Chapter 618: Banter
(Holding Cell, Su Yang’s POV)
For the next half an hour, Su Yang sat in absolute silence as he contemplated just how much of his universal view was flawed, every word of the Lieutenant echoing in his head as doubt gnawed at his foundations, until, unexpectedly, the iron door of the cell clanged open and a freakishly handsome man walked into the cell.
*CLANG*
The Lieutenant sitting opposite him immediately shot to his feet, his chair scraping sharply against the stone floor as he straightened his back and delivered a crisp salute, his head dipping in a deep bow.
"Lord Dragon—"
The Lieutenant’s voice trailed as Veyr strode forward with his usual swagger, brushing aside the formalities as though they were no more than an irritating breeze.
He grasped the empty chair, spun it around without hesitation, and dropped onto it backwards, resting his arms over the top rail before leaning his chin lazily on his folded hands, his smile wide and unbothered.
"Su Yang of the Su Clan..." Veyr drawled, his tone dripping with a strange mix of mockery and curiosity.
Su Yang’s golden eyes locked on him without flinching, his wrists still chained to the table yet his voice sharp as steel. "Cult Dragon, and the universe’s most wanted criminal... Aegon Veyr."
Veyr’s grin only widened at the words, his head tilting slightly as if savoring the title. "Oh, I try," he said with a casual flick of his fingers, accepting the insult as though it were a compliment.
He glanced sideways at the Lieutenant, snapping his fingers once in dismissal. "Leave us."
The soldier hesitated only a second before bowing once more, his boots echoing across the cell as he exited, shutting the heavy door behind him with a dull thud.
Silence settled again, but this time it carried a different weight—less of the cold isolation Su Yang had endured for the past half hour, and more of the unpredictable storm that Veyr seemed to have dragged into the room with his entry.
*tap* *tap*
Veyr tapped his knuckles idly against the chair’s backrest as his eyes roamed across Su Yang’s face, as if he were dissecting him without ever drawing a blade.
"You know... I saw your fight at the Universal Circuit finals last year. Back then you scored a point, didn’t you? One of the five. The other four were scored by cousin Leo," Veyr said, bringing it up casually, as Su Yang nonchalantly accepted the comment.
"Well, I would give you my autograph, but my hands are tied to this table you see... so I guess you will have to wait until I am free," Su Yang replied, as Veyr’s smile widened, accepting the retort with good humor.
He had only come here to kill time, but judging by Su Yang’s spunk, he felt that this conversation might actually turn out to be entertaining.
"So... why are you here? And why do you want to see my cousin?" Veyr asked, his expression shifting into something slightly more serious, as Su Yang only shrugged in response.
"I will speak of my business with Leo Skyshard, and no one else. Not even you, Lord Dragon, " Su Yang said, his mocking tone deliberate, as Veyr leaned back on the chair.
"Aw, come on, do not be like that, golden-eyed boy. Just pretend I am my cousin and spill the beans. After all, whatever authority he has within the Cult, I share as well," Veyr teased, his grin playful, as Su Yang scoffed at the remark.
"Just because you hold the title of Dragon does not make you as qualified as Leo. Everyone in the wider universe knows that it was Leo Skyshard who won the battle between the two of you that day. The only reason you carry the title of Dragon is because Leo did not want it.
So, although you may think you are on the same footing as him... I at least know for sure in my heart, that you are not," Su Yang said firmly, his voice cold.
As it was only then that Veyr’s playfulness subsided, his ego bruised at last.
"Yeah, you are not wrong on that. I did lose to my cousin that day," he admitted slowly, before his lips curled again.
"But here is what you do not understand....you outsider —
Cousin chose me to be Dragon because he thought I was a better fit for the role than even him.
We do everything together, every decision we make for the Cult, we make together.
So even if you think you will speak to him alone, I can promise you he will tell me everything later. Because him and me... we are tight like that."
The words landed harder on Su Yang than he expected, as a frown crept across his face.
The way Veyr described his bond with Leo was the same way Su Yang remembered his own bond with him back at Rodova, when they had trained together, eaten together, and shared the same dream of reaching the top.
And hence, even though he could not explain why, jealousy began to gnaw faintly at his heart.
"You do not know him as well as I do," Su Yang said, his voice hardening. "We were batchmates in Rodova, we trained together, ate together, dreamed together. You think you know him? I guarantee you that I know him better. He will never leak a single word of what I tell him to a third party."
Su Yang claimed, as Veyr felt his right eye twitch at that comment, his smile faltering as indignation simmered beneath the surface.
How dare this outsider suggest that his bond with Leo was stronger than his own?
It was simply unacceptable.
"Oh yeah? You really think you know him as well as I do? Son, we are bound by blood.
BLOOD BROTHERS.
We practically have the same brain!" Veyr said arrogantly, as it was Su Yang’s eye now that began to twitch.
"Being bound by blood means nothing. If it did, why would Kaelith kill the Timeless Assassin?
On the other hand, a man chooses his own friends.
And I am Leo’s best friend!" Su Yang said, as he leaned forward on the table, only for Veyr to do the same, as the two stared into one another’s soul from close range.