CHAPTER 49: TEMPORARY, HE SAID

Riley would have been fine if he had never gotten even.

Truly, he would have lived the rest of his life accepting everything if it meant living in ignorant bliss.

But alas, it seemed like he really had used up all his luck just to stay alive. He was breathing, technically, but with the way things were now, could this really be called living?

Okay, sure, ignore the fact that he was currently grilling burger patties on a legendary stone slab that most scholars would sell their balls to examine. Also, ignore the fact that the stone was heating via dragon fire, which he was borrowing for the very first time. None of that was the problem.

The problem was that Riley knew, with full clarity, that he was on the verge of his greatest crisis yet.

Maybe, just maybe, he should have noticed the red flags earlier. Like when Kael casually said, "You can produce fire yourself."

It was already bad. Really bad. But the moment those words were spoken, Riley should have thrown the spatula and run.

Unfortunately, he did not.

Because when the Dragon Lord returned from reinforcing the ministry’s wards and told him to try channeling through the sigil, Riley listened.

Kael had placed his hands over Riley’s shoulders, steady and warm, then traced down his arms to his fingertips. The movements were slow, precise, and, in Riley’s opinion, unnecessarily gentle.

He should have known something was off.

But instead, he sat there marveling like an idiot.

The awe deepened when Orien, who had been catatonic ever since learning his handheld could not be charged, suddenly snapped back to life. He sat up like someone witnessing a miracle.

And Riley could not blame him.

Because even after everything that happened today, even after the PR crisis, the humiliation, and the unwanted title of "Auntie," Riley still found himself amazed.

A small flame danced above his finger.

It hovered. Flickered. Twisted ever so slightly as if acknowledging him.

It didn’t burn.

It had heat, but it didn’t hurt. It felt alive.

"Wow," Riley muttered, twisting his hand slowly to see if the flame would follow. It did.

"Uncle, how can he do that?" Orien asked, wide-eyed.

Then, without skipping a beat, the dragonling added, "Riley said it was because of the merfolk incident. But did you actually mate with him?"

The words were blunt. Horrifyingly blunt. But Orien looked genuinely curious.

After all, Riley was human. And while shared abilities were possible in theory, they usually came after one very specific kind of bonding.

Riley nearly blasted the flame in sheer panic.

"Hey! No. No. Rest assured, there was absolutely no mating involved!" he cried, waving his arms frantically, trying to correct this insane notion.

"It’s a sigil," Kael said casually, not even looking their way. "He carries my mark. So, practically the same thing."

Riley froze.

His head whipped toward Kael so fast he might have pulled something.

He opened his mouth to respond, but no sound came out. Too many questions fought for space.

Unfortunately, Orien beat him to it.

"A sigil? So that means we can actually do something like that to humans?" the boy asked, eyes gleaming with possibility.

"Possible. But not advisable," Kael replied curtly as he bent to examine the nearby firewood, seemingly more interested in finding a log to incinerate than explaining the magical ethics of dragon sigils.

Riley’s entire brain screeched to a halt.

"Sir, what?" he gasped. "You said possible, but not advisable! Then when did I get it?! When was the part where you advised anything?!"

Kael didn’t even blink.

"You’re alive, aren’t you?"

"YES! But—"

Kael didn’t even look up from what he was doing. He dispersed the smoke coming from the fire like this was a casual chat and not the beginning of a full-blown existential crisis.

"It’s a case-to-case basis. The only reason why it’s not advisable is because humans are fragile. There’s always a chance the body will reject it."

"Rejection?" Orien perked up, suddenly curious.

"Rejection of the dragon blood," Kael replied without pause. "If it doesn’t take, then there’s backlash for both parties."

"!!!"

Riley’s eyes went wide. He didn’t even need to ask what backlash meant. He already knew. With his luck, it probably meant a full-body explosion. Or spontaneous organ melting. Maybe both.

But that didn’t mean he was going to stay quiet about this.

"Sir!" he exclaimed, flailing slightly. "You said it was temporary!"

"It is," Kael said calmly. "That’s nothing like permanent mating."

"Then how long is it going to last? What does that even mean? Is it like, renewable? Do I have to top it off with like blood or something, or else I die?"

"No. What are you even talking about?" Kael frowned slightly. "And it’s not long. When you pass, it’ll be gone."

"..."

"???"

"Say what now?!"

Kael sighed. "When you die, it’ll be gone," he repeated, this time slower, like Riley was the one not making sense.

Riley gawked. "How is that temporary?!"

Kael gestured vaguely. "Because it won’t even be around longer than Orien’s time at the nest."

Riley opened his mouth.

Then closed it again.

Because from Kael’s point of view, that really was temporary. Extremely temporary. Practically a blink.

But from his point of view?

He was now branded for life.

Riley started pacing, hands rubbing his face as he tried to mentally process the disaster that had just unfolded.

Not only had he almost died again, but now he had a magical brand on his soul that would only disappear once he was dead.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" The scream burst out of him like a storm cloud exploding. Both dragons winced.

Sensitive ears.

Oops.

Riley looked completely unhinged now. He slapped both cheeks with his hands, hard, as if trying to wake himself up from this nightmare.

The sound echoed like thunder.

"Ow!"

"What the hell are you doing?" Kael asked, narrowing his eyes. "Have you gone crazy?"

How dare that lizard ask that? He was the crazy one! Sure, Kael had asked if Riley wanted a sigil, but if he had explained it properly, Riley would never have agreed. Not even with vacation days included.

Obviously, Riley was furious. Murderous, even.

He slowly turned his head toward Kael.

Very slowly.

The kind of slow turn reserved for vindictive ghosts.

Kael blinked, mildly confused, then froze.

He was holding his own face.

"Huh?" Riley said, startled.

They stared at each other.

It took a moment.

Then Riley narrowed his eyes. Slowly, deliberately, he raised one hand.

And slapped himself again.

Orien, who had gone quiet out of sheer confusion, now watched in horror. His mouth hung open. He was genuinely considering whether Riley had snapped for real.

But Riley wasn’t just flailing anymore. He was testing something.

He was observing.

Kael had flinched.

He tried to cover it, but Riley had already seen the twitch.

One more time. This time, a firm slap to his own forehead.

Kael blinked. His expression shifted just a little.

Just enough.

"!!!"

Riley stared, eyes wide.

He wasn’t imagining it.

That was a reaction.

He looked again. Not at Kael’s eyes, but at the tiniest things—his fingers twitching, the faint tilt of his head.

And suddenly, it clicked.

Riley’s face shifted from confusion to enlightenment.

His gaze narrowed.

He pointed one finger, then said with the sweetest voice he could muster.

"Honey, you might want to cover his eyes."