- 13 minutes ago
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00:00My sister and I spent our entire lives running from the Shadow Prince.
00:03She always knew why he was hunting us, but she never told me.
00:06When fate finally gave us a chance to fight back, I chose the legendary Fire Phoenix.
00:11My sister was left with the weakest beast in the kingdom, a Grey Wolf.
00:15Everyone said I had made the right choice. They were wrong.
00:18Because of me, my sister could only watch me die.
00:21If I'd let you choose the Phoenix, maybe we could have saved the world.
00:30Live, Serafina.
00:32No, Selina!
00:35Everything goes dark.
00:37I inhale sharply. Light floods in. Warmth. Noise.
00:42Choose your bonded shifter, mate. Fate begins today.
00:46My hands. No blood. I'm back.
00:50In my last life, I chose the Fire Phoenix.
00:54They called it blessing, but it called me useless.
00:56No matter how hard I trained, I could never unlock its full power.
01:00The Phoenix never hid his disappointment.
01:02If Serafina had chosen me, I wouldn't have been wasted.
01:06At the time, I thought he hated me. Now I know he was right.
01:09My sister was always stronger and talented.
01:11If Serafina had possessed Phoenix full power from the beginning, maybe we all would have survived.
01:16So this time, I will fix everything.
01:18The Fire Phoenix is summoned. Flames explode across the hall.
01:22All eyes turn.
01:23I step forward before anyone else moves.
01:25She's going first.
01:26Is she insane?
01:28A cage opens.
01:29Inside, a small gray wolf.
01:31Dull fur.
01:31Half-asleep eyes.
01:32I kneel, taking the gray wolf into my arms.
01:35I choose you.
01:36Of course she got that one!
01:37She gave the Phoenix away and took trash!
01:39Serafina Vale.
01:41You are chosen.
01:42Fire Phoenix is yours.
01:44Perfect resonates beyond expectation.
01:46A destined queen and her god-beast.
01:48At the same time, the gray wolf lifts its head.
01:51Its eyes shift moon-white, just for a heartbeat.
01:54A colossal white wolf.
01:56Serafina looks at me with worry.
01:57You still make the wrong choices, Selina.
01:59Far beyond the kingdom, a man suddenly opens his eyes.
02:02Silver irides.
02:03Darkness coils around him.
02:05He presses a hand against his chest and smiles.
02:08After 20 years, I finally found you.
02:14Three years later, everyone already knows one truth.
02:17Serafina Vale is the future of the pack.
02:19In the training arena, fire erupts into the sky.
02:22Serafina stands at its center.
02:23Beside her, the Fire Phoenix have taken human form.
02:25A flame-crowned warrior bows only to her will.
02:28She trained it to shift in just one year?
02:30That's impossible talent.
02:32She's already beyond the instructors.
02:34Meanwhile, behind the restricted forest boundary,
02:37I was floating lazily in a hidden moonspring.
02:40The gray wolf lunged beside the water.
02:41Half asleep, I climbed onto a slippery rock,
02:44lost my balance, and slipped.
02:46The current pulled me under.
02:47Water rushed into my lung.
02:49A hand caught my waist.
02:50For a heartbeat, I surfaced.
02:52A tall figure stood waist-deep in the water.
02:54Silver white hair.
02:55Moonlit skin.
02:56Then I blinked.
02:57The figure vanished.
02:58The gray wolf was suddenly beside me again,
03:00dragging me back to shore.
03:01I coughed.
03:02Stared at him.
03:03Did you just save me?
03:04The wolf yawned, turned away,
03:06and promptly fell asleep,
03:07as if nothing had happened.
03:08But beneath the water, for a brief second,
03:11ancient moon runes glowed beneath his fur.
03:14Footsteps.
03:15Seraphine appears at the riverbank.
03:16You've been missing from every training cycle.
03:18I've been training!
03:19Very hard!
03:20Seriously!
03:20There's a hidden mono-rich zone here!
03:22A rift!
03:22A super-magical congregants point!
03:24The wolf yawns beside me,
03:25completely unhelpful.
03:26She is lying.
03:27None of your business, bird man!
03:29I believe her.
03:31Your aura is stronger than before.
03:32That means you are training,
03:34in your own way.
03:35See?
03:35My sister trusts me more than a magical bird.
