After he finished pulling everything out of his storage ring, Father gave me a faintly smug look. The House Sturm retainers picked up all the gear and started making camp.
As they did so, my disciples walked in our direction, with Annabelle in tow. She must have joined them when my parents dragged me away.
When they drew near, two of the House Sturm retainers blocked their path. They let Leroy through, since he was also a House Sturm retainer, but they blocked everyone else. Including Annabelle, who they should have let through, since she had been traveling with my parents.
“Let them through,” I commanded, before anyone could say anything. “They’re with me.”
I wanted to nip any problems in the bud before they had time to form.
The House Sturm retainers glanced at each other, before looking at my parents. Father nodded, while Mother gave me a questioning look.
“They’re my disciples,” I told her in Spirit Tongue. “Including Leroy.”
At the mention of his name, which I said in Common Tongue since I didn’t know the Spirit Tongue equivalent of “Leroy”, Leroy stood by my side.
Both of my mother’s eyebrows rose up at this.
“It seems you have been busy, son,” she said in Spirit Tongue. “Not only are you in the fifth realm of the Energy Condensation stage, but you also took in three disciples.”
Those who couldn’t speak Spirit Tongue, which was almost everyone else present, gave us both odd looks.
“I wasn’t idle, no,” I said in a dry tone. “I was working under a time limit. You see, I was under the impression that I would need to convince you and Father of the effectiveness of cultivation. That was why I strived to achieve as much as possible in the time I had. If I had known back then what I know now, I would have done things differently.”
Mother sniffed.
“How is that our fault?” she asked. “You were the one who withheld the truth from us.”
I almost pointed out that she and Father did the exact same thing, but refrained. That would lead to an argument, which I didn’t have the energy for. It had been a busy day, and I wanted to rest.
In the middle of our conversation, my disciples walked up and stood by my side. Annabelle stood a little back, her fists clenched tight. From the look on her face, I knew she was facing some inner turmoil. After I introduced my disciples to my parents, I would give her my full attention.
I hadn’t forgotten the thoughts that ran through my head when I was dying. No more excuses, no more running. The two of us would be together, no matter what. I knew it wouldn’t be easy. There were bound to be several obstacles, including my own lingering feelings of jealousy, envy, and hatred. However, Annabelle was worth it.
“Father, Mother,” I said in Common Tongue. “This is Lorelei Sinclair and Corie Blackburne. As I said, they’re with me. I hope you don’t mind if they join us.”
As I introduced them, my disciples both bowed to my parents. Corie in particular looked nervous. She was probably thinking of all the shit she gave me when we first met. Ha!
Father and Mother studied them for several seconds, before they both nodded at the same time.
“Of course we don’t mind,” Mother said, smiling at my disciples. “Anyone who is a friend of Gabriel’s is always welcome to enjoy House Sturm’s hospitality.”
“We have more than enough spare tents for everyone,” Father said.
“Thank you, Lord Sturm,” Lorelei said with a smile of her own. “And you as well, Lady Sturm.”
“Um, yeah,” Corie said, looking a bit jittery. “Thanks.”
With that out of the way, I turned towards Annabelle. I opened my mouth to say something to her, but she rushed towards me and latched on before I could utter a single word.
The House Sturm retainers nearest to us reacted by drawing their weapons and readying their magic. However, they stopped when they saw how close she was to me.
Everyone else, including the remaining retainers, stared at the both of us. Their reactions were understandable. As far as anyone else knew, Annabelle and I weren’t on good terms. To see her embrace me openly like this must have come as a shock, especially to my parents. Mother’s mouth dropped open, while Father looked on in disbelief.
I didn’t pay much attention to any of them. Instead, I focused on Annabelle. She trembled as she held onto me. That, plus the fact that she had embraced me in front of everyone like this, meant only one thing.
“That bad, huh?” I whispered in English.
“Mmmhmm,” Annabelle said, her face still buried in my shoulder.
Without any ceremony, I picked her up in a princess carry. It wasn’t difficult, given my cultivation. Annabelle wrapped her arms around my neck, keeping her face buried in my shoulder.
