I stared at Grandfather Gabe for several long seconds. Okay wow, that was a serious problem. If a cultivator stopped making progress in their cultivation, they would stagnate. Depending on how long this lasted, this stagnation could become permanent. They would be unable to cultivate, even if they fixed the initial problem.
This was dangerous because cultivators made enemies. Since Grandfather Gabe was stuck at his current cultivation level, his enemies would only grow stronger while he remained stuck at his current level. If they found out about this, they would bide their time and strike when they grew too powerful for him to overcome.
Mother sucked in a breath when she heard this.
“Oh, Grandfather,” she whispered.
I pinched my chin.
“I might be able to help you,” I said. “Though I can’t guarantee anything.”
Grandfather Gabe shook his head.
“I’m not asking for a miracle here,” he said in a grim tone. “Frankly, I’ve already resigned myself to the inevitable. However, if there is even the slightest chance that you can help me, I have to take it.”
While he didn’t have a defeatist attitude, it was clear that he had low expectations. I didn’t want to raise his hopes and claim that I could cure him. While I dabbled in alchemy back on Spirit Earth, and knew how to refine quite a few pills, I wasn’t a healer. At the end of the day, I focused more on combat than anything else.
Still, there was a chance that I could help him.
“Would you let me examine you?” I asked. “I would have a better idea of your condition afterward.”
Grandfather Gabe hesitated before nodding. He dropped his concealment, revealing his Circles and his cultivation base. This was a big show of trust on his part. By examining him, I would know a lot about his cultivation, including whatever potential weaknesses he might have.
Of course, it helped that he could kill me with a flick of his finger. I had a feeling that he had plans in place, just in case I betrayed him.
I held out my hand, and he placed his own in it. I closed my eyes and began examining Grandfather Gabe. Like Mother, he had the blood of a cat magic beast flowing through his veins. His was stronger than hers, which meant that he had a closer relation to the cat magic beast in question.
I also noticed that Grandfather Gabe practiced a mana body refining technique, one that focused on strengthening the cat magic beast blood running through his veins. He had reached the Fifth Rank of his body cultivation technique, which was impressive.
A Golden Core cultivator that was also a Fifth Circle wizard and a Fifth Rank body cultivator? Grandfather Gabe was a badass.
His Golden Core also impressed me. Like the other large realms, the Golden Core stage was divided into nine smaller realms. In this case, the small realms in the Golden Core stage were called scales. This was because each small realm created markings on the Golden Core that resembled a dragon scale. Grandfather Gabe had reached the sixth scale.
It was also a Lustrous Golden Core. Like dantians, Golden Cores could be divided by quality. There were three kinds: Dull, Gleaming, and Lustrous, with Lustrous being the highest quality Golden Core one could have. A cultivator needed one to have a shot at reaching Immortality.
Creating a Lustrous Golden Core required a high quality dantian, building a solid foundation, forming a strong core, and collecting powerful essences. In short, a cultivator needed to have reached the highest levels in the previous stages to form a Lustrous Golden Core.
It took me a while to find it, but eventually I figured out what the problem was.
“You didn’t find anything, did you?” Grandfather Gabe asked, sounding resigned. “No need to feel bad about it. No one has been able to identify the problem.”
I hesitated on whether to answer him or not. Earlier, he said that a Nascent Soul cultivator had examined him, only to find nothing. If I told him that I found the problem, it would mean that I had succeeded where a Nascent Soul cultivator had failed. While it had been a matter of knowledge and experience, rather than the strength of my divine sense, this could still cause me unnecessary trouble.
Yet, I couldn’t stay quiet. Grandfather Gabe was family, and he had asked me for help. I would not turn my back on him.
“No,” I said. “I found the problem. However, I don’t think you’ll like the solution.”
Grandfather Gabe stared at me.
“You have?” he asked in disbelief. “Truly? This isn’t some joke to toy with an old man’s heart?”
I nodded.
“Yes, I found it. It was small, but it looked like your Golden Core sustained some damage in the past. From what I could tell, this happened about a century ago, give or take a decade.”
Grandfather Gabe gave me a slow nod.
“Yes,” he said. “An enemy injured me during a battle a century ago. He damaged my cultivation, but didn’t destroy it. I repaired my Golden Core afterward, so I didn’t think I sustained any permanent damage. Are you saying that this injury is the reason why I’m stuck?”
I shook my head.
