The journey back to Icefall City took most of the day. Even though we left early in the morning, it was almost evening by the time we arrived. It didn’t help that we traveled at a slower speed than yesterday. No one felt the need to rush things, since there wasn’t any urgency.

While Lord Icefall and Guildmaster Sinclair were concerned about the wounded we left behind, they were being looked after. We could take it easy.

I took that time to give my parents a brief, very brief, explanation of my relationship with Annabelle during my life as Brandon Norwood. At first they expressed disbelief, given how close in age Annabelle and I were. However, I told them my theory on that.

Time fuckery was the term I came up with when something involving, well, time fuckery happened but I didn’t know the exact cause. In this case, I think I knew.

According to Annabelle’s story, Tempest took my body as it traveled through the portal from Earth to Lumina. Whether or not I was already dead by that point, I didn’t know. What mattered was that my soul ended up on Lumina almost sixteen years before Annabelle did. Since she had been on Lumina for two by now, I had been fifteen when she arrived.

Either the portal from Earth to Lumina allowed travel through time as well as space, or Annabelle had been stuck in that portal for all of those sixteen years.

I told my parents my theory, excluding any mention of Tempest. In the end, while I wasn’t quite sure if they believed me, they accepted the fact that Annabelle and I were in a relationship during my previous life.

“And Lady Annabelle knows you are her past lover’s reincarnation?” Father asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes,” I said. “She knew about it before we met each other in Rosewood City.” I grimaced. “In fact, she learned about it the same day that I suggested you send me to the Icefall Region.”

“You know, son,” Mother said. “It sounds to me that you could have avoided a lot of unnecessary hardship for yourself if you had been open and honest with your loved ones, both past and present.”

I gave her a sideways glance. She had a point, but I wasn’t going to tell her that.

“I could say the same for you, Mother,” I said. “If I had known that you already knew about cultivation, I wouldn’t have tried so hard to hide the truth from you.”

Father put a hand on both of our shoulders.

“I think we’ve all learned a lesson on the importance of communication,” he said, a warning in his tone. “Let us take that lesson to heart, and move on.”

I snorted.

“Fine by me,” I said. “As long as you two explain to me what you know about cultivators and cultivation.” I paused. “And the letter that you apparently sent to House Leone. I find it fascinating that you named me after my great grandfather, someone who you’ve never mentioned before.”

Mother snorted as well.

“As long as you tell us about the lightning bolt your father mentioned last night, as well as any activities that you failed to mention in your message. I find it fascinating that you now have three disciples, one of whom is a House Sturm retainer who you suborned.”

I opened my mouth to retort, but Father’s grip on our shoulders tightened and I snapped my mouth shut.

“Yes, yes,” he said. “We all have a lot to discuss with each other. However, let us save it for later, when we reach Sturm Hill Hall.”

Mother and I both nodded. Any conversation involving cultivation and such was dropped. Instead, the three of us rejoined the rest of the House Sturm contingent.

During our absence, Annabelle and my disciples had chatted along as if they were lifelong friends. I felt the familiar jealousy and envy at this, but it wasn’t as strong as before. Instead, it was overshadowed by the contentment I felt at seeing the people I cared about the most getting along.

When I rejoined them, Annabelle reached out and grabbed my hand. People raised their eyebrows at this, but otherwise didn’t react. I mean, considering how Annabelle grabbed onto me last night, quibbling about us holding hands was like closing the barn doors after the horses already escaped. Not that I cared. Let them quibble. I was happy right where I was.

Corie did give me a smug look when she saw this, which I found annoying.

“I knew it,” she mouthed to me.

I rolled my eyes and ignored her. The rest of the trip back to Icefall City was uneventful. It was a bit awkward to travel over the rougher terrain, since Annabelle and I held hands the entire time, but we made do. Whenever it got too rough, I just picked her up and carried her along. With my level of strength, this wasn’t that big of a deal.

Annabelle made some token protests, saying that she was more than capable of moving around on her own, but she didn’t try to actually escape my hold.

I caught Mother watching us more than once, that calculating gleam once again in her eyes. I swear I could almost hear the wedding bells ringing in her head. To be fair, most House scions married right around my age. Unlike back on Earth, people tended to marry young. It wasn’t unusual for a couple to marry while still in their teens.

This was even more true for wizards, especially House scions, despite their longer lifespans. The sooner they had children and secured the bloodline, the better. Life was dangerous, and death could come for anyone at any moment. Even the most powerful wizard would eventually die. As far as I knew, wizards couldn’t become immortal. Time defeated them in the end.