03:38You are wasting potential.
03:39She is not a waste.
03:41Council halls.
03:42Seraphina will become the next queen.
03:44Her phoenix bond is flawless.
03:46As for Selina,
03:47you bonded with a perfective beast.
03:48She will never rise above tier four.
03:50The prophecy says that one of the two will save the world.
03:53Seems it can't be Selina.
03:54Back at our secret magic spring,
03:56I was lying on the wolf.
03:58Since when did you get this big,
04:00little wolf?
04:02I sleep beside the white wolf in the deep forest.
04:05Time feels irrelevant here,
04:07until something inside me shifts.
04:08A memory.
04:09A blood-soaked past.
04:10That war.
04:11It's almost time.
04:12The last war.
04:13The one I died in.
04:13Let's go.
04:14I want to see Seraphina.
04:16It simply lowers itself,
04:17and carries me through the forest.
04:19We stop outside Seraphina's chamber.
04:22Recent magic disturbances are escalating.
04:23The Shadow Sovereign's prince is rumored to be awakening.
04:26If that is true,
04:27they will come for revenge.
04:28Twenty years ago,
04:28we barely survived that war,
04:30and now, among the younger generation,
04:31only Seraph and Val has reached Tier IX.
04:33Even that will not be enough
04:34against a full-scale demonic invasion.
04:36I never said I was Tier IX.
04:38I am already Tier X.
04:40Ten?
04:41That's impossible.
04:42No one has reached Ascendant Tier in decades.
04:45Whispers explode behind the walls.
04:47I will defend the crisis,
04:48but my sister, Selene Vale,
04:50will not be involved.
04:51If the war comes,
04:52we may need to sacrifice Selina.
04:53The thing inside her heart to him...
04:54She is not a resource,
04:55and if anyone tries to hurt her,
04:57I will turn against the council myself.
04:59You are strong, Seraphina,
05:01but not above the council.
05:02Then the council will have to decide what it can survive.
05:05I stand outside, listening.
05:06The white wolf presses gently against my side.
05:09They are arguing about war,
05:10but no one is asking me.
05:12The wolf's eyes flicker.
05:13Moonlight inside them deepens.
05:15What are they hiding from me?
05:16Then I heard my sister's footsteps drawing nearer.
05:19I swung onto the white wolf's back.
05:22Take me to the manorift.
05:23A second later,
05:24we are racing through the forest.
05:25Something felt wrong.
05:27Someone is waiting.
05:28The hidden manorift came into view,
05:30but someone was already there.
05:32A man stood atop a black stone.
05:33Tall, dressed in black.
05:34Silver eyes.
05:35Darkness curling around him like living smoke.
05:37I knew that face.
05:38I'd watched him walk through a battlefield
05:39full of corpses toward mine.
05:42The shadow prince,
05:42Cael Dran,
05:43the man who started the war.
05:44He smiled.
05:45There you are.
05:46His gaze settled on me,
05:48like he'd been searching for something precious.
05:50Do you know how difficult you've been to find?
05:53The white wolf immediately stepped in front of me.
05:55Its entire body tensed.
05:57Cael noticed.
05:57His smile widened.
05:59Interesting.
06:00Still pretending?
06:01The white wolf growled.
06:03Such devotion.
06:04You're wasting it on her.
06:06I frowned.
06:06Excuse me?
06:07His gaze returned to me.
06:09A girl with barely enough magic to protect herself.
06:11And a half-awakened beast.
06:13He laughed softly.
06:14Neither of you are worth killing.
06:15The white wolf snarled.
06:17Don't!
06:17The white wolf launched the forest.
06:19A silver blare exploding through the air.
06:21Cael drew a black blade.
06:23Moonlight and shadow collided.
06:24Boom.
06:25The impact shattered the stone beneath me.
06:28I joined the fight immediately.
06:30Arcanic Enne surged from my palms.
06:32Then Cael smiled and clapped once.
06:34The forest exploded.
06:35Shadowborn warriors dropped from every direction.
06:38Twelve.
06:38A trap.
06:39The white wolf had led me straight into a battlefield.
06:41Chaos.
06:42Magic ripped through the forest.
06:44Trees shattered.
06:45The ground split apart.
06:46The white wolf fought like something possessed.
06:48Tearing through enemies.
