My parents and I stared at each other for several long seconds.
“Grandfather Gabe,” Mother said. “My grandfather. Your great grandfather. You’re named after him. Isn’t he the one who restored your First Circle?”
My jaw dropped and I stared at Mother. What?
“No!” I said.
My parents named me after Mother’s grandfather? I never knew that. There was a lot I didn’t know about my mother’s family. She didn’t talk about them much. All I knew about House Leone was that it was a small House in the Lunarian Kingdom, it focused on Fire magic, and its kept to itself.
The only reason why I knew anything about their magic was because Kaylee had actually inherited Mother’s affinity for Fire, in addition to the Air and Lightning affinities she inherited from Father. As a result, Mother demonstrated some of House Leone’s signature spells for us.
She didn’t teach us how to cast these spells, but she showed them to us. It wouldn’t have done me any good anyway, since I didn’t have an affinity for Fire. As for Kaylee, Mother taught her the more commonly known Fire spells.
This was standard among the Houses. When a House scion married into another House, they were forbidden from sharing their original House’s secrets with their new House; this included their original House’s signature spells.
Breaking this rule was grounds for retaliation. Duels, and even House wars, have been fought over this.
“If your maternal great grandfather didn’t restore your First Circle,” Father said, baffled. “Then who did?”
I stared at him, not sure how to respond. This was more in line with what I had expected, but it still left me confused. Just what was going on?
“Was it someone from one of the other Clans?” Mother asked, her voice heated. “Or maybe it was a loose practitioner? Tell me, Gabriel! I swear, if it was someone trying to poach you, I will make them regret it. You are my son. I will not let anyone steal you away!”
Clans? Loose practitioner? Those were terms I expected to hear back on Spirit Earth, not Lumina.
I thought back to my conversation with Master Tempest, and a seed of suspicion bloomed within my mind.
“Who was it, Gabriel?” Mother asked. “I promise, I’m not angry with you.”
No, but I could tell that she was furious at this non-existent benefactor of mine.
“And did they teach you about a strange form of magic?” Mother continued. “Don’t worry about keeping it a secret from us. We already know about it. I used to be a practitioner myself, though I had to give it up.”
If it hadn’t been for Master Tempest’s words, my mother’s statement would have shocked me to my core. If I heard that right, my mother used to be a cultivator. Unless she was talking about another kind of “strange magic”, it was the only thing that made sense.
Master Tempest knew. That’s what that little smirk of his meant. He knew that my mother used to be a cultivator, and he knew that I would eventually find out. Given what he said about certain families practicing cultivation…
Maybe I was wrong. Maybe this was all wild speculation on my part. I needed to find out the truth.
“No one,” I said. “I fixed my First Circle myself.”
My parents stared at me.
“That’s impossible,” Father said.
And it would be, for most people. It wasn’t possible for wizardry to fix broken Circles. Once they were broken, that was it. There had been plenty of attempts, and I believe the Tower of Magic was looking into it, but it was impossible to use wizardry to repair Circles; even for a wizard at the Ninth Circle.
However, it was very possible for a cultivator. At least, it was possible to repair someone’s mana veins, and Circles were just enhanced artificial mana veins. Medical cultivators, also known as spirit doctors or healing sages, were the best at it since they studied the human body the most, but any sufficiently powerful and knowledgeable cultivator could do it.
At a minimum, I estimated that it would require a cultivator at the Essence Collection stage, which was the stage after the Core Formation stage and before the Golden Core stage.
Mother marched up to me and put her hands on my shoulders. Due to her powerful aura, it felt like she towered over me even though she only came up to my chest.
“Gabriel,” Mother said, looking me right in the eyes. “I understand that you feel loyalty and gratitude towards whoever restored your First Circle. Despite my anger, I am grateful myself. However, you have to tell me who it is. If it’s someone looking to poach you away from Clan Leone, the consequences will be dire.” She lowered her voice. “And did they teach you anything about cultivation?”
Mother said that last word in Spirit Tongue. It was oddly accented, but still clearly Spirit Tongue. That was all the confirmation I needed.
I glanced over at Father.
“Do you know anything about this?” I asked him.
“I know a bit,” Father admitted, before nodding at Mother. “However, I’m an outsider. This is your mother’s world. She left it when she married me, but it still remains a part of her.”
Mother nodded.
“That’s why it’s important that you tell me who restored your First Circle,” she said. “And if they taught you anything about cultivation.” She said that last word in Spirit Tongue again. “I don’t want anyone to steal you away or take advantage of you or worse. Dark magic is nothing compared to what a demonic cultivator could do to you.”
This time, when she said the word cultivator, she spoke in Common Tongue.
