CHAPTER 79: THE CURIOUS GUARDIAN

Sure.

Maybe he was repentant.

Maybe in all his giant glory, that golden menace could find a tiny shred of guilt.

However, that was Kael. And while asking for forgiveness may benefit the dragon’s conscience, doing it like this likely wouldn’t quell Riley’s grievances.

He couldn’t be that shallow.

After years of hardship, he couldn’t just abandon his values for something as fleeting as a month-long vacation and financial benefits. Even if—just for a heartbeat—the words had sounded like angelic hymns sung by a full celestial choir.

Besides, should he really be happy with only a month-long vacation? Shouldn’t repentance from the Dragon Lord of all people equate to something more? Something grand?

So, cheeks puffed and lips curled into the kind of smile that promised trouble, he said sweetly, "I agree, Sir. I had better observe this sincerity of yours, so I can find it in my heart to forgive your many transgressions."

Golden brows arched, that infuriating mark of both amusement and something far sharper. "Suit yourself then," Kael replied, voice deceptively calm. Then, leaning just enough for his shadow to fall across the bed, he added, "Just remember to observe from up close. It would be a shame if I let you miss it."

The words hit like a spark to dry kindling. His smile almost cracked into a snarl, but before he could retort, Kael had already turned away, gaze sliding toward the door.

"Are you able to come with me?" the Dragon Lord asked evenly, already walking, "or would you prefer to continue resting?"

Blink.

Blink.

Had he just heard a string of alien words? For a moment, the aide was seriously considering whether his boss had been switched out while he was passed out cold. Maybe abducted. Maybe possessed. Because surely the real Kael Dravaryn did not just ask him if he wanted to rest.

He pushed himself upright on the bed, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Excuse me, Sir... but are you saying I actually have a choice?"

Kael’s answer was a perfectly calm, perfectly infuriating, "Yes."

"As in... a real choice?"

"Yes," Kael repeated, voice level, as though the question itself was unnecessary. Then, after the faintest pause, "Although considering what we’re looking for here, I doubt you would choose to stay. But sincerity must be shown, so I asked."

Jaw dropped. He gawked. The Dragon Lord actually sounded serious. Genuinely serious.

"..."

"You’re serious?"

"Yes."

The silence between them stretched taut, filling the room like a cord pulled to snapping point. Heat prickled along the back of his neck, half in indignation, half in disbelief.

When words finally returned, they came out sharp. "Fine, I appreciate the thought, but like you said, it would be impossible to sit this one out. Sir."

Golden eyes cut back toward him, calm and piercing. "Get rid of that hobby," Kael said flatly. "If you keep calling me ’Sir,’ you’ll end up saying it in crucial times."

Ridiculous.

Utterly ridiculous.

What kind of time would be so crucial that he’d actually need to say his boss’s name? Riley thought even as his neck heated.

Well, what do you know? He sure had a fucking talent for jinxing himself.

Riley nearly passed out while calling for Kael’s name, standing frozen in front of what could only be described as a nightmare wrapped in scales.

A giant snake.

Not a garden snake. Not a storybook snake. A snake so large it could have wrapped itself around the palace twice just for fun.

His voice came out softer than he meant, practically a whimper. "Kael..."

That was it. No heroic shout. No desperate cry. Just a pitiful whisper that sounded like air escaping a balloon. He really should have entered with him.

He was admittedly lax because he had successfully tested his ability to resist flames and burning. But he couldn’t remember anything about resisting snake venom or worse, resisting life imprisonment inside a snake’s stomach!

Instead, here he was, caught practically dead in the middle of the entrance, staring up at a serpent that could have easily swallowed him whole.

It hissed, the sound rattling the air, and its body towered high above, black scales gleaming like polished obsidian under the pale light. Hood flared, eyes glinting, the creature looked exactly like a king cobra that had spent the last century bulking up at the gym.

Or eating all the gym goers. Yeah. Probably that.

Riley was momentarily sure that if the earlier incident hadn’t killed him, then this surely would. His knees were already plotting their betrayal, ready to fold.

But then—blessed relief—Kael emerged from what was apparently some kind of portal gate. Riley nearly collapsed, every muscle threatening to give way, but stopped short because something was off. The Dragon Lord had a strange look on his face.

"Thyrran," Kael said.

The snake’s eyes shifted. It turned, focused on Kael, and lowered its massive head. Bowing.

Riley’s jaw dropped.

Bowing? To Kael? Fine, that made sense. But the real horror was the realization that the thing wasn’t trying to eat Kael at all.

No, instead, it turned its attention back to him.

The snake tilted its head, slow and deliberate, as if evaluating whether Riley was edible or just some kind of entertainment. Riley squeaked, too frozen to run, too horrified to breathe.

"He’s with me," Kael said firmly.

At those words, the serpent took another look before slithering back. Its colossal form shimmered, the scales hardening until, before Riley’s gaping eyes, the creature solidified into what looked like an ornament.

A statue. Perfectly still.

Riley’s mouth hung open.

All of a sudden, he couldn’t ignore any of the decorations. Absolutely none of them!

What if every pillar, every carved wall, every fancy embellishment had something like this lurking inside, just waiting to spring to life?

Imagine tripping over a table leg only to discover it was a sleeping beast. Imagine dropping a vase and being eaten alive for the crime. Death was waiting in every direction.

While Riley’s brain sprinted through a dozen life-and-death scenarios, Kael himself was frowning.

Thyrran was the guardian of the archives, a creature said to move only when threatened or when curiosity struck. For the last hundred years, Thyrran had remained dormant, silent, unmoving. That he had stirred now was almost unthinkable.

And yet here they were.

Since Riley was still standing, the snake had clearly not considered him a threat. Which only left one possibility.

Maybe it had been that long since Thyrran had seen a human? Long enough that the guardian was interested. Interested enough to even reveal himself in his true form.

Hmm.