The first time I lived, my sister and I found two dragon eggs.

The black one pulsed with raw, untamed power.

My sister, Isabella, claimed it without a second thought.

The white one was left for me. A cracked, forgotten thing.

It held only a whisper of magic. I took it out of pity.

Within a year, the black dragon shattered his shell and emerged a man so beautiful it was a curse.

He became Isabella's devoted weapon, his power forging her path to godhood.

Meanwhile, the white egg fed on me.

I poured everything I had into my white egg.

My magic, my money, my soul.

For ten long years, it gave me nothing.

Everyone said to abandon it. But I couldn’t.

I was an orphan, ignored by my sister. I just wanted a companion.

But as the dark plague swept the lands, the egg I'd nurtured for a decade hatched overnight—while I was dying, he soared past me to save Isabella.

He could have hatched years ago. Could have been human all along.

But he chose Isabella. He mistook her for his savior.

Then I was back to the day it all began.

This time, Isabella lunged for the white egg first, afraid I'd take it.

I slung my worn satchel of herbs over my shoulder. Turned my back on them both.

"You can have them both," I said calmly. "I choose myself."

This life, I swore I would have nothing to do with Adrian.

But now, he's the one filled with regret, willing to give his own life just to have me look at him one more time.

The first time I lived, my sister and I found two dragon eggs.

The black one pulsed with raw, untamed power.

My sister, Isabella, claimed it without a second thought.

The white one was left for me. A cracked, forgotten thing.

It held only a whisper of magic. I took it out of pity.

Within a year, the black dragon shattered his shell and emerged a man so beautiful it was a curse.

He became Isabella's devoted weapon, his power forging her path to godhood.

Meanwhile, the white egg fed on me.

I poured everything I had into my white egg.

My magic, my money, my soul.

For ten long years, it gave me nothing.

Everyone said to abandon it. But I couldn't.

I was an orphan, ignored by my sister. I just wanted a companion.

But as the dark plague swept the lands, the egg I'd nurtured for a decade hatched overnight—while I was dying, he soared past me to save Isabella.

He could have hatched years ago. Could have been human all along.

But he chose Isabella. He mistook her for his savior.

Then I was back to the day it all began.

This time, Isabella lunged for the white egg first, afraid I'd take it.

I slung my worn satchel of herbs over my shoulder. Turned my back on them both.

"You can have them both," I said calmly. "I choose myself."

This life, I swore I would have nothing to do with Adrian.

But now, he's the one filled with regret, willing to give his own life just to have me look at him one more time.

...

"Eva, I'm taking this one!" Isabella declared, snatching the white egg before I could even react.

"Just look at it! The shell is flawless, the magic so pure. This one is destined for greatness!" she gushed.

"It's just like the egg from the old legend that a farmer's wife found! The one that made her a goddess!"

Isabella clutched the egg tighter, a possessive glint in her eyes.

The villagers swarmed around her, their voices a rising chorus.

"Isabella, of course it's yours! Your eye for magic is a gift from the gods!"

"A treasure like that would be wasted on Eva so plain. So powerless."

"She wouldn't even know what to do with it!"

"Oh, stop being so modest, Isabella! Take the egg! It was destiny!"

A flash of triumph lit Isabella's eyes before she veiled it with practiced humility.

She clutched the egg to her chest.

"Oh, please, everyone. I just… felt a pull. A connection."

I frowned.

Anyone with a sliver of magical sense could feel the life inside the white egg was fading to nothing.

It was riddled with hairline cracks, practically screaming its own death.

The black egg, meanwhile, had cryptic runes swirling across its shell, shimmering with a rainbow iridescence.

The villagers were ignorant, but Isabella knew better.

Last time, she'd practically spat on the white egg, calling it worthless before shoving it at me.

Now she was fawning over it.

So. She's back, too.

The irony was a bitter pill in my throat.

She was cradling her own doom and calling it a prize.

"If you like it so much, it's all yours." I shouldered my worn satchel of herbs and started to walk away. "And I don't want the other one."

"Eva!" Isabella was stunned.

She never expected me to be so decisive.

It shattered her perfectly crafted script.

Seeing me about to leave, she dropped the act.

Panic flashed in her eyes.

She scrambled forward, trying to grab both eggs.

With the black egg tucked under one arm, she reached for the white one, but her boot caught on a loose stone.

She pitched forward with a cry.

The white egg flew from her grasp.

It hit a jagged rock with a sickening CRACK.

The world went silent.

A web of fissures spread across its pristine shell.

Isabella's face went deathly pale.

It wasn't the egg she mourned.

It was her ticket to godhood.

She scooped it up, her face a perfect mask of horror.

Crocodile tears streamed down her cheeks.

She whirled on me, her voice thick with sobs.

"Eva… it's all my fault… I was just trying to keep it safe for you..."

Before she could finish, the villagers' accusations turned on me.

"Evangeline, you monster! She was only trying to help, and you made her fall!"

"This is your fault, you cold-hearted witch!"

"Isabella, don't cry. She's just a jinx. It has nothing to do with you."