06:49Protecting me.
06:50But there were too many.
06:51Then it happened.
06:51Pain.
06:52My heart seized violently.
06:53Like invisible fingers had wrapped around it.
06:55Crushing.
06:56Twisting.
06:56Pulling.
06:57I collapsed to one knee.
06:58Selina!
06:59For the first time he spoke.
07:00A male voice.
07:01Deep terrified.
07:02I looked up in shock.
07:02The distraction cost me.
07:04A shadow blade slashed across his side.
07:06Cael finally moved.
07:07His sword dragged across the ground.
07:09Screeching.
07:10I've waited twenty years.
07:12He stopped in front of me.
07:13Do you know what's inside your heart, Selina?
07:15I couldn't answer.
07:16The pain was unbearable.
07:17His smile disappeared.
07:19Because I do.
07:20He raised his blade.
07:21A pillar of fire erupted across the horizon.
07:24Selina!
07:53Serafana.
07:55Wolf's body.
07:55His form expanded.
07:56Larger.
07:57Higher.
07:59White fur erupted rudiment like moonlit fire.
08:01Ancient runes ignited beneath his skin.
08:04The earth split beneath his feet.
08:06A colossal celestial beast emerged.
08:08A wolf god.
08:09She is mine.
08:10Touch her again.
08:12And I will tear this world apart.
08:14Boom.
08:15Cael was hurled across the battlefield.
08:17The divine beasts of war pinned him effortlessly.
08:19I stared.
08:20Unable to breathe.
08:21My wolf was gone.
08:22In his place stood a creature from legend.
08:25My voice came out as a whisper.
08:26Wolfie?
08:27The giant beast turned.
08:28Murder is still burning in those glowing eyes.
08:31But when he looked at me, the fury softened.
08:33Then the pain in my chest exploded again.
08:36Darkness swallowed everything.
08:39My head feels like it's splitting apart.
08:41Every breath hurts.
08:42I force my eyes open.
08:44Shadows moving beside my bed.
08:46Two voices.
08:47One angry.
08:48One cold.
08:48The Elder.
08:49And Serafana.
08:51As long as the Heartcore exists,
08:53Cael will never stop hunting her.
08:55Heartcore.
08:56My head thrabs.
08:57If he takes it back,
08:58everything we fought for 20 years ago will collapse.
09:01Millions could die.
09:02For the first time,
09:03I heard genuine anger in my sister's voice.
09:05Then let them find another way.
09:07The room falls silent.
09:08Selina is not the price.
09:10The Elder exhales sharply.
09:11And if there is no other way?
09:12Then I choose her.
09:13Something escapes my throat.
09:15A weak sound.
09:16The argument stops immediately.
09:18Footsteps.
09:18Fast.
09:19The next second,
09:20Serafina is beside me.
09:21Her hands shake slightly.
09:22Selina?
09:23You're awake.
09:24Everything hurts.
09:25One thought breaks through the fog.
09:27Wolfie.
09:27The word comes out harsky.
09:29He's fine.
09:30Relief floods me.
09:31As if summoned,
09:31the door bursts open.
09:33A familiar blur launches onto the bed.
09:34White fur.
09:35Warm weight.
09:36My wolf immediately shoves his head into my hand.
09:39Demanding attention.
09:40You're tiny again.
09:43Being gigantic is exhausting.
09:45Everyone in the room freezes.
09:47The Elder nearly drops his cane.
09:48Wait.
09:49You can talk now?
09:50I've always been intelligent.
09:53Laughter fades.
09:54The memory returns.
09:55Kale.
09:56The battlefield.
09:57The pain in my chest.
09:58The things I overheard.
09:59Why did they say someone wanted me dead?
10:02And how did Kyle find the mana rift?
10:04Even Serafina's expression changes.
10:06The wolf presses closer, avoiding my eyes.
10:09Serafina looks away, which tells me everything.
10:11They know.
10:12All of them know.
10:13And none of them want to tell me.
10:16Stop doing that.
10:18Stop deciding things for me.
10:20If this has something to do with me, then I deserve the truth.
10:23Several days later, the wounds begin to heal.
10:26I return to the hidden mana spring.
10:28The only place that still feels normal.
10:30The water glows faintly beneath the moonlight.
10:32The wolf lies beside me.
