Over the next few days, we continued on our way to Sunheart. When I woke up after my talk with Grandfather Gabe, Aurora told me about what happened after I fell unconscious.
The remaining undead went on a frenzy after Mother killed the necromancers, and most of them tore each other apart. The Sun Guard, with aid from Mother and the others, destroyed the rest. Any that they missed fell inert when the Dark magic animating them ran out. The Sun Guard still swept the area afterwards, just to be thorough, and burned the corpses of the formerly undead magic beasts.
Unfortunately, the act of animating a magic beast corrupted its mana core, so we couldn’t harvest those.
While the Sun Guard cleaned the area up, Mother flew back to Sturm Hill in order to fetch Grandfather Gabe so he could heal me. According to Aurora, Mother had been frantic with worry. She wasn’t the only one either. My disciples freaked out as well, but Aurora managed to reassure them that I was alive. I wasn’t well, but I was alive. That calmed them down enough to help with the cleanup.
Except for Corie, who moved me to my cabin and looked after me until Mother returned. While she wasn’t a spirit doctor or healing sage, she was the closest we had.
When Mother returned, with Grandfather Gabe in tow, they looked after me for the next three days. My great grandfather focused on healing my mind, while Mother helped. Not that there was much she could do, since wizardry focused more on the external than the internal, but she refused to leave my side.
My mind would have healed on its own without their help, though it would have taken much longer. Grandfather Gabe’s aid saved me weeks, maybe even months, of trouble. Still, it would take a while for my mind to heal all the way. While Grandfather Gabe did the best he could, there was only so much he could do. Sometimes, it was best to take a step back and let time handle the rest. I estimated that it would take a month before I could use my divine sense again. Considering how much I relied on it, that was quite the handicap.
During those three days, both airships continued on their way to Sunheart. The Sun Guard expressed their thanks and told us that we had their eternal gratitude. Without our aid, they would have surely perished. They owed us a great debt.
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, however. It turned out that the Sun Guard accompanying us had a communication crystal, and they had already reported the attack to their superiors. House Solaria was in an uproar.
A group of necromancers dared to attack the Sun Guard, which was the equivalent of declaring war on House Solaria. There was no way they were going to let this slide. No one believed that those necromancers acted independently. Either they were part of some larger organization, or they had powerful allies backing them up. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have dared to attack the Sun Guard like this.
House Solaria needed to find those responsible and punish them. Otherwise, they would lose respect and influence; in other words, they would lose face. It would be like dumping a bucket of blood into shark infested waters. House Solaria was the de facto ruling House of the Solarian Empire, but that didn’t mean everyone loved them. They had made several enemies over the millennia, but their status protected them. Those same enemies would be more than willing to pounce at any sign of weakness.
Since we were involved in the attack, key members of both the Sun Guard and House Solaria itself wished to speak with us about the incident when we arrived at Sunheart. Until then, we were told that we should keep word of the attack to ourselves in order to avoid starting a panic. House Solaria and the Sun Guard were two of the pillars that supported the Solarian Empire. If word got out that someone dared to attack a ship under the aegis of the Sun Guard, and almost succeeded, it would cause unrest all over the empire.
A part of me wondered if that was the goal. If I wanted to destabilize the Solarian Empire, I would start by causing people to lose their faith in House Solaria and the Sun Guard. I would also go after the Houses, since they were also a pillar of the Solarian Empire. That thought caused me to remember Grandfather Gabe’s words before we left, when he told me about the rumors involving the heirs of Houses being driven mad by Dark magic spells.
Was that related? I wasn’t sure. At this point, I had little information. Speculation was less than useless. Still, I couldn’t dismiss it out of hand. If the necromancer attack and the rumors about Dark magic were related, then that painted a darker picture than I initially thought. Something big was brewing, and that made me uneasy.
However, I would worry about that later. For now, I focused on recovering.
My disciples were both relieved that I was awake, and furious that I had injured myself. It turned out that during my three day slumber, Aurora had told them what I had done. When I tried to take her to task for that, she just hid inside my dantian. Since I couldn’t use my divine sense, or speak with her telepathically, there wasn’t much I could do about that.
Each of my disciples lectured me on my recklessness. I pointed out that I was their Master, not the other way around. They had no right to lecture me. Not only that, but Leroy and Corie were my retainers. My disciples countered by saying that they were also my friends, not just my disciples and retainers, and friends called each other out when one of them did something stupid. Despite the ridiculousness of that argument, their words warmed my heart. So, for the sake of friendship, I endured their lectures.
Mother’s visit punched me in the gut, however. After dealing with my disciples, I expected another lecture from her. That never happened. Instead, she sat by my bed, held my hand, and started crying. The sight of my mother’s tears, and the sound of her sobbing, stabbed me right in the heart. Guilt and shame weighed me down, and I questioned the rightness of my actions. While I still believed I did what was necessary, a part of me doubted myself.
Had I taken on an unnecessary burden? Could I have done things differently? These questions, and more, plagued me.
After Mother finished crying, she stared me right in the eyes and gripped my hand with all of her strength.
