Kael, for all intents and purposes, couldn’t really understand why his twig was reacting so violently.
Yes, Riley was adorable as he rolled around like an egg. That much was obvious. But he also looked far too stressed for someone who had just gotten engaged, which felt very contrary to everything Kael had been told.
Because see, when the golden dragon had asked about the expected outcome, that elf back at the MBE had been very clear about it.
Normally, there would be crying. A lot of it. Possibly some hyperventilation. And apparently, a lot of clapping. There could even be running which was a bad outcome according to the elf.
He was told that was what usually happened.
So why was he getting such a different result?
Sure, there had been crying. That part had happened and Kael had already decided it was never to be discussed ever again. And yes, there was no running, but that was mostly because Kael had very deliberately chosen to bring up the topic while his mate was half naked, which had been a strategic and entirely reasonable decision.
But the clapping?
There was none.
Instead, there was... this.
A great deal of hyperventilation. All of it directed squarely at the ring.
For nearly an hour now.
Riley paced back and forth across the room, hands occasionally lifting to gesture wildly before dropping again, his steps uneven, his breathing clearly not normal. He would stop. Stare at his hand. Mutter something under his breath. Then start pacing all over again.
Kael sat there, watching.
Confused.
And admittedly mildly concerned.
And, if he were being honest with himself, mildly offended that the engagement ring seemed to be getting more attention than him.
__
"Kael! Are you sure this is fine?" Riley blurted, pacing before stopping short. He lifted his hand again, fingers spread as if the ring itself were a ticking bomb. "What if it’s reacting because it’s not supposed to be used by anyone who isn’t—"
Kael’s eyes flashed.
Riley swallowed and quickly corrected himself. "Biologically a Dravaryn?"
He thrust his hand out toward Kael. "Because look at it! It’s glowing. It flared earlier. It latched onto me. That doesn’t feel normal!"
Kael leaned forward, studying the ring with a calm that felt deeply unfair. Then he nodded once. "I can see it."
Riley sagged with relief. "Right? So you see the problem—"
"I can see that it looks good on you," Kael continued mildly, "and that you could very well walk around me with just that as your only clothing."
"!"
"!!!"
Riley nearly buckled.
Where was his vulnerable, tearful big baby from earlier? How had he been replaced by someone with such a tongue?
Riley internally assessed the situation and held onto the pitiful blanket that had become his engagement attire.
"W-what are you saying?" Riley sputtered. "Can you be serious for one second? What if this thing is dangerous?!"
His voice cracked at the end, the stress finally peeking through.
He was dangerously close to losing his marbles.
Or his hair.
If he ended up bald, he knew exactly who to blame.
But instead of understanding the plight of someone who may end up a bald chicken, the golden dragon only tilted his head slightly. "It should be fine. Moreover, you can wear it because you’re my fated mate."
"Huh?"
Riley froze mid flail.
"If you really weren’t allowed to wear it, you would’ve known from the very beginning and it wouldn’t be a pretty sight."
"!"
"It’s also one reason why it’s pointless to steal the ring. Because unless it’s fine with being taken then that’s not happening."
"What? It can choose to be taken?"
"It can even choose to leave."
Riley’s eyes bulged at that. What kind of ring was he really wearing?
"Kael... does it uhhh..."
The golden dragon raised a brow to ask, "Does it what?"
"Does it, you know... talk?"
By now Riley had been done with thinking things were impossible. Especially after seeing how Thyrran and the other guardians could switch back into statues, who knows if the ring could talk.
But with how Kael was looking at him, maybe that one wasn’t particularly sentient.
"Fine, forget I asked about that. But still! I think we should at least talk to your parents about this!"
Riley fanned out his hand again and sure enough the giant blinding stone was so visible it could probably be seen from another planet.
Dammit.
It was really beautiful and could probably cause traffic accidents, but still.
Dammit!
"Would it make you feel better if I explained why I think it’s fine?" Kael said with his arms folding across his chest.
"Yes!"
"Yes please!" Riley wanted to jump at him because yes, he needed all the explanation he could get. Moreover, he needed after care instructions because with a ring like that, who knew if it would curse him for not keeping it sparkling and shit.
