I didn’t respond to Annabelle’s question. In the ensuing silence, she tilted her head.

“What?” she asked. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

I maintained my silence. After a while, a shit-eating grin stretched across Annabelle’s face.

“Oh my god,” she said. “You were, weren’t you?”

I clenched my jaw, before nodding.

“Yes,” I said, through gritted teeth. “Yes, I was.”

Annabelle started laughing. At first it started as a giggle, but soon turned into a full-on guffaw. When she became too loud, she buried her face in my shoulder to stifle her laughter.

“Keep it up,” I said. “And I’ll drop you on the floor.”

Annabelle ignored me and continued laughing. This went on for a good five minutes. By the time she managed to calm down enough to speak again, Annabelle had tears in her eyes.

“I win,” she said. “There is no way you can recover from this. I won The Argument.” She wiped away her tears. “I can’t believe it. You were a cultivator.” She froze, before she looked at me with a serious expression on her face. “Were, or are?”

“Are,” I said. “I started cultivating again after I came here, to the Icefall Region.”

Annabelle’s eyes widened.

“Is that how you can do all these weird things now?” she asked. “I thought there was something strange about the way you moved during your duel with Lord Bertrand’s bodyguard. I knew there was no way a normal First Circle wizard could do something like that.”

“Yes.”

“Fuck yeah!” Annabelle said. “You have to teach me how to cultivate.”

I gave her a withering look.

“Aren’t you jumping the gun here?” I asked. “You don’t know what cultivation is really like. You’ve only read about it in stories. I’ve lived it. It’s a lot more difficult and dangerous than you think it is.”

Annabelle grinned.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I want to be a cultivator. I mean, who wouldn’t want a shot at immortality?” She looked worried. “It’s possible to achieve immortality through cultivation, right? The stories didn’t get that part wrong, did they?”

I thought about teasing her, but I didn’t want to be mean like that.

“Yes, it is possible,” I said. “And I speak from personal experience here. It isn’t just a myth or a legend.”

Annabelle blinked at me.

“Are you saying that you’re an Immortal?”

“I was one before I died, yes. And before you ask, Immortals can die. Immortality doesn’t mean invincibility.”

Annabelle’s jaw dropped. She closed it after a few seconds, before looking me up and down.

“You don’t seem like a former Immortal to me. Aren’t they supposed to be gods, basically? You don’t act like one.”

“That’s because I choose not to,” I said in a quiet voice. “Immortal Celestial Thunder was a cold, calculating, and cruel man. He was difficult to get close to; he was difficult to love. I didn’t want to live like that again, so I chose to remain as Gabriel Sturm; hotheaded, reckless, and a somewhat immature teenager.”

“Yeah, right,” Annabelle said with a smirk. “I bet you were a dork in your previous life; acting all cool on the outside but a total softie on the inside. You were like that back on Earth.” Her voice turned gruff. “My name is Brandon Norwood. I like to pretend like I don’t care about anything or anyone, when in reality I’m just painfully shy and socially awkward.”

I coughed to clear my throat. Not because I was embarrassed by the fact that she was right. Nope. Not at all.

“Regardless,” I said, pretending like she hadn’t spoken. “I have the memories and experiences of my past two lives, but this life is what matters to me the most.” I paused. “Well, this life and a bit of the previous one. Otherwise, things would get really awkward between us.”

Annabelle chuckled, before a companionable silence fell over us. Neither of us felt the need to fill the silence. That was one of the things I liked about spending time with Annabelle. I could simply be with her. I didn’t have to do anything. There was no mask or performance I needed to put on. It was the same for her. We could just be ourselves, without saying a word.

“So,” Annabelle said after a few minutes, breaking the silence. “When are you going to teach me cultivation?”

I rolled my eyes.

“Come on,” she protested. “Don’t be like that. You still owe me two favors, remember?”

“I remember,” I said. “And I do want you to learn cultivation. However, you can’t learn it from me.”

“Why not?” Annabelle asked, baffled.

I gestured between the two of us.

“I want us to be in a relationship together,” I said. “However, that can’t happen if I’m your teacher. It wouldn’t be appropriate.” I grimaced. “For me, it would be akin to incest.”