“If it had just been the injury, then no. That would have just slowed down your cultivation a little, but not stop it altogether. However, it looked like your enemy’s weapon had been laced with a rare poison. This poison is the reason why you’re stuck. It corrupted your cultivation, making you unable to go beyond a certain point.”
Grandfather Gabe studied me for several moments.
“How were you able to identify this poison when all the other cultivators I consulted couldn’t?”
I shrugged.
“Like I said, it’s a rare poison. The only reason I know about it is because I once had a friend who suffered from it, and I helped cure his condition. The poison has many names, but I called it the Salted Earth Poison, for obvious reasons.”
This was another reason why I wanted to skin Celestial Hound’s hide. Ungrateful, backstabbing bastard.
“In that case, what is the antidote?” he asked. “I assume there is one, from what you just said.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “An antidote wouldn’t help. The poison is inert now, and damage is already done. You need a cure. However, as I said earlier, I don’t think you’ll like it.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
I paused, considering my next words.
“To deal with this particular problem, my friend and I created a pill, which we called the Healing Wildfire Pill. I can give you the formula, but I’m not sure if you’ll be able to find the ingredients here on Lumina. In that case, you’ll need to find suitable substitutes.” I held up two fingers. “Here are the two most ingredients you’ll need: something to set your cultivation aflame, and something to rejuvenate it.”
“You want me to destroy my cultivation?” Grandfather Gabe exclaimed, affronted.
This was why I didn’t think he would like the solution. I was asking him to destroy decades, maybe even centuries, of hard work. However, it was better than his current predicament.
“Not all of it,” I said. “Just all the progress you’ve made in the Golden Core stage. You’ll have to start at the first scale again, but it’s better than not progressing at all.”
I pointed at Grandfather Gabe’s dantian region, which housed his Golden Core.
“Your cultivation is corrupted. The only solution, at least as far as I know, is to burn the corruption away with the purifying effects of Fire. However, to prevent the Fire from going too far and causing permanent damage, you’ll need something with powerful rejuvenation properties. Phoenix blood is ideal here, since it has both traits, but substitutes with similar effects will work just fine. The other ingredients are there to stabilize the pill, and prevent either the Fire or the rejuvenation aspects from overpowering the other. You’ll have to change the formula to fit the ingredients you do end up using.”
Grandfather Gabe didn’t respond for a while.
“Does it need to be a pill?” he asked. “Can I use a healing technique after unraveling my cultivation, or having it burned away?”
I thought about it.
“Unraveling won’t get rid of the damage, but burning your cultivation away with a powerful Fire technique might.” I made a so-so gesture with my hand. “However, that’s a dicey prospect. I can’t guarantee that will work. Plus, you’ll need a powerful healing technique, and you’ll need to use it right as your cultivation is being burned away. You’re better off making the pill.”
Once again, Grandfather Gabe fell silent.
“Phoenix blood, you say?” he asked.
“Yes. My friend and I found it was the most effective ingredient for this sort of thing. However, since it will be difficult to get your hands on phoenix blood, you’re better off finding substitutes.”
Like on Spirit Earth, phoenixes existed here on Lumina. Also like on Spirit Earth, they were rare and powerful beings. Even Immortal Ascension cultivators treated them with caution. Celestial Hound and I bargained with a phoenix to acquire a drop of its blood.
“Very well,” Grandfather Gabe said. “Thank you. While I’m not happy about this news, it's better than anything else I’ve heard in the last fifty years.”
“No problem. Here’s the formula you’ll need.”
I told Grandfather Gabe the formula to the Healing Wildfire Pill, including the variants that didn’t use phoenix blood. He listened attentively, memorizing each of the ingredients, and all of the steps needed to utilize those ingredients. With some research, and luck, he would be able to find suitable substitutes to make the formula work. A good pill furnace was also necessary.
“Once again, thank you,” Grandfather Gabe said. “It will take me time to find the necessary ingredients, but you’ve given this old man hope. You held up your end of the bargain, now I will do the same. I will help Clan Sturm as it grows in strength.” He held up a finger. “But only when it comes to teaching and training, as well as defense. I won’t help you attack another Clan or sect, nor will I teach you any of Clan Leone’s secrets.
I nodded.
“Fine by me. That’s all we need.”
I paused, considering whether or not I should continue on. I already had everything I needed to help secure my family’s future. It felt greedy to ask for more. Eh, it couldn’t hurt to bring it up. I wanted to secure Annabelle’s future, and she needed a teacher to guide her. She would head back to Thorne Manor soon, I felt it in my gut, and letting her leave with an incomplete cultivation technique and a slap on the ass was the height of irresponsibility.
