“Nervous?” I asked Lady Calla.
The heir to House Icefall didn’t respond, but the stiff way she held herself gave her away. Of course, she was nervous. Who wouldn’t be in her shoes? She was about to leave home for the first time in her life, and it would be months before she saw her family again.
It was a week after I left seclusion, and it was a beautiful day outside. The sky was clear, without a single cloud in sight, and the sun bathed the land with its light. Despite this, it felt a bit cool out. Others would find it uncomfortable, but I found it invigorating. The air smelled clean and refreshing.
Lady Calla and I stood at the bottom of the hill occupied by the watchtower that overlooked the mythril mine. This place looked a lot different compared to the last time I had been here, when we fought the Black Wolf Gang.
Not too far away, the mythril mining operation was in full swing. A large stone building housed the furnaces and foundries that processed the mythril ore, refining it into bars. Unlike mundane metals, mythril could only be melted by magical Fire, which required specialized spells and the training to use those spells.
The offices for the mine’s overseers and administrators occupied another stone building. There were several wood buildings that served as homes for the miners and their families.
All in all, the place looked like a neat little community. They even had a few basic shops for necessities, as well as a tavern. An idle part of me wondered what they would name this place, if at all.
It had been several months since I last saw Lady Calla. She had grown up a bit during that time period. Just before I went into seclusion, I think Lorelei mentioned that Lady Calla was now sixteen. It showed. She was now taller, and she wasn’t as thin anymore. Her figure had also filled out a bit, and her sharp features had softened up a touch.
Lady Calla was also a bit more powerful than when I last saw her. Back then, she had been at the third thread of the First Circle. Now she was at the fourth thread.
Her attitude towards me hadn’t improved at all, from what I saw. She still didn’t like me. Still, considering that our Houses were allies now, I hadn’t expected to receive the silent treatment from her. Maybe it was her nerves.
Lady Calla and I stood not too far away from the rest of our group, which consisted of Mother, my disciples, and Mother’s bodyguard, Caitlyn Walters. Since I had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, it was time for me to return to Sturm Manor. I had a lot of business that I needed to take care of, and I now had the power to do so.
Mother, who wanted to see the rest of our family, decided to come along as well. It went without saying that since I was heading to Sturm Manor, so were my disciples. Not that I had to twist their arms. Leroy was my bodyguard, so he had to come anyway. As for Lorelei and Corie, this was their opportunity to leave home and explore the world. Of course they would take it.
True to his word, Father managed to secure Lady Calla’s entrance into the Solarian Imperial Academy. Since the spring semester was just around the corner, when we informed House Icefall about our plans to head back to Sturm Manor, they asked if we could bring Lady Calla with us. We accepted.
Grandfather Gabe and our Clan’s outer disciples would stay at Sturm Hill to keep an eye on the place. The latter would also focus on their training. Captain Jeffers and the other House Sturm retainers would also stay behind and continue to aid House Icefall as it took over the Icefall Region.
Thankfully, earlier this week, Grandfather Gabe had given me an alchemical concoction that hid my eyes’ true nature, otherwise Lady Calla would’ve been freaking out by now.
The reason why we were at the mythril mine, instead of Icefall City, was because we would travel to Sunheart via airship since it was faster that way. Since we couldn’t divert the House Icefall airship to pick us up at Icefall City, we decided to come to the mythril mine instead and board the airship before it headed south to deliver its cargo.
Well, we could have diverted the House Icefall airship, but not the House Solaria one. Given that we wanted the Sun Guard’s protection during the journey, since we would be traveling with a cargo hold full of mythril, we wanted to stick by them as much as possible.
At least the journey to the mythril mine was easier this time around. After establishing the mine, House Icefall had built a road leading to it from Icefall City, since there wasn’t any need to keep it hidden anymore. Instead of hoofing it over rough terrain, we got to travel by carriage.
When we left Icefall City yesterday, the Sinclairs and House Icefall said goodbye to their departing children. Everyone shed plenty of tears, including Guildmaster Sinclair, to my surprise. She always seemed like such a tough woman, it never occurred to me that she could cry.
Before we left, Guildmaster Sinclair gave me a look that I had no trouble interpreting.
“Keep my daughter safe,” Guildmaster Sinclair’s eyes said.
After that, we headed to the mythril mine and stayed at the watchtower for the night. Now we were just waiting for the House Icefall workers to finish loading this month’s supply of mythril onto the airship, before boarding it ourselves. Workers employed by House Solaria did the same with their airship.
The five members of the Sun Guard protecting the mythril mine were in sight. More of the Sun Guard protected the airship and its precious cargo.