10:34I break the silence.
10:35Tell me everything.
10:36He finally speaks.
10:3820 years ago, a prince lost something far more important than a war.
10:42The spring water begins to ripple.
10:44The wolf looks directly into my eyes.
10:46And somehow, he left it inside you.
10:51Serafina and I were never supposed to survive.
10:5320 years ago, two infant girls were discovered near an ancient mana rift deep within the forest.
10:57No family, only us.
10:58Wrapped in the same blanket.
10:59Left beside a dying woman.
11:01No one knew who she was.
11:02The council spent years investigating.
11:04And eventually uncovered the truth.
11:05The woman had been pregnant during the Great Shadow War.
11:07An ordinary human.
11:08She came into possession of something impossible.
11:10The lost heart core of the Shadow Prince.
11:11The source of Kale's power.
11:13The object he'd spent 20 years searching for.
11:14She accidentally absorbed it, and it killed her.
11:16But before she died, she gave birth to us.
11:18The heart core should never have survived inside a human body.
11:21Yet somehow, it did.
11:22Part of its power touched Serafina.
11:24That was why she became extraordinary.
11:25Why she rose faster than anyone in history.
11:27The rest ended up inside me, buried in my heart, suppressing me.
11:30Keeping every ounce of my potential locked away.
11:32The reason I was always weaker wasn't because I lacked talent.
11:35It was because something inside me was holding it back.
11:38Kale can feel it.
11:39That's how he found you.
11:40And if he takes it back...
11:41I already knew.
11:42I died.
11:44Suddenly, everything made sense.
11:46The arguments.
11:47The secrecy.
11:47The fear.
11:48The council wasn't debating strategy.
11:50They were debating me.
11:51Destroy the heart core.
11:52Save the world.
11:52Or save me.
11:53Risk everything.
11:54Honestly, the decision seemed obvious.
11:56One life or millions.
11:58Who wouldn't know which to choose?
12:00Serafina visited again.
12:01The phoenix came with her.
12:02The fire warrior leaned against the doorway, watching me carefully.
12:06You're being weird.
12:07What?
12:07You keep checking if I'm still alive.
12:09See?
12:09Exactly that face.
12:10The phoenix looked at Serafina for help.
12:13She was already glaring at him.
12:14I didn't say anything.
12:15I know.
12:16Relax.
12:18You're acting like I'm dying.
12:20Serafina's expression changed.
12:21The kind that made people regret speaking.
12:24Nobody is dying.
12:25Not you.
12:26Not while we're here.
12:26Then Serafina sat beside me and gently brushed my hair back, exactly like she did when we were
12:31children.
12:32Listen to me, Selina.
12:33I don't care what the council wants.
12:35I don't care what the world wants.
12:36No one gets to decide your life except you.
12:39And as long as I'm breathing, no one is taking you from me.
12:42I stared at her.
12:43My chest suddenly felt heavier because she meant it.
12:45Every word.
12:46And that was exactly why I was terrified.
12:48I looked down, avoiding her eyes.
12:50Serafina.
12:51There's something I never told you.
12:52I took a breath and finally said it.
12:54I've died before.
12:56The truth is, Kale killed me in my first life.
12:59Maybe this is just fate.
13:00Maybe some endings can't be changed.
13:02My fingers tightened around the blanket.
13:04I got a second chance.
13:05I tried.
13:05But maybe I was always meant to die.
13:07And honestly, I've made peace with that.
13:09The color drained from her face as if she couldn't believe what she'd heard.
13:13What?
13:13You remember?
13:14Remember what?
13:15Tears instantly filled her eyes.
13:17She took a shaky step forward.
13:19Selina, you got a second chance too?
13:21My breath caught.
13:22The world seemed to stop.
13:24Too?
13:25Wait.
13:26What do you mean too?
13:27A tear rolled down her cheek.
13:28And suddenly, I knew.
13:30Serafina.
13:30Don't tell me.
13:31I remember everything.
13:32You died.
13:33And I watched it happen.
13:34She pulled me into her arms.
13:36Holding me so tightly it almost hurt.
13:38I watched him kill you.
13:39You died in my arms, Selina.
13:41And there was nothing I could do.
13:42I felt her trembling.
13:44Serafina wasn't fearless.
