When Mother asked if I wanted to take a walk, I thought we would go for a stroll around Sturm Hill Hall. While the grounds surrounding the manor weren’t that beautiful or extensive, especially when compared to gardens around Dawnrose Hall, they had their own charm.
However, I never expected that Mother would want to take a walk through Gloom Mist Forest. It was dark, dreary, and a bit depressing at times. It was also damp. The ever present mist clung to our clothes, and the chill from this morning lingered. Considering how little sunlight this place received, I doubted that it would ever warm up enough to dispel the chill.
Still, my mother asked me to come along and so I obeyed. I thought that she would have trouble navigating her way through the forest, given her small and dainty build, but she weaved her way through the trees and the underbrush with ease. What impressed me even more was that she did this while wearing a dress. Doubly so since she managed to keep the dress clean and immaculate.
We spent the first half hour of our walk in silence, with neither of us saying a word. It didn’t look like my mother had a particular destination in mind either. She just wandered about at random.
Mother stopped when she found a tall oak tree whose branches rose above the canopy.
“This should do,” Mother said, putting her palm on the tree. She looked back and grinned at me. “Help your poor old mother reach the top of this tree, Gabriel. I’m not as strong as I used to be.”
Poor old…? My mother was in her early forties, which wasn’t that old by House standards, and looked younger. Wizards enjoyed longer lifespans than regular mortals, and aged slower as a result. While cultivators lived even longer, a longer lifespan was still a longer lifespan. As a Fourth Circle wizard, my Mother could easily live to be one hundred and sixty years old.
Of course, a Foundation Establishment cultivator could easily live to be a one hundred and fifty.
However, I didn’t argue with my mother. Instead, I picked her up piggy-back style and climbed the oak tree. It didn’t take me long to reach the top, breaking past the canopy. It took me a moment to adjust to the bright sunlight after spending a half hour in the darkness of Gloom Mist Forest.
I found a branch that could support an adult’s weight, which wasn’t easy, and set my mother down. To avoid any accidents from occurring, I sat on another branch and waited. My mother brought me out here for a reason, and I wouldn’t rush her. That said, I had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to talk about.
Mother didn’t say anything right away. Instead, she looked over the Gloom Mist Forest with a small smile on her face. In the distance, I could make out Sturm Hill Hall. Off to the east, I saw a bit of Icefall City.
The Icefall Mountains rose in the north. Even from here, they looked imposing and menacing to behold. A part of me itched to head over there and see what kinds of adventures I could get up to. However, I refrained.
As my parents pointed out, I was too weak to explore the Icefall Mountains just yet. That would change in time, but for now, it was best to avoid them altogether.
“Did I ever tell you about the story of how your father and I met?” Mother asked, breaking the silence.
Okay, I had not seen that one coming.
“A little,” I said. “You and Father just said that you met while he was traveling through the Lunarian Kingdom on House business. You also didn’t talk about your original House much. Reading between the lines, I assumed that your family opposed your marriage to Father.” I snorted. “When I was twelve, I imagined you and Father actually eloped.”
What I didn’t mention was that I believed that to this day. Maybe it was childish of me, but the idea that my parents loved each other so much, to the point that they were willing to defy her family in order to be together, appealed to the romantic in me.
Mother’s smile widened at this.
“We didn’t quite elope,” she said. “But it was a near thing. Your father arrived in the Lunarian Kingdom to meet with a girl that his parents, your paternal grandparents, had arranged for him to marry.”
I stared at Mother.
“Father was supposed to marry someone else?” I asked, incredulous.
“Oh yes,” Mother said. “Even though both of your paternal grandparents had already passed away by that point, your father decided to respect their wishes. It helped that the girl was from one of the more prestigious Houses in the Lunarian Kingdom, and marrying her would have brought several benefits to House Sturm; benefits that it desperately needed at the time.”
I nodded. I had heard this part of the story, or at least the events leading up to it. When my father was in his late twenties, both of his parents passed away from a plague that ravaged the land. The plague had no cure, and even Holy magic could do nothing against it.
