Father,
33:48Mother was right about you.
33:49You have no vision.
33:51You'd do anything
33:52to put your first love's
33:53daughter on the throne.
33:54Even lie to the entire clan!
33:57Serafina,
33:58what are you talking about?
33:59I raise my hand.
34:00The Covenant responds.
34:02Every clan member's
34:03mana rank
34:03materializes before my eyes.
34:05Laid bare.
34:07Isolde's power
34:07is impressive.
34:08Radiant, even.
34:09But she's not
34:10the strongest here.
34:11Issa Leith
34:12is your arch's chosen.
34:14But clan Avelion
34:16has never chosen
34:17its arch in by blood.
34:19It has always been
34:20by strength.
34:21My mother put you
34:22in power to prevent
34:23a civil war.
34:24And after all these years,
34:26you just couldn't let go.
34:27A voice rings out
34:28from the crowd.
34:29Thyra,
34:30copper scale dragon,
34:31the only one
34:32who never mocked me
34:33since the selection rite.
34:35She stands
34:36straight-backed.
34:37Power should be earned
34:38by those who prove it.
34:40Not handed to those
34:41born with the right name.
34:43I meet her eyes.
34:44Give a single nod.
34:45Clan Arian
34:46will hold
34:47open trial of merit.
34:49Whoever stands last
34:50earns the right to rule.
34:52The clan erupts
34:53in cheers.
34:54Only father
34:55and Isolde
34:56stand pale
34:57and still.
34:58That night,
34:59Kale clings
35:00to me as usual.
35:01He nuzzles his forehead
35:02into the curve
35:03of my neck.
35:04His nose brushes
35:05my jaw.
35:06I sigh,
35:07about to pull him closer.
35:08The world lurches.
35:10I sense it instantly.
35:11The ward barrier
35:12shattered.
35:13Drakespire's
35:14protective wards
35:15were set by my mother,
35:16sealed with a fragment
35:17of her own soul.
35:19No dark horde,
35:20no matter how powerful,
35:21could breach them easily
35:22unless someone
35:23opened them
35:24from the inside.
35:25By the time
35:26Kale and I
35:27reach the surface,
35:28Drakespire is in chaos.
35:30Dark horde.
35:31Everywhere.
35:32High-tier beasts
35:33rampaging through the clan.
35:35A dragon hatchling
35:36is pinned under
35:37a beast's clawed foot
35:38seconds from death.
35:40I move without thinking.
35:41One strike,
35:42the head rolls.
35:43Warm blood
35:44splashes across
35:45the hatchling's face.
35:46She throws herself
35:47into my arms,
35:48sobbing.
35:49Your highness,
35:50I almost died.
35:51Mama and my sister,
35:53they led the beast
35:54away to protect me.
35:55I hand her to Kale,
35:57tell him to keep her hidden,
35:58and run in the direction
35:59she pointed.
36:00I arrive to find
36:01the mother and sister
36:02cornered by a pack of beasts,
36:04barely hanging on.
36:05I cut in.
36:07Save one.
36:09Then a second.
36:10A third.
36:11Through the smoke
36:12and carnage,
36:13I spot Phyra.
36:14She's shifted.
36:15Copper dragon form.
36:16Leading a small squad
36:18in a defensive line.
36:19Shielding the elderly,
36:20the young,
36:21the wounded.
36:22Her commands are sharp.
36:23Her fighting is vicious.
36:24I make a note of her.
36:25By the end,
36:26I'm running on fumes.
36:27Then I see them.
36:28Isolde.
36:29Father.
36:29No surprise.
36:30The moment I announced
36:31the trial of merit,
36:32I felt it through the covenant.
36:34Someone was deliberately
36:35weakening the ward barrier.
36:37I knew he'd gamble everything.
36:39Isolde crouches in front of me.
36:41Her arm moves.
36:42A blade punches through my chest.
36:44I cough blood.
36:45Her eyes are fully black now.
36:47Void corruption
36:48running deeper than before.
36:50Sarah,
36:50so what if you hold the covenant?
36:52Put you in the ground,
36:53and the next archon
36:55will still be me!
36:56I look down at the sword
36:57in my chest.
36:58Then I look up at Isolde.
37:00I smile.
37:01Thank you, sister.
37:03I needed you to do
37:04exactly that.
37:06Isolde freezes.
37:08Pain blazes through me,
37:10stamped into the soul,
37:11a memory the body
37:12never forgets.
37:13I can't stop the trembling.
37:16Father walks to my side.
37:18His voice is almost gentle.
37:19If you weren't the bearer,
37:20if you hadn't stood
37:22in Iselith's way,
37:23I might have let you live.
37:25Pity.
37:26I lift my head.
37:28My voice doesn't waver.
37:30So to kill me,
37:32you broke the ward barrier.
37:35Let the Dark Horde in.
37:38Let your own people die!
37:41Father doesn't blink.
37:42Acceptable losses.
37:43Everything I've done
37:45is to give Iselith
37:47the flame.
37:48To give the clan
37:50a stronger leader.
37:51The weak die to beasts,
37:53because they were never
37:55meant to survive.
37:56One thrust isn't enough
37:58for Isolde.
37:59She snaps.
38:00The blade drives into me
38:01again and again,
38:02pouring out everything
38:03she's held in.
