Episode 7| Investigations
Days turned into weeks as Riley settled deeper into her role as the temple trainee known as Ryan.
From the outside, she appeared to be nothing more than a diligent young priest. She attended training, completed chores without complaint, and volunteered whenever the temple sent trainees out to perform charity work.
But behind the calm exterior, Riley was doing exactly what she had come to do.
Investigate.
The temple was vast, and most of its secrets were buried beneath layers of bureaucracy and restricted archives. Priests recorded everything-donations, land ownership, healing requests, political connections.
And corruption.
Lots of corruption.
Late at night, when the temple halls were quiet and the priests had retired to their chambers, Riley would slip through the corridors like a ghost.
One such night, she found herself deep within the administrative wing of the temple.
Rows of tall shelves filled the dimly lit archive room. Thick books and scrolls were stacked carefully in labeled sections.
Riley moved quietly between them, her green eyes scanning the records.
Temple donations from nobles...
Taxes collected from villages...
Healing requests denied...
Her expression darkened.
Many of the records clearly showed that the temple had rejected pleas for healing simply because the families involved could not pay.
Even worse-
Some of the money collected for charity had mysteriously disappeared.
Riley closed the book slowly.
"So the corruption is even worse than I thought," she murmured.
She turned to reach for another record when-
Footsteps echoed in the corridor outside.
Riley froze.
The footsteps stopped directly outside the archive door.
Then it slowly opened.
The High Priest stepped inside.
For a brief moment, Riley's heart nearly stopped.
She was standing beside a table covered with restricted financial records.
Getting caught now would destroy everything.
The High Priest's sharp silver eyes scanned the room.
They landed on Riley.
"...Ryan."
His voice was calm, but his gaze was piercing.
"What are you doing here so late?"
Riley quickly closed the book she had been holding.
"Reviewing the charity ledgers, Your Holiness," she replied respectfully.
"I wished to better understand how the temple distributes aid."
The High Priest walked closer.
Each step echoed quietly across the marble floor.
Riley forced herself to remain calm.
For some reason, every time this man stood close to her, she could feel a strange tension in the air.
The High Priest stopped only a few steps away.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Something about this young priest always unsettled him.
The boy's presence felt...
Uncomfortable.
Almost suffocating.
What the High Priest didn't realize was the true reason.
Riley carried holy power blessed directly by the Goddess of Light herself.
Pure divine energy.
And hidden beneath the High Priest's elegant robes was something very different.
Demonic magic.
A dark power he carefully disguised as holy light.
Standing near someone with true divine blessing made his magic recoil instinctively.
Which was why being close to Ryan made him feel uneasy.
"...Is that so," the High Priest said slowly.
Riley bowed slightly.
"I only wish to serve the temple better."
The High Priest stared at her for several seconds longer.
Then finally-
"Very well," he said coldly.
"But the archives are not a place for trainees to wander at night."
"I understand."
The High Priest turned and walked toward the door.
Before leaving, he paused briefly.
His gaze flickered back to Riley.
"...You are an unusual priest, Ryan."
Then he left.
Riley exhaled quietly.
That was close.
---
A few days later, Riley was leaving the training hall when a familiar voice called out.
"Ryan."
Riley turned.
Michael stood a few steps away, his dark robes moving slightly in the breeze.
The Archmage rarely visited the temple so often.
But recently...
He had been showing up almost every day.
"What is it, Archmage?" Riley asked calmly.
Michael hesitated slightly.
Then he spoke.
"...Would you spend the day with me?"
Riley blinked.
"...Excuse me?"
Michael looked oddly uncomfortable.
"I don't have many friends," he admitted bluntly. "And you seem... different from the others here."
Riley immediately sensed danger.
Spending time with one of the male leads was the exact opposite of what she wanted.
But refusing an Archmage outright might raise suspicion.
So she sighed inwardly.
"Alright."
---
The two walked through the capital streets together.
Michael remained quiet most of the time, simply observing the city.
Eventually they passed a narrow alley.
A beggar sat there, wrapped in dirty cloth.
Most people ignored him completely.
Without hesitation, Riley walked over.
She knelt beside the man and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
A faint glow of light appeared.
The beggar's weak breathing steadied instantly.
Michael watched the entire scene silently.
"Why did you do that?" he asked once Riley returned.
Riley shrugged.
"He was sick."
"You didn't hesitate," Michael said.
"Why would I?"
Michael looked at her strangely.
Most priests hesitated to heal beggars.
Some even showed visible disgust.
But Ryan had acted without even thinking about it.
As they continued walking, sunlight broke through the clouds.
It illuminated Riley's golden hair, making it shine brightly.
For a moment, Michael simply stared.