“It’s all right if you are nervous,” I continued, since I didn’t mind Lady Calla’s silent treatment. “I was nervous myself, when I first started attending the Solarian Imperial Academy.”
This got a reaction out of Lady Calla.
“Really?” she asked in an incredulous tone.
The idea of me being nervous must have been enough to break through her silent treatment.
“Yes, really,” I said with a chuckle. “It was my first time living away from home and being on my own. Of course, Sturm Manor wasn’t that far away, but still.”
Students at the Solarian Imperial Academy were required to live in dorms on campus, regardless of status. Not even the scions of House Solaria were exempt from this. Students could visit home during the weekend, though this didn’t mean much to those who lived far from Sunheart.
“Bu-…But you’re the heir to House Sturm,” Lady Calla sputtered, before frowning. “At least, you were. Why would someone like you be nervous?”
“Many reasons,” I said with a shrug. “The biggest one was that I carried the responsibility of being heir to my House.” I gave her a sideways glance. “Something you yourself are familiar with, no doubt.”
Lady Calla hesitated, before nodding.
“Because of my magical aptitude,” I continued. “There was a lot of pressure on me to succeed. The fate of my House depended on it. Everyone expected a lot out of me, my parents in particular, and I didn’t want to let them down. Not only did I have to worry about my academic and magical achievements, but I also had to worry about making the right connections.”
In addition to their education, the biggest benefit House scions received when they attended the Solarian Imperial Academy was the connections they could make. It was an opportunity to meet with peers of similar status, as well as the best and the brightest that the empire had to offer. House scions were encouraged to make the connections that benefited their House the most.
In short, the Solarian Imperial Academy was like a prelude to House society as a whole.
The connection and friendships made during this time could last a lifetime. When House scions returned home to work for their House, and eventually rule it, the people they met during their years in the academy could determine the fortunes of their House.
Of course, not every friendship formed with this sort of mercenary attitude in mind. Some people became friends simply because they liked each other, or because they had similar interests. Annabelle’s friendships with Lady Teresa and Lord Oliver were a prime example of this.
Looking back on it now, I had done a piss poor job when it came to making social connections. Sure, I had made some friends among my peers. However, most of them were sycophants and suck-ups who wanted to ride my coattails, but were otherwise useless. I winced as I realized that the only reason why I befriended them was because they were yes-men who fed my ego.
If I had taken the time to get to know my then fiancée, Elizabeth Corwin, then it wouldn’t have been so bad. Unfortunately, I was too busy being an arrogant little shit, so I kept my distance from her. I didn’t ignore her outright, but neither did I make an effort to seek her out. And she did the same with me.
We spent time together when mandatory, but otherwise led separate lives.
No wonder Elizabeth broke off the engagement after Annabelle shattered my Circles. We had shared little affection with each other, nor had either of us made the effort to try.
Of course, that worked out for me in the end. Elizabeth saved me the trouble of breaking off our engagement myself, since I intended to marry Annabelle and no one else. It would have pissed off her House, and I would have been forced to pay compensation for breaking the betrothal agreement, but it would have been worth it.
At the mention of making social connections, Lady Calla blanched.
“I…I don’t know if I can do this, Lord Gabriel,” she said, starting to hyperventilate. “I’ve never left the Icefall Region before. Until you arrived, I never even met someone from another House. What if they make fun of me? What if I can’t make any friends or any connections that will benefit my House?”
Fear and panic filled Lady Calla’s eyes, and she started to hyperventilate.
Oh fuck, it looked like she was about to have a full blown panic attack. Off to the side, Mother glanced at us and raised an eyebrow at me. Right. Lady Calla was our ward now, which meant we were responsible for her well-being. I had better fix this.
“Lady Calla, what’s that?” I said, pointing to the watchtower.
“I…What?” she asked, giving me a befuddled look.
“What’s that?”
“That’s…the watchtower my father built,” she said, still looking confused.
“And that?”
“That’s the House Solaria airship.”
“And this?” I asked, tapping my hip.
“That’s your sword.” Lady Calla shook her head. “Lord Gabriel, what are you doing?”
I nodded to her.
“Helping you ground yourself,” I said. “Is it working?”
“I…” Lady Calla blinked in surprise. “Yes, it is.”
“Good. Just continue to follow my instructions.”
I led Lady Calla through the rest of the 3 3 3 method. It was something I read about on the Internet, back when I was Brandon Norwood. It was a way to help deal with anxiety/panic attacks. Identify three things one sees, identify three sounds, move three different body parts.