Did I want to marry Annabelle? That was a tricky question. Brandon Norwood had, but I wasn’t just Brandon Norwood anymore. I was also Gabriel Sturm and Immortal Celestial Thunder. People changed over time, and this applied to Annabelle as well. I didn’t know about everything she had gone through over the past two years, and how they had affected her.

While I loved Annabelle, and wanted to spend the rest of eternity with her, I couldn’t assume that things would just work out between us without issue. That was one of the reasons why I wanted to go through a slower courtship, so we could get to know each other again. I couldn’t just rely on my memories for everything.

Questions like these, and more, swirled through my mind as we headed back. When we neared Icefall City, our group split off. Lord Icefall and Guildmaster Sinclair headed straight for Icefall City with their people. They also brought the manacled Great Horned Wolf with them. Meanwhile, the contingent from House Sturm headed for Sturm Hill Hall.

However, before we parted ways, Father talked with Lord Icefall for a little while. I later learned that the two had set up a meeting a few days from now, to discuss the alliance and finalize matters. They wanted to wait for a bit, to give everyone a chance to rest up and heal, before doing so.

While this went on, Lorelei said goodbye to her mother. I respected their privacy and didn’t eavesdrop, though I totally could have. Both looked happy and a little teary by the end.

Afterwards, our group made its way to Sturm Hill Hall. When we arrived at the grounds surrounding the manor, I saw more House Sturm retainers waiting outside for us. Even though it was dark out, magelamps illuminated the grounds of Sturm Hill Hall, giving us a clear view of the place.

I gave the retainers waiting for us a quick count and saw that, in addition to the retainers who traveled with my parents to the House Icefall outpost, my family had brought over half of House Sturm’s retainers with them.

I wasn’t sure whether to feel touched or alarmed by this. In the end, I settled for both.

I gave my parents a look, which they promptly ignored.

The retainers weren’t the only ones waiting outside for us. The servants from Sturm Hill Hall were there too. Kaylee and Roland waited outside for us as well.

When I saw my siblings, joy filled my heart. They were a sight for sore eyes.

“Gabiel!” Roland shrieked when he saw me.

Due to his age, my little brother was incapable of saying my name right. I didn’t mind. Rather, I found it endearing.

Roland tried to rush towards me, but Kaylee held him back. Unlike my little brother, my sister didn’t seem as happy to see me. Instead, she looked conflicted. Internally, I sighed.

Things were still strained between Kaylee and I, due to my actions. I hoped she would give me the chance to make up for my mistakes and forgive me. I missed her.

One of the retainers stepped forward and bowed to my family as we approached, Aleah Jeffers. She was the captain of the House Sturm retainers. Other than my parents’ personal bodyguards, she was the highest ranking of our retainers. She was also the most powerful. While she was only at the Third Circle, she was at the upper end with eight threads.

“Welcome back to Sturm Hill Hall,” Captain Jeffers said. “Lord Sturm. Lady Sturm.” She turned to me, and I saw the moment when she realized that my First Circle was restored. Her eyes widened just a touch. It took her a moment to recover. “Young master. It is good to see again. You…”

She trailed off and shook her head. Despite this, I could see the question in her eyes. What happened to me? How had I restored my First Circle?

However, as a mere retainer, it wasn’t her place to ask these questions. At least, in her eyes. Captain Jeffers was a stickler for these sorts of things.

“It is good to see you too, Captain Jeffers,” I said, giving the woman a smile.

She stared at me for a brief moment, no doubt surprised that I had acted so friendly with her. Before I regained my memories, I treated her like I treated the other servants and retainers of House Sturm; beneath my contempt. Back then, they had been like furniture to me, part of the background.

Yep, I had been an arrogant ass.

“Aleah,” Father said, his tone warm. “You didn’t need to bring everyone outside like this, especially given the hour.”

“Of course I did,” Captain Jeffers said, scoffing. “When the lord of the manor and his family arrives, it is the servants’ responsibility to greet them.”

“While we appreciate the sentiment,” Mother said. “You could have skipped the formalities just this once.”

While parents talked with Captain Jeffers and caught up on what happened during their absence, I walked around them and headed for my siblings. Annabelle walked by my side.

Roland couldn’t contain himself any longer and ran towards me, breaking out of Kaylee’s grip.

“Gabiel!” he shrieked again.

I picked him up as he ran at me.

“There you are, you little gremlin,” I said. “I missed you! Did you miss me?”

“Yes.”

“Good answer.”