Later on, it was revealed that it hadn’t been a plague at all, but a curse created by a powerful Dark wizard who led a demonic cult. Several Houses, including a few Great Houses, banded together with the Church of the Sun in order to hunt down this Dark wizard and his cult.
My father participated in order to avenge his parents. This also earned him a lot of goodwill from the other Houses who participated; goodwill that he needed.
Father was left all alone in the world. He was the Patriarch and sole member of House Sturm. If he died, House Sturm died with him. He needed to marry and produce an heir fast.
However, none of the other Houses took advantage of the situation thanks to the good will he earned. This gave him time to set his affairs in order.
Unfortunately, Father had been an irresponsible wastrel in his youth, which was why he remained unmarried up to that point. The death of his parents sobered him up and he took his affairs more seriously from that point on. Many would have crumpled under the pressure, but Father rose to the challenge.
When I first heard that Father had been an irresponsible wastrel, I hadn’t believed it. It was so different from the stern and serious man I knew. However, several of Father’s acquaintances and friends kept telling me about all the trouble my father got up to. In the end, after Father confirmed it himself, I had no choice but to accept it.
“Your father ran into trouble almost as soon as he stepped foot in the Lunarian Kingdom,” Mother said. “He got into a fight with a young man from a small House and almost killed him. The young man’s older sister swore to get revenge and take your father’s life. The elders of her House told her to let it go, but she refused. Your father had already left by that point, heading deeper into the Lunarian Kingdom, so the young man’s sister chased after him.” She gave me a self-deprecating smile. “She was a bit hotheaded, you might say.”
I stared at her in wonder for several seconds.
“It was you, wasn’t it?” I asked. “The young man’s sister, that is.”
Mother nodded.
“Yes,” she said. “The young man was your uncle, Bartholomew Leone. To me, he was just Bart, my younger brother. I was very protective of him at the time. When your father almost killed him, I overreacted.”
I shrugged.
“I don’t know. Swearing revenge against the man who almost killed your brother seems reasonable to me.” I paused. “To a point.”
“You would have a point, except that Bart didn’t tell me the full truth,” Mother said in a flat voice. “He told me that some foreign lord from the Solarian Empire almost killed him, and that he barely escaped with his life. The truth was that Bart started the fight, and your father decided to show mercy and spare him. If I had known that, things might have gone differently.”
Okay, that was a bit scummy. I didn’t think I would like this Uncle Bart of mine.
“I chased after your father for weeks, hounding him as he made his way towards his would-be wife. He was in the Third Circle at the time, while I was in the Second Circle. However, I was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator, so I thought that would be enough to overcome the difference in our strength. It wasn’t. No matter how hard I tried, I could never kill your father. Yet, he could never kill me either.”
She wore a wistful smile on her face.
“Somehow, despite all this, your father and I fell in love. Trust me when I say that no one was more surprised by this than me. The two of us remained in denial for some time after that, but in the end we stopped lying to ourselves and each other, and got married. So while I failed to kill your father, I took his life and fulfilled my oath that way.” Her smile turned into a smirk. “The funniest part was that your father never made it to his intended bride. I got to him first. Her House was angry about it, and caused us some trouble as a result, but that’s a story for another time.”
Mother fell silent after that and turned her gaze towards Gloom Mist Forest. I followed her lead, and remained silent, despite the questions buzzing around in my head. While I appreciated her telling me all this, I wondered why Mother decided to bring me all the way out here to do so. I assumed she had a good reason for it.
Or maybe she just wanted us to have a good view as she told me a bit about her past, a past that she never shared with me before.
I like your mother, Aurora piped up, speaking to me for the first time in a while. It wasn’t that she ignored me, but rather she spent it resting in my dantian. She reminds me of Annabelle, or maybe it should be the other way around.
‘How so?’ I asked.
Well, she went after the man she wanted and didn’t let anything get in her way, Aurora said.
I snorted in my head.
‘There’s a big difference between going after someone for revenge, and going after someone for love.’
You can’t deny that both involve strong emotions, Aurora pointed out. Your mother and Annabelle are both passionate women. Aurora all but radiated mischief when she said this next sentence. Is that why you love Annabelle? She reminds you of your mother?