Right now, I needed to find someplace private, or as private as I could get under the circumstances. The outpost would have to do.
“Father, Mother,” I called out. “Please look after my friends for now. I have to take care of Lady Annabelle.” I looked at Leroy. “Leroy, I’ll trouble you to put up a tent for me, and one for Lady Annabelle as well.”
Leroy raised an eyebrow at me, but nodded.
“Gabriel,” Father said. “What is going on?”
Left unspoken was another question. When did you get so close with Lady Annabelle?
“I’ll explain it later,” I said. “It’s related to our discussion earlier.”
Mother, who managed to recover her composure by now, narrowed her eyes at Annabelle and I. She had a calculating gleam in her eyes.
Without waiting for an answer, I headed towards the outpost with Annabelle in my arms. Father must have nodded his assent, because the House Sturm retainers parted for us. I nodded my thanks to them, before heading up.
The outpost was a hive of activity. I hadn’t noticed it earlier, since I was focused on Lord Icefall and Guildmaster Sinclair, but there were a lot of wounded in and around the outpost. The ones outside of it had minor injuries from what I could see. I guessed that the ones with more serious injuries were inside the outpost itself.
Guildmaster Sinclair was in the middle of a discussion with some of her people. She noticed me, said something, before making her way over.
“You need anything, Lord Gabriel?” she asked, glancing at Annabelle with her eye.
“I need a private space,” I said. “Some place where we won’t be disturbed. Can you help me?”
Guildmaster Sinclair snorted at that.
“Of course,” she said. “After everything you did, helping you with something like this is the least I can do.” She nodded in the direction of the outpost. “Your Protection Talismans are the reason why many of our people are just injured instead of dead.”
While I was tempted to act modest, I refrained. Right now, Annabelle took priority.
“In that case, I won’t be polite.”
Guildmaster Sinclair snorted again, before she headed towards the outpost. I followed her. A soldier of House Icefall stood guard. After talking with him briefly, Guildmaster Sinclair turned to me.
“The attic is free,” she said. “It’s a bit cramped, but you should be fine as long as you keep your head down. It also has a bed, should you need it.”
From the tone of her voice, it was easy to read the direction of her thoughts. I didn’t correct her. Instead, I nodded my thanks and made my way into the outpost.
It was a three-story tall stone tower. The first floor was full of people who had been injured during the battle with the Black Wolf Gang. The smell of medicine and blood filled the air. A small group of priests and priestess from the Church of the Sun tended to the injured.
The priests and priestesses had traveled with us, but hadn’t participated in the fighting, so I paid them little mind. The Church of the Sun remained neutral when it came to most conflicts. At most, its people would offer healing and blessings to one side, but that was it.
The Church of the Sun only fought when Dark wizards were involved, or there were signs of demonic activity. When that happened, the Church of the Sun would send its paladins and inquisitors into the fray. I had never seen a paladin or an inquisitor fight before, but from what I heard, they were fucking terrifying.
A staircase led to the second and third floors. No one stopped me as I made my way up. Like the first floor, the second floor was filled with the injured. Another group of priests and priestesses tended to them. The outpost’s third floor didn’t have as many people, but there were still a lot. There was a ladder leading to the attic, with a trap door at the top.
A soldier tried to stop me when I made my way to the ladder, but froze when I glared at him. He chose the better part of valor and left me alone.
It was awkward to climb the ladder and open up the trap door while carrying Annabelle, but I managed. It helped that she had excellent core strength. As Guildmaster Sinclair said, the attic was cramped with a low ceiling. There was a bed pushed up against the wall. There wasn’t much else other than that. It was a barren room, but at least it was clean. It was a bit cool, but still bearable.
I closed the trap door, walked over to the bed, and sat down.
“Sorry about that,” I said in English. “I didn’t mean to ignore you. It’s been a crazy day today.”
Annabelle nodded. That was her way of letting me know that it was fine. Well, no. Not fine. It was her way of letting me know that she understood.