“As I said earlier,” I said. “No one else fixed my First Circle. I fixed it myself.”
“Stop lying to me, Gabriel!”
“I’m not lying to you, Mother.” I pulled away from her. “I’ll prove it.”
Melancholy filled me as I realized that I wouldn’t be able to put off telling my parents about my past lives.
I stepped away from Mother and put a hand over my dantian region. With a surge of mana, I temporarily suppressed Spiritblood Hidden Lamp Seal. While the Hidden Lamp Seal was useful for hiding one’s cultivation, the seal itself was fragile. It didn’t take much to suppress it. Since I was the one who created the seal, it was even easier for me to suppress it.
Doing so damaged the seal, however. Instead of lasting for three years, it would now only last for two.
My parents stared at me in shock.
“How?” Mother whispered in Spirit Tongue. “You’ve only been gone for a few months. How have you reached the fifth realm of the Energy Condensation stage already? Who taught you?”
I didn’t answer her right away.
“Do you know how to speak this language, Father?” I asked, speaking in Spirit Tongue. “I would rather not explain myself in Common Tongue, just in case we’re overheard.”
Father raised both of his eyebrows when I said this.
“Your mother taught me, just in case,” he said in Spirit Tongue, though it was clear he wasn’t as proficient as Mother or I. “With her family’s permission.”
While he was clearly surprised, he wasn’t as shocked as my mother was. Mother stared at me as if I were a stranger. I looked away from her, from both of my parents, unable to stand the looks on their faces.
“Reincarnation,” I began, speaking in a low voice. “When Lady Annabelle shattered my Circles and put me into a coma, I remembered my past two lives. In my first life, I was born in a world called Spirit Earth, or the Land of the Golden Dragon as you might call it.”
Knowing that I might lose my family because of this, I explained my situation. I told my parents about myself and my life on Spirit Earth. Unlike with Leroy, I didn’t hold anything back regarding my first life. However, I stuck to general details, to avoid bogging my story down. I told them that I had been an Immortal who was betrayed and killed by his best friend.
I also briefly told them about my life on Earth, though I didn’t mention anything about my relationship with Annabelle. I would keep that to myself for now.
Explaining everything took me less time than I had expected it to. By the time I finished, I was shaking with my fists clenched. My nerves were taut, as if they would snap at any moment. I felt as fragile as glass; one wrong move would be enough to shatter me. I would recover, but it would take time
My parents didn’t say anything. I stood there, still looking away from them, waiting for their anger and judgment. I even kept my divine sense to myself, just so I didn’t see the expressions on their faces. It was all I could do not to run away.
“I would have told you both the truth sooner,” I said when I couldn’t stand the silence anymore. “Except I was afraid of how you would react.” I let out a bleak laugh. “I have the memories of an Immortal, but in the end, I’m still just a scared little boy afraid to lose his parents. Pathetic, really.”
I heard my mother’s footsteps. I stilled, waiting for the inevitable slap and condemnation from her. Her hand came to my face, and I flinched at her touch, but she didn’t slap me. Instead, she tried to get me to look at her.
“Gabriel, look at me,” Mother commanded.
After a moment’s hesitation, I did as she said. I moved slowly, as if carrying a heavy burden. However, when I looked into my mother’s eyes, I didn’t see the fear or hate or disgust I expected. Instead, I saw her love. Pure, unadulterated love.
“You are my son,” she said, caressing my cheek. “Nothing will ever change that. You may have regained the memories of your past lives, but that doesn’t matter. In this life, we are family and you are our son. That’s what matters. We will never turn you away or toss you aside.”
I stared at her, stunned. It was…She…I…My thoughts stumbled to a halt as my mother smiled at me. A hand gripped my shoulder. I looked to find my father standing next to me. I had been so preoccupied with Mother’s words that I hadn’t noticed his approach.
“As difficult as I find all this to believe, Gabriel,” Father said. “You’re mother is right. You are our son. Nothing else matters.”
Warmth pricked my eyes, and tears started falling down my cheeks. The floodgates had opened. It happened before I realized what was going on. There was nothing I could do to stop it.
I grabbed my parents and pulled them into a tight hug. I caught them off guard, but they soon returned my embrace. The tears continued to flow down my cheeks, accompanied by deep, racking sobs.
All my fear and worry and anxiety flowed out of me as I cried my heart out. A part of me that had been tense ever since I regained my memories, and knew that I would have to tell my parents, relaxed. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from my shoulders.
Mother rubbed my back, crooning wordlessly. Father just held me.
