Aegon knew the best way to deal with Cali's problem would be a talk with Xiu. And he was right. Xiu found her problem easily and gave her the supporting hand she needed. Now, Cali just had to take it.

He didn't say anything, leaving her to think for herself for a moment. She needed that time. But he did slide closer to her and began patting her head lightly.

Her body was as stiff as an iceberg, but under his gentle patting, she slowly relaxed and stayed in that position. One couldn't guess what was going through her head as she remained curled up on the ground.

After over a minute had passed, she suddenly said, "You know I hate people touching my head, right?"

"I'm not people," Aegon said, still patting her head.

"Then prove it!"

In the next moment, Aegon's instincts flared, and he rolled away without thinking twice. The ground cracked where he had been sitting as Cali slowly sat up, her face showing a storm of conflicting emotions.

"And here I was wondering how you manage to adjust all those emotions so easily," Aegon chuckled and cracked his knuckles. "In the end, you still need to let them out this way."

"Shut your mouth and come at me!" Cali growled.

"As you wish!"

Aegon dashed forward, his feet leaving marks in the soft soil, and threw a punch without holding back in the slightest. His fist sliced through the air as Cali intercepted it easily and countered with a powerful kick of her own.

Anticipating her movement, Aegon allowed his punch to carry through as he leaned forward from the momentum and delivered a roundhouse kick, forcing Cali to back off.

"You've grown stronger," Cali remarked, smiling at the pang of pain from her arm. "Then, as your elder, let me show you what true Martial Arts is."

She planted her feet deep into the ground and took her stance, her eyes clear and sharp. The crying, shaken girl from a few moments ago was gone, replaced by the fierce warrior she truly was.

"Come!"

Aegon pushed his palm forward with a smile, and once again, they lunged at each other. Fist met fist, flesh struck flesh, bone clashed with bone. The impact echoed through the field, shaking the air around them, but neither of them stopped, they fought with smiles on their faces.

Aegon wasn't a big fan of fighting, but he enjoyed this one because he could feel Cali speaking through her punches. She wasn't good with words, so this was her way of expressing herself, a way to ask questions, to demand reassurance.

And he gave it with full sincerity.

It was clear she was going easy on him, after all. Even if she lowered her strength to his level, her experience and deep knowledge of martial arts were more than enough to overpower him.

Her body moved like a slippery python, slithering from one position to another in an instant, yet every strike carried the power to knock him out cold.

'You'll be fine, Cali,' Aegon thought, as he defended against a rapid flurry of punches before countering with a spinning elbow near her neck. 'We're here for you. No need to overthink.'

For several minutes, they continued their exchange without uttering a single word, as everything they wanted to say was conveyed through those punches and kicks. There was no winner or loser in a conversation like this, so they stopped only when exhaustion finally caught up with them.

"You're good! What kind of martial arts do you even practice?" Cali asked, handing him a water bottle after taking a long drink herself. "It's surprisingly nimble. It felt like I was hitting cotton sometimes."

"It's a secret until I master it. But yes, that's one of its core applications, dispersing force," Aegon replied with a nod, taking big gulps from the bottle.

Cali chuckled lightly before turning toward the distant sight of the Giant God's Hand. "The Academy will start in two hours, so we should go back."

"You've decided?" he asked curiously.

"You think I can decide so quickly?" Cali rolled her eyes at him. "One conversation and everything's solved?"

"But you did decide on something," Aegon said, smiling knowingly.

"Keep that happy smile away from me," Cali huffed and ruffled his hair before walking off. "Let's go, unless you plan on being late for the first day."

The walk back home was peaceful. Cali tried her best to act nonchalant, which amused Aegon to no end, so of course, he couldn't resist teasing her.

Naturally, that irritated her a lot, so he made sure not to overdo it, he valued his bones too much to risk a beating.

By the time they reached the city, the citizens were already awake, lining up their stalls and preparing for the day ahead, a brand-new day filled with possibilities and hope.

Aegon wanted to stop and taste some of the food, but Cali dragged him back toward their house.

"Are you my enemy?" Aegon accused dramatically as they stood before their home. "Why do you always drag me away from my delicious cuisines?"

"Umm, my bad, but I promise I'll treat you to all the city's food next time," Cali said, scratching her cheek awkwardly while trying to come up with some kind of compensation.

"Forget it," Aegon waved his hand dismissively and entered the house. The lights were already on, and he wasn't surprised to see Xavier lazing around on the sofa like a sleepy monkey.

"Aghh!"

A solid kick on his butt sent him rolling off the sofa with a yell. He hurriedly looked around, and when his eyes met Aegon's, he gnashed his teeth. "Why is it that both in my dreams and in reality, you're the one tormenting me?"

"Really? That makes me so happy!" Aegon grinned. "Tell me, is my dream version good or not?"

"Fuck off!" Xavier snapped, showing him the middle finger. "I kicked your butt in my dreams!"

"Liar!" Aegon shook his head with mock disappointment. "Even in your dreams, you can't imagine me losing."

Xavier's lips twitched at his arrogant tone. Oh, how he wished he could wipe that smug look off his face but no, he just had to awaken a damned Healer Affinity.

"I don't even want to bother with you," Xavier grumbled and flopped down onto another sofa.

"You're back."

Luna walked out of the kitchen, looking radiant as ever in her apron, smiling warmly at Aegon. "Today's your first day at the Academy, so tell me, do you want me to make something special? For today, I'm the head of the kitchen."

"Before that..." Aegon whispered, turning toward Cali.

She was staring right at Luna unlike before, when she had always avoided her gaze. There was a subtle change in her expression, something soft and uncertain, but filled with quiet determination. Aegon didn't quite know what she was thinking, but he knew one thing for sure.

She was finally willing to take a step forward.

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