Annabelle blinked at me.

“Seriously?” she asked. “That’s why you won’t teach me?”

“Yes,” I said. “I know it might seem ridiculous to you, but it’s important to me. I ask that you respect that.”

Annabelle thought about it for a few moments, before flicking my forehead.

“Fine, you dork,” she said, giving me an endearing smile. “I don’t get it, but I’ll respect your wishes.” She gave me a serious look. “You better find me a teacher, however. That’s what I’m using one of my favors for.”

I chuckled.

“Don’t worry about that,” I said. “We’ll figure something out. If nothing else, I could write up a cultivation manual for you and let you study it on your own. I could even give you some advice and guidance. I can’t be your Master, however.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Annabelle said, sounding like a kid on Christmas.

I could also ask Mother for advice on this matter. She knew more about cultivator society on Lumina than I did, if such a thing existed here.

Or maybe it would be better to let Annabelle study cultivation on her own, with some input from me. I wasn’t sure if I could trust anyone to be Annabelle’s teacher.

“We should head back,” I said. “It’s getting late, and I’m pretty sure my parents are worried about us.”

Annabelle let out a sigh of regret.

“Unfortunately, I’m afraid you’re right,” she said, before smiling. “I like your parents. They’re good people. They treated me well on the trip up here.”

Oh, that reminded me.

“How did you end up traveling with my parents?” I asked. “And what are you doing up here anyway? I thought you were supposed to be back at Thorne Manor.”

Annabelle let go of me and stood up.

“Oh, would you look at the time,” she said, making her way to the trap door.

“Annabelle,” I said, a warning in my tone. “What did you do?”

Annabelle opened the trap door and grinned at me.

“If you catch me, I’ll tell you,” she said.

With that, she opened the door and hurried down the ladder. I sighed, before grinning and giving chase.

The priests and priestesses from the Church of the Sun stared at us like we were a pair of maniacs as we rushed down the ladder and ran down the stairs. We almost bumped into a number of people as well.

Since I didn’t want the chase to end too soon, I let Annabelle make it out of the outpost before I caught her. She shrieked as I threw her over my shoulder and made my way over to the House Sturm camp.

“You cheated,” Annabelle said with a pout. “You’re a cultivator. Doesn’t that mean you’re super strong and stuff?”

“You could’ve used magic,” I pointed out.

“Yeah, but then it wouldn’t have been as much fun.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Spill it,” I said. “What are you doing in the Icefall Region?”

“Well,” Annabelle said. “I thought about waiting for you to get over yourself, but I said fuck that and decided to take a more proactive approach. Since my family would have objected, I left without telling them.”

“So, you ran away from home.”

“Basically, yeah,” she said. I heard the grimace in her voice. “Avianna is going to be pissed at me when I see her again. I had to ditch her, otherwise she would’ve tried to stop me.”

Ugh, that was going to cause problems with House Thorne. Still, we would handle that when it came up. I assumed that my parents already knew, since they had traveled with Annabelle. If that was the case, I hoped they came up with a solution.

As we approached the House Sturm camp, I saw that the tents had all been set up. A pair of House Sturm retainers stared as I approached with Annabelle over my shoulder.

“Which way is my tent?” I asked one of them, speaking in Common Tongue.

The retainer I asked stared at me without answering, until his companion nudged him.

“Near the center of camp, young master,” the retainer said. “Near Lord and Lady Sturm’s tent.”

“Thank you,” I said, before heading deeper into the camp.

It looked like almost everyone had gone to sleep, with a few exceptions here and there. Those exceptions stared as I passed them by.

“How did you end up traveling with my parents?” I asked Anabelle, switching back to English.

“I met them on the road,” she said. “When I learned that they were heading north to meet up with you, I asked to tag along. At first they said no, but your sister vouched for me.”

I stopped at that.

“Kaylee?” I asked.

“Yes. Your entire family came up to the Icefall Region, not just your parents, though we left your sister and brother behind at Sturm Hill Hall.” Annabelle paused. “I don’t know if anyone told you this, but I ended up befriending your sister while you were gone. Please, don’t be angry with her about that. I know you might see it as a betrayal, since she doesn’t know about our past, but I couldn’t stand by and do nothing, you know?”