I knew that I would be embarrassed by this emotional display after I calmed down, but at the moment, I didn’t care. My parents didn’t hate me. They didn’t reject me. They accepted me. They still thought of me as their son. That was all that mattered to me.
I felt their love for me deep within my soul. It comforted the part of me that was still the child who grew up in the gutter. This was what I had always wanted back then, when I was a kid starving on the street, cold and alone. I was angry at the world for the way it had tossed me aside like unwanted garbage. Beneath that anger was a desperate need to be loved, to be wanted. Back then, I would have done anything so that someone, anyone, would love me.
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Throughout all my years as Immortal Celestial Thunder, that part of me never died. Instead, it remained buried in my heart as I focused on my training and my cultivation.
After a while, when my tears stopped flowing, I pulled away from my parents. I wiped my eyes and turned away from them, embarrassed. Part of it was because I had bawled my eyes out in front of them. And part of it was because I was an ugly crier. I was a pretty boy, but when I cried, it wasn’t a pleasant sight.
“Sorry,” I said, still a bit choked up. “I didn’t mean to lose my composure just now.”
“Don’t be,” Mother said, her voice tinged with amusement. “I can’t remember the last time you let me baby you like this.”
I chuckled.
“We still have a lot to discuss,” Father said, his voice returning to its usual sternness.
I nodded. He was right. There were a lot of things still unresolved between my parents and I. I still had a lot to tell them. I also had a lot of questions, especially about House Leone and what my parents knew about cultivation. From my mother’s words, it sounded like there was more to it than I had expected.
“You still haven’t explained what happened with that lightning bolt,” Father continued. “However, given the late hour, it’s best if we retire for the evening. We can continue this discussion back at Sturm Hill Hall.”
“What lightning bolt?” Mother asked, looking at Father in confusion.
Of course that’s what she would hone in on.
Father didn’t answer her and headed in the direction of the House Icefall outpost, leaving me to deal with Mother.
Father, you coward!
“Gabriel, what did your father mean by that?” Mother asked me, raising her voice.
Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, I turned tail and followed Father.
“Gabriel Sturm! Answer me right now, young man!”
----------------------------------------
Mother caught up with Father and I. After realizing that neither of us would answer her, she decided to remain quiet for now. That didn’t mean that she had given up. Instead, she was waiting for the opportune time to ask. Worst of all, she would find some way to punish me for refusing to answer her now.
At least I wasn’t alone in that. Since Father had done the same thing, he would suffer as well. Muah ha ha ha! That’s what you get for abandoning your son, Father!
It didn’t take us long to get back within range of the House Icefall outpost. By the time we did, my Spiritblood Hidden Lamp Seal returned to full strength.
However, when the outpost came into sight, I saw some people I didn’t expect. In addition to the soldiers from House Icefall and the adventurers from the Icefall Adventurers Guild, there was also a retinue from House Sturm.
There were my parents’ bodyguards, Trent Ackerman and Caitlyn Walters, who were both wizards of the Third Circle. There were also several Second Circle wizards. Most of them carried magical weapons or wore magical armor.
All in all, it looked like my parents had brought about a third of House Sturm’s retainers with them. They stood a little apart from everyone else.
It was normal for the Patriarch of a House to travel with an entourage, but this seemed a bit excessive to me. I just gave both of my parents a quizzical look.
“Your mother was under the impression that your great grandfather pushed you into joining the Adventurers Guild,” Father explained. “And feared that we might need to extricate you from him.”
“It sounds like something that crazy old man would do,” Mother muttered.
The more my parents talked about this Great Grandfather Gabe, the more I wanted to meet him. He sounded interesting.
“We also weren’t sure what we would find in the Icefall Region,” Father continued, as if Mother hadn’t spoken. “So we decided to err on the side of caution.”
Okay, I knew the Icefall Region had a reputation for being a rough and wild place, but still. It wasn’t that bad.
Oh, that reminded me.
“How did you know to come here?” I asked. “And why are you traveling with Lady Annabelle?”
I was particularly interested in the answer to the second question. Annabelle was supposed to be back at Sunheart. At least, I think she was. I don’t think she ever told me how long she was supposed to stay with House Rosewood before heading back to Thorne Manor. However, I thought she would have been on her way back by now, at the very least.
“You led us on a merry chase, Gabriel,” Mother said, glaring at me. She pinched me, but thanks to my cultivation, it didn’t hurt. She must have realized this, because she glanced at the spot where she pinched me and her glare deepened. “We almost didn’t get here on time. What if something had happened to you before we arrived?”
I kept from showing any reaction to her words. I didn’t want her to suspect that I just about died when she arrived with Father and Annabelle.