Plus, she had asked me to find a teacher for her. She even used one of the favors I owed her to do so.
“What?” Grandfather Gabe asked after noticing my silence. “You have more to say?”
“Would you consider taking on Lady Annabelle as a disciple?” I asked.
He seemed taken aback by this.
“You are either more infatuated than I assumed,” he said in a dry tone. “Or you must really love this woman if you’re asking me to take someone not of my blood as my disciple.” He snorted. “Given your level of knowledge, why don’t you teach her?”
I shook my head.
“I can’t,” I said. “It would be inappropriate for a Master and his disciple to be in a romantic relationship together.”
Grandfather Gabe barked out a laugh at that.
“Well now,” he said. “I didn’t expect you to be so conservative, Gabriel. While it is still frowned upon, Masters and their disciples being together isn’t as taboo here as it is back on Spirit Earth. Our numbers are too small to worry too much about something like that.”
Ew. I made a disgusted expression.
“Besides, I can’t always be there for Annabelle,” I said, sidestepping that particular minefield. “There are many obstacles that stand in our way. Our time together here is temporary. Sooner or later, her family will come for her. She has already started cultivating. Abandoning her now will only lead to problems in the future. However, given your strength and your ability to sneak around, I believe you’ll be able to teach her without issue. And I’m not asking you to do it for free. If you agree, I’ll teach you the Dimensional Edge and the Dimensional Slash techniques. You won’t be able to use the latter until you reach the Nascent Soul stage, but at least you’ll know it.”
Grandfather Gabe pinched his chin.
“I’ll admit, I’m intrigued,” he said. “Lady Annabelle is an Otherworlder, and that puts her a step above most, in both wizardry and cultivation.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
“If it helps,” I interjected. “She only started cultivating a week and a half ago, and she’s already halfway to forming her dantian.”
At the rate she was going, she would form her dantian even sooner than that.
When he heard this, Grandfather Gabe let out a sound halfway between a sigh and a chuckle.
“If you’re telling the truth, and I have no reason to doubt you on that, then Lady Annabelle is a genius among geniuses. Even other Otherworlders can hardly compare to her.”
It took a lot of effort to maintain a straight face, considering that I formed my dantian in two weeks.
“Fine,” Grandfather Gabe said, waving his hand. “Since it seems like she’ll be family anyway, one way or another, I’ll consider taking her on as my disciple. However, she’ll have to pass my tests. I won’t lower my standards, even for future family. That said, I will take her origin into account. I know that Otherworlders often have little to no knowledge about cultivation.”
I let out a relieved sigh. Thank the ancestors. With someone like Grandfather Gabe as her Master, I wouldn’t have to worry about Annabelle’s future when it came to cultivation.
“Just make sure you don’t end up regretting this decision,” Grandfather Gabe said.
“Why would I regret it?” I asked.
From the room she shared with Father, Mother let out a giggle.
“Because of this,” Grandfather Gabe said, removing his hood and revealing his face.
I stared at him for a long, long while.
“Fuck,” I said.
***
I sat at the edge of the yard to Sturm Hill Hall, watching as Annabelle and Grandfather Gabe sparred. A jar of water and a pile of towels sat next to me. Since Annabelle was still a regular mortal, my great grandfather held back a lot to avoid accidentally killing her with a misplaced attack.
Still, Annabelle held her own pretty well. Not bad for someone who had only practiced martial arts for a short time, relatively speaking.
It was a somewhat cool and cloudy day. While it wasn’t that cold, it was clear that summer was over and autumn was in full swing. A brisk breeze blew through the yard on occasion.
My disciples were with me. Lorelei and Corie were providing commentary, to my annoyance.
“You know, you look good as a redhead, Master,” Corie said with a snicker.
“Shut it,” I said.
“While I don’t want to antagonize you, Master,” Lorelei said. “Corie does have a point. You look handsome with red hair.”
“It looks like you get your looks from Lady Sturm’s side of the family,” Leroy said.
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“Please, just stop talking,” I said. “I’m already in a foul mood. You’re making it worse.”
Someone put their hand on my shoulder. I looked up. It was Lorelei.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I can understand why you would have misgivings about the situation.”
