Chapter 208: Questions, Quarrels, And Quiet Realizations

"Let me guess, dragon blood, the Roaring Shard, and a suitable vessel," Cyrus said, his tone carrying the faintest edge of smugness.

Kane’s head whipped toward him.

"How the hell did you know that?"

One corner of Cyrus’s mouth lifted—barely a smile, but unmistakable.

"Lucky guess."

"Bullshit." Kane crossed his arms. "Did you suddenly evolve mind-reading powers? Because that would’ve been useful information weeks ago."

"No mind reading," Cyrus assured him, merging smoothly onto the highway.

"Just logic. The ancient texts described the original forging process in explicit detail. Dragon blood was always required. The five Hearts needed to be reunited. And the ritual demanded a living conduit capable of withstanding divine essence."

Kane huffed, slumping lower in his seat.

"You could’ve just said ’I already knew’ instead of being all mysterious about it."

"Where’s the fun in that?"

"You’re insufferable."

"You like it," Cyrus countered.

Kane’s tails flickered beneath his glamour, betraying his agitation.

"So we guard three things." He ticked them off on his fingers. "Your blood. The Roaring Shard’s location. And any viable vessels."

"Four things," Cyrus corrected quietly.

Kane frowned. "What’s the fourth?"

Cyrus glanced at the dragon egg case in the rearview mirror.

"Him."

Right. The egg.

A perfect, helpless vessel.

Kane’s stomach dropped.

"Elias listed the egg in his files," he said quietly. "As a primary vessel option."

"Which means it is important to him." Cyrus continued. "And he’ll come for it eventually."

The Lamborghini sliced through traffic, engine roaring.

Kane studied Cyrus’s profile—the sharp line of his jaw, the tension radiating through his shoulders.

"We won’t let that happen," Kane said firmly.

"No." Cyrus’s crimson eyes caught the passing streetlights. "We won’t."

They drove in silence for several blocks.

Kane’s mind churned through possibilities, contingencies, worst-case scenarios. Elias had resources, augmented soldiers, stolen shards, and a network of willing volunteers.

What did they have?

Each other. Rina’s forensic brilliance. Ginsei’s reluctant cooperation. Isabelle’s strategic mind. Mochi’s chaotic arsenal.

And one unhatched dragon.

"Wait." Kane straightened, pieces clicking together. "Elias’s facility had that synthetic dragon. Multiple chimera specimens. Failed enhancement subjects."

He turned to face Cyrus fully.

"They couldn’t make anything stable. Nothing that lasted."

"Your point?"

"He let us take the egg."

Cyrus’s jaw tightened.

"Elias didn’t let us do anything," he said coolly. "You retrieved it during the chaos. He was occupied managing the facility’s collapse."

"Bullshit." Kane’s tails lashed beneath his glamour.

"Elias orchestrated everything else perfectly. The warehouse ambush. The water dragon. Bob’s manipulations. You think he’d leave his most valuable asset unguarded by accident?"

Silence stretched between them.

The Lamborghini’s engine purred, deceptively calm.

"He couldn’t hatch it himself," Kane continued, voice rising. "So he baited us into taking it. Into caring about it. Into hatching it for him."

"Kane—"

"We’re doing his work for him!"

"Kane." Cyrus’s tone cut through the rising panic. "Elias won’t complete his ritual. He still lacks the Roaring Shard."

Kane forced his breathing to slow.

"You’re sure he can’t find it?"

"Positive." Cyrus merged onto the exit ramp toward the penthouse.

"The Roaring Shard came from the Beating Heart. The Dragon King destroyed it completely when he shattered it. No fragments survived."

The certainty in Cyrus’s voice should’ve been reassuring.

Should’ve.

But Kane had spent weeks learning to read the subtle tells beneath Cyrus’s careful composure.

The fractional pause before answering. The way his grip tightened on the steering wheel. The deliberate steadiness of his tone.

All signals that Cyrus was hiding something.

"What aren’t you telling me?" Kane asked quietly.

"I’ve told you everything relevant to our current situation."

"Cyrus."

"The rest is classified history."

"We’re past classified!" Kane’s voice cracked.

"Elias wants to resurrect a god-powered crystal that already destroyed an entire realm. I’m apparently a viable vessel for divine essence. There’s a dragon egg in your backseat that could be used as a conduit for apocalyptic power."

He leaned closer, amber eyes blazing.

"What. Aren’t. You. Telling. Me?"

Cyrus pulled into the underground garage, killed the engine. Sat motionless in the sudden quiet.

"I’m not hiding anything," Cyrus said calmly.

Too calmly.

Kane’s eyes narrowed.

"Okay, now I know you’re lying."

"I haven’t lied."

"You just said the Roaring Shard came from the Beating Heart." Kane shifted in his seat, pinning Cyrus with a look that could strip paint.

"But you also said the Dragon King destroyed the Beating Heart completely. No fragments survived."

He crossed his arms.

"So how the hell do you know which Heart spawned which Shard if there’s nothing left to trace it to?"

Silence.

Then Cyrus’s mouth curved—genuine amusement flickering across his usually stoic features.

"You’ve gotten smarter."

"Don’t patronize me."

"I’m not." Cyrus unfastened his seatbelt, turning to face Kane fully. "I mean it. You’re connecting details I assumed you’d miss."

"Answer the question."

Cyrus raised his hands in mock surrender, palms facing Kane.

"The Roaring Shard exists."

"I knew it!"

"But—"

"Why is it so damn hard for you to just admit things?" Kane demanded, tails flickering beneath his glamour. "We’re supposed to be partners. Equals. Remember?"

"I remember." Cyrus lowered his hands slowly. "I also know you."

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"It means the moment I confirmed the Roaring Shard’s existence, you’d immediately start planning how to find it." Cyrus’s crimson eyes held steady. "And you’d insist we hunt it down before Elias does."

Kane opened his mouth to protest.

Closed it.

Opened it again.

"That’s—okay, yes. That’s exactly what I was about to say." He crossed his arms. "Because it’s the logical next step! We secure the final piece before he can complete his ritual."

"Or," Cyrus countered quietly, "we leave everything as is."

"What?"

"Elias has searched for the Roaring Shard for decades without success." Cyrus’s tone remained maddeningly calm.

"But he needs it to complete his ritual—"

"And he will never find it." Cyrus cut him off cleanly.

"The shard is hidden in a location that requires knowledge only the Black Dragon clan possessed. Elias doesn’t have that knowledge. Neither does Bob Holloway, Madam Xiu, or any other player in this conspiracy."

He leaned closer.

"Leave it buried, Kane. Some artifacts are safer lost."

Kane studied Cyrus’s face—the absolute certainty radiating from every sharp angle.

"You know where it is," Kane said quietly.

Not a question.

Cyrus’s silence answered anyway.