Ryan's face looked peaceful beneath the light.
Pure.
Kind.
Beautiful.
Michael quickly looked away.
What is wrong with me?
His heart was beating strangely.
Uncomfortably.
There was no logical explanation.
Ryan was a man.
And Michael had never been interested in men.
Not even once.
Yet something about him...
Michael glanced back again.
Ryan was smiling gently at a passing child.
Anyone looking at that face might fall in love without even realizing it.
Regardless of gender.
Michael frowned slightly.
His chest tightened again.
"...Strange," he murmured quietly.
He had only wanted a friend.
But now-
He wasn't entirely sure what he was feeling anymore.
Over the following days, Riley carefully balanced her two lives.
By day, he was Ryan, the handsome, diligent low-ranking priest, quietly assisting wherever needed.
By night, he prowled the temple corridors, quietly investigating the inner workings of the institution.
The deeper he went, the more he realized just how corrupt the current leadership truly was-records hidden, healing denied to those in need, and charity funds quietly siphoned off.
Each encounter with the High Priest was a tense reminder of just how dangerous his infiltration could be.
Whenever Ryan was near, the man's usually composed demeanor faltered slightly.
He would clear his throat, adjust his robes, or glance away abruptly, as if something in Ryan's very presence unsettled him.
And indeed, it did. Riley's holy magic, directly blessed by the Goddess of Light, radiated subtly even when suppressed, and the High Priest's disguised demonic aura reacted to it like iron against a magnet.
Though neither fully understood it, the tension between them was palpable.
Meanwhile, Michael's visits became more frequent.
Every day, he found excuses to be near Ryan, and every day, he watched him with a mixture of curiosity and admiration.
Riley, aware of the danger, continued to maintain his calm, measured exterior, careful never to reveal more than necessary.
But small acts of genuine kindness-the way Ryan healed a sick child or offered food to a beggar-were impossible to hide.
One afternoon, Michael insisted on accompanying Ryan to a small, impoverished district of the city. The streets were crowded, the air heavy with the smell of smoke and baked bread. Children ran barefoot, and adults hustled to make a living.
A young girl, coughing violently, collapsed near the fountain. Without hesitation, Ryan knelt beside her.
"Hold still," he said gently, placing a hand over her chest. A golden light flowed softly from his palm, warm and comforting. Within moments, the girl's breathing steadied, her pallor fading. She blinked up at him, smiling weakly.
Michael watched from a few steps away, heart racing. He had seen powerful priests before, but this... this was different. There was no hesitation, no fear, no pride. Only compassion.
Riley straightened, brushing off his sleeves, and gave a reassuring smile. "She'll be fine."
Michael found himself unable to speak. The pure kindness in Ryan's expression, amplified by the sunlight glinting off his golden hair, struck something deep within him.
The heart that had never been moved by men-or, for that matter, by anything in such an innocent, raw way-now thudded painfully against his chest.
Riley noticed the Archmage staring but gave nothing away. The artifact worked perfectly. Michael could not sense the truth, nor did anyone else.
"You... you didn't hesitate," Michael said finally, voice low and unsteady.
Ryan simply nodded. "Why would I? If someone needs help, why wait?"
Michael blinked, taken aback by the simplicity and honesty of the response. He looked down, unsure how to respond. For a moment, he wondered if perhaps he was drawn not to a man, but to the essence of Ryan-the purity of his heart, the warmth of his soul.
And yet, he could not ignore it.
Over the next few weeks, Michael continued to find reasons to visit the temple, often requesting Ryan's presence.
He observed Ryan in private, watched his interactions, and gradually became both fascinated and conflicted.
The longer he spent with the young priest, the more he felt the pull of something he couldn't explain, something that transcended gender, status, and expectations.
Riley, for his part, stayed vigilant. The Archmage was dangerous-not just as one of the male leads, but because his intuition and magical perception were unparalleled.
Every smile, every act of kindness, was calculated carefully to appear natural yet remain within safe limits.
He had to keep Michael interested enough to be useful but never close enough to uncover the truth.
Still, there was an undeniable charm in these moments.
The warmth of the sun, the laughter of children, the soft glow of holy magic-it was a world far removed from Mikayla Edwin's life as a con artist in Las Vegas.
And yet, Riley found herself adapting to it, blending her cunning with compassion, her intelligence with empathy.
As the temple's days unfolded, one thing became certain: the young priest named Ryan had begun weaving himself seamlessly into its very fabric, a golden thread of light hidden in plain sight, moving carefully among both allies and potential threats.
And the moment the High Priest or Michael would discover the truth, the stakes would rise to unimaginable heights.
But for now... Riley's game had just begun.