I gave Aurora the mental equivalent of a flat look.
‘Considering that I fell in love with Annabelle during my previous life, that doesn’t even make sense.’
Relax, Gabe, Aurora said. I’m just messing with you. Consider it revenge for what you put me through when you almost died and just gave up.
I used my divine energy to pat my familiar on the head. At first she turned away, but whined when I stopped.
‘Sorry,’ I said. ‘I won’t do that again. I’ll promise you the same thing I promised Annabelle; I will fight to live, even if it looks hopeless.’
Damn right you will, Aurora said. Otherwise, I’ll haunt you. You can’t escape me, even in death. Our fates are intertwined, don’t forget that.
I smiled at that.
“The reason I told you all of that,” Mother said, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Wasn’t just to tell you how Bryce and I met. I mean, I am glad that I can finally tell at least one of my children the story of how I met their father, but that isn’t the reason why I brought you out here.” She grimaced. “I brought you out here to tell you about what happened after your father and I decided to get married.”
From the tone of her voice, and what I already knew, I guessed that it hadn’t been an easy endeavor.
“Cultivator society on Lumina is secretive and insular,” Mother said. “I don’t know what it’s like back where you came from, but here, cultivators try to interact with outsiders as little as possible. This means mortals and wizards.”
That wasn’t too far from how cultivator society worked back on Spirit Earth. Cultivators limited their interactions with mortals as much as possible. This was to help them focus on their cultivation, and also for the mortals’ sake. The world of cultivation was dangerous, and it was easy for mortals to lose their lives when they got entangled in it.
Sometimes this resulted in a happy ending, but most of the time it ended in tragedy and sorrow.
“Families who practice cultivation are called Clans,” Mother said. “As a way to distinguish them from the Houses. The Clans prefer to keep themselves, only interacting with other cultivators if they can help it. Even Clans who are also Houses minimize their involvement in House society. House Leone is actually quite powerful, but most don’t know it because it keeps out of sight and therefore out of mind.”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Again, this didn’t sound too different from how cultivator society worked back on Spirit Earth.
“What about sects?” I asked. “Do those exist here in Lumina?”
Mother nodded.
“Yes, though they disguise themselves as something else to hide their existence. Some pretend to be merchant groups, others disguise themselves as a coalition of Houses, and some even pretend to be criminal organizations.” She paused. “Well, I don’t know if pretend is the right word. They are criminals, but not just criminals. A few don’t bother hiding in plain sight, and just hide their existence altogether.”
Huh. Cultivator society on Lumina was larger and more extensive than I expected.
“At least, that’s how it worked in the Lunarian Kingdom,” Mother said. “It might be different in the Solarian Empire, but I imagine there are several similarities. Do you know why the cultivation Clans and sects on Lumina hide themselves?”
“Survival,” I said right away. “It’s the reason why I’ve kept my cultivation and my past lives a secret. The only ones who know are you and Father, my disciples, and Lady Annabelle.” I paused. “Guildmaster Sinclair knows that I practice a strange form of magic, but only because she can sniff out magic and I didn’t account for that at first.”
Mother gave me a hard look.
“You need to be more discreet, Gabriel,” she said. “The less people who know the truth about you, the better.” She sighed. “Still, I suppose it could’ve been worse. You’re right, however. Cultivators hide their existence in order to survive. If society at large knew about them, a lot of different forces would go after them in order to steal their power and learn their secrets. Cultivators make up a very small portion of the population, and wizards aren’t any weaker than they are.”
I nodded.
“The Tower of Magic,” I said. “The Houses. And then there’s the inquisition to consider.”
“Actually, no,” Mother said. “The Church of the Sun and the Church of the Moon already know about the existence of cultivators and cultivation.”
I stared at Mother. The Church of the Moon was the Church of the Sun’s sister, and it was the dominant religion in the Lunarian Kingdom As its name suggested, it worshiped the same pantheon as the Church of the Sun but venerated Luna instead of Sol. She was the Queen to his King.
