CHAPTER 33: WILL OF SUN

Grandpa Sam could see that Aegon wouldn’t believe him at all. There was clear defiance in his eyes that reminded him of his own reflection.

He chuckled and said, "That’s only because it’s you, brat. She treats you like her entire world, so how can she be angry at you? But it’s different for others."

"I still don’t believe it!" Aegon stared at him with narrowed eyes. "So, what did you do?"

"Fine! I give in!" Grandpa Sam sighed. "I did something for which even I can’t forgive myself, so I understand her. That’s why I don’t want to agitate her more."

"So secretive!" Aegon pouted. "Also, if that thing bothers Xiu so much, why doesn’t Opa hate you?"

"Haven’t you seen how he behaves around me?" Grandpa Sam rolled his eyes. "He resents me to the core."

"It’s normal behaviour between friends. Cali and I have worse interactions than you two, but we’re still very great friends," Aegon said.

"Stop wasting time on useless things!" Grandpa Sam snorted, trying to change the subject. "I came here to check your condition. Are you fine now?"

"I’m fine, but I have a question. Why do I feel familiar with you?" Aegon asked, not pressing further since he didn’t want to talk about it.

"Because we have met a few times."

"...I really should tell Xiu about your arrival."

"Where did you learn blackmailing from?"

"From you, Grandpa Samless." Aegon laughed at his own wordplay. "You get it, right? Shameless, but your name is Sam so... haha!"

"For God’s sake, you Augustus all have such bad humour," Grandpa Sam grunted before putting his hand on Aegon’s head, which he didn’t resist. "You feel familiarity with me because I also follow the Path of Sun."

"Huh? Don’t we have only three Pathways?" Aegon asked in confusion.

"It’s different. You will understand when you’re at my level," Grandpa Sam said, patting his head lightly.

A warm current entered Aegon’s body, soothing his every nerve and cell, making him extremely relaxed. He also felt something melting inside him and soon a hologram appeared before him.

[The Remnants of the Ice Prison have been cleansed by the Will of Sun!]

’Will of Sun!’ Aegon looked up at Grandpa Sam. ’What are you really?’

"How are you feeling now?" Grandpa Sam asked.

"Much better!" Aegon replied. "Grandpa, can you tell me what exactly happened? I don’t remember much."

"Don’t think too much about it," Grandpa Sam said as he stood up. "Olena left someone to guard you, so you’re safe. That’s all you need to know."

’Grandma? What? How did she help me?’ Aegon got even more confused and also realised something. "Wait! You know my Grandma?"

"We were on friendly terms," Grandpa Sam answered after some hesitation.

"Then, can you tell me more about her?" Aegon asked eagerly, his eyes shining with hope that even surprised Grandpa Sam.

"Why don’t you ask your senile old man?" Grandpa Sam asked.

"They avoid the topic of her, and I don’t want to make them sad by mentioning Grandma again and again. They clearly loved her a lot, so I don’t want to graze their wounds." Aegon sighed sadly.

"And you tell me to treat you like a five-year-old," Grandpa Sam shook his head. "They do it because they don’t want you to feel burdened and guilty. Anyways, I can’t tell you anything on that matter, otherwise your grandpa might hunt me down to the ends of the world."

He turned to his right and smiled. "Guess it’s time to end our secret meeting. Take better care of yourself, young one. I’ll be waiting for you."

With that, he passed through the thick walls as if they were just an illusion, leaving the room without alerting anyone.

Just a second after he left, the room’s door slid open to reveal Xiu carrying mango juice on a tray. She paused upon stepping inside and frowned. "Was he here again?"

"Yes!" Aegon answered truthfully.

This was what he found truly funny. It wasn’t a secret meeting at all. Both Xiu and Arnold were aware of his visits, and Grandpa Sam was also likely aware of them knowing about him.

Yet, they all pretended like this.

"Tsk! What does he want now?" Xiu clicked her tongue before sitting on the bed. "Anyways, let’s not think about bad things. Here, drink this mango juice. I specially ordered the mangoes from the Heart Groove."

Aegon nodded and drank the delicious mango juice silently while Xiu continued to stare at him with her usual loving smile.

"Where is Opa?" he asked after finishing the juice.

"You caused quite a commotion, so he went to deal with it." Xiu smiled and said, "He’ll be here soon."

"What did I do?" Aegon asked, genuinely curious about the whole situation.

Xiu just laughed and snapped her fingers, making the ceiling of his room disappear. Now, the open blue sky was right above his head, along with the giant scar carved into the heavens.

Aegon rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times, wondering if he was seeing things. His eyes widened as he almost cursed, ’Holy shit! What is that?’

"You managed to evoke a terrible Ice cubicle around you that wouldn’t break no matter what we did," Xiu explained, as she never hid anything from him. "In the end, Mom’s blood companion came to help."

"Mom’s blood companion? A dragon?" Aegon was surprised.

"Not just any dragon, but the Dragon Queen Auranyth herself. But even for her the ice was terrible, so she swallowed it and burnt the sky itself. That’s how the ice melted and you came out safely," Xiu said, still staring at the scar with an awestruck look in her eyes.

’No wonder!’ Aegon thought. ’Mythical Rank is indeed otherworldly. Even the Dragon Queen needed such efforts to break down its manifestation. I am never taking anything of that rank out unless I’m very strong. That’s a death sentence right there.’

"Do you have any idea how it happened?" Xiu asked directly.

This was how their relationship was. They didn’t overthink. If they had something to ask, they asked directly, because they knew the other would answer properly.

"The last time I tried to tell you something, you forgot about it, Xiu. You can’t remember these details. Nobody can."