“We arrived at Sturm Hill Hall earlier today,” Father explained. “Only to find out from the servants that you had left in a rush with your people in tow, heading towards Icefall City. When we arrived at Icefall City ourselves, we found out that you had left with House Icefall and the Icefall Adventurers Guild to fight a group called the Black Wolf Gang. No one knew where you had gone, so we had to ask Lady Icefall for directions.”
My blood chilled. He said ask, but his tone suggested that they had been more…forceful.
“Father,” I said. “Did you threaten Lady Icefall?”
I hoped they hadn’t. The woman already disliked me. Being threatened by my parents would only worsen her disposition towards me.
“Of course not,” Father said, scoffing. “We don’t make threats. We make promises.”
“I promised her that if you were hurt, or worse, because we arrived too late to help you,” Mother said. “Nothing would remain of Icefall City but ashes.”
Yep, I could never let my mother know that I almost died. Otherwise…I shuddered to think of the consequences.
“After she told us what we wanted to know,” Father continued. “We rushed here as soon as possible.”
I raised an eyebrow at him.
“Leaving retinue behind, but bringing Lady Annabelle with you.”
At this, both of my parents looked embarrassed.
“Yes, well,” Father said, scratching his cheek.
“She was very persistent,” Mother said in a cross voice.
Despite her tone, I could hear the warmth in my mother’s voice. She liked Annabelle. If I had been the Gabriel of old, I would have felt upset and betrayed by this. Instead, I felt relieved.
When we reached the bottom of the hill, atop which stood the outpost, the others caught sight of us. The retinue from House Sturm rushed over and surrounded us.
“My lord,” Trent said, a pained expression on his face. “Please don’t rush ahead of us like that again. We can’t do our job if you leave us behind.”
Caitlyn didn’t say anything, but instead just gave my mother a hard look. My parents looked almost like children who had been caught outside during curfew. For a brief moment, I wondered who was lord of who here.
Father cleared his throat.
“The circumstances at the time demanded it,” he said. “If we had waited for you to catch up, we might have arrived too late.”
Both bodyguards glanced at me as he said this, and then did double takes.
“Young master?” Trent asked in an astonished voice.
I blinked at him.
“Yes?” I asked. “It’s me.”
“What happened to you?”
I looked down, and saw my torn and bloody clothes. Oh right. That. Mother clapped a hand on my shoulder. A chill ran down my spine.
“Yes, Gabriel,” she said with a wide smile on her face. “What happened to you?”
Oh. She had known all along that something had happened to me. Pretending otherwise hadn’t helped me at all.
I cleared my throat.
“It’s getting quite late,” I said. “After everything that has happened, we could all use some rest.”
Mother narrowed her eyes at me.
“You can’t avoid answering me for forever, son,” she said. “I will find out one way or another.”
I just gave her a carefree smile. It was a lie. Inside, I was panicking.
My parents and I headed towards the outpost proper, accompanied by the House Sturm retinue. Trent sidled towards Father.
“My lord,” he whispered. “What happened to the young master? I thought his Circles were shattered.”
“You’re mistaken, Trent,” Father said. “My son’s Circles were only damaged, not shattered.”
“But…”
Father looked at him.
“Damaged,” he said, emphasizing the word. “Not shattered.”
It took Trent less than a second to understand Father’s meaning. If it got out that I restored my Circles, it would attract a lot of attention. I had already taken this into consideration, and I had several ideas on how to explain what happened to me.
However, pretending that my Circles had only been damaged, not shattered, would attract a lot less attention. I doubted that it would work for long, since too many people had examined me to keep the truth quiet for long, but we would burn that bridge when we came to it. If nothing else, I could pretend that I had hidden my damaged Circles.
A cripple with shattered Circles wasn’t a threat. A wizard with damaged, but still intact, Circles was wounded prey; still dangerous, but vulnerable. I could pretend that I had hidden my Circles to avoid attention and prevent anyone from finishing the job. Assassins were a thing, after all. Anyone with a functioning brain would realize I was lying, but unless they called me out on it, that was fine.
Trent nodded, before glancing around at the other House Sturm retainers. They all nodded in return. Trent glanced at me, before turning his attention outward.
As we neared the outpost, Lord Icefall and Guildmaster Sinclair approached us. Lord Sinclair looked gaunt and thin, but was otherwise in good shape. He must have consumed a lot of potions to heal all of his wounds. Guildmaster Sinclair had an arm in a sling. Healing potions could heal broken bones, though it was still best to take it easy for a while afterward.
“Lord Sturm,” Lord Icefall said with a bow. “Lady Sturm. Thank you for your timely arrival. You saved my cousin and I. For that, you have my utmost gratitude.”