“Really?” I asked. “The Church of the Sun and the Church of the Moon know about cultivators?”
“Yes,” Mother asked. “At least, the upper echelons do, and so do their inquisitors. Part of the Inquisition’s duty is to suppress knowledge of cultivation. That’s another reason why most don’t know about it.”
“Does this include suppressing cultivators?”
Mother shook her head.
“No,” she said. “As long as cultivators don’t step over the line and are careful about who they recruit and teach, the Inquisition doesn’t care what they do. Demonic cultivators, on the other hand, are another story.”
I shuddered at that.
Demonic cultivators were bad news. Demonic cultivation, in all of its forms, was an inherently evil and corruptive practice. It twisted the soul. Even those who started out with good reason or had the best of intentions ended up becoming irredeemable monsters. Once a cultivator turned to demonic cultivation, it was difficult for them to stop. After a certain point, it was impossible.
The only solution was death, so that their soul might be purified by the cycle of reincarnation. Even then, it was a risk. Most preferred to just destroy the souls of demonic cultivators, to prevent them from becoming demonic spirits.
“I mentioned all of that to illustrate the point that secrecy is an integral part of cultivator society,” Mother said. “When a cultivator marries an outsider, the outsider usually joins the cultivator’s family and becomes a member of cultivator society. It’s much more difficult to make it work the other way around.”
“Which is what you and Father did,” I said.
“Yes,” Mother said with a nod. “Your father couldn’t marry into House Leone. Doing so would mean the dissolution and destruction of House Sturm. He couldn’t let that happen. However, my family opposed me marrying into House Sturm. They were afraid that their secrets would be leaked to their enemies, or that the existence of cultivators would become public knowledge. If that happened, the Inquisition would exterminate everyone involved.” She rolled her eyes. “While I could understand how my family felt, their fears were unfounded. I knew how to be discreet, and I would never betray my family’s secrets.”
She gave me a sideways glance when she said this.
“In the end, your father and I managed to convince my family to let us marry with the help of Grandfather Gabe. He was my Master at the time, and he was one of my family’s more powerful elders, so his words carried a lot of weight. He proposed a compromise. My family would let me marry your father. In return, I would promise to never teach anyone my Clan’s secrets, nor would I practice another Clan or sect’s cultivation technique. I would also have to let Grandfather Gabe unravel my cultivation.”
When she said this, my mother’s eyes tightened with pain. I didn’t blame her. She married my father in the end, but paid a heavy price for it. Having one’s cultivation unraveled sucked. It felt like having one’s soul wrung out. The higher one’s cultivation, the more painful it was.
At least it was better than having her cultivation base shattered. That felt like having one’s soul broken into pieces. Most importantly, shattering someone’s cultivation base prevented them from cultivating ever again. Unraveling someone’s cultivation just meant that they had to start over. While it was possible to repair a shattered cultivation base, it was an expensive and arduous process.
Back on Spirit Earth, Flameclaw, my foster daughter had her cultivation base shattered. I was at the Nascent Soul stage at the time, and even then, it took me almost a century to repair her cultivation base.
“We all agreed to Grandfather Gabe’s compromise,” Mother said. “Afterwards, I married your father and never looked back. It cost me a lot, but he was worth it.” She smiled at me. “You and your siblings were worth it.”
“Is this compromise the reason why you don’t talk about your family?” I asked.
Mother nodded, her expression tight.
“That’s a part of it,” she said. “Both sides said a lot of hurtful things to each other, and those wounds have yet to heal. It’s also the reason why I maintain minimal contact with my family. I haven’t completely cut off ties with them, nor they with me, but it’s a near thing.”
“I see,” I said.
Fuck. My mother had gone through a lot for my father’s sake. I had to admire her will. Not everyone could go through what my mother had. Most would have given up halfway through. Not only did she suffer a huge setback on her road to immortality, but she also walked away from her family. That took commitment.
“The reason why I’m telling you all of this, Gabriel,” Mother said. “It's because I’m worried about you. You have a lot of plans and ambitions, but I’m worried that you’ll be so occupied bringing them to fruition that you’ll miss the traps and pitfalls that lie in wait for you.”