I pretended to eat him which made him giggle. Afterwards, I hefted him onto my shoulder before turning to Kaylee.

“Kaylee,” I said with a smile. “It’s good to see you again. I missed you.”

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“Elder Brother,” Kaylee said, her voice stiff. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

The two of us stood there for a few seconds without saying a word. Annabelle coughed, breaking the silence before it became too awkward. My sister and I both turned to her.

“And?” Annabelle asked, looking at my sister. “We talked about this, Lady Kaylee.”

Kaylee’s face twisted, going through several expressions, before settling on grumpiness.

“I missed you too,” she muttered. “Just a little. A teensy, tiny amount.”

“Sissy,” Roland admonished. “Stop being mean to Gabiel!”

“I’m not!” Kaylee protested, looking affronted.

I reached up and patted Roland to settle him down, before turning to Annabelle and raising an eyebrow at her.

“Your sister and I talked about you a lot on the trip up here,” she explained. “There wasn’t a lot else to do. She misses you and feels bad about how you two parted, but is still upset at you for what you did. Becoming my friend only made her more upset on my behalf. It’s a little complicated.”

“Lady Annabelle!” Kaylee said, almost shrieking. Her entire face was red, from the bottom of her neck to the tips of her ears. “Don’t tell him that!”

She rushed forward to try and cover up Annabelle’s mouth, but failed due to the difference in strength between them. Kaylee was like our mother, small and dainty, while Annabelle was taller, stronger, and a trained martial artist. It wasn’t even a contest.

I gaped at them, surprised by this. I had never seen Kaylee act like this before. I didn’t know whether to laugh in amusement, or cry since it took Annabelle to bring out this side of my sister.

“Lady Kaylee is also afraid of what will happen when you return to Sturm Manor and how it will affect the succession of House Sturm,” Annabelle said, fending my sister off. “I’m telling you all this because your sister is like you, in that she has trouble communicating her feelings with the people she cares about the most.”

“Lady Annabelle!”

That…checked out actually. I thought back to my conversations with my parents over the past couple of days, and realized that my entire family had a problem with open and honest communication. Perhaps it was an inherited trait.

“We’re going inside,” Kaylee said to Annabelle, before glaring at me as if this was all my fault.

She dragged Annabelle towards Sturm Hill Hall. Annabelle let her, since there was no way someone of Kaylee's size could pull someone Annabelle’s size. At least, not unless they were a cultivator. When it came to cultivation, size and genetics mattered less than one’s cultivation level. Special physiques and constitutions mattered as well, but the cultivator with the higher realm tended to win more often than not.

“Sissy needs a nap,” Roland said, his tone final.

“Yes, she does,” I agreed, before turning towards my disciples, who stood a little ways off. “Want to meet my new friends, little Roland?”

“Okay!”

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

At dawn the next morning, I sat in a tree near Sturm Hill Hall and cultivated. I had set up a mana gathering formation with one of my formation flag sets. It was cool outside. It would warm up later on, but for now, there was a delicious chill in the air.

The ever present mist that coated the floor of Gloom Mist Forest was thicker than usual. This was good for me, since it meant that the Water mana in the area was thicker than usual.

Aurora rested in my dantian. She had finally unwrapped herself from around my soul when I woke up this morning, and returned to her usual perch.

Last night, after introducing my brother to my disciples, everyone settled inside Sturm Hill Hall for the night. It took a bit of shuffling around, since the manor had never had this many people in it before. In addition to the House Sturm retainers, there was my family, my disciples, and Annabelle to consider.

It took a bit to arrange things so there was room for everyone. Since there wasn’t enough room in the servants quarters, the House Sturm retainers bunked in some of the guest bedrooms. Lorelei and Corie decided to share a room, to ease things up.

Annabelle and Kaylee slept in the same room as well. I saw the two of them together, thick as thieves, giggling like a pair of school girls. Kaylee huffed when she noticed me watching them, and dragged Annabelle away.

I also had Leroy sleep in my room. He protested, since it wouldn’t be appropriate for a retainer to share a room with a House scion. Captain Jeffers made the same argument as well.

“Leroy is also my bodyguard,” I told them. “How can he do his job if I don’t keep him as close to me as possible?”

Captain Jeffers nodded, accepting my argument. Meanwhile, Leroy just gave me a look, shocked that I had the audacity to say such a thing, especially given the number of times I left him behind in order to throw myself into danger. However, in the end, he acquiesced, which was all that mattered.