By the time we finished, Lady Calla looked much calmer.
“To get back to our conversation, Lady Calla,” I said. “You don’t have to worry about that. Kaylee will be there with you. Since it’ll be her first year there as well, the two of you can look after each other.”
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Lady Calla looked relieved by this. Plunging into the unknown was more bearable with a friend at one’s side.
“Not only that,” I continued. “But the two of you will be roommates.”
Father pulled a few strings to make this happen. Not that it was difficult. All students at the academy were required to bunk with a roommate, except for those with the wealth or status to get their own room. It was the academy’s way of encouraging students to help build friendships and connections. It wasn’t difficult to ensure that Kaylee and Lady Calla became roommates.
My roommate, Hadley Ward of House Ward, was a decent guy. While we weren’t the best of friends, we had an amicable relationship. He was also one of the few people who tried to rein me in when I started to dive off the deep end last year. Unfortunately, I was too blinded by jealousy and hate to listen, and I lashed out at him for it. After that, he kept his distance from me.
I needed to apologize to him for that. He deserved better.
“If you want,” I said. “I could also ask Lady Annabelle to look after you. As a second year student, as well as a scion of House Thorne, she can make sure that no one troubles you.”
Lady Calla’s eyes widened at that, and her mouth hung open.
“I…Thank you, Lord Gabriel,” she said after a little while. “I know I should refuse your offer, but I can’t. My House is small and weak, and we need all the help we can get.”
I snorted.
“Don’t say that,” I said. “Our Houses are allies now. It’s only natural that we should help each other.” I shrugged. “Besides, you’re Kaylee’s friend. That alone is reason enough for me to help you.”
Plus, the more indebted to us House Icefall felt, the more influence we would have over them. That wasn’t the main reason why I offered to help Lady Calla, but it was a reason.
“Again, thank you, Lord Gabriel,” Lady Calla said. “And…I’m sorry for the way I treated you before. You’re not as bad as I thought you were.”
“Eh,” I said. “Think nothing of it. We had a rough start when we first met. Let’s consider this the turning point of our relationship and move on from here.”
Lady Calla nodded.
“Gabriel,” Mother called out.
I turned to her. She gestured towards the airship. It looked like the workers had finished loading the mythril. It was time to board.
I held out my arm to Lady Calla.
“Shall we?” I asked.
Lady Calla nodded and took my arm. Together, we boarded the airship.
----------------------------------------
Later on that night, I stood atop the deck to House Icefall’s airship and leaned against the railing. The wind whipped by as the airship flew through the air. It was biting cold, due to the late hour and our altitude. Not that the cold bothered me, thanks to my cultivation and elemental affinities. In fact, I found it rather refreshing.
The waning moon hung high in the sky, its crescent shape reminded me of a goddess’ crooked smile. Perhaps it was. Whether that smile was benign or malicious remained to be seen. Luna was often a capricious and fickle goddess, and the moon was her domain.
Below me, the landscape passed by at a speed that many Luminans would find dizzying. Most of them spent their entire lives on the ground, never knowing the joys of flying through the air. Since I had my memories from Earth, with its various modes of transportation, this sort of thing wasn’t new to me. Besides, I was much faster than this when I flew around on a flying sword.
Still, for a flying lump of wood the size of a whale, the airship made good speed. One of the benefits of traveling via airship was that as long as the airship had a large enough crew, it didn’t need to stop for the night. Of course there were hazards to keep an eye out for, such as strong winds and other inclement weather. But otherwise, the airship could keep traveling indefinitely. At this rate, it would only take us a week to reach Sunheart.
I snorted at that. Considering how long it took me to reach the Icefall Region from Sturm Manor by carriage, I’d say that this was a marked improvement; at least when it came to speed. This airship was designed to carry cargo, not passengers, so its cabins were far less comfortable than the rooms I stayed in on my journey north. I thought the trade-off was worth it, but others might not think the same.
The House Solaria airship flew a few miles ahead of the House Icefall one. While we were traveling under the Sun Guard’s protection, that didn’t mean they wanted us riding their asses. Still, we were close enough that if something happened, they would be able to respond.
A sound caught my attention, interrupting my musings. I turned to find Lorelei stepping onto the deck. She looked pale, and I resisted the urge to smile. Earlier, when we first boarded the airship, Lorelei and Corie had been full of excitement at the idea of traveling via airship. However, that excitement faded away as soon as we actually started flying.