13:45She was terrified.
13:46Terrified of losing me again.
13:48When I woke up here again, I swore I'd change everything.
13:51Flames flickered behind her.
13:52That's why I took the phoenix.
13:54Wait, that was intentional?
13:55Of course it was.
13:56You gave him to me.
13:56So I trained.
13:58A bitter laugh escaped her.
13:59Every day.
14:00Every night.
14:00I pushed myself until I could barely stand.
14:02The phoenix lowered his eyes.
14:04I wasn't chasing power.
14:05She grabbed my hand.
14:07I was chasing enough strength to save you.
14:09Quick cuts.
14:10A battlefield.
14:11Blood.
14:11Fire.
14:12Serafina screaming.
14:13Selina's lifeless body.
14:14Kyle kneeling beside it.
14:16His hand reaching into her chest.
14:17A crimson glow.
14:18The heart core.
14:19Taken.
14:20Serafina's expression hardened.
14:21After the war ended, I went after him.
14:23You what?
14:24You infiltrated the Shadow Realm by yourself?
14:27Obviously.
14:28That is not obvious!
14:29I laughed.
14:30The phoenix looked genuinely offended.
14:32I found him.
14:32He was still adapting to the heart core.
14:34Hope flickered in my chest.
14:36Then vanished.
14:37I failed.
14:37I wasn't strong enough.
14:39The words seemed to hurt her more than any wound.
14:41He nearly killed me.
14:42And I died alone in a prison cell.
14:44The white wolf stared at me.
14:46Then at Serafina.
14:47Then back at me.
14:48So, you knew I'd awaken?
14:50I nodded.
14:51The white wolf looked horrified.
14:52And you still thought I was just a wolf?
14:54The phoenix immediately cut in.
14:55Wait, forget him.
14:56He pointed at me.
14:57You dumped me on purpose?
14:58I nodded again.
14:59Absolutely.
15:00The phoenix looked personally betrayed.
15:02I spent an entire lifetime dragging you into training.
15:05Exactly.
15:05You ungrateful little menace.
15:06My smile faded.
15:08Because none of that changed the real issue.
15:10I looked at Serafina.
15:11The elder is right.
15:12Her expression darkened immediately.
15:14Selina.
15:15No.
15:15I continued anyway.
15:16As long as the heart core exists.
15:18Kale will keep coming.
15:19There was one thing I still hadn't told anyone.
15:22Not Serafina.
15:23Not the white wolf.
15:23Every time Kale got close, the same thing happened.
15:26The pain.
15:27My heart felt like it belonged to him.
15:29Like something inside me answered when he called.
15:31The first time I thought it was coincidence.
15:33The second time I wasn't sure.
15:34The third time I knew.
15:36Kale wasn't just searching for the heart core.
15:38He could reach it.
15:38Even now.
15:39That night, I woke suddenly.
15:41Pain exploded through my chest.
15:42Far worse than before.
15:43I gasped.
15:44Falling to my knees.
15:45And then, I heard a voice.
15:47Not in the room.
15:48Inside my head.
15:49Cold.
15:49Amused.
15:50Dangerously familiar.
15:51Bound you.
15:52My blood froze.
15:53Because I recognized it instantly.
15:55Kale.
15:55Run if you want, little star.
15:57Your heart still belongs to me.
15:58Every day, I buried myself in the archives.
16:01Tower after tower of ancient books.
16:03Forbidden records.
16:04Lost war journals.
16:05Anything connected to the heart core.
16:07Serafina had already searched them all.
16:09Twice.
16:09Maybe three times.
16:10She claimed there were no answers.
16:12I knew she was lying.
16:13Not to deceive me.
16:14To comfort me.
16:15Because if she kept searching, it meant she still believed she could save me.
16:18Serafina searched for a way to absorb the heart core.
16:21I searched for something else.
16:22How to sever it.
16:23How to break the bond between Kale and the thing inside my chest.
16:26And what would happen if I did.
16:27The white wolf became my favorite distraction.
16:29Mostly because I kept forcing him to transform.
16:32His divine form was ridiculous.
16:33Massive.
16:34Terrifying.
16:34Perfect.
16:35I sprawled across his back while he crossed the forest.
16:37When are you finally turning into a handsome guy?
16:39When my partner becomes useful.