I think Roland was the only one who got his own room last night, and that was because he had the nursery all to himself. It turned out that Sturm Hill Hall had a nursery for children. This surprised me, since the place had been built as a hunting lodge by Great Grand Uncle Coleman.

Why would he include a nursery? Had he intended to raise a family here? Maybe. The man died in his mid-forties, which was rather young for a wizard. Perhaps he had wanted to enjoy bachelorhood before settling down and starting a family. Unfortunately for him, he never had the chance.

I finished with my daily cultivation after the sun rose beyond the horizon, and let out a breath. When I opened my eyes, I looked down to find Annabelle standing near the base of my tree, watching me. She wore a simple blue dress.

A part of me had noticed her approach, but otherwise paid her no mind. Inattention during cultivation led to mistakes, and mistakes led to cultivation deviation.

I used my cleaning technique to clear away the impurities coating my body, before I leaped down and landed next to Annabelle. Her eyes shone.

“Were you cultivating just now?” she asked, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

I snorted with amusement.

“Good morning to you too, sunshine,” I said.

“Sorry, I was just so excited to see you cultivating. Good morning, Gabe.”

Ah, so we were back to Gabe now. Eh, it didn’t matter to me.

“It’s all right,” I said, smiling at her. “I know how much you love those kinds of stories. Still, cultivating isn’t that much different from forming new threads.”

Annabelle scoffed.

“Of course it’s different,” she said. “Forming threads and Circles of magic just gives people the ability to use magic. Cultivation lets you do all kinds of things. It enhances the body, mind, and soul. Also, there is an element of spiritual enlightenment.”

Just gives people the ability to use magic, she says. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

“And you know this from your vast experience with both cultivation and wizardry?” I asked.

“No,” Annabelle said, looking unashamed. “But am I wrong?”

I paused before answering.

“Yes and no,” I said. “While cultivators are better at martial arts, and gain power through enlightenment, wizards aren’t weak. They’re much better at the mystic arts; spells and magic circles and whatnot. Don’t underestimate them.”

I also wasn’t sure if wizards could become immortal. I hadn’t heard of it happening before, but perhaps it was possible. I just didn’t know enough about wizardry to know for certain. Until I learned otherwise, I would assume they couldn’t.

“Oh?” Annabelle said, a mischievous gleam in her eye. “Do you really want to resume The Argument?”

I shook my head.

“No,” I said. “I’m just pointing out that wizards are powerful in their own right. I say this as someone who is both a wizard and a cultivator.”

Annabelle rolled her eyes at me.

“Yes, yes,” she said. “You can stop showing off.” She gave a warm smile. “I’m kidding. It’s just…This is something I’ve always dreamed about. When I first came to Lumina, I was excited about magic and all that. Learning that cultivation is also real is a dream come true for me.” She reached forward to grasp my hand. “Finding you again on top of all that, well, it feels like heaven on earth sometimes.”

My heart melted at her words, and my face heated up.

“Ugh,” I said, to disguise how happy her words made me. “That was disgustingly sweet.”

Annabelle grinned.

“You love it,” she said.

In response, I pulled her towards me and planted a kiss on her lips. She let out a disappointed groan when we pulled apart.

“You have to stop teasing me like this,” she said. “Otherwise, I might end up doing something we’ll both like.”

I raised an eyebrow at that.

“I don’t remember you being this needy,” I said. “If I remember right, it usually takes more than a kiss to get you worked up.”

“Hmmph,” Annabelle huffed, turning her nose up at me. “Did you forget how often we did it? We were pretty active when we dated. Going from that to complete celibacy wasn’t easy. Now that you’re back…Well, the dam can only take so much pressure before it bursts, if you catch my drift.”

Huh, I hadn’t thought of it like that. Then again, for me, it was different. I died and lived for seventeen years before I remembered my past lives. Plus, I was still a virgin in this life. I didn’t feel the same urgency that Annabelle seemed to feel.

That said, I wasn’t immune to Annabelle’s presence. She wasn’t the only one with unfulfilled needs.

“It doesn’t help that you’ve got a hot body now,” Annabelle continued, feeling my arms. “Seriously, are your muscles made of steel or something?”

I shrugged, pretending her words didn’t please me.

“Well, one of the many benefits of cultivation is that the cultivators become a more idealized version of themselves. Women become more beautiful, men become more handsome, etc.”

Annabelle flexed, showing off her biceps.

“So when I become a cultivator, these bad boys will look even better?”

“Yes,” I said with a chuckle. “Especially if you practice body refinement.”