After that, I didn’t say anything. Instead, I sat there while holding Annabelle. She maintained a tight grip on me with her face still buried in my shoulder. She took deep breaths.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Most of the time, Annabelle was a brash and energetic person. She was always active. Back on Earth, I had a hard time keeping up with her. It hadn’t helped that my skinny ass was out of shape back then, while she ran track and practiced martial arts.
However, there were times when things got tough and she needed me to hold her. Once that happened, she refused to let go. She and Aurora shared that trait, since my familiar was still wrapped around my soul.
During these moments, I was Annabelle’s sanctuary, her safe haven, her port in the storm. She did the same for me, when I had my bad moments.
For Annabelle, this often happened because of her parents back on Earth, those abusive pieces of shit. A prime example of this would be when I found her in my reading nook at the used bookstore.
Unlike that first time, however, Annabelle didn’t always cry and spill her guts to me right away. Instead, she just held onto me and breathed in my scent. It was only after she calmed down that she would tell me about what upset her.
This was one of those times.
I didn’t rush or hurry her. Instead, I held her and offered whatever comfort that I could. Her warmth seeped through my clothes, still torn and bloody, and sank into my skin. The vanilla scent of her perfume teased my nose, mingling with the stench of blood that wafted off me.
Ugh. I should have cleaned up and changed. I was covered in blood and sweat and grime. Hell, with my cleaning technique, it wouldn’t have taken that much time.
For a brief moment, I wondered if I was doing the right thing. Annabelle deserved better than me. Being with me would only bring her pain and suffering. Was it better to just push her away and let her live a happy life without me? I was just a toad lusting after a swan after all. She could do so much better.
Right after I thought that, Annabelle shifted her position and let out a shuddering sigh. She melted against me. Any thoughts I had of leaving her or driving her away fled from my mind in that moment.
“I saw you die,” Annabelle began. “There I was, right next to your mother, when I heard your voice in my head. When I looked over I saw…” She choked up. “…I saw your body. I saw what was left of you. You looked so broken, I didn’t think there was any way you could still be alive.”
I winced at that. If I had known that she would see me, I wouldn’t have called out to her. I would have kept my peace and died in silence.
“I’m alive,” I said in a gentle voice. “I’m here. See? I’m whole and healthy. This is real. This isn’t a dream. I’m alive. I’m not dead.”
“But you were,” she said. “Don’t try to lie to me. I saw what you looked like before that lightning bolt hit you. You were…”
She paused, unable to continue.
A part of me wanted to lie to her, to tell her that she was mistaken and that nothing had happened. Yet, I didn’t want to. The truth was painful, but a comforting lie was often more detrimental in the long run.
“I almost died,” I said. “If it hadn’t been for some divine intervention on Lord Tempest’s part, I would have died.”
Annabelle tightened her hold on me even further. If I had been a regular mortal, I was sure she would’ve broken some bones by this point.
“Is this what it’s going to be like, Brandon?” she asked. “You almost dying, while I watch, unable to do anything?”
“I won’t lie and promise you that it won’t happen again,” I said. “The path I walk is a dangerous one. There will be times when I will have to risk my life, for one reason or another.”
Annabelle didn’t respond right away to that statement.
“Can’t you walk a different path?” she asked. “I watched you die once. I don’t want to go through that again.”
I paused at that, before shaking my head.
“No,” I said, sounding a bit regretful. “I am not a peaceful person. I enjoy violence. I revel in it. I don’t always start fights, but that doesn’t mean I will back down from one.”
“You weren’t like this back on Earth.”
“I didn’t remember who I was back then.”
I pulled away so I could look Annabelle in the face. She resisted at first, but eventually acquiesced. The bleak and despairing look on her face broke my heart.
“The right thing to do would be to give you up,” I said. “However, I’m too selfish for that. So I’ll leave the choice up to you.” I pressed my forehead against hers. “If you’ll have me, I promise that I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy. I love you, Annabelle Marie Smith.”
Annabelle closed her eyes.
“Can you promise me that you won’t die? That’s all I wanted. I don’t want to lose you again.”