38:04I'm stronger than you!
38:06Why do you get to decide?
38:08I suffered for centuries,
38:10and I was so close.
38:13And you took it all away
38:15with a few words!
38:18Even Drarin.
38:20Her teeth grind harder.
38:21That mongrel
38:23said he regretted
38:25choosing me.
38:26Said I could never
38:28compare to you.
38:30So I took his core.
38:33Let him go ahead
38:34and wait for you.
38:36Sarah,
38:37the clan's faith
38:38belongs to me.
38:40So you have to die!
38:43Behind me,
38:44the roar of beasts,
38:46the screams of the dying,
38:47all tangled together.
38:49I look at Isolde.
38:50when the Covenant granted me
38:51the right of designation.
38:53It also feared
38:55the power would be
38:56too concentrated.
38:57So it sealed
38:58half my divine power
38:59inside you
39:00as your talent,
39:01and it barred me
39:02from becoming
39:03Archon myself.
39:04If you had truly
39:05served the clan,
39:07if you'd held
39:08no malice towards me,
39:09the succession
39:10would have been yours
39:11without question.
39:12But you chose
39:13the wrong path.
39:14Your suffering
39:15wasn't my doing.
39:16It was Father's obsession
39:17and your own hunger
39:18for power.
39:19But you blamed me
39:20for all of it.
39:21And now that you've
39:22struck me
39:22with intent to kill,
39:29the seal is broken.
39:32Isoleth,
39:34your talent
39:35was never yours.
39:36It was my power
39:38holding you up.
39:39Now it comes home.
39:40The blade buried
39:41in my body
39:42erupts with golden light.
39:43Isolde tries to
39:44release the hilt.
39:45Her hands won't move.
39:46Mana drains
39:47from her body,
39:48torrential,
39:48unstoppable,
39:49flooding into mine.
39:51Father, help me!
39:52My power!
39:53It's draining!
39:55I look up at Father.
39:57He's always loved
39:58Isolde best,
39:59the daughter of the woman
40:00who owned his heart.
40:01That devotion
40:02never wavered.
40:03Not even now.
40:04He moves to kill me
40:05outright.
40:06But in his desperation,
40:07he forgets.
40:08Striking me
40:09carries a price.
40:12This time,
40:13the covenant
40:13shows no mercy.
40:15Golden Dragonfire
40:16hammers Father
40:17until his soul
40:18disintegrates.
40:19He scatters into nothing
40:21before our eyes.
40:22Isolde doesn't have
40:23time to grieve.
40:24Every shred
40:25of gifted talent
40:26has been reclaimed.
40:27Her mana plummets
40:28to that of an
40:29ordinary dragon.
40:30And behind her,
40:31the dark horde
40:32circles.
40:33I pull the sword
40:34from my chest
40:35and walk away.
40:36Isolde finally
40:37grasps her situation.
40:38Terror floods her face.
40:40Sarah,
40:40you can't do this to me!
40:42I'm Isoleth!
40:43I'm the first princess
40:44of Clan Arion!
40:45I'm your sister!
40:47You can't abandon me
40:48for those!
40:49Scream behind me.
40:50This time,
40:51I don't turn around.
40:52I drive out
40:53every last beast
40:54and rebuild order
40:55on Drake's fire.
40:56The hatchling
40:57from before
40:57runs up
40:58and wraps herself
40:59around my leg.
41:00Your highness,
41:01without you,
41:02I'd be an orphan.
41:03Clan members
41:03who used to look
41:04through me
41:04now kneel at my feet.
41:06Your highness,
41:06we were blind before.
41:08You drove back the horde.
41:10You saved Dragonspine.
41:11The Archon's crown
41:12belongs to you.
41:14I shake my head.
41:15I place the Archon's crown
41:16into Thyra's hands.
41:17The one who never mocked me.
41:18The first to stand up
41:20for an open trial.
41:21The one who held the line
41:22when the dark horde came.
41:23Shielding the weak.
41:24Saving lives
41:25while others ran.
41:26I will always protect
41:28Clan Arion,
41:29but the Archon's seat
41:30was never meant
41:30to be inherited by blood.
41:32Power belongs
41:32to those who protect,
41:34not those who take.
41:34Thyra is the right choice.
41:36I return to the Sanctum,
41:37devote myself to cultivation.
41:38With my full divine power restored,
41:40my strength surges
41:41beyond anything I imagined.
41:43Divine tribulation descends,
41:45bolt after bolt,
41:46and I weather everyone.
41:47Then, ascension.
41:48Under the gaze
41:49of the entire clan,
41:50I shift into my true form,
41:52a complete golden dragon,
41:53blazing against the sky.
41:55A silver dragon coils beside me.
41:57Kale,
41:57transformed through the bond.
41:59No longer silver serpentine,
42:00a silver dragon.
42:01Though his clingy nature
42:02hasn't changed one bit.
42:04His voice flows through the bond.
42:05Where you go,
42:06I go.
42:07That was the oath.
42:08I tilt my dragon head toward him.
42:09Then hold on tight.
42:11I've heard the divine realm
42:12has terrible weather.
42:13Two dragons,
42:14one gold,
42:15one silver,
42:16spiral upward
42:17and vanish into the clouds.
42:18They never come back.
42:19They never come back.
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