I didn’t respond right away.

“Was it that bad?” I eventually asked.

“It was,” Annabelle said. “Most people ignored her. The rest bullied her in front of me, thinking that would get them in my good graces. I couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Kaylee didn’t deserve to be treated like that, and I thought the best way to send a message to everyone was to befriend her.”

I clenched my free hand. Anger and shame filled me. I had fucked up big time, and my family paid the price for it. I would make it up to them. It was the least I could do.

“Thank you for being there for her when I wasn’t,” I said in a quiet voice. “For that alone, I would have fallen in love with you if I hadn’t already.”

“Hey, don’t mention it,” Annabelle said, her tone soft. “I like Kaylee. She’s fun to hang out with. Besides, I had an ulterior motive, so don’t make me out to be a saint.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

I resumed walking towards my tent. It wasn’t that far away now. I could see it from here.

“Oh?” I asked.

“Yeah. I still wasn’t sure if you were Brandon or not, so I thought the best way to find out was to get close to your family. I figured that if I did that, we would eventually run into each other.”

Ah, so our reunion was inevitable. If we hadn’t met up in Rosewood City, we would have seen each other after I returned home. Annabelle was persistent, I had to give her that.

“You cunning minx,” I said, just as I reached my tent.

“You’re goddamn right.”

As the sentry said, my tent stood next to my parents’. I knew which one was theirs, since they had the biggest one in the entire camp. My tent was one of three. Two were empty, while Lorelei and Corie occupied the third.

I searched around with my divine sense, and found Leroy with the other House Sturm retainers.

I put Annabelle down.

“Pick one,” I said, gesturing to the two empty tents. “I’ll take the other. I’m going to wash up before I sleep. There’s no way I’m going to bed like this.”

I looked down and grimaced. It amazed me that none of the priests and priestesses from the Church of the Sun had tried to treat me, given the condition of my clothes. I looked like a horror movie victim.

“Aw,” Annabelle whined. “We’re sleeping separately? I thought we could sleep together. We don’t even have to do anything naughty.” She leered at me. “Of course, I’m up for it if you are. It’s been a while for me. I’ve been celibate ever since I came to Lumina.”

I gave her a flat look.

“Not tonight,” I said. “Different world, different rules.”

Casual dating and casual sex wasn’t a thing on Lumina, at least in the Solarian Empire. They took relationships far more seriously, especially the Houses. Premarital sex came with a big stigma, even with contraceptives. The chances of having an illegitimate child were low, but not zero. Given how much importance the Houses placed on lineage and pedigree, no one wanted to risk having a bastard.

Of course, that didn’t stop everyone. Take Andrew Corwin, Corie’s father, for example. However, those were the exception, not the rule. More than one person’s reputation had been ruined because of this.

Mine was already in the gutter. I didn’t want to drag Annabelle down too.

Annabelle looked down, before looking up and using Annabelle’s Puppy Eyes on me.

“Please?”

It didn’t work this time.

“We will sleep in separate tents tonight.” I glanced at my parents’ tent. “Besides, my parents are still awake. I don’t want them listening to us having sex, and I don’t know if I’d be able to keep my hands to myself. You may have been celibate for two years, but I’m still a virgin in this lifetime. I don’t want to take that risk.”

Annabelle gave me another leer. Incorrigible woman.

“I can keep quiet,” she said.

I snorted at that. Like hell she could, as I knew from personal experience. Once, when we were still students in high school, we had sex at school. She was so loud that several of the teachers heard us and we almost got caught. I’m still amazed that we got away with it.

“No,” I said, before cupping her cheek. “As tempted as I am, no. I want to do it right. That means taking it slow. Courtship, romance, the whole nine yards. You’re worth the effort. So please, be patient.”

That convinced her. Annabelle crossed her arms and pouted, but I saw the small smile on her lips.

“I didn’t take you for a prude, Brandon,” she said, before smirking. “A virgin, huh? Does that mean I get to pop your cherry twice?”

“Go to bed, Annabelle.”

She waved off my words.

