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