It turned out that Lorelei suffered from motion sickness. Whether it was for all kinds of vehicles, or just airships, remained to be seen. Regardless, Lorelei spent the first few minutes of our journey in abject misery as she emptied out the contents of her stomach over the side railing. Corie tried to soothe her by rubbing her back and murmuring kind words, to no avail.
Thankfully for my disciple, I had anticipated that something like this might happen so I made preparations. Given Lorelei’s deep connection to the earth, I thought it was possible that flying on an airship wouldn’t suit her. With that in mind, I created several vials of medicine to help Lorelei deal with dizziness and nausea.
While the medicine mitigated the effects of Lorelei’s motion sickness, it didn’t eliminate them altogether. Still, it was a vast improvement. Corie took Lorelei to the passenger cabins below deck, so that her best friend could rest. Everyone else went about their own business, while I remained by the railing and watched as we flew over the landscape.
“How are you feeling, Celestial Fist?” I asked her as she joined me beside the railing.
The only ones atop the deck besides us were the night crew, but they were far enough away that we could have something resembling a private conversation.
“Better than earlier,” she said. “Thank you for asking, Master.” She grimaced. “I hadn’t realized that I would react like that. I’m sorry that you had to see me in that state.”
I shook my head.
“Not everyone takes to flying right away,” I said. “That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
If Lorelei hadn’t been a cultivator, her motion sickness would have been much worse than this. While reaching the Energy Condensation stage mitigated the effects of some mortal ailments, it wasn’t until one reached the Foundation Establishment stage that the minor ones stopped being an issue. And when one reached the Golden Core stage, things like eating and sleeping stopped being a problem altogether.
Lorelei and my other disciples had improved a lot during my seclusion. While they hadn’t reached a new realm in their spiritual cultivation, they went up a small realm in their body cultivation. Not only that, but Lorelei and Corie each formed one new thread as well, putting them at the seventh thread of the First Circle. It wouldn’t be too long until they reached the Second Circle.
Still, my disciples were still more mortal than not. Weaknesses such as motion sickness were to be expected.
“Anyway,” I said. “What are you doing out here? I thought you would spend the rest of the night resting in your cabin.”
Lorelei didn’t respond right away. Instead, she leaned against the railing and looked down. Her face paled, but she otherwise didn’t react.
“This was supposed to be the beginning of our first journey away from home,” she said. “However, I spent most of the first day huddled inside my cabin, trying not to be sick. Corie decided to comfort me instead of taking in the sights, even though I know she really wanted to. Since I didn’t want to hold her back, I thought that if I pushed myself and got used to flying, we’d be able to enjoy ourselves together.” She gave me a wan smile. “I think it’s working.”
Just as she finished speaking, Lorelei covered her mouth and heaved.
“Or maybe not,” I said. “You don’t have to do this to yourself. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to enjoy flying later on.”
Lorelei shook her head, then winced as that just made her motion sickness worse.
“Yes, I do,” she said. “If I don’t, Corie will spend her time trying to make me feel better instead of enjoying herself. I won’t ruin this for her.”
I walked closer to Lorelei and started rubbing her back. Unfortunately, I didn’t know of any techniques to deal with this sort of thing, and my medicines could only alleviate Lorelei’s troubles, not eliminate them. I wasn’t a healing sage.
Instead, I tried the next best thing; distracting her.
“I know I’ve said this before,” I said. “But you really care for Celestial Arrow, don’t you?”
Lorelei gave me a faint nod.
“Of course I do,” she said. “She’s like a sister to me. I’d do anything for her.”
“Yet, if she saw you pushing yourself like this for her sake, she would be upset.”
I checked on Corie earlier with my divine sense. She was sleeping in Lorelei’s cabin, curled up in the bed. She looked rather adorable. If I had a recording crystal, I would’ve recorded the image and used it to tease her later on.
“After everything she put me through,” Lorelei said with a snort. “She’s the last person who has the right to get upset with me for something like this.”
She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the railing.
“You’re still upset about her choice of body cultivation technique?” I asked.
Lorelei opened her eyes and glared at me. She heaved almost right away, which diminished the effect.
“Of course I am!” she hissed. “Corie poisons herself and spends almost every night in agony because of the body cultivation technique you gave her. If you hadn’t encouraged her to harm herself in order to get stronger, none of this would’ve happened.”
I crossed my arms and returned Lorelei’s glare with a firm look of my own. I felt bad for having this conversation while she suffered from motion sickness, but we needed to work this out anyway. Small resentments like this could fester if left unchecked.
“I didn’t encourage Celestial Arrow to practice the Body of Poison technique,” I said. “In fact, I encouraged the opposite. The Body of Poison technique is dangerous, and many of its practitioners end up killing themselves.”