“Fine.” She pointed at me. “But when we do end up fucking, you better rock my world. Now that you’re a cultivator, I expect more from you.”

I grinned at her, before I leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

“Just try and keep up,” I said. “I still remember what makes you tick. By the time I’m done with you, you won’t remember your own name.”

I pulled back and saw that Annabelle’s face was beet red.

Despite her brash words, Annabelle had been just as inexperienced as I was when we first made love. It took a lot of fumbling around before we learned about each other’s tastes and preferences. We were surprisingly compatible in that regard.

“Goodnight, Annabelle,” I said, stealing a kiss from her while she was still stunned.

I headed inside my tent before she could respond.

----------------------------------------

It was cool and clear when dawn arrived the next day. The various camps were busy as everyone prepared to head back to Icefall City. Well, most everyone. Those that were seriously injured would remain at the House Icefall outpost, along with the priests and the priestesses from the Church of the Sun. A small number of troops from House Icefall would remain behind to guard them.

We didn’t have any means to transport the injured, not without aggravating their injuries. So instead, Lord Icefall and Guildmaster Sinclair would send carts and wagons back to the outpost after we returned to Icefall City.

The House Sturm contingent looked the most refreshed, probably because none of them had been involved in the fighting. It annoyed me, since I almost died. Sure, I felt great because Tempest’s lightning bolt had helped me reach the peak of the First Rank of my body refining technique, but still.

My disciples didn’t look to be in good shape. They had suffered injuries, and while healing potions took care of those, they still seemed tired. Leroy and Lorelei looked the worst off, since they had tangled with the Metal wizard and his construct for a while before we killed him.

At least we got quite a bit of loot from the former Black Wolf Gang, though not as much as I would have liked. When Father blasted them to smithereens, he also destroyed their gear as well. Any magical items, magical resources, or coins they had on them had been turned to ash alongside them. This included the mana cores of the Inferno Wolves. Only the ones we killed ourselves remained intact.

While the mana cores wouldn’t have been that useful to me, given my current cultivation level, my disciples could have used them. Of course, using mana cores like that would have introduced impurities into their cultivation bases, but I knew of several methods to remove those impurities. That said, those took time, which was why I preferred preventing those impurities from reaching my cultivation base in the first place. However, not everyone could be like me, since it required using divine energy.

As we broke camp, Annabelle fit right in with my disciples, chatting with them as if she had known them for years instead of a few weeks. Well, not Leroy. He stuck by me, since he was still my bodyguard as well as my disciple.

It both annoyed and delighted me that Annabelle had been able to insinuate herself into my life so easily. I mean, first she befriended my sister, and later on convinced my parents to take her along when she ran away from Thorne Manor. And I hadn’t even told my family about my past relationship with Annabelle.

That was some real isekai protagonist energy right there.

A part of me wanted to feel angry and betrayed by my family’s actions, but I kicked that part to the curb. If it made it easier to court Annabelle and have her in my life, then so be it. I would rather my family get along with her than not.

However, her family would be another story. Unlike Annabelle, I didn’t have the ability to befriend complete strangers with ease. In fact, looking back on my time in the Icefall Region, I seemed to just piss them off on the first meeting.

Well, to be fair, I had faced an uphill battle when I first arrived. The people of the Icefall Region tended to dislike House scions in general, so I had that working against me.

Dealing with House Thorne would be even worse. I didn’t know much about them, since I hadn’t had much chance to interact with them outside of Annabelle, but they had a reputation for being a loving and close-knit family. They doted on each other, and this included Annabelle. She was an adopted member of the family, but from what I heard, that made no difference to them. They treated her as one of their own.

Their actions against me, after my duel with Annabelle, were proof enough of this. I knew they would object to me courting her, and they would do everything in their power to oppose our relationship. Just because she forgave me didn’t mean they had, or would any time soon.

I didn’t blame them, considering my actions so far. If I hadn’t been such a prick to Annabelle, maybe I would have had a better chance. As it was, I had my work cut out for me. Not that I was worried. Annabelle and I would be together. That was a foregone conclusion. I would fight against the entire world for her sake. Unless she pulled the plug on us, nothing would stop me.

