Chapter 233: Not in the Instructions

Subservient, knowledgeable, and enduring. Those were supposed to be the characteristics of the guardians who were made and entrusted with safeguarding the secrets of their creators.

And it had been that way since they started existing. But then one day, the head guardian, Thyrran, encountered an unexpected and unusual request.

It was a request so uncharacteristic that it had been handed over with almost no instructions, yet came with an overwhelming number of restrictions.

So many restrictions that when the request, which they thought would never see the light of day, finally came knocking, the guardians were left with no explanatory words to use.

Unable to answer related questions, unable to broach the issue, and completely unable to discuss anything with those not under the same encompassing seal, they could only really stare.

“If the seal that waits for its destined hour must shatter before its time, then decide whether it could.”

What exactly were they supposed to do with that? And how were they even meant to decide on something so vague and so open to interpretation?

But a request from their masters was never truly a request. These were orders, spoken politely, yet meant to be taken with absolute seriousness.

And that was what Thyrran was doing, or at least pretending he was doing, right as he was ambushed by an unexpected change of plans.

In truth, they had ideas about the seal’s subject, but given everything, the guardians thought it would’ve been highly unlikely to encounter the subject again. At least in the near future, or until the seal unravels on its own.

So on that fateful and supposedly unremarkable day when something unmistakably familiar stepped into their territory, the guardians could not help but literally jump out of their skins.

Yes. Because in the first place, there should be nothing leaking from that absolute seal.

In what universe would a mere mortal obtain the necessary blood to even jumpstart the unraveling?!

Apparently, in this universe.

Reading and researching about blood sigils?

No wonder the guardians could definitely feel the same binding threads!’

And it unsettled the lot of them.

Then again, at that point, there was nothing that could be done but stare at the tiny creature that should’ve never even been there.

But maybe they should’ve known something would be up when the current dragon lord rushed into the archives for treatment.

Since when did dragons or anyone, for that matter, treat patients inside a library?

But the hot-headed dragon lord likely wouldn’t accept such views. Thankfully, he managed to ask generic enough questions that allowed the guardian to answer.

It was just that the dutiful guardian could not help but contemplate his choice, because not answering would have allowed the seal to unravel on its own. But it would certainly not be in the way those two would prefer. And so he chose to speak when the situation permitted.

And maybe the truth was that his decision had been made as early as the moment he let out that bit of information.

So what was all this? Formality?

No, not really, because their master would never leave them with any useless task.

And seeing whether the body would survive seemed to be the real reason they had been given the duty of deciding whether it could.

But how were they supposed to judge something like this?

Because sure enough, the mortal managed to survive the Crucible Passage, and yet none of the guardians were sure how to interpret his results.

__

Riley had been walking for a while, carefully watching the ground in front of him. So when it suddenly looked like the floor area was increasing in size, he blinked twice.

That was new.

But the careful aide did not take it as a sign to relax. No one told him to relax. Relaxing was not in the instructions. Relaxing usually meant death or paperwork, and neither was ideal.

So he called out, “Thyrran? Where should I go to meet you?”

Silence.

Absolute, unnerving silence.

And that was when his heart started pounding like his mother had left him at the grocery store checkout line.

After all, who would not panic when his surroundings felt weird and his phone battery was already at sixty percent? That was practically an emergency.

Surprisingly, before he could freak out further, a voice echoed in his mind.

Proceed to the next room.

Riley blinked. “Great. Love that. Very clear.” Then he paused. “Where exactly is this next room?”

A terrible question. Truly awful.

Because before the poor mortal could even move forward, the floor under him vanished.

There was no warning.

One second, he was standing.

The next, he was falling.

“Wh—aaah—!”

Both his fall and his scream were cut abruptly short as he dropped straight onto the floor below. The gap had been barely a single story, yet somehow he fell like he had been tossed into a pit of despair.

He landed on his ass with a sharp thud.

“OW.” His voice cracked like a broken flute.

Riley clutched his backside, eyes wide, breath trembling as he tried to figure out how to process this new trauma. “What the… why did I fall this time? Why did I not fall earlier? What is wrong with the architecture in this place?”

He groaned again and rubbed the offended area, but he did not have time to console himself or reflect on his life choices.

Because the room he had landed in was not comforting. In fact, it was actively creepy.

And he needed answers.

“Thyrran,” Riley called, his voice shaking despite his best effort to sound brave, “where am I now? Please tell me you are not messing with me. This room feels… odd.”

He chose his words because what if he offended the guardian?

Riley slowly pushed himself up from the floor, still rubbing his offended tailbone, when he finally took in the room around him.

He took a deep breath.

His first coherent thought was: Well, at least I could see without a flashlight.

But maybe it wasn’t always best to see things because seeing things meant he could definitely see the massive brazier that stood in the middle of the chamber.

And it was definitely not the normal, sensible brazier.

This one was enormous, built like it had been designed for giants who liked their fire dramatic and their décor intimidating. It rose from the floor like a carved monument of stone and metal, wide and deep enough that Riley suspected it could roast a whole cow or, worse, one unfortunate soul and their equally unfortunate friends.

He tried not to think too hard about which option was more likely.

Four thick channels extended outward from the central brazier, forming perfect lines to the north, south, east, and west. Each channel connected to another massive brazier at the end, all of them sitting in patient silence like ancient fire receptacles waiting for a festival that never happened.

None of them were lit.

But despite the lack of flame, the room was surprisingly illuminated. The walls were draped in luminescent vines, glowing softly like strands of enchanted moonlight. They pulsed with a gentle rhythm that reminded him of breathing.

Which ideally should’ve been good, but when alone with nothing much to your name, someone or something breathing wasn’t really the most comforting background.

Then again, he flinched when he heard a voice in his head.

Light them up.

Uh… light them?

Riley stood there in the glowing, suspiciously dramatic room and slowly began tapping one foot forward while keeping the other planted firmly where he was. He looked ridiculous. He knew this. But he also knew he was now channelling every movie he had ever watched in his entire life.

Why?

Because forgive him for realizing it late, but how could he not suspect something at this point?

Clearly Thyrran knew exactly where he was.

Clearly Thyrran was watching.

Clearly Thyrran kept telling him to move and follow without explaining how he was supposed to do such a thing.

And if that was not the classic setup for a test, then Riley was Princess of the Floating Isles.

He gulped as he tested the nearest few tiles with cautious taps. When none of them exploded, swallowed him, or rearranged themselves to spell “Goodbye,” he dared to take a fuller step. He looked up, then down, then up again, as if checking for falling hazards, wayward arrows, or angry bats.

Only after confirming nothing new was trying to kill him did he inch forward.

The large braziers loomed before him like enormous bowls meant to feed a mythical bonfire. Riley approached one and leaned in carefully, hesitating for a full beat before trying to peek inside.

Then he blinked.

“Oh.”

It was literal.

Inside the brazier was an actual hollow space. A deep, cavernous pit, as if something was supposed to burn there. And burn big.

He pulled back slowly, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, before thinking to himself.

Thank heavens.

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