16:41I sat up immediately.
16:42Excuse me?
16:43Your mad fuel's my evolution.
16:44Currently, you're disappointing me.
16:45I gasped dramatically.
16:47Then jumped straight into the mana spring.
16:48Splash.
16:49The wolf got soaked.
16:50Fine.
16:50I'm gonna train until you become hotter than the phoenix.
16:53The wolf looked offended.
16:54I already am.
16:54A few days later, I saw the elder standing outside the mana rift.
16:58Immediately, I knew Kale was coming.
17:01The elder looked older than before.
17:03Tired.
17:03Defeated.
17:04Selina, there are things I need to say.
17:06I already knew what was coming.
17:08If Serafana keeps protecting you, she'll spend the rest of her life fighting this war.
17:12She could become the greatest mage of our generation.
17:14She could change the world.
17:15But not if she's forced to spend every day saving you.
17:18I stayed silent because part of me feared he was right.
17:21Then the elder did something unexpected.
17:22He knelt.
17:23An old man, leader of the citadel, kneeling before me.
17:27Take my life instead.
17:29The white wolf-wolf growled.
17:31I froze.
17:32If a life must be traded, take mine.
17:35I don't want your life.
17:37I want my own.
17:38I was fighting for myself.
17:41The next day, the Shadowborn returned.
17:43An army blackened the horizon.
17:45Kale stood at the rear watching.
17:46Hey, my beauty.
17:47I miss you so much.
17:49Like a king observing a game he already intended to win.
17:53Then our eyes met.
17:54His fingers moved.
17:56Pain exploded through my chest.
17:58But I pretended not to react.
18:00Kale's smile widened.
18:01As if he understood exactly what I was doing.
18:04The battle erupted.
18:06Fire.
18:07Steel.
18:08Magic.
18:09Blood.
18:10Serafana remained beside me.
18:12But soon she realized something.
18:13Every Shadowborn warrior was targeting her.
18:16Not me.
18:17The strongest defender.
18:18The biggest threat.
18:19Kale wasn't trying to kill her.
18:21He was exhausting her.
18:22Slowly.
18:23Eventually, Serafana saw it too.
18:25She launched into the sky.
18:27Straight toward Kale.
18:29The phoenix streaked behind her.
18:31A comet of living fire.
18:32Pain detonated inside my chest.
18:35This time far worse than before.
18:37I screamed.
18:39And collapsed.
18:41Selina!
18:42One mistake.
18:44One glance.
18:45That was all Kale needed.
18:46His sword flashed.
18:47Blood exploded across the sky.
18:49The phoenix caught her before she fell.
18:51But the blade had already struck.
18:53My sister bleeding.
18:55Because of me.
18:56The answer became obvious.
18:58Not because the Elder told me.
18:59Not because fate demanded it.
19:01Because I couldn't watch this happen anymore.
19:03The ancient texts had revealed two possibilities.
19:06One.
19:06Absorb the heart core completely.
19:08Become stronger than it.
19:09Destroy its connection to Kale forever.
19:11Impossible.
19:12Not in time.
19:13The second option.
19:14I looked at my chest.
19:16And smiled sadly.
19:17Destroy it.
19:18At the source.
19:19Rip it from my own heart.
19:21Then shatter it.
19:22The white wolf suddenly appeared beside me.
19:25Selina.
19:25I looked at him.
19:26Then at Serafana.
19:27Still bleeding in the phoenix's arms.
19:29I found a way.
19:30The white wolf's expression changed instantly.
19:33Because he understood.
19:34No.
19:34I smiled.
19:35The same smile I'd worn in my first life.
19:38This time.
19:39I get to choose.
19:41My hand moved toward my heart.
19:42The heart core floated above my palm.
19:44A crimson star.
19:45Pulsing.
19:46Alive.
19:47The battlefield fell silent.
19:49Thousands of warriors.
19:50Humans.
19:51Shadowborn.
19:52Beasts.
19:53Everyone stopped fighting.
19:55Watching.
19:56Waiting.
19:56For what I would do next.
19:58Then I heard it.
19:58A scream.
19:59Pure despair.
20:00Selina, no!
20:02Serafina.
20:02The sound tore through me.
20:04I turned.
20:04My sister was struggling to reach me.
20:06Blood staining her armor.
