The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL]-Chapter 344: The Line

See, Riley wasn’t kidding.

He might not have seemed particularly reliable lately, especially after sounding slightly unhinged for the past few days. And it probably didn’t help that outside this place, perfectly respectable dragons were currently doing wildly questionable things in the name of their plan.

The children certainly weren’t complaining. They were too busy shrieking in delight while being tossed into the air by overly eager dolphins.

Lord Karion, however, had quietly wondered why he had to appear in place of his brooding son when he could have been spending that time with his mate instead.

Yes. There was really that.

Which explained why Kael had looked at Riley earlier like he was about to say something strange again.

But this time, Riley was serious.

Truly serious.

No funny business.

He became even more focused when Kael informed him that he couldn’t sense any of the fluctuations Riley kept insisting were there as they walked down the hallway lined with suspiciously identical doors.

"Really?" Riley asked.

"Yes."

Riley slowed, thinking carefully.

"Then let’s do a second sweep," he said after a moment. "But this time, let me try something."

Kael’s gaze sharpened immediately.

Riley raised both hands in mild surrender. "I’m just going to walk the same path we already walked, but alone. If there’s no difference, then we can try entering. I just don’t want us making a costly mistake."

The golden dragon clearly wanted to object. It showed in the subtle tightening of his jaw and the way his fingers flexed slightly at his sides.

But Riley insisted.

So Kael stayed near the entrance, arms folding across his chest as if that alone could keep his irritation contained.

The ex-mortal with a crazy streak took a steady breath and stepped forward.

The moment his foot touched the stone, the runes beneath him flickered.

Then glowed.

With every step he took, faint lines etched between the cracks of the massive stone slabs lit up in sequence, pulsing softly as though acknowledging his presence. The glow followed him like a quiet escort, responding to him and him alone.

Kael’s expression darkened almost imperceptibly.

He was starting to dislike this place more by the second.

Still, Riley managed to help them pass through several doors without triggering anything catastrophic. No falling ceilings. No spears shooting out of walls. No pits opening beneath their feet. In a sense, no traps.

At least none that were obvious.

"Young Master, traps don’t always have to deal physical damage," Thyrran had remarked earlier in that calm, unhelpful tone of his. "If anything, a trap could simply keep you walking in circles for as long as possible."

Riley had given him a flat look at the time.

That was not helpful.

He was already uneasy enough as it was.

The faint sensation of being called toward particular doors had only grown stronger the deeper they went. It was subtle, like pressure behind his temples or a whisper he couldn’t quite make out. And from experience, being called somewhere rarely led to anything simple.

As they progressed, Riley began to wonder if this tendency to call out was hereditary.

Because what exactly was up with the whispering in his head that neither Kael nor Thyrran could hear?

He shook his head lightly as they entered another door, trying to clear the noise and focus.

If this was what Kael had experienced as a child, then no wonder the golden lizard had labeled Riley as annoying. Because right now, the egg, who once called to his mate, felt like his own brain was persistently poking him.

The next door, however, was different.

Out of all the halls they had passed through, this one ended in a single massive door. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Just one.

And more importantly, it was carved with the unmistakable image of parts of a dragon.

The design dominated the surface. Wings stretched wide across the stone, scales etched in intricate detail, claws curled as if guarding whatever lay beyond. The craftsmanship was unmistakable, deliberate, and reverent.

Riley slowed, his pulse quickening.

"Are we actually in the right place?" he asked softly, clenching his fist in a mix of nervousness and excitement as he approached the ornate structure.

He took a few more steps, only to glance back because he felt that something was odd.

Kael and Thyrran weren’t beside him.

They stood several steps behind.

"Huh?" Riley blinked. "What’s wrong?"

Thyrran’s expression shifted into something unusually serious.

"Young Master, it seems like we cannot proceed past this point. At least not beyond this line."

"What?" Riley frowned and instinctively looked down, but there was nothing visible marking the boundary.

Kael stepped forward slightly and stopped, as though pressing against something unseen.

"There’s a barrier," he said quietly. "You were able to cross it while we couldn’t. It’s likely that beyond this point is the actual mausoleum."

Riley’s eyes widened at his mate only to remember something important.

"Even you, Thyrran? Aren’t we tethered?"

"Yes," Thyrran replied. "But this is the black dragon crypt. The absolute territory of my creators. It appears I was designed with that restriction in mind."

Riley’s gaze flicked to Kael.

The golden dragon’s jaw was clenched, tension visible in the rigid line of his shoulders. He looked conflicted and deeply displeased, yet not entirely surprised.

Because if this were the crypt of the golden dragons, the same rule would apply.

Certain thresholds weren’t meant for outsiders.

Even powerful ones.

__

Well.

Shit.

Like triple shit.

The ex-mortal’s heart thumped harder against his ribs. He’d been looking forward to getting his inheritance, but to be honest, he did have some sort of trauma from entering magical doors by himself.

Because the last time he did it, he almost died. Actually, he really kinda died. So safe to say, he wasn’t really looking forward to going by himself.

But he buried all that and swallowed, straightening his posture slightly before looking back at his husband.

"I’ll be back," Riley said firmly.

The golden dragon raised one hand as if restraining himself from stepping forward anyway. For a split second, it looked like he might attempt to force his way through regardless of consequences.

Instead, Kael just nodded once, not wanting to make it even more difficult for his twig.

"I’ll wait for you."

Riley’s lips curved into a small smile.

He knew his Kael meant it.

Then, turning back toward the massive dragon-carved door, he really stepped forward alone.