She waved her hand out, as if gesturing to the world at large.
“If your father agrees to your plan, even just the part about our family becoming a cultivation Clan, we will face a lot of difficulties. When the other Clans and sects find out, and they will find out, they will watch us. Some out of curiosity, some out of malice, and some out of fear that we will make a mistake and earn the ire of the Inquisition. The Inquisition will watch us to make sure we don’t step out of line. And that isn’t even taking into consideration House society at large.”
Mother’s expression turned sorrowful.
“If your father doesn’t agree, then you will face all of these dangers on your own. The thought of that terrifies me.”
I took a moment before responding.
“Do you want me to stop?”
Mother shook her head.
“No,” she said. “Even if I said yes, I doubt you would stop. I remember the ambition, the drive, it takes to be a cultivator. It isn’t a path for the weak-willed.”
A wistful and melancholic look came over my mother’s expression.
“What about…Clan Leone?” I asked. “Will they be a threat to us?” I narrowed my eyes. “And what about that letter you sent to them regarding me? You and Father said that you paid a price in order to have Great Grandfather Gabe come here and restore my Circles. You still haven’t explained about that.”
Since House Leone hadn’t responded to my parents’ letter yet, nor had Great Grandfather Gabe arrived to heal me, perhaps we could avoid paying said price altogether.
Mother turned away from me before she replied.
“It was just after your duel with Lady Annabelle, back when you were in a coma,” she began. “I was so afraid that you wouldn’t wake up. Even if you did, your Circles were shattered. You would live the rest of your life as a crippled outcast in House society. I didn’t care about that, since all that mattered to me was that you live a long and happy life, but I knew you would. So, I sent a letter to Clan Leone asking for their help. Specifically, I asked Grandfather Gabe since he was the one most likely to agree.”
Guilt and shame churned in my gut at her words. It would be a long while before I atoned for my mistakes. I had put my family through a lot.
“And what was the price?” I asked.
Given what she told me so far, I had already guessed, but I wanted to hear her say it out loud.
“In exchange for Grandfather Gabe restoring your Circles and taking you as his disciple,” Mother said, still facing away from me. “Your father and I agreed to have you join Clan Leone.”
As I thought. She said that it was more common for outsiders to join cultivator society than for a cultivator to leave it. Given the paranoia and secrecy ingrained into cultivator society, I doubted that House Leone would help me and risk exposure unless I joined their Clan, even if we were kin.
“I know that you’re angry with me and your father,” Mother said. “But if it meant having you whole and healthy again, I would have paid any price. I would rather give you up than see you become a shell of yourself.”
At this, I snorted.
“I’m not angry,” I said. “I’m insulted. Did you think me so weak-willed that a temporary setback like having my Circles shattered would keep me down for long?”
Mother whipped her head around to face me, wearing a surprised expression. I gave her a reassuring smile.
“Jesting aside,” I said “I’m not angry with you and Father. You made the best decision you could under the circumstances, given what you knew at the time.”
Mother studied me for several moments, before relaxing.
“That’s unexpected,” she said. “I thought you would fly into a rage, and accuse us of selling you off, or something along those lines.”
I snorted.
“While I am a bit upset that you made such a decision about my life without consulting me,” I said. “I understand why you couldn’t tell me about it beforehand. However, I won’t say that I forgive you, since there is nothing to forgive. I know you made your decision out of love and concern.”
After hearing her story, how could I be angry with her and Father? If anything, their love and dedication warmed me. They were willing to go the extra mile for my sake. I would not be petty and repair that dedication with anger and spite.
“Unfortunately,” Mother said, with a wince. “Because of the message I sent, it’s just a matter of time until Clan Leone learns about your cultivation. Even if they reject my plea, they will hear about your restored Circles sooner or later. Unless you plan on becoming a hermit when it comes to House society?”
Mother gave me a questioning look, one eyebrow raised. I shook my head.
“While I’m not as fond of interacting with House society as I used to be,” I said. “I don’t plan on abandoning it. If nothing else, the connections I can forge will help our family.”