"Think of the ring as a repository of mana," Kael continued, tone shifting into explanation mode. "The repository itself happens to be made from the ashes of the Primordial Dragon. But the mana inside it was accumulated through the combined efforts of the Dravaryn clan heads."
Well. Instead of clearing anything up, it only made the idea sound worse.
"See! Then shouldn’t it—" Riley cut himself off, horror dawning again. "Shouldn’t it go to a clan member?"
"Shouldn’t it?" Kael echoed, golden eyes fixed on him.
"...Shouldn’t it go to someone whose mana could be added into it?" Riley pressed. "Won’t your ancestors be angry about this?"
"Angry?" The golden dragon scoffed lightly. "They could try."
Riley stared.
"What would they say when their combined contribution is still dwarfed by mine?"
Green eyes blinked slowly.
"What...?"
"They can file complaints if I end up dead somehow," Kael said calmly. "Then I would ask about their contribution. After that, they would likely shut their mouths."
Riley opened his mouth. Closed it. Tried again. "I’m sorry, what do you mean by contribution?"
"That ring is exceptional because of its capacity," Kael said. "It can store what currently appears to be limitless mana."
"?!"
"In the past, it was used to stockpile power. The intention was that when a decisive burst was needed, it would be released. If prepared long enough, it could shift the outcome of a deadlock entirely."
Riley listened, dread and awe mixing in his chest.
"The operative word is could."
"Huh?"
"Because that thing has never actually been used. It has just been accumulating mana since it was made and might as well have been a decoration."
Kael spoke about such a surprising topic with such a nonchalant tone that Riley couldn’t help but pause.
"It’s never been used?"
"Yes. Who knows why, but so far it’s only been accumulating mana steadily."
"Well, the increase had been steady until my father passed it on to me."
Riley swallowed his surprise.
"You know the story, right? How there was a period of madness and how my father passed on the position of dragon lord to me?"
Know the story? Of course he knows. How could Riley forget?
Still, the listener was surprised at how the story was suddenly related to the ring but he nodded slowly, knowing full well that it was impossible to forget that part about his mate’s suffering.
"My father rushed to pass down the position because the dragon lord’s title would allow me to harness and regulate my ancient abilities without backlash," Kael explained. "But it only did that. It didn’t exactly ground the destructive overflow."
"In short, it shielded my core, but it did nothing for everyone else."
Riley’s breath caught.
"But the heirloom could," Kael continued. "Because of its material, it could store everything I was discharging."
He looked at Riley then. Direct. Certain.
"And I can assure you," Kael said quietly, "and my parents could verify it, that you would need to multiply the cumulative mana of those past clan heads before it would even come close to what I have contributed."
"Because if their mana had dominated that ring," he added flatly, "I would have never given it to you."
"Why would I allow you to walk around with something like that?"
"Moreover, how could I trust their pitifully weak mana with your protection?"
"!!!"
Riley’s heart throbbed painfully.
Okay. Kael was absolutely getting stoned in the afterlife for remarks like that.
And Riley was probably getting punished too, because there was no excuse for how his knees felt just a little weaker at the sight of Kael’s deadly serious expression.
Ahem.
Still, what was concerning was how of all those things... that was his dragon’s conclusion.
"...What?" Kael finally asked when Riley failed to respond.
"Are you still thinking about the ring?"
"Huh?"
Riley blinked and looked up, only to realize that the golden dragon now looked faintly annoyed.
"Well, do you not want me to think about it anymore?" Riley asked, recovering enough to smile and tease him lightly. "Normally people want their partners to obsess over the ring. You know. Because of the cost. The difficulty. The bragging rights."
"Of course, I wanted you to think about it," Kael replied. "I wanted you to show it off."
"Then why are you scowling?"
"Because you are thinking about it too much," Kael said bluntly. "It has already taken too long."
Riley frowned. "Too long?"
"Yes. It has been an hour," Kael said, perfectly serious. "And nothing has happened."
"Huh? What do you mean nothing has happened?" Riley asked. "I have been mentally exorcising imaginary demons from that ring for the past hour."
Kael looked at him.
Then said, calmly, "It has been an hour. Why aren’t we married yet?"
"..."
"..."
"...What?"