(Planet Ixtal, Leo's POV, The Next Day)
The morning after his argunt with Amanda, Leo was inford that an unexpected visitor had arrived on Ixtal, and despite the lingering tension at ho, he could not help but feel a faint shift in mood when he learned that the visitor was none other than his long-ti rival, Su Yang.
"Skyshard you dog! I can't believe you killed Raymond in a one on one fight!"
Su Yang said as soon as he t Leo, as he gave his old rival a good dap-up before proceeding to give him a short hug.
"Hahaha.
And I can't believe you're still such a weak man. Like co on, not even a Monarch yet?"
Leo jibed, as Su Yang instantly turned a couple shades redder.
"What can I say man, not all of us have access to a super training chamber with dense mana flows and a 100 factor ti latency.
Only a fortunate few do. And then they flex their gains live for trillions to see."
Su Yang said, as Leo let out a short mirthless laugh at his words.
He had missed this banter with Su Yang over the past few years, as of all the warriors and leaders that surrounded him, he only shared this light friendly rivalry with Su Yang and Veyr.
"So... what brings you here so unexpectedly? I doubt you flew across the universe just to congratulate ."
Leo asked, as Su Yang's grin did not fade, though it shifted into sothing more deliberate.
"I'm here to train.
I've thought about it for months now, and I've finally made up my mind. With your blessing, I want access to the Cult's infamous Ti Stilled World.
Give a few months outside ti, and I'll co out of it a completely different man."
Su Yang said casually, though there was an unmistakable seriousness beneath the light tone.
Leo did not respond imdiately.
He kept walking, hands clasped behind his back as the wind brushed against his robes, his mind already weighing implications that Su Yang could not see, as he worried about the Cult's secrets such as its
advanced machinery and its mana refining tricks being leaked to the outside universe.
After all, the Ti Stilled World was not just a training chamber.
It was a utopia.
A developnt center.
And one of the Cult's most important asset.
"You do realize," Leo said slowly, "that what you're asking for isn't a simple favor. The Ti Stilled World isn't so rented cultivation cave. It houses Cult technology, relics, and chanisms that cannot be exposed to outsiders."
Su Yang did not flinch.
"I'm not asking to roam your archives, Skyshard.
Lock in a training zone. Strip my access. Blindfold if you have to. I don't care about your secrets. I only care about my personal power."
He replied, displaying no arrogance in his tone, only hunger.
For a long mont, Leo said nothing.
Then he stopped walking and looked at Su Yang properly, searching his face for ulterior motives, for calculation, for political maneuvering.
Only to find none, as he finally relented.
*Sigh*
"For anyone else making this request, I'd probably say no. However, for you... I'll agree."
He said evenly, though the decision was not a light one.
Su Yang's face brightened instantly, as though soone had ignited a lantern behind his eyes.
"Ha! I knew you weren't completely heartless.
Co on now Skyshard, drink with a brother for a change."
He declared triumphantly as he pulled a dark glass bottle from his spatial ring along with two ceremonial Su Clan crystal glasses etched with silver patterns, as Leo raised an eyebrow at the abrupt request.
"You ca prepared?"
He asked.
"Of course I did," Su Yang replied as he poured generously into both glasses. "If you rejected , I was planning to drown my sorrows
anyway."
He said, as Leo let out a short breath of amusent before accepting
the glass.
"Fine. But if this wine is weak, I'm revoking your access."
Leo teased, as the two clanked glasses and drank.
A couple hours later, with the sun dipping lower over Ixtal's horizon and the bottle significantly lighter, both n sat on the terrace railing with far less formality than before, their shoulders relaxed and their speech slightly slower, though neither was truly out of control.
Su Yang tilted his head slightly and smirked.
"So tell , Skyshard.
How's married life? How's it like being the father of two little
warriors?"
He asked with exaggerated curiosity, as Leo let out a low chuckle.
"It's great for the most part.
Except sotis when my wife expects to manifest the spirit of
Picasso and read between the brush strokes."
He replied dryly as he took another sip.
Su Yang blinked at him.
"...I have absolutely no idea what that ans."
He admitted, as Leo waved a dismissive hand.
"Exactly."
He shot back before turning the question around.
"What about you?
Did no girl catch your heart yet? Or are you leaning towards the n
these days?"
He asked with a sideways grin, as Su Yang scoffed loudly.
"Of course a few did.
Her na was Su Triya.
Very gorgeous.
Perfectly silky silver hair.
Big chest.
Bigger ass.
We made love for seven days and seven nights..."
He said dramatically as he raised his glass, and Leo raised his in return
with a slow nod of approval.
"Then my heart moved on to Su Lori.
Beautiful lips.
Beautiful black eyes.
Very flexible in bed.
We made love for seven days and seven nights...
Ahahahaha!"
He burst out laughing mid-story, nearly spilling his drink.
Leo stared at him for a second before shaking his head in disbelief.
"You're unbelievable."
He muttered.
Su Yang wiped his mouth and grinned shalessly.
"I'm just not built to be tied down yet. The universe is large, and my
heart is... generous."
He declared, as Leo scoffed softly, though there was no real judgnt
behind it.
"Or you're just scared."
He said calmly, as Su Yang's grin widened.
"Maybe. But at least I sleep well."
He replied, as the two sat there in companionable silence for a
mont, watching the sky darken as distant stars began to flicker into view, their rivalry montarily replaced by sothing far simpler - the quiet ease of two n who had fought each other, competed against each other, and yet sohow grown into brothers along the
way.
As for the first ti since his argunt with Amanda, Leo felt his
shoulders loosen just slightly, as he realized that maybe the two of them disagreeing for the first ti wasn't the end of the world.
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