Chapter 266: Learning the Hard Way

Okay, maybe a little re-evaluation of the plan was necessary because, while it worked, it had not been the best idea.

The three of them sat around the table in a daze.

Riley, Liam, and even Orien looked like they had just been hit with a collective whiplash. Riley had one hand braced against the tabletop, breathing a little too hard. Liam sat stiffly on his chair, eyes blown wide like a stunned fish. Orien was slumped backward, tail limp, blinking slowly as if the world had not quite settled back into place.

Thyrran had not been able to stop Riley in time.

Well, the ex-guardian had not expected him to open the space crack almost all the way, practically drawing a line with one giant swing of his body.

If the room they were using had been bigger, who knows how big of a space Riley would’ve opened?

And the moment it happened, black dragon mana flooded the room so strongly that the three of them were practically drowned in it. While the pressure that had been overwhelmingly thick, heavy, and definitely ancient sent Thyrran toppling over.

Even Liam, who did not yet have a formed core, had frozen in shock as that foreign presence washed over him.

By the time Riley managed to force the space crack shut again, his hands were trembling.

“What the heck was that?” Riley finally gasped, wiping sweat from his brow.

“It wasn’t like that when we first opened it.”

Thyrran coiled nearby, expression tight. “Ah, Young Master, that is because the Dragon Lord was present back then and had warded the room you used when discussing this.”

Riley blinked.

“In a sense,” Thyrran continued, “the mana could not freely permeate every corner the way it would without guidance.”

“What?” Riley shot upright. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I was trying to,” the familiar replied calmly. “But you opened it immediately, and I got blown away.”

Riley froze.

Then he winced. “Ah. Sorry.”

That one was on him. He had gotten too excited.

He immediately turned to check on the children. Liam looked shaken but alert, still blinking as if his brain was catching up.

“I’m okay, brother,” Liam said quickly when Riley asked. “I think… maybe because I don’t have a solid core yet, it didn’t really stick? It just kept brushing against me.”

Riley nodded, relieved. But maybe he ought to ask his mother if the Caldens had some sort of affinity for black dragon mana because clearly Liam was doing better than Orien who was an actual dragon.

He looked down at the golden dragonling cradled awkwardly against him.

“Orien?” Riley asked gently. “Are you okay?”

Orien lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling, limbs slightly stiff.

“Yeah,” he said slowly. “But Auntie… I think we shouldn’t do that again.”

Riley hummed in agreement.

“Maybe just take a small bone, a really small one, next time,” Orien added weakly.

His tail twitched once.

The foreign mana had been too strong. Too concentrated. It had made him realize something deeply unsettling. Those were remains and artifacts, yet it had felt like being engulfed by countless living black dragons at once.

Riley hugged him closer and pressed a few apologetic kisses to his face. “Yeah. I think you’re right.”

Then he paused, thoughtful.

“But I think,” Riley continued slowly, “I figured out what you meant by the feeling of mana.”

Orien blinked.

Liam lit up instantly. “Wow! Really, Brother?”

Riley smiled at both of them. “Yeah. That was external mana. Familiar, but not yet mine. I think now I know what I’m supposed to look for.”

He closed his eyes briefly, searching for the right words. When the mana from the space crack had overwhelmed him, it felt as if something inside him had tried to reach for his clan’s mana, only to be choked off by his own skin.

It was a very odd sensation, to say the least. And it had been difficult to concentrate on the feeling of his skin jumping at him when he clearly felt like gravity was weighing on him.

But now that he could breathe properly, he knew he had to capitalize on that sensation. Just as the golden dragonling had pointed out, they had not felt anything even remotely close to that when they were simply trying to will it, the way Kael had suggested.

“It feels like it’s inside me,” Riley said. “But also kind of separate. Like it’s gathered somewhere. And with it being magnetized by the external mana, I suddenly became aware of it.”

He frowned slightly. “Almost like molten liquid shifting around. Or maybe like mercury in one of those old thermometers.”

Orien’s eyes slowly brightened. He had no idea what mercury was or what a thermometer was but clearly his pupil had understood something right away!

He puffed up a little in Riley’s arms, looking incredibly proud.

Riley noticed and chuckled. “So since we figured out something important…”

Both children leaned in.

“Maybe we should get a little treat before we go back to practicing.”

Orien perked up immediately, body jerking upright, dizziness forgotten as his tail began to swing eagerly.

“A treat?”

“Yes,” Riley said, grinning. “A treat. Let’s go make something fun first.”

__

Orien sniffed.

Then sniffed again.

And again.

The golden dragonling hovered close, eyes narrowed with intense focus as he tracked Riley’s every movement.

The temporary cook hadn’t even started mixing anything yet. He was simply preparing the ingredients, laying things out and preparing the proper utensils, but Orien watched like this was a sacred ritual that required his full attention.

His nose twitched.

Riley noticed and laughed softly. “Hey. You might want to stop sniffing so hard.”

Orien paused, offended. “Why?”

“Because that powder is about to go places you really don’t want it to go,” Riley said, grinning.

Liam immediately nodded in agreement. He reached over and tugged gently at Orien’s arm. “Lord Orien, what about coming over here?”

The dragonling hesitated, clearly torn between curiosity and pride.

“It will irritate your nose if you accidentally inhale all the powder,” Liam explained earnestly. “You’ll keep sneezing.”

Orien scowled, then huffed, backing up a step. “Hmph. Fine.”

He crossed his arms and eyed the table suspiciously. “Then what is that, anyway?”

Riley glanced down at the bowl in his hands. “This? It’s just a simple snack. We’re using what we have with us.”

He tilted the container and poured the contents in.

Golden yellow kernels tumbled into the bowl like it were the most expected turn of events. Except it shouldn’t be.

Orien froze.

His eyes widened. His pupils practically sparkled. He leaned forward despite himself, tail giving a sharp flick.

“What. Is. That?” he demanded, voice sharp with urgency.

The newly renewed student blinked, then smiled knowingly. “This is sweet corn.”

Orien stared.

“And what are we making?” the dragonling pressed.

Riley lifted another ingredient with a grin. “Well, we’re making buttered sweet corn with cheese.”

The golden dragonling stopped breathing for a full second.

Then his tail started swishing uncontrollably.

Who knew what that was, but clearly, he deserved something that had so many words and shone like little stars because he had done so perfectly well.

Naturally.

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