Mother nodded.
“In that case, it’s just a matter of time before Clan Leone learns about your restored Circles. When they do, they will send someone to investigate. And that’s assuming that Grandfather Gabe doesn’t come here of his own initiative anyway. That sounds like something the old man would do.”
Mother grinned when she said this, but then it faded away.
“At first House Leone will assume that I broke my promise and started cultivating again, or they’ll assume that I sought outside help. Either way, it’ll be difficult to convince them of the truth.” She gave me an amused look. “Even now, I find it difficult to believe that you’re a reincarnated Immortal.”
I shrugged.
“Then we’ll just have to prepare for their arrival,” I said. “Since they’ll find out anyway, why not have our entire family cultivate? Doing so will leave us stronger when we face the troubles that await us. It’s Father’s decision, but he listens to your counsel.”
Mother didn’t respond for a while. Instead, she looked out over the Gloom Mist Forest. It really was a beautiful day, though a bit cooler than I was used to. Autumn had arrived, and though the leaves hadn’t changed color yet, they would soon. The sky was clear, with the exception of a few small clouds here and there. A gentle breeze blew through, rustling the leaves.
“I’ll do it,” Mother said, breaking the silence. She wore a determined expression on her face. “I’ll convince your father to accept your plan, at least the part regarding cultivation. It’s better to face our troubles head on, rather than cower and hope they go away on their own.” The wistful and melancholic look on her face returned. “While I will be happy to see my family cultivate and grow in power, I can’t help but envy you all.”
I raised an eyebrow at her.
“Why?” I asked. “You’re going to cultivate with us.”
Mother rolled her eyes and gave me an annoyed look.
“Didn’t you hear a word I said?” she asked. “I promised Clan Leone that I wouldn’t cultivate using another Clan or sect’s cultivation technique.” She pointed a finger at me. “And this includes any cultivation techniques from this Spirit Earth of yours.”
“And those were the exact words of your promise?” I asked. “You promised that you wouldn’t cultivate with another Clan or sect’s cultivation technique? You didn’t promise to not cultivate at all?”
“Yes,” Mother said, a little impatient. “Grandfather Gabe seemingly left a loophole in the compromise, I noticed it as well at the time. However, unless you plan on creating an entire cultivation technique unique to me, there’s no way to take advantage of it.”
I blinked at her.
“That’s exactly what I planned on doing,” I said.
Mother gave me a skeptical look, though I saw a hint of hope in her eyes.
“Gabriel, don’t even joke about something like that,” she said. “Don’t…Don’t give me false hope.”
“I’m not joking,” I said, pointing to myself. “Reincarnated Immortal. With my level of knowledge, creating the perfect cultivation technique for you wouldn’t be difficult. It’ll take time, but I can do it. Hell, if I just focus on the Energy Condensation stage and finish the rest of the technique later, it will only take me a week.
Mother gaped at me, her mouth hanging open.
“It’s what I did for myself,” I said. “And it’s what I plan on doing for Lady Annabelle.”
As for the rest of my family, I planned on examining them and tweaking my current cultivation technique to better suit them. Since we were blood, it would suit them better than any other cultivation technique out there. Only a personal cultivation technique, unique to them, would be better. However, I wouldn’t always be there for my family. That was why I wanted to turn my current technique into one that could be passed down to our descendants.
I had also planned to do this with my mother, but because of her promise, I had to take a different route. Not that I was going to complain. Given everything that my mother had given up, this was the least I could do for her.
“You’re serious,” Mother said. “This isn’t a joke.”
“No, it is not, Mother,” I said.
She stared off into the distance.
“I can be a cultivator again,” she whispered.
“Yes, you can.”
Mother took a deep, shuddering breath before she looked at me.
“Would you mind giving me some time alone, Gabriel?” she asked. “I need to think about this.”
“Very well, Mother,” I said. “Would you like me to carry you down first?”
Mother looked down and started, as if just remembering that we were sitting in a tree.
“Yes, son,” she said in a wry voice. “I would much appreciate that.”
I laughed, before helping my mother down from the oak tree.