“No. However, I can promise that I will do everything in my power to stay alive. I won’t give up, no matter how hopeless it seems.” Unlike with what happened earlier. “Even if I do die, I will do everything in my power to find you again. No matter how long it takes, I will always find you.” I pulled back and smiled at her. “I’ve done it once before, I can do it again.”
Though, to be fair, that wasn’t due to my efforts. Had Tempest and Terra manipulated events so that Annabelle and I could meet again, or had it been fate? It was hard to tell, especially when it came to interference from divine beings.
Annabelle studied my face for several long moments, before she nodded.
“I’ll hold you to that,” she said, before burying her face in my shoulder again. “And if you die, I’ll keep looking until I find you again. I did it once before, I can do it again.”
I smiled as she said the same words I spoke to her.
“Just don’t die anytime soon,” Annabelle continued. “I just found you again. Stay with me for a little while longer.”
“Believe me, I plan on living a long and fruitful life this time around.”
If I had my way, I would live forever as an Immortal. And so would Annabelle, if I had anything to say about it. That meant teaching her cultivation. I knew for a fact that she was going to love that.
However, I couldn’t be the one to teach her.
“Back in Rosewood City, you said that you were searching for me ever since you came to Lumina,” I asked. “What did you mean by that? How did you know that I was here?”
Annabelle pulled back so she could look me in the face again.
“How much do you remember of the accident where you died, Brandon?” she asked.
I thought about correcting her, telling her that my name was Gabriel, or Gabe, but decided not to. I was Brandon Norwood as well as Gabriel Sturm. I was more than fine with her calling me by my old name.
“Very little,” I said, shaking my head. “We were going out to celebrate your acceptance into college. I was the one driving.” I frowned. “I drove through an intersection, when some asshole ran a red light and hit my side of the car. After that, I just remember the sound of metal tearing. And pain. Lots of pain.”
Annabelle nodded.
“Yes. That was when the portal to Lumina opened up and sucked us both in. It pulled us both through the car, as if it wasn’t even there.”
I stared at her in fascination. While I knew a bit about Otherworlders, I didn’t know much about the process of how they arrived on Lumina. I mean, it was still a bit morbid, since it involved my death, but that didn’t make it any less fascinating.
“I’m not sure how to describe the journey through the portal,” she said. “The best way I can put it is that we traveled through a tunnel made up of light and shifting colors. Even that doesn’t do it justice.” Annabelle’s eyes took on a haunted look. “You were right there, floating next to me, your body crushed and broken. I tried to reach you, to try and help you, but then a man arrived. He took you away. I tried to stop him, but he completely ignored me. After that, I don’t know how long I stayed in that tunnel before I ended up on Lumina. Mom and Dad found me shortly after I arrived, and I’ve searched for you ever since.”
Annabelle focused on me again and poked me in the shoulder.
“Of course, if I had known that you were reborn as the little twerp Gabriel Sturm, I could have saved myself a lot of time and worry.”
I kissed her on the cheek.
“Sorry,” I said. “In my defense, I didn’t remember my life as Brandon Norwood until after our duel.”
Annabelle shook her head.
“Not your fault. I blame the asshole who took you away. Besides, I found you again in the end, so it doesn’t matter.”
“What did this man look like?”
Annabelle frowned in concentration.
“He was short and skinny, with long black hair tied up in some kind of knot,” she said. “He wore these weird looking black and silver robes. I only saw the bottom half of his face, because he covered the upper half with a white mask.”
As she spoke, my expression darkened. So, that’s how I ended up on Lumina. Either the portal was meant for Annabelle, and I got caught up in it, or the portal was meant for me, and she got caught up in it. Regardless, I ended up in Tempest’s hands.
That bastard. The least he could have done was pull Annabelle out of the tunnel when he took me away. What if something had happened to her? Traveling between worlds was a dangerous prospect, which was why many people didn’t try it. There was always the risk of being lost in the dark void between worlds. That was a fate worse than death.
As far as I knew, only Immortals and divine beings at the same level could do it. Even then, it was a risky business.
Tempest and I would have words the next time I saw him.
“What’s wrong?” Annabelle asked. “You look like you want to murder someone.”