20:07Tears streaming down her face.
20:09She looked exactly like she had in my first life.
20:12The day she lost me.
20:13Again.
20:14Another voice.
20:15Selina!
20:16The phoenix.
20:18Just panic.
20:19Don't do this!
20:23The white wolf.
20:25Silver light exploded across the sky.
20:27The celestial wolf launched upward.
20:29Faster than lightning.
20:30White fur became flowing silver white hair.
20:33Claws became hands.
20:34Moonlight wrapped around him like living armor.
20:37Ancient symbols burned across bare skin.
20:39Blue eyes.
20:40Brighter than stars.
20:41Beautiful.
20:42Terrifying.
20:43Divine.
20:44Exactly as I'd imagined.
20:46Maybe even better.
20:47For a moment.
20:49I almost laughed.
20:50You finally did it.
20:51His eyes were full of pain.
20:53I hadn't told him.
20:54Not this.
20:54Not my plan.
20:55He'd spent years secretly growing stronger.
20:56Training while I slept.
20:58Investigating the heart core.
20:59Trying to protect me.
20:59And I'd gone behind his back anyway.
21:01Some things never changed.
21:02I turned toward Kale.
21:03Shadow Prince looked afraid.
21:04Because the heart core was finally within reach.
21:06And he couldn't take it.
21:07I smiled.
21:08The same one he'd worn when he thought he'd already won.
21:10Then I raised my hand.
21:11Kale moved instantly.
21:12He shot toward me.
21:13Too late.
21:14My fingers closed.
21:15Red light exploded across the heavens.
21:16A shockwave rolled across the battlefield.
21:18The bond snapped.
21:20Forever.
21:20Kale screamed.
21:21It echoed across mountains.
21:23And then it was over.
21:24The heart core turned to dust.
21:26And slipped through my fingers.
21:28Gone.
21:28Kale's sword flashed.
21:30Before anyone could react.
21:31A silver figure appeared.
21:33The wolf.
21:33He caught the blade with one hand.
21:35Moonlight erupted.
21:36Kale was hurled from the sky.
21:38Crashing into the earth below.
21:39The battlefield shook.
21:40But I barely saw it.
21:41Because everything was fading.
21:43The world felt distant.
21:44Cold.
21:45Heavy.
21:45I was falling.
21:46I looked up.
21:47The wolf held me against his chest.
21:49As if holding tighter would somehow save me.
21:51I smiled weakly.
21:52You know.
21:53My fingers brushed his cheek.
21:55You really are prettier than the phoenix.
21:58Don't.
21:58Please.
21:59You'll belong to someone else now.
22:01No.
22:02Never.
22:03He pressed his forehead against mine.
22:05I'm yours.
22:06A tear slipped down his face.
22:07I've always been yours.
22:09And if you die.
22:10Then I'll follow.
22:12Through every lifetime.
22:13Every world.
22:14I'll find you.
22:15Darkness.
22:16Again.
22:16For a while.
22:17I thought I had died.
22:18Maybe I was drifting through another lifetime.
22:20Sometimes I dreamed of Serafina.
22:21Wondering if she was beside me.
22:23Waiting to be born with me all over again.
22:24And then one day.
22:25I opened my eyes.
22:27Light flooded in.
22:28I wasn't dead.
22:28My neck felt stiff.
22:30Every bone in my body ached.
22:31Slowly.
22:32I turned my head.
22:33Someone was lying beside me.
22:35White fur.
22:35A wolf.
22:36You learned how to become a god.
22:38And you're still a wolf.
22:40She's awake!
22:41The phoenix was the first to notice.
22:43Serafina crossed the distance in an instant.
22:45And wrapped her arms around me.
22:47So tightly I could barely breathe.
22:49Warm tears soaked my shoulder.
22:52Your body's just stiff.
22:54You've been asleep for a year.
22:55A year.
22:56I blinked.
22:59A year?!
23:00Eventually she told me everything.
23:02The wolf had given me half his heart.
23:04Half his heart.
23:05The bond between us kept me alive.
23:07But the cost was enormous.
23:08I survived.
23:09Barely.
23:10No more powerful magic.
23:11No legendary future.
23:13No glorious destiny.
23:14Just life.
23:15And honestly, that sounded perfect.
23:17Perfect.