“I know that sometimes risks are necessary,” she said, her voice hoarse. “And I know that you’ll reincarnate if you die, but please don’t put me through that again. I don’t want to lose you. You’re my baby boy. My firstborn. Please don’t leave. Not like this.”
After that, she left the room without another word. I spent the rest of the day reflecting on my actions, feeling pretty shitty overall. Aurora comforted me by resting on my shoulders and keeping me company, but her presence didn’t dispel the heaviness in my heart.
If I wasn’t careful, that heaviness could become an inner demon. There was nothing more detrimental to a cultivator’s progress than fear and doubt. If it became too bad, then I could end up paralyzed when it came time to act. Instead of taking action, I could end up questioning my every choice, until I ended up making no choice at all.
Even knowing that, I couldn’t dismiss everyone’s concerns. I had hurt my loved ones, I knew that. Still, should I stop being who I was to ease their fears and concerns? I knew I was reckless, but didn’t mean I was wrong in my actions. That said, it didn’t hurt to spend some time reflecting. After all, charging on ahead without taking the time to self-reflect was just as detrimental to a cultivator’s progress.
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As the carriage neared Sturm Manor, I looked out the window and felt a smile spread across my face. It was good to be home. The sun was shining high in the sky, without a cloud in sight. The temperature was warmer here than in the Icefall Region. No traces of winter’s chill remained. Gardeners worked the manor’s ground, preparing for the upcoming season. In a few short weeks, the entire area would be blanketed with flowers. I could almost smell them now.
When we neared Sunheart, we decided to disembark from the House Icefall ship at a little town called Oakwood Hollow instead of heading to Sunheart proper. Since we were this close to the imperial capital, we didn’t mind it if the House Solaria went on ahead. However, to our surprise, the House Solaria airship stopped and waited for the House Icefall airship to catch up. I guessed that this was the Sun Guard’s way of thanking us for what happened.
After we disembarked, both airships headed towards the Sunheart. Rather, they headed towards the airship docks, where they would offload their cargo and spend a few days loading up new cargo, before heading back north towards the Icefall Region.
Grandfather Gabe left us at this point. He stayed with us for the rest of the journey, just in case something else happened. However, once we were safe, he flew back to Sturm Hill to keep an eye on the place as well as our Clan’s outer disciples.
Oakwood Hollow was a small town east of Sunheart, and a few miles south of Sturm Manor. It was a peaceful little place located in a small valley with a stream running through it. A small forest of oaks filled the valley, thus the name.
A small crowd gathered as we disembarked from the House Icefall airship. While airships were common in this part of the Solarian Empire, it was unusual to see one land this close to Oakwood Hollow. A group of locals came by to gawk at the spectacle. Their eyes widened when they saw our little group.
The members of House Sturm couldn’t be called locals, but we couldn’t be called outsiders either. Our family had visited the town several times over the years, for one reason or another, so the people of Oakwood Hollow were familiar with us. Not only that, but we made an effort to maintain good relations with our neighbors. We were House scions, but that was no reason to treat regular mortals with disrespect. At least, that was what the rest of my family did. Before I regained my memories, I was an arrogant and elitist dickhead high off my own status.
The last time I was here with my family, we ended up spending the night instead of returning home to Sturm Manor. A drunk bumped into me while I was out and about, spilling beer all over my clothes. In response, hit him with my Lightning magic until he couldn’t stand anymore. That didn’t endear me to the people of Oakwood Hollow.
While punishing the drunk was well within my rights as a House scion, later on Father told me that my actions were excessive. Using my power to abuse those weaker than me would only build up hatred and resentment, he said. Unfortunately, I didn’t take that lesson to heart, leading to my downfall later on. It turned out all right in the end, but perhaps I could have saved myself a lot of pain in the process.
When Mothers told the locals that we wanted to hire a carriage to bring us back to Sturm Manor, several of them stepped forward to offer her their assistance. I stayed in the background, to avoid getting in her way. The last thing I wanted to do was stir up old grudges.
Of course, since I bore the distinctive white-blue hair unique to House Sturm, this was futile. Many of the locals fell silent when they saw me, and several of them gazed at me with fear in their eyes. A few, however, looked angry and resentful. They were quick to hide it, but I noticed anyway.
Despite that little moment of awkwardness, we had no trouble procuring carriages for our journey to Sturm Manor. We ended up hiring two: one for me, Mother, and Lady Calla, and another for my disciples and Caitlyn Walters.
The journey to Sturm Manor didn’t take long at all, though it felt longer since Mother and I spent it in silence, and Lady Calla followed our example. Things remained a little awkward between Mother and I, but that was fading away. Soon, it would disappear altogether.
When I caught sight of Sturm Manor, many of the burdens and fears that plagued me fell away. To most, the manor looked like a relic of a bygone age: old, crumbling, and in dire need of renovation. However, to me, it was home. I hadn’t known how much I had missed the place until I saw it again. Thanks to the renovations, Sturm Hill outshone Sturm Manor in every way, but there was no place like home.
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Just as the carriages stopped in