Despite his cordial words, I could hear the wariness in Lord Icefall’s words. Given that we were right on top of the mythril deposit, and the forces my family commanded, I could understand his concern.
“Think nothing of it, Lord Icefall,” my father said, giving me a sideways glance. “According to my son, our Houses are now allied. It’s a provisional alliance, however, so let us meet within the next few days to finalize matters.” He gave Lord Icefall a humorless smile. “Considering how much we’ve aided House Icefall during its hour of need, I’m sure you won’t if we change some of the terms. My son is still young and inexperienced when it comes to these matters.”
Translation: We saved your asses, so now you owe us.
Lord Icefall wore an interesting expression on his face. He looked like he had swallowed a lemon. At the same time, he was also grateful that we didn’t plan on taking away the mythril deposit and stealing his family’s future.
In the end, Lord Icefall settled for gratitude.
“Of course, Lord Sturm.” He gestured to Guildmaster Sinclair. “This is my cousin, Charity Sinclair. She is the guildmaster of Icefall City’s Adventurers Guild.”
“Lord Sturm,” Guildmaster Sinclair said, giving my parents a bow. “Lady Sturm.”
She wore a grim expression on her face.
“So,” Mother said. “You’re the one who let my son join the Adventurers Guild.”
At this, Guildmaster Sinclair nodded.
“I didn’t let him do anything,” she said. “He earned it himself.”
Mother raised an eyebrow at this.
“Yes, but you could have vetoed his application. You must have been aware of his identity at the time. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a House scion joining the Adventurers guild.”
Guildmaster Sinclair shrugged.
“There wasn’t a rule against it, so I had no reason to deny his application.” She nodded in my direction. “Besides, your son has proven himself more than capable of handling the adventuring life. You should be proud of him.”
Mother’s expression turned complicated when she heard this. On the one hand, like the rest of House society, she looked down on adventurers and adventuring. On the other hand, denying Guildmaster Sinclair’s words would be insulting me. It was a catch-22.
From the smirk on her face, Guildmaster Sinclair knew exactly what was going through my mother’s mind.
“Thank you, Guildmaster Sinclair,” was all Mother said in the end.
Lord Icefall cleared his throat.
“Now that introductions are dispensed with, why don’t you and your family join me inside, Lord Sturm?” he said, gesturing to the outpost. “I apologize for the humble accommodations, but our means are limited at the moment.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Father said, shaking his head. “Focus on your own people. I know several of them have been injured. I wouldn’t want to displace any of the wounded for the sake of our convenience.”
He was right. The outpost wasn’t that large. It couldn’t hold all that many people. If my family and our retinue slept inside the tower tonight, some of the injured would have to be moved outside.
“Are you sure?” Lord Icefall asked with some reluctance.
It was clear that he asked out of politeness. He would rather we didn’t take him up on his offer.
“Yes. We can look after ourselves.”
I glanced around. Several soldiers and adventurers had overheard Father. From what I could see, his words left a positive impression on them. I sighed. Where had that positivity been when I first arrived in the Icefall Region? Until I came back from Rosewood City, many of the adventurers in Icefall City treated me with unconcealed hostility.
Was I that much of an asshole?
“In that case, please excuse me, Lord Sturm,” Lord Icefall said. “I have to attend to my people. We’ll head out towards Icefall City tomorrow morning. Feel free to join us.”
Father nodded and we walked away from the outpost. It looked like we were camping outside tonight. That would be a bit difficult, since it didn’t look like anyone carried any camping supplies, but I’ve endured worse. However, I was worried about everyone else.
“Looks like we’re sleeping under the stars tonight,” I muttered as we looked for a suitable place to bunker down for the night.
“What ever gave you that idea?” Father asked with a snort.
I raised an eyebrow at him, before glancing around. None of the retainers for House Sturm carried any supplies or camping gear on them, and neither did my parents. It looked like they only brought their weapons and armor with them, and little else.
“Again, we didn’t know what kind of conditions we would find, so we came prepared,” my father said.
He didn’t say anything more until we found a suitable place to camp. Father raised his hand. That’s when I noticed the ring he wore. It was magical, and I had a fairly good guess as to what it did.
Father started pulling out supplies and camping gear, confirming my guess.
It was a storage ring, which was a kind of spatial storage magical item. As the name suggested, storage rings were capable of holding and storing all kinds of things. How much they could contain depended on the quality of the storage ring. Some could only hold enough to fill an average sized room, while others contained entire worlds worth of space Of course, the latter kind were quite rare.
I sighed in envy. Flying magical items and storage rings. Patriarchs and Matriarchs got all the really cool stuff.