I gripped the straps of my basket and turned to stare coldly at the scene.

It was always the same story.

Her greed. Her mistake. My fault.

A laugh tore from my throat. "Well, Isabella. Since you're so kind, you can take care of your broken prize. You're the one who caused its little… accident."

Isabella froze.

The white egg was so badly damaged, saving it would cost a fortune in magic and money we didn't have.

She wanted a perfect divine companion, but she'd just turned it into a worthless burden.

She held the cracked egg, trapped.

Just then, a brilliant white light exploded from the egg.

Everyone fell silent.

I whipped my head around.

A man, naked and divine, with dragon wings unfurled behind him, shimmered into existence.

A single trickle of blood traced a path from the corner of his perfect mouth, a stark crimson against pale skin.

The impact had forced him out.

That one flaw, that smear of blood, only made his otherworldly beauty more devastating.

The crowd held its breath.

I froze, too.

The white dragon… He'd hatched.

My nails dug into the leather straps of my satchel of herbs.

In my first life, I thought I had spent a decade nursing him back to life.

That my magic had finally given him a human form.

I was wrong.

He could have done it all along.

For years, he let them mock me.

Let them call me the girl with the dud egg.

And he did nothing.

Now, even in his weakest state, he could force his way out.

Adrian's gaze cut through the crowd.

It bypassed everyone else.

It found me.

His eyes were wide, desperate.

A silent question. A plea.

"Oh, gods! He took human form!"

Isabella's eyes lit up with wild joy, her earlier hesitation gone.

"He's hurt because of me! I'll take full responsibility!"

A dragon that could take human form was a dragon on the verge of godhood.

The villagers were too stunned by Adrian's god-like beauty to speak.

Seeing me just standing there, Isabella moved to block him from view, a casual shield for his naked form.

"Eva, since you said you didn't want him, and you wouldn't listen to me… I suppose I'll just have to take him home and care for him myself."

"You don't have to explain, Isabella! She said she didn't want him! If she tries to go back on her word, she'll be a disgrace!" a villager shouted.

"Exactly! What a good eye you have, Isabella! To find a dragon like this!"

"Oh my..." Isabella blushed, feigning shyness. "I'm sure my sister isn't the type of person to go back on her word..."

I stared coldly at Adrian.

He was still looking past everyone, right at me.

That desperate hatching, that complicated gaze…

He was looking at me like he knew me.

And I understood.

He was back, too.

He hadn't hatched because he fell.

He'd hatched because he sensed I was walking away.

And when I turned my back on him without a second glance, I saw shock, and something like betrayal, flash in his eyes.

The village was soon buzzing with the story of how I'd thrown away a future god.

Adrian's divine beauty had convinced everyone.

No one doubted he would one day ascend.

They laughed at my blindness and praised Isabella's sharp instincts.

Everyone expected me to come crawling back, begging for a scrap of Adrian's favor.

But after I got home, I never gave him a second look.

Finally, one day, as I was passing him in the hall, an icy hand shot out and clamped around my wrist.

I struggled, but his grip only tightened, feeling like it could crush bone.

He just stared, his brow furrowed.

His eyes burned with questions he couldn't ask.

And under it all, a flicker of resentment.

Why are you acting like this?

The question hung in the air between us, as sharp as a shard of glass.

Did he really not know?

I couldn't break his grip.

So I pried his fingers off my skin, one by one.

Then, rubbing my reddened wrist, I stormed back to my room.

Adrian stared down at his empty hand, then at my retreating back.

A raw, wounded look crossed his face.

The corners of his eyes turned red.

I suppose when someone worships you for a lifetime, you forget they can learn to stop.

The second I took my love away, he looked at me like I was the one who had betrayed him.

Remembering how I'd carried him through wind and rain, forging what I thought was an unbreakable bond, a bitter pang shot through my heart.

Later that night, I was thirsty and went for water when I heard low voices from a room down the hall.

I peeked through a crack in the door.

Adrian stood there in a white robe, his back to me, looking like a god descended to earth. His voice was the sound of ice chimes.

"I came back to fix what I broke."

The person kneeling behind him was cloaked in shadow. "But… didn't your brother already choose Lady Isabella?"

"And?" Adrian turned his head slightly.

I saw his cool, clear eyes burning with a fierce, unfamiliar heat.

"I came back for her. Nothing will stand in my way. Not even my brother. I will not yield."

The words were like daggers.

I turned to leave.

But just as I did, I heard the other ask, "Forgive my boldness, my Lord, but why are you so devoted to a mortal woman?"

Moonlight softened Adrian's eyes.

"At Moonspring Lake," his voice went low, reverent. "I fell from the heavens. Broken and dying. And she found me. She protected me for forty-nine days, never leaving my side."

He paused.

"Without her, my trial would have been a failure. I would have faded into dust."

Moonspring Lake.

The name was a punch to the gut.

The world froze.

My blood turned to ice.

My hands began to shake.

Moonspring Lake?

Wasn't that… where I saved a little white dragon?

I had watched over him for forty-nine days, and only left to bring my herbs back to the village once I saw he was better.

I never told a soul about it.