As we prepared to leave, Leroy came up and held something out to me. Crimson Fang. In all the chaos that occurred during and after the battle with the Black Wolf Gang, I had completely forgotten about it. I must have dropped it when the Great Horned Wolf struck me.

With a sigh, I took Crimson Fang and then handed it back to Leroy.

“Here, take it,” I said.

Leroy’s eyes widened.

“I can’t accept this, young master,” he said. “This is too much. Besides, you worked so hard to have this made. Why would you give it away just like that?”

I leaned in and spoke in a low voice, so no one would overhear us. Several of the other House Sturm retainers kept glancing at us, and at the sword I handed to Leroy.

“Whenever I accept a new disciple,” I said. “I make sure to give them a gift that I think would suit them. You’re no exception. Since you’re a burgeoning sword cultivator, a sword like this is perfect for you.”

Leroy opened his mouth to object, but I silenced him by holding up a finger.

“Not only that, but you’ll be able to make the most use out of it. Crimson Fang is a mid-ranked Second Circle magic item. I’m too weak to make use of its full potential. If I had given it to you earlier, maybe things would have gone differently during the battle with the Black Wolf Gang.”

Leroy didn’t respond right away. He looked at Crimson Fang, and I could see the longing in his eyes.

“Are you sure about this, Master?” he whispered.

“Listen to your Master, and take the damn sword,” I said. “I already used it in battle once, so I don’t have regrets in that regard. Make good use of it.”

Leroy nodded and took Crimson Fang. He cradled it as if it were a newborn babe. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Sword cultivators were a weird bunch. Many of them had an unhealthy attachment to their blades, or so I often thought.

I knew of one male sword cultivator whose sword developed its own spirit; a female spirit. After the sword spirit gained the ability to physically manifest outside of her sword…Well, they ended up getting married and starting a family.

When I looked around, I found my parents watching me with a curious look in their eyes. I also saw the House Sturm retainers watching me with…I wasn’t sure how to describe what I saw. A mix of curiosity, wariness, and confusion? That was the best way I could put it.

That made sense. I don’t think I’ve ever given a retainer of my House such a precious gift before, either out in the open or in private. They were all probably wondering about what happened to their young master.

It didn’t matter to me, as long as they didn’t start suspecting that I was possessed. I had already gone through that once, and I didn’t want to go through it again.

Less than an hour later, after we had packed everything up, we all marched in the direction of Icefall City. We must have looked like an odd bunch; soldiers from House Icefall, adventurers from the Icefall Adventurers Guild, and a retinue from House Sturm.

Lord Icefall and Guildmaster Sinclair escorted the leader of the former Black Wolf Gang, the Great Horned Wolf, themselves. After everything we went through to capture him, no one wanted him to escape. The Nullicite manacles weakened him, but there was a chance that he could still break free. After I gave my parents a brief explanation of the situation, Father sent his bodyguard, Trent Ackerman, to accompany Lord Icefall and Guildmaster Sinclair.

Manacled by Nullicite and surrounded by three Third Circle wizards, the Great Horned Wolf had no chance of escaping. Even if he somehow broke free, my parents were still around.

Father and Mother could have flown ahead on Father’s flying magical item, the fan made of feathers, but instead they chose to walk with us. I soon learned why when they pulled me ahead of the others, so we could have some privacy while still keeping within sight of our retainers.

“Gabriel,” Father said in Spirit Tongue. “What is your relationship with Lady Annabelle?”

He flanked me on one side.

“Yes,” Mother said, flanking me on the other. “I’m interested in that as well.”

She took my arm. From an outsider’s perspective, it would have looked like I was escorting my mother. However, she had me in a death grip, preventing me from escaping. I could have broken free, due to my cultivation, but I would end up injuring Mother in the process.

I was trapped. Fuck.

Father put his hand on my shoulder.

“You haven’t done anything untoward to Lady Annabelle, have you?”

Oh, what the fuck? That was just unfair. Annabelle was the aggressive one here. I was trying to do things right and proper. Why was I the one getting the talking to?

