CHAPTER 118: AN ACCEPTABLE DURATION

Oh, but he did.

They did.

Riley was sure he could feel all those eyes on him, burning holes through his very soul, as the elven prince cursed him to death in what he felt must have been at least three different ancient dialects.

And yet, one infuriating dragon lord just let themselves be cursed like that!

"???"

"Actually—"

Riley opened his mouth, ready to explain how terribly wrong they were, maybe even suggest they see an ophthalmologist, because clearly there was something wrong with their vision. But before he could get a single word out, the unlikeliest person cut him off.

Kael.

"Just sleep. Or something. But stop squirming."

Riley blinked. Excuse me?

He stared at Kael, and Kael stared back. And there it was again—the eternal eyebrow battle.

Riley narrowed his eyes, raising one brow in a silent accusation. What’s wrong with you?

Kael’s golden gaze didn’t waver. He shrugged ever so slightly, the picture of calm dismissal. Nothing’s wrong. Drop it.

Riley leaned in, his own brows furrowing deeper, almost touching. Don’t you "drop it" me. Something is wrong.

Kael tilted his head, eyelid twitching just a fraction. I said, nothing.

Riley mouthed silently, Liar.

And Kael’s brow twitched higher, almost imperceptibly, like he was allergic to even the thought of denial.

The silent war dragged on, a minute of eyebrow acrobatics, tiny gestures, and the heavy weight of things unsaid. Until, inevitably, Riley’s resistance crumbled. His eyelids fluttered. His head dipped.

Kael sighed inwardly. I should’ve just let him burn out from the start.

Because sure enough, lights went out.

The fragile twig who had walked hours longer than his body was ever built for finally shut down, slackening completely against Kael.

By the time Riley woke again, it was with a sharp jolt of surprise.

They’d actually arrived.

Kael’s voice rumbled down at him, far too calm for someone carrying an unconscious human through probably hostile territory. "For someone who said he didn’t want to sleep, you sure took your sweet time."

Riley nearly jumped out of Kael’s arms, flailing as he scrambled to his feet. "Th-thanks," he blurted quickly, brushing himself off, embarrassment prickling down his neck. He hesitated. He should’ve thanked Kael more—who knew how long he’d been asleep?—but his brain suddenly stalled.

Because he realized where they were.

The chamber dazzled him.

Wide and circular, it stretched beneath a domed glass ceiling that reflected the moon. The air itself shimmered faintly with power. The floor was inlaid with concentric rings of runes, each pulsing gently with silvery light like a heartbeat. Four moonstone pillars anchored the corners, etched top to base with runes of binding.

And in the center, a pedestal of crystal roots rose from the ground, twining together as if grown from the earth itself. That was where the Moonveil Codex should have sat.

But it was painfully, impossibly empty.

Well, not that they didn’t know about that before coming here, but Riley thought it would’ve likely looked magnificent floating over there. At least if he’d been able to see something like that, all that hardship would feel rather worth it.

How many things would he have been able to see on there? But then again, maybe even his professors haven’t been able to visit such a place as this.

So maybe it wasn’t so bad of an achievement considering how many hours they’ve spent to get here.

Speaking of which, "Is it nighttime already?" Riley asked, his voice barely a whisper as he tilted his head back at the domed ceiling.

The moon glowed brilliantly above, and for a brief, horrifying second, he thought they’d been walking for so long it had actually turned night.

Prince Rowan’s calm voice cut in smoothly. "It’s probably morning. The ceiling reflects the moon at any given time."

"Wow." Riley breathed out, awestruck despite himself. "Thank goodness. I thought it took more than half a day to get here."

"?" Rowan blinked at him.

"Oh, sorry, I wasn’t clear enough." Rowan smiled politely. "It is morning. But the morning of the next day. It usually takes a full day of walking to get up here."

"WHAT?!"

The word exploded out of Riley before he could stop himself.

Rowan looked baffled by the outburst, but Riley wasn’t even paying attention anymore. His brain zeroed in on the golden demon beside him.

Wait. WAIT. Did he know?

Did Kael know from the very beginning that it would’ve been impossible for a human to finish the trek in the same time as everyone else?

So what was the plan then? To let him collapse halfway through and tell him to catch up later? Or worse—had Kael already been planning to carry him all along?!

Riley’s gaze snapped to Kael, sharp enough to cut steel. And what did the dragon lord do?

He looked away.

Just... deliberately looked away.

Oh, you knew. You absolutely knew! Riley grit his teeth, forcing his lips into his professional, cordial smile before bowing slightly to the elven prince. "Thank you for the explanation, Your Highness."

Internally, however, he was already sharpening interrogation questions for later.

But for now, he had bigger problems. Because if Rowan’s words were true, then did they seriously expect them to walk an entire day’s worth of travel each time they needed to go back and forth from here?

Ah. But they did.

Of course, that was exactly what they expected.

Riley wanted to scream. Working with beings who had unnumbered days was one thing. Trying to keep up with them when your days were numbered was another entirely.

Apparently, today’s idea of a "major crisis" and "massive emergency" was an ocular inspection of the uppermost sanctum. Just to confirm with their own eyes that yes, the Codex was gone.

Riley’s mind raced with calculations, trying to determine how long they were actually expected to stay there to solve the problem.

And really, if it’s like this, how long were they going to keep the lockdown enforced.

Riley cleared his throat, voice lower than usual. "My Lord, about this lockdown... based on what we’re seeing, do you think we should recommend it be enforced or taken down?"

Kael didn’t immediately answer, so Riley kept going, his nerves making him babble. "I mean, there’s bound to be trade paralysis, people not being able to go home, stranded delegations—it’s already a political nightmare waiting to happen. Shouldn’t we at least—"

"Ah."

Prince Rowan, who had been listening far too closely, cut in smoothly. "I must thank you for your concern, Lord Dravaryn’s aide."

Kael scoffed, a sharp, dismissive sound.

Rowan ignored it and continued, voice casual, almost amused. "But truly, it is nothing unusual. Most other beings are quite used to such situations."

Riley’s head jerked up. "Wait—you’re saying this happens often?"

"Indeed," Rowan replied, as though discussing the weather. "Provided the duration is acceptable, most races do not react violently. Especially when it involves matters of great importance."

Riley blinked rapidly, trying to process that. "Acceptable duration? So... a few days? A week, maybe two at the very most?"

Rowan’s expression didn’t change. His tone remained smooth, unbothered. "Usually they start clamoring after about twenty-five years."

"!!!"

Riley nearly choked on his breath. "Wait—what? Your Highness, what did you say? Did y-you just say twenty-five years?"

"Ah, yes. Twenty-five years," Rowan said pleasantly, as if repeating the number of pastries he’d had for breakfast. "The shortest one we’ve had lasted three years. And even then, the dignitaries remained calm. After all, they were treated with utmost respect during their stay."

"Twenty-five years?!" Riley sputtered.

His jaw dropped, his voice cracked, and he looked moments away from fainting.

Was that an investigation or a conviction for terrorism?!