That was… him?

Clenching my fists, I let out a bitter, silent laugh.

You absolute fool, Adrian.

I had no intention of letting him know.

This time, I was fixing my own regrets.

So-called dragon companions had nothing to do with me.

I went out to gather herbs less and less.

Most days, I was holed up in my room, buried in ancient magic texts.

It wasn't until the annual Spring Equinox Festival that Isabella dragged me out.

The Church of the Holy Light sent proctors for the annual aptitude trials, and Isabella dragged me from my room.

"It's the annual trials! If you don't go, you might miss your chance to train with the Church, Eva."

The Church of the Holy Light? The trials?

I glanced back at my dog-eared copy of the Codex of Holy Light. After a moment's thought, I nodded.

"I got you a new wand! You can finally throw away that crude thing you always use. You need something better for the trials!"

She pressed an exquisite wand box into my hands.

I spent another day buried in my books.

It wasn't until the morning of the trials that I finally opened the box.

Inside was an ornate piece of junk.

It was a pretty trinket, not a tool. Too many crystals, rough wood. Its mana conductivity was practically zero.

When I looked for my own wand, it was gone.

After a day of reading, my stomach was growling. With no other choice, I took the useless wand and went to the trials.

I had just reached the village square when I ran right into Isabella.

Dressed in elegant white robes, she was chatting with her circle of friends while they waited.

The Church's mages had already set up the magical testing array. A proctor in pristine white robes stood on the platform, his expression stern.

When they saw the wand in my hand, the crowd stared.

"Gods, does she really think she can pass the trial with that thing?"

"It's always the ugly ones who try the hardest. As if a fancy prop could hide what she is. Trash is still trash."

"Is she trying to upstage our Isabella?"

"Hah! Well, she succeeded. As a clown."

"Please. Isabella's wand is laurel wood with a pure mana crystal. Lord Adrian chose it for her himself. And this girl shows up with a toy? She's not even in the same league."

"Everyone, stop it!"

Isabella, smelling of sweet perfume, glided toward me. She grabbed my arm, her eyes wide with fake shock.

"Sister, why would you bring this wand to the trials?"

"It's my fault. I should have helped you choose a proper one."

With that, her eyes reddened.

The onlookers immediately rushed to comfort her.

"Isabella, it's not your fault! She's the one who can't use it right!"

"Exactly! You even got her a new wand. You're the best sister anyone could ask for! Don't blame yourself!"

"Right! I refuse to believe she didn't have another wand to use! This was her choice, it has nothing to do with you!"

Isabella dabbed at the corner of her eye.

"But... she's my sister... How can I not feel terrible, seeing her humiliate herself like this?"

"Next, Miss Evangeline!" the proctor's voice boomed.

I took a deep breath and walked onto the testing array.

"A basic incantation of Light, if you please."

I raised the garish wand and began the incantation.

But the wand channeled nothing. The holy light that should have bloomed from it just sputtered weakly and died.

"Pfft!"

A snort of laughter came from the crowd.

"Is that her Light spell? It's dimmer than a glow-fly!"

"Isn't that the wand you gave her, Isabella?" someone shouted intentionally from the crowd. "Did you set her up to fail?"

Isabella shot to her feet, her eyes glistening.

"The wand I gave Eva was made from the finest materials! The crystals were hand-picked! Don't you dare slander me!"

"How could I possibly want my sister to fail? I want her to pass more than anyone!"

I walked off the platform, a cold smile on my face.

"Isabella, are you done with your little show?"

My words silenced the square.

I walked up to her little clique.

"You," I said, pointing to one of them. "You said you refused to believe I had no other wand. Then, Isabella," I turned to Isabella, "why don't you tell them who took my real wand?"

Isabella was speechless.

In my past life, I would have just walked away, too tired to argue.

Not this time.

"That laurel wood wand in your hand is exquisite," I continued. "A gift from the dragon, I'm sure. But I bet you had a hand in 'helping' him choose it, didn't you?"

"You're such an expert on wands. So why did you pick this piece of trash for me?"

Isabella gasped, covering her mouth. "Eva… you're accusing me!"

"Stop playing the victim." I laughed, shrugging off her touch. "Doesn't it get exhausting? If you're so innocent, then let's go to your room. Right now. We'll see if my wand is hidden there."

Isabella's face went pale.

I turned and started walking back, and when Isabella frantically grabbed for me.

I dodged her easily.

"Eva!" Isabella's tears hit the ground. "Whether I hid them or not, you're tearing us apart as sisters!"

"We'll see about that after we look."

I was almost at her door when a sharp pain flared on my wrist.

I glanced down.

A faint shimmer on my wrist.

A mind-control hex.

The mark was so familiar... I'd seen it on Adrian.

Suddenly, my mouth opened, and words that weren't my own poured out.

"So what if my wand has no magic? I'm more talented than Isabella anyway! I'll show everyone she's a useless fraud!"

"I even threw my own wand in her room to frame her! Let's see you defend her now!"

I clapped a hand over my mouth, horror icing my veins.

The looks on their faces had shifted from mockery to pure hatred.