“The two of you seem rather close,” Mother continued. “Given your history with Lady Annabelle, I thought that the two of you would have treated each other like mortal enemies. Instead, you and Lady Annabelle seem to be on…intimate terms. Is there something you would like to share with us, Gabriel?”

Okay, I hadn’t planned on having this discussion with my parents so soon. How did I get out of this? Oh, I knew.

The best defense is a good offense.

“Wait a moment,” I said, sounding aggrieved. “If you thought Lady Annabelle and I would treat each other as mortal enemies, why did you bring her along? Not only did you travel with her to the Icefall Region, but you also brought her to the battlefield.”

That caught them off guard, and they looked abashed at this.

“Am I not your son?” I asked, raising my voice a little. “Lady Annabelle shattered my Circles and put me in a coma. Yet, when I see the two of you again, after several months apart, I find you treating her like a welcome guest. Does my pain and suffering mean nothing to you? I know I was in the wrong, but still. How could you do that?”

I had to admit, only most of that was acting. I was genuinely hurt by their actions. I mean, come on.

My parents’ faces fell.

“I thought it was for the best,” Father said. “We met Lady Annabelle on the road to the Icefall Region. When she first asked to travel with us, I refused. You’re right. Even though you were in the wrong, you are still our son. I had no interest in traveling with the woman who injured you like that.”

“Your sister convinced us otherwise,” Mother said, a sad smile on her face. “Oh, we forgot to mention it last night. We brought Kaylee and Roland with us, though we left them behind at Sturm Hill Hall.”

I nodded, acting as if I didn’t already know this.

“Why would Kaylee speak on Lady Annabelle’s behalf?” I asked.

Mother grimaced.

“Lady Annabelle befriended Kaylee during your absence,” she said. “We allowed this for the same reason that we allowed Lady Annabelle to travel with us to see you.”

I raised an eyebrow at this.

“Lady Annabelle said that she wanted to mend the rift between our two Houses,” Father said. “Since we didn’t want a feud to break out between our House and House Thorne, we encouraged her friendship with Kaylee. Besides, after what happened, the rest of your sister’s friends proved their true character, or lack thereof.”

From the way he said it, I could tell that my father didn’t think much of my sister’s former friends. I winced in empathy. My “friends” back in the Solarian Academy had done the same thing. They rode my coattails when my star was rising, but abandoned me as soon as things got tough.

Boot licking sycophants.

Good riddance. I had no use for such fair weather friends. Neither did my sister, but it still had to have hurt when her friends abandoned her like that. Befriending Kaylee in those circumstances sounded like something Annabelle would have done, regardless if I was Brandon Norwood’s reincarnation or not.

“Lady Annabelle said that she wanted to see you,” Father continued. “In order to bury any enmity that might still exist between you too. As I said, I refused at first, but your sister convinced me otherwise. Kaylee said that this was a good chance to strengthen our bonds with House Thorne. Considering the precariousness of our House’s situation, I agreed and let Lady Annabelle travel with us.”

Again, that sounded like something Annabelle might do, regardless of whether or not I was Brandon Norwood. Granted, I doubted that she would have run away from Thorne Manor in order to make it happen, but burying the hatchet with a former enemy was something Annabelle would do. As long as they were willing to let bygones be bygones, so was she.

Lord Gabriel would have agreed, for Kaylee’s sake if nothing else; once he got over his anger and feelings of betrayal that was. Annabelle and I wouldn’t have become friends, but we would have treated each other with politeness and civility.

I could also see where my parents were coming from. They had to put the interests of our House over my personal feelings. I didn’t like it, but I agreed with their decision. Even without taking my past life into consideration, it was the right move to make.

House Sturm was a middling House, while House Thorne was a Great House. Any conflict with House Thorne would result in the destruction of House Sturm. Making peace with them was a matter of survival. Small conflicts could easily escalate into bloody feuds that lasted for generations.

“At first I was worried about how Lady Annabelle’s presence might affect you, Gabriel,” Mother said, giving me a humorless smile. Her grip on my arm tightened. “However, it seems as if my worries were unfounded.” Her smile grew so wide, her eyes looked like crescent moons. “So, tell me, son. What happened between you and Lady Annabelle?”

I sighed. It looked like I wasn’t getting out of this after all.