Lorelei’s eyes flared with anger, and she opened her mouth to speak, but I held up a hand to forestall her arguments.
“However, Celestial Arrow’s physique is uniquely suited to the Body of Poison technique,” I said, speaking in a gentle voice. “She has a better chance of survival than most.” I sighed. “In the end, the choice was hers. Instead of fighting her on this, I decided to respect her choice and do everything in my power to support her.” I gestured to Lorelei. “Just as you are pushing yourself past your motion sickness for her sake, Celestial Arrow is pushing herself to protect you and her other loved ones.”
Lorelei looked away from me.
“I hate this,” she whispered. “Why do we have to do these things in order to protect the ones we care about?”
I leaned back against the railing and looked up at the night sky. The stars above twinkled like fiery diamonds.
“In an ideal world,” I said. “We wouldn’t have to. In an ideal world, things like pain and suffering wouldn’t exist. In an ideal world, every day would be filled with happiness and light. However, we don’t live in an ideal world. We live in a world where shadow exists alongside light. We live in a world where bad things sometimes happen to good people, and the wicked sometimes escape justice.”
Lorelei slumped as I said that.
“Then what’s the point?” she asked. “If the world is such a terrible place, then what’s the point of even trying?”
“Simple,” I said. “As bad as the world can get, there is still good in it. It doesn’t have to be anything big and grandiose. It can be something as small as a freshly baked pie or viewing the stars on a warm spring night.” I glanced at Lorelei. “Or a friend who is more like family to you, even though you don’t share blood. It’s things like this that add beauty and texture to our lives. And if we want to protect them, we need to be strong.”
It was a bit disingenuous of me to say all this, since the goal of cultivation was to challenge the heavens and become immortal, but that didn’t mean I was wrong. There was more to cultivation than the pursuit of strength, or there could be. In the end, it was all up to the individual cultivator.
Even when I was Immortal Celestial Thunder, I used my power to protect those dear to me. I didn’t always succeed, and sometimes my loved ones betrayed me, but not for lack of trying on my part.
“I know you’re upset with Corie for her choice,” I continued when Lorelei didn’t respond. “And I know you’re angry with me for giving her that choice in the first place, but I hope you can understand and forgive why we did what we did.”
Lorelei let out a sigh.
“I do understand,” she said. “And I forgave the both of you a long time ago. I just hate that it was necessary.” She looked at me. “Does it ever get better?”
“Yes,” I said. “And I’m not just saying that to make you feel better. I speak from personal experience here. You might have to fight tooth and nail to get to that point, but it does get better.”
Lorelei smiled at that. Together, the two of us looked up at the stars.
“Thank you, Master,” Lorelei said a little while later. “Talking with you helped resolve something that I’ve been struggling with for a while now.” She grinned at me. “I can see why Corie likes these late night talks with you.”
I thought back on it and realized that I’d only had these moments with Corie, and not my other two disciples. Hell, it started back before I even accepted any of them as my disciples.
“I apologize,” I said. “I didn’t mean to show any favoritism.”
Lorelei shook her head.
“It’s all right if Corie is your favorite,” she said. “You’ve already done plenty for me by becoming my Master, and I know that Celestial Sword feels the same.”
Was Corie my favorite? I mean, kinda. Despite Corie’s poor attitude towards me in the beginning, I liked her. She reminded me a little of myself and my foster daughter back on Spirit Earth, Flameclaw. Maybe that was why the two of us tended to have these late night talks. Plus, she had an interest in alchemy. That gave her a big advantage.
“If it makes you feel better,” Lorelei said. “Corie is my favorite too. And it’s obvious how Celestial Sword feels about her.”
I nodded. During the past week, as we prepared to depart for Sturm Manor, I noticed a change in Corie and Leroy’s relationship. They were closer and more intimate with each other than before. While they hadn’t started courting, it wouldn’t be long before they did. About damn time.
“Plus,” Lorelei continued. “I’m Lady Terra’s Chosen. So there’s that.”
I nodded. She had a point there.
The two of us remained silent after that, taking in the sights. It seemed like my plan to distract Lorelei had worked, since she no longer looked like she was about to puke her guts out.
Just as I was about to head to my cabin and call it for a night, Aurora called out to me. I hadn’t heard from her all day, since she had been taking a nap within my dantian.
Gabriel, she said, her tone serious. We have trouble incoming.
I frowned at her words and searched the area around us, pushing my divine sense to its limit. My eyes widened when I saw what she meant by trouble.
We were about to be attacked.