It was two days after my conversation with Grandfather Gabe in the library. During those two days, he had tested Annabelle to determine if she was worthy enough to be his disciple. He started with the test of character; without letting her know about it of course.
To my complete lack of surprise, she passed. While I wasn’t sure what Grandfather Gabe considered good character, I knew Annabelle wouldn’t fail. If I could pass, so could she. She was a much better person than I was.
After that, Grandfather Gabe tested Annabelle’s cultivation knowledge. As was expected, she had little knowledge of actual cultivation. All she knew about it came from the stories she read back on Earth. However, since she grasped the cultivation technique I created for her with ease, that was enough for her to pass Grandfather Gabe’s test.
Comprehension was just as important as knowledge. So while Annabelle was ignorant, she was a fast learner. It helped that her cultivation speed made her an unparalleled genius.
After that, Grandfather Gabe told her that he was considering taking her on as a disciple. When she learned that I had arranged this for her sake, she pulled me into a deep kiss that left me a little dazed afterward.
All that remained was to test Annabelle’s combat prowess. Since her skill with magic was already well known, Grandfather Gabe focused on her martial skills. That was when he revealed his face to everyone, including Annabelle, which was the cause for my current foul mood.
Grandfather Gabe looked exactly like me. Rather, it was more accurate to say that I looked exactly like him. We shared the same beautiful and delicate facial features, down to the tiniest details. It was rather uncanny. The only difference was that he shared Mother’s fiery red hair, and he was a little shorter than me. Other than that, we could have been twins.
I regretted my decision to ask Grandfather Gabe to be Annabelle’s Master. My jealousy reared its ugly head. This time, instead of being jealous of Annabelle, I was now jealous of Grandfather Gabe. However, for Annabelle’s sake, I put it aside. I wouldn’t make things more difficult for her over something petty like this.
Grandfather Gabe and Annabelle weren’t the only ones busy during these past two days. Father and Kaylee continued to work with House Icefall; both to mine the mythril and to help House Icefall take control of the Icefall Region. Prince Eugene left yesterday, promising to write letters of recommendation to the Solarian Imperial Academy for both Lady Calla and Kaylee. Apparently my sister had also made an impression on him. She had been very happy about that.
Father, Kaylee, and House Icefall also made plans to deal with the House that hired the Black Wolf Gang. To save his own skin, the leader of the now extinct Black Wolf Gang sang like a canary. House Ashworth had hired him. They were located in the Verdant Plains Regions, which was just south of the Icefall Region. One of the House Icefall people who found the mythril deposit mentioned it to the wrong person, who ended up being an agent for House Ashworth.
They had already been eyeing the Icefall Region, and the information about the mythril deposit was what prompted them to take action. Since House Ashworth hadn’t wanted anyone else to find out the mythril deposit, at least until they could do what House Icefall did and give it to a more powerful House in exchange for a cut of the mythril, they used the Black Wolf Gang as proxies.
The Great Horned Wolf knew all of this because the current head of House Ashworth, Lord Kenton Ashworth, was his half-brother. They shared the same mother, who was also a Great Horned Wolf. This meant that House Ashworth had magic beast blood running through their veins. If this became public knowledge, it would ruin their reputation, thanks to the prejudice against magic beasts in the Solarian Empire.
The cold smile that Father wore when he told me all of this sent chills down my spine. I almost felt bad for House Ashworth. However, I remembered what the Black Wolf Gang had done, and any pity I felt died away.
Mother divided her time between working with Captain Jeffers to deal with the House Sturm retainers, cluing them in to the situation, and cultivating. After I gave her the manual for the Energy Condensation stage of her personal cultivation technique, she locked herself up in the meditation chamber and started cultivating right away. I had never seen her so determined and driven before, but it made me happy. It was as if she had regained something precious to her that she had lost long ago.
I spent my time focusing on either my own cultivation and training, or working with my disciples. However, I always kept an eye on Annabelle and Grandfather Gabe, just to make sure he didn’t try anything funny. Not because I was jealous or anything. That would be ridiculous.
“You know,” Corie said. “You could make your jealousy a little less obvious. No woman likes a clingy man.”
I gave her a dirty look.
“Should I be as subtle as you are when it comes to your feelings?” I ask in a sardonic tone.
Corie’s face turned red and she faced away from me.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Lorelei and I shared a look. Leroy imitated a brick wall with his expression, though I detected the faintest hint of crimson on his cheeks.
