Leo's footsteps echoed with a rhythmic arrogance. He stopped five paces from Arthur, his golden eyes flickering with a mixture of suspicion and disdain.
"So, the 'Lightning Freak' finally shows his face in the Vault," Leo said, his voice carrying the weight of someone born to command. "I watched your evaluation, Arthur. Impressive show. But light and thunder are just cheap tricks compared to the true majesty of the Sun."
Arthur didn't flinch. He slowly turned, holding the forbidden scroll loosely in his hand. He tilted his head, letting a lock of white hair veil one of his crimson eyes. He didn't look threatened; he looked intrigued, like a scientist looking at a particularly loud insect.
"The Sun?" Arthur's voice was a silk-wrapped blade. "A massive ball of burning gas that eventually dies and collapses into cold, dark nothingness. It's a very... poetic metaphor for your family's legacy, Leo."
Leo's golden aura flared. The temperature in the cold library rose by ten degrees in a second. "Watch your tongue, commoner. You might have the resonance, but you lack the bloodline. That scroll you're holding... it's Dimensional Theory. Trash for dreamers. Real power comes from the core, not from chasing ghosts in other realms."
Arthur took a step forward, entering Leo's personal space. The heat was blistering, but Arthur didn't sweat. He used his hidden Dimensional Perception to subtly warp the space around his skin, shunting the thermal energy into a micro-rift. To Leo, it looked like Arthur was simply immune to his power.
"You call it trash because you can't understand it," Arthur whispered, leaning in close to Leo's ear. "You're a candle, Leo. You shine brightly because you're burning yourself out to satisfy your father's expectations. But I? I don't burn. I consume."
Arthur pulled back, a charming, hollow smile returning to his face. "But please, don't let me stop you from your 'Solar Body Tempering.' I was just leaving. Oh, and Leo?"
Arthur paused at the end of the aisle, looking back over his shoulder.
"The library cameras have been recording your aura fluctuations for the last three minutes. Unauthorized use of Qi in the Vault carries a one-month suspension. I wonder what the 'Sun King' will say when his heir is banned from the elite library on his first week?"
Leo froze, his golden glow flickering as he looked up at the blinking red light of the security camera. By the time he looked back, the hallway was empty. Arthur was gone, leaving only the lingering chill of a shadow that the sun could never touch.