“I’m contemplating deicide,” I said, before letting out a sigh. “Unfortunately, that would be unfilial of me.”
Since I had accepted Tempest as my Master, he was akin to a parental figure to me. Even though I wanted to beat the ever-living shit out of him, I wouldn’t. Just having these thoughts was bad enough.
“What?” Annabelle asked, blinking at me in confusion.
“The man you saw was Lord Tempest,” I said.
Annabelle stared at me for several long moments.
“Tempest,” she said. “The God of Storms.”
“Yes.”
“The same Tempest that you said saved your life earlier.”
“Yes. The two of us had a chat, and the description you gave me matched his appearance.”
Annabelle fell silent again as she stared at me.
“You don’t believe me, do you?” I asked, a bit amused.
She chuckled.
“I mean, yeah. It’s a little difficult to believe, you have to admit. We’re talking about literal gods here. I thought they weren’t supposed to interfere too much with mortals like us.”
I let out a sigh. Tonight was a night of revelations. While I could keep my previous life as Immortal Celestial Thunder a secret from Annabelle, I didn’t want to.
“Lord Tempest and Lady Terra both have an interest in me,” I said. “They’ve interfered with my life a lot, bending several of the rules in the process. I’m certain they’ve outright broken a few.”
“Why?” Annabelle asked, giving me a baffled look.
“Because I knew them in my first life,” I said. “The one I lived before I died and was reborn as Brandon Norwood.”
“Ah, the life you mentioned back in Rosewood City but never explained,” she said. “So, who were you? I assume you came from Lumina, if you knew both Lord Tempest and Lady Terra.”
From her tone and the look on her face, I could tell that Annabelle still didn’t believe me. I didn’t blame her. From her perspective, it must have seemed far-fetched. Well, people did say that reality was stranger than fiction.
“No,” I said. “The three of us came from somewhere else. A different world.”
And not just us, either. Apparently, quite a few people from Spirit Earth ended up on Lumina. Why was that? I forgot to ask Master Tempest about that.
“Oh?” Annabelle raised an eyebrow at me. “Where did you come from then?”
I grimaced.
“I don’t want to tell you.”
“What? Why not? Was it that bad?”
“Nooooo,” I said, drawing the word out. “However, if I tell you, you’ll win The Argument.”
“Argument? What argument?” Annabelle gave me a baffled look, before her confusion cleared up. “Wait, are you talking about the arguments we would always get into about which were better? Wizards or martial artists?”
I nodded.
Back on Earth, Annabelle never shared my interest in geeky stuff. She never found any of it interesting, with one exception. Thanks to me, she found the joy of martial arts media. Books, movies, comics, online media. It didn’t matter. If it involved martial arts, she loved it.
Her parents back on Earth had regulated what she could or couldn’t watch, so she never saw any of that stuff before. That changed when we started going out, and I introduced her to a martial arts manhwa. After that, she was hooked.
What she loved the most were stories about cultivators and cultivation. However, I hated them, ironically enough. I never knew why, back then. They just always rubbed me the wrong way. Probably because a part of me still remembered my life as Immortal Celestial Thunder, and hated how those stories got cultivation wrong.
A wizard from Lumina might feel the same way about stories involving wizards and magic.
At some point, Annabelle and I started arguing about which were better: wizards or cultivators. Well, she said martial artists, but after a certain point she dropped the pretense.
We would argue for hours, mentioning the various pros and cons of each, pulling up as many stories as we could to support our respective sides. Some of these arguments grew quite heated. We never came to a conclusion that satisfied both parties.
To my eternal shame, I staunchly defended the supremacy of wizards, while Annabelle did the same for cultivators. It was stupid and ridiculous and a lot of fun. We enjoyed ourselves a lot during these arguments.
However, now I was in a position where no matter what, I lost. Either I continued to argue in favor of wizards, which would be a lie at this point, or I conceded defeat. Once Annabelle found out about my past life, she would never let me live it down.
Annabelle chuckled, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Come on,” she said. “It can’t be that bad. What? Were you a cultivator or something?”