Oh? Was Corie’s interest returned? It seemed like it was. Good for her. Nothing sucked more than an unrequited love. Well, a lot of things did, now that I thought about it, but it still sucked a lot.
Our conversation was interrupted when Kaylee joined us and sat down to watch the test with us, though it looked like it was almost over. Annabelle had a lot of stamina, for a regular mortal, but it looked like she was flagging. Her skill had already been established by this point. Now it looked like Grandfather Gabe was testing her endurance.
“Why am I not surprised that you’re out here?” Kaylee asked in a snide tone. “Ogling Lady Annabelle?”
I looked at her with an eyebrow raised. Where had that come from? I thought the two of us were good now, or at least better than we had been before. What changed?
“In my defense,” I said in a joking tone. “Lady Annabelle does have nice legs.”
And she did. With all the time she spent practicing martial arts, focusing on her kicks, her legs looked amazing. They reminded me of a certain video game character, one famous for her thighs. Annabelle’s looked thick enough that she could probably crush a man’s skull with them. Once she became a cultivator, she would definitely be able to.
Lorelei giggled at my words, while Corie just shook her head. Leroy continued to imitate a brick wall.
“Ugh,” Kaylee said, giving me a disgusted look. “I didn’t know you were so lecherous, Gabriel.”
I poked her in the shoulder.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Why are you in such a sour mood?”
“Nothing’s wro-…” Kaylee stopped herself halfway through her denial and let out a sigh. “I’m just…getting used to all of this ‘cultivation’ business.”
Ah, so that was what was bugging her. I gestured for my disciples to give us some space. They moved to the other side of the yard, so they could still watch the sparring match while giving us privacy.
“Tell me about it,” I said. “Maybe I can help you work through it.”
Kaylee shook her head.
“I don’t know if you can, Gabriel.” She gestured with her hands, as if trying to articulate her thoughts. “It’s just so unbelievable. A secret society hidden in plain sight, a strange kind of magic that few people practice or had even heard of, travelers from another world. There’s just so much to wrap my head around. I find it all too difficult to believe. If Mother hadn’t insisted on it, and if Father hadn’t backed her up, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
I found it funny that she found all this stuff difficult to believe in, considering all the magical things that existed here on Lumina. Then again, that was from the perspective of someone from Earth, where magic didn’t exist. Here on Lumina, magic and everything that came with it was normal.
Cultivation, which was a different beast altogether, must feel both strange and familiar to her.
“Otherworlders have been a known phenomenon since before the Solarian Empire existed,” I pointed out.
“Yes, but those Otherworlders came from a place with no magic,” Kaylee said. “Earth, as they call it. These other Otherworlders come from a place with its own kind of magic, and they brought their magic with them.”
Cultivation wasn’t quite magic, but I didn’t think Kaylee would appreciate it if I pointed that out.
“For the sake of simplicity, just call them cultivators.”
“My point…” Kaylee said, rolling her eyes at me. “…is that there is an entire secret society of these cultivators here on Lumina, and almost no one knows about them. A few select Houses do, and so does the Church of the Sun, but society as a whole is ignorant of them. Not only that, but they practice a strange form of magic that can do things that are impossible for wizards. It’s unsettling, if I’m being honest.”
I studied my sister.
“Is that going to stop you from cultivating?” I asked.
“Of course not,” Kaylee scoffed. “If the benefits are as great as Mother says they are, I would be a fool not to.” She nodded at Annabelle and Grandfather Gabe. “However, I don’t think I’ll ever be as involved with cultivation as you and Lady Annabelle seem to be.”
“Are you afraid of losing Lady Annabelle?” I asked.
Kaylee took a moment before replying.
“That’s a part of it, I suppose,” she said. “I know it’s natural for friends, and even family, to drift apart as they grow older. However, I didn’t think it would happen so soon between me and her.” She gestured to me. “I was fine with losing her to you, especially if it meant that you two would get married in the future. Losing her to cultivation is something I hadn’t expected, or wanted.”
We watched as Grandfather Gabe kicked Annabelle, sending her flying back. I could tell that Annabelle would be fine, though that didn’t stop me from tensing up. I resisted the urge to rush over to see if she was all right.
This was her test. I wouldn’t interfere.
Kaylee wasn’t as sanguine about it as I was.
“Lady Annabelle!” she yelled, ready to jump to her feet.
I put a hand on her shoulder to prevent her from doing so.
“She’s fine,” I said. “A little banged up, but fine.”
