After receiving the Heartstone amulet and the blood sigil, Riley did what any sensible, fragile, mortal aide in his position would do.
He started worrying.
The glowing skin, improved stamina, and magically suppressed appetite were all very nice. Downright luxurious, even.
But they were also very physical. Very obvious. However, the more critical and life-saving bits were very, very untested.
He wanted to believe Kael when the Dragon Lord assured him that the amulet and sigil would ward off curses, hexes, blows, and even soul grabbers. He really did.
But until sothing actually tried to kill him, and failed, he wasn’t going to take that on faith.
Unfortunately for him, Kael seed eager to give him the opportunity to find out.
It started the next morning.
Riley walked into the Ministry’s private training grounds and stopped cold.
Kael was already waiting.
Not in his usual black suit, but in sparring clothes. Light and casual.
Behind him stood what could only be described as a small army.
Elves in sleek uniforms, longbows in hand. rfolk with water streaming between their fingers. Dwarves testing the weight of iron clubs. And two dragons at the back, their auras hot and stifling even from a distance.
Riley surveyed the field.
And sighed.
"...I see," he murmured, still smiling faintly. "What a ti to be alive."
Kael didn’t even glance up.
"You’re late," he said simply.
Riley stepped forward anyway, his voice calm despite the growing pit in his stomach.
"I apologize, My Lord. I didn’t expect the change in the eting place."
Kael finally looked at him, golden eyes gleaming.
"This is your field test," he said. "Better you break here than out there."
Riley raised an eyebrow.
"Reassuring as always, My lord."
Kael gave a sharp nod to the instructors.
"Begin."
What followed was two hours of unrelenting training.
At first, he couldn’t resist the urge to run, but then even when he did so, it wasn’t really easy to escape these many beings with such varying abilities.
The elves opened with arrows. Arrows that hissed past him close enough to split hairs. The Heartstone flared faintly with every shot, a shimring barrier buzzing against his skin.
The rfolk followed, hamring him with torrents of freezing water until the sigil on his shoulder burned, forcing back the chill.
Then the dwarves charged, their clubs crashing against his defenses hard enough to rattle his teeth.
And just to finish him off, one of the dragon instructors casually swept fire across the field while Kael called out, "Stay standing."
Sohow, he did.
When Kael finally called a halt, Riley stood there, soaked, scorched, and glowing faintly gold.
Still alive. Still standing.
Though barely.
He exhaled slowly and gave Kael a wry look. Because each resulted in that sigil reacting, and it wasn’t a tap, it burned.
And it did it every ti.
"Tell , you guys," he said evenly, "am I a lowly soldier? A general? Or just premium bait?"
One of the dwarves chuckled.
"Bait doesn’t usually glow like that, boy."
Riley kept smiling.
"Not comforting," he replied dryly.
Kael finally approached, arms folded.
"You lived," he said simply.
"Barely," Riley shot back.
"That was the point," Kael said. "To see if the protections hold under stress. That’s what you wanted to see, right?"
Riley flexed his fingers, feeling the faint warmth of the sigil and the steady hum of the Heartstone.
"They held," he said. "I think."
Kael’s gaze sharpened.
"You think?"
"Well," Riley replied, "I’m not on fire. Not dead. Soul still intact. So...yes, I believe it should be fine, Sir."
Kael gave the faintest nod.
"Then it worked."
"You could have just told it worked instead of throwing dragons at ," Riley muttered.
Kael ignored him.
"This is only the beginning. You’ll need to be ready for more."
Riley gave him a tired smile.
"Of course. Why wouldn’t there be more?"
Kael’s golden eyes glinted, as though already calculating sothing beyond the room.
"The Ministry has enemies," he said. "And you, for one, should know just how many of those exist."
Riley sighed, glancing down at his nearly scorched sleeves.
"At least we’re not testing curses or hexes," he murmured.
Kael’s lips twitched. Not quite approval. Not quite amusent.
"Get cleaned up," he ordered.
Riley nodded faintly, turning toward the showers.
"Premium punching bag," he muttered to himself. "Or a shiny moving target."
Behind him, Kael watched him go. His gaze unreadable.
By the ti Riley returned to the atrium, the office was alive with whispers.
Louder now. Almost theatrical.
Enchanted speech bubbles popped above desks as he passed.
"I heard they set him on fire. And he’s still standing."
"Not true. He flinched. Handsoly."
"He’s glowing more now, isn’t he? That has to be a blessing. Or a curse. Or expensive skincare."
"Blessing. Only the Lord’s favorites get field-tested like that."
"Field-tested? That was a battlefield. Poor man probably didn’t even sign a consent form."
"Premium tester," soone added cheerfully.
Riley stopped and glanced at them, his smile sharp and thin.
"Premium tester?" he repeated.
The group froze. Their speech bubbles popped with audible snaps.
Riley shook his head and kept walking, muttering under his breath.
"Couldn’t even upgrade to quality assurance. Figures."
Even his desk was in on the joke.
One mo shimred as he unrolled it.
Impressive. Didn’t know humans could last that long. — Archives
Another.
Did they really roast and drown you? Can you still feel your soul? — Lyra
And another.
You’re glowing brighter than my fiancé’s tiara. Tell what you’re using. — Mina (Still On Leave)
Riley buried his face in his hands with a quiet groan.
"Stop wasting ti."
Kael’s voice cut through the air like a blade.
Riley looked up to see him standing just beyond his desk, golden gaze steady.
"You should be fine now," Kael said. "Which ans you’re ready for the next phase."
Riley stared at him flatly.
"There’s a next phase, Sir?"
Kael’s mouth curved almost imperceptibly.
"There’s always a next phase."
Then he walked away, leaving Riley slumped in his chair, muttering under his breath.
"How fantastic..."
The whispers started up again behind him.
"That’s confidence."
"No. That’s resignation."
"Still shines when he sulks, though. That’s talent."
Riley closed his eyes and counted to ten.
It didn’t help.
He really thought that was the end of it.
But the next morning, an official Ministry summons appeared on his desk.
Black parchnt. Molten gold seal stamped with Kael’s insignia.
It shimred faintly in his hands, like it was alive.
He broke the seal and read it once.
Then again.
Then a third ti, just to be sure.
Finally, he slumped back in his chair, the parchnt dangling from his fingers.
Across the room, soone called out, "Good news or bad news?"
Riley let out a soft laugh, low and bitter.
Then he muttered to himself,
"I’m being deployed."
Not just anywhere.
The Wyvern borderlands.
For "diplomatic observation."
Which everyone knew was Ministry code for one thing.
Under the table surveillance.
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