Chapter 247: Hearts and Histories

Riley wanted to say, Of course it was dangerous, but he held back. Maybe he needed to remind Thyrran that the whole thing happened because the spell had been cast on everyone in the first place.

Still, he didn’t push the point. He could understand why Thyrran did it. Even now, his mind was barely keeping things in order, and if he had been surrounded by everyone’s voices and opinions, it would’ve taken him forever to untangle what actually mattered.

Right now, though, he was grounded. Braced by Kael’s presence, wrapped in that reassuring, if slightly physically suffocating, embrace, Riley felt safe enough to ask questions. At least if it was just the ever-judgmental Thyrran, then there was no one else to ask why he was once again seated between Kael’s legs for something as serious as this.

They had already gone through several questions earlier, and that was how they figured out that Thyrran and the other guardians didn’t actually know much about what went on outside the Archives.

Riley had wanted to ask what happened to him as an egg and how he even survived the attack, but the serpentine familiar explained that their knowledge depended heavily on what had been officially passed down or recorded in the archive.

So if retired Dragon Lord Karion himself hadn’t known about it, and no report had ever been submitted, then even the guardians wouldn’t be privy to it.

Thyrran had even glanced at Kael when explaining that. After all, the current lord hadn’t exactly been big on adding new information. He was huge on research, sure, but updates? Not so much. He didn’t even submit entries about technological advancements. No wonder they were so caught off guard by Riley’s methods.

If only they had known that even Kael was a stranger to such technology, then maybe he would’ve felt better about this matter.

Still, as an ex-guardian, Thyrran no longer considered that his direct problem. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t answer at least some of Riley’s personal concerns.

“Thyrran,” Riley began carefully, his tone low and uncertain. “Would it be possible for us to go through with the full mating rite?”

He couldn’t help the worry in his voice. It was there, plain and clear, and how could it not be? From Kael’s account, their bond had once existed, then faded, then vanished entirely. What if something fundamental had broken and couldn’t be fully repaired?

Riley could already feel Kael stirring behind him, his arms tightening slightly around his waist. But the ex-mortal didn’t flinch. He just reached down and patted Kael’s arm in reassurance, as if to say, It’s okay. I’m just making sure.

They had already decided to stay together, even if it meant living as a human and a dragon. So whatever the answer was, Riley didn’t think it would change much. But still, he felt like they deserved to know. At best, Kael deserved closure so he wouldn’t be up at night thinking about such possibilities.

“I’m just concerned,” Riley continued, “because even the blood sigil disappeared.”

“The blood sigil?” Thyrran tilted his head. “Well, of course it would disappear. The moment the sealing began, the sigil’s existence would have become a contradiction.”

“A contradiction?” Riley echoed, confused.

“Yes. The sigil is a way to create bonds between a dragon and a being who is not a dragon. That kind of bond cannot coexist with the rites shared by two dragons. It becomes incompatible. More than that, a dragon’s body just wouldn’t permanently accept something as weak as a sigil.”

“Then again, the only reason you survived that sigil was that you weren’t simply a human. But with it likely unlocking the seal, it was really just bound to fade the closer you were to fully unsealing.”

Riley blinked. Kael blinked, too.

Because, honestly, that made sense. Now that he heard it, Riley couldn’t believe they hadn’t figured it out earlier. Sure, he’d read a lot about bonding rites, but how could they have possibly guessed this would be the issue?

It wasn’t like he ever expected to wake up one day and find out he was actually a dragon.

His heart did a relieved little flip. At least it wasn’t something permanent like karmic punishment or a mystical incompatibility that meant he and Kael couldn’t be together anymore.

Before he could ask the next question, Kael spoke.

“If Riley had been around all along,” he said slowly, “then how come I felt the bond being severed?”

Riley stilled.

He could hear the tremble in Kael’s voice and knew that it wasn’t an easy question for him to ask. So Riley shifted a little in his lap, leaning back into his chest, hoping the closeness would soothe whatever ache was hiding behind Kael’s words.

Thyrran didn’t respond right away.

The pause stretched, and the silence that followed made Riley’s chest tighten. But finally, the little serpent opened his mouth.

“I’m not entirely sure, since we didn’t know what really happened to you. But my guess is that it has something to do with your dragon heart.”

“?”

“Back then, I could verify that you had a human heart. Only after it restarted did you actually get your dragon core back. So it’s likely the bond disappeared when your dragon heart was sealed.”

Thyrran’s voice remained even as he continued explaining. “I mentioned before that the seal wouldn’t have taken effect immediately. Under the right conditions, you would have hatched and grown up as a dragon normally. But turning into a human complicated everything.”

“What do you mean?” Riley asked quietly.

“What I mean,” Thyrran said, “is that the seal probably reversed your growth. That would only be possible if you were still in the process of forming your dragon heart when you were sealed.”

“…Is that why you said I probably came out of the egg already human?”

“Exactly. And if you did, then it would explain why the bond at first only felt like it was being stifled. As the seal kept working, your growth as a dragon would slow down, and you would feel less and less of the bond. Eventually, your dragon heart would have disappeared, and what would have been left would have been the shell of a human.”

“And that would’ve made it seem like your connection was gone.”

Riley didn’t say anything at first.

He just breathed.

Because that was a lot.

But it also made sense.

“Kael, could you maybe remember when you felt the bond was severed?”

“Yeah. Two and a half decades ago.”

“!!!”

Ah shit, he really needed to talk to his parents.

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