“But-…” Kaylee started to say, but I interrupted her.
“Look.”
We looked as Annabelle pushed herself to her feet. She wore a savage smile on her face. Her eyes burned with determination.
“I know more than most just how stubborn and driven Lady Annabelle can be,” I said. “Don’t underestimate her.”
Despite being exhausted and injured, Annabelle’s spirit remained unbowed and unbroken. Good. She would need that when it came to cultivation
Kaylee took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.
“I don’t know how you can stand this,” she said. “I’m surprised you’re as calm as you are, considering your feelings for Lady Annabelle.”
“I’m not calm,” I said. “I’m just as worried for Annabelle as you are. However, I know that interfering with her test will only hurt her in the long run.” I nodded to Grandfather Gabe. “Besides, Grandfather knows what he’s doing.”
Kaylee made a face.
“That’s another thing I have difficulty accepting,” she said. “That man is our great grandfather, yet he looks the same age as you. Not only that, but you two look like you could be twins.”
“That’s one of the benefits of cultivation,” I said. “Wizards live long lives, but cultivators can live even longer. He’s at the Golden Core stage, which is the equivalent of the Fifth Circle. On average, Golden Core cultivators live to be about seven hundred and fifty years old.”
Add in some pills that could extend one’s lifespan, and a Golden Core cultivator could easily live to be about one thousand years old. However, that was a maximum they could reach. It was impossible to live longer than that for anyone below the Nascent Soul stage. Nothing could change that; no pill or elixir or technique. The only way to live longer than one thousand years was to become a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Kaylee sucked in a breath at my words.
“That’s…” She let out a chuckle. “I was about to say ‘impossible’, but it isn’t impossible, is it?”
I shook my head.
“No,” I said. “It is not.”
“How are you so accepting of this?” my sister asked.
I sighed.
“Remember how I told you about my past life as Brandon Norwood?” I asked.
Kaylee nodded.
“I remember my life before that as well.” I nodded towards Annabelle and Grandfather Gabe. “In that life, I was a cultivator on Spirit Earth. Everything that you find strange, I find normal. I’ve lived through it all before.”
Even the secret society part. While mortals knew about cultivators back on Spirit Earth, they regarded them as strange and mysterious beings. Plus, cultivators didn’t interact with mortals all that much. It was as if they existed in two different worlds.
“Oh,” Kaylee said, before looking down at the ground. “So you’ve known about cultivation since the duel with Lady Annabelle?”
“Yes. That’s one of the reasons why I came up here, so I could cultivate in secret.”
She didn’t say anything for a little while.
“Is that why you stepped down as heir?” she asked. “So you could focus on cultivation instead of House affairs?”
Oh, Kaylee.
I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her into an embrace. She didn’t resist.
“I stepped down as heir because I knew you could handle it,” I said. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have. You know this. I’ve said this before.” I pulled her in closer. “Yes, I wanted to focus on cultivation. It’s what I’m good at. It’s my calling. However, I also believe that you’re a better fit as heir than I ever was. I mean, look at what you’ve accomplished in the past few days. You befriended Lady Calla, helped negotiate with House Icefall, and made an impression on Prince Eugene.”
“Thank you, Gabriel,” Kaylee said in a warm tone. “That means a lot to me. Truly.”
“That’s why I said it,” I said, letting go of Kaylee.
Annabelle was on her last legs. At this point, she was running on fumes. She had lasted longer than I expected her to. Stubborn woman. Despite thinking this, I smiled.
“What I’m most concerned about,” Kaylee said. “Is how the House and Clan aspects of our family will interact. We are House Sturm. However, we will also be Clan Sturm. Would I be Matriarch of both, or just House Sturm? If the latter, will you be Patriarch of Clan Sturm?”
I frowned at this.
“I’m not sure,” I said. “I’m concerned about this as well. I haven’t had a chance to ask Mother or Grandfather Gabe about it.” I pinched my chin. “Think of it as a division of labor. You and Father will focus on the House aspect, while Mother and I will focus on the Clan aspect. I’m not sure who will be head of the family overall. Regardless, we are one family. Never forget that.”
“I won’t, Gabriel,” Kaylee said. “Even if you can be the most irritating older brother in existence.”
I snorted at that. Before I could respond, however. Annabelle collapsed. From the looks of it, she wouldn’t bet back up any time soon.
“Now it’s over,” I said, grabbing the jug of water and a towel. “Come on. Let’s go.”