“Then the sooner I become a cultivator, the better,” Annabelle said. “Are you sure you can’t teach me a few things? I know you have a problem with becoming my teacher, but there has to be something you can share. Didn’t you say that I could learn cultivation myself, with some advice and guidance from you?”

I paused to think about it. I did say that, back at the House Icefall outpost. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I would prefer it if Annabelle learned cultivation on her own, with me cheering her on from the sidelines. I wasn’t sure if I trusted anyone else to be her teacher.

Of course, that could be paranoia and jealousy on my part.

Still, I could study her and create a cultivation technique that was unique to her. If I made the manual comprehensive enough, she shouldn’t need more than some advice and guidance every now and again. Of course, while I wouldn’t technically be Annabelle’s Master, doing something like this pushed the boundary.

That said, if my own Master could bend the rules, so could I.

“Here’s what I can do for you for now, Annabelle,” I said. “If you’ll let me study you, I can create a cultivation technique that is unique and perfectly suited to you. That way, you can start studying cultivation on your own. It’ll take me some time, but I should be able to write up a manual for the Energy Condensation stage in a few days.”

I should also write up a general primer for her and my disciples. Cultivation 101: The Basics.

“In the future, if we find someone who is a suitable teacher for you, they can take over your education,” I continued. “I would still be there, to offer advice and guidance, but you wouldn’t be completely dependent on me.”

That was something we needed to take into consideration. It was fine for my disciples to depend on me in the beginning, since they were my disciples, but I would also need to make sure to foster their independence. In the end, each cultivator walked their own path. Others could help, but no one could walk the path for them.

I also wouldn’t always be there for Annabelle. Eventually, she would need to return to Thorne Manor. I doubted that they would let her stay with me without making an issue of it. If things got bad enough, they might claim we had kidnapped Annabelle and use that as justification to take punitive actions.

“Oh, thank you!” Annabelle said, before pulling me into a brief hug.

“No problem. However, I should warn you that letting me do this is a big show of trust on your part. Not only will I be able to see into the depths of your being, but you’re letting me determine your path going forward. If you’re uncomfortable with any of this, let me know now and we’ll figure out a different solution.”

If she didn’t want me to create a personal cultivation technique for her, I could teach her one of the many cultivation techniques that I knew. They wouldn’t be as effective, but they were still quite good. I knew plenty of violet-tier cultivation techniques.

“I trust you, Gabe,” Annabelle said, her face solemn and serious. “Even though you are Gabriel Sturm, you are also Brandon Norwood. I trust you with my life, my heart, and my soul.”

The seriousness of her words caught me off guard, and I wasn’t sure how to respond. I didn’t deserve her trust, but I made a promise to myself to not let her down.

“Thank you,” I said in the end. “I will do everything in my power to be worthy of your trust.”

Annabelle smiled at me.

“Okay, so what do we need to do?” she asked. “Should we find someplace private so you can…examine me?”

She waggled her eyebrows, leaving no doubt as to what she meant by that.

“No need,” I said, pretending to be oblivious to her innuendo. “I can give you a cursory examination here with my divine sense. That will give me some ideas on where to begin. Later on, I can give you a more comprehensive examination.”

Annabelle pouted at this.

“Well fine,” she said. “If you want to be boring about it.” Her eyes shone with determination. “One of these days, I will break through this wall of prudishness that you’ve surrounded yourself with.”

I chuckled at that, before I grabbed Annabelle’s arm. I didn’t need to be in physical contact with her to examine her with my divine sense, but I enjoyed it.

As I expected, Annabelle was in excellent health. It looked like she had kept up with her martial arts training. If anything, she looked even stronger than she had been back on Earth. That said, I didn’t have divine sense back then, so I couldn’t tell for sure.

However, as I examined Annabelle, something caught my eye right away. The best method for her to cultivate…No, that couldn’t be right. I needed to take a closer look to make sure.

“Is everything all right?” Annabelle asked, her voice filled with concern. “You’re frowning.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” I said. “It’s just…”

“It’s just what?”

I took a moment before responding.

“Let’s go somewhere private,” I said. “I need to take a closer look at you. I found something a bit strange.”

We were out in the open, not too far from Sturm Hill Hall. While that was good for a quick glance at Annabelle’s being, it wasn’t ideal for an in-depth examination.

“That doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence, buddy,” Annabelle said. “What’s going on?”

“I’ll explain afterwards,” I said. “I just want to confirm something. Don’t worry. Nothing’s wrong. I promise you.”

Annabelle studied me for a moment, before she nodded.

“Let’s go then.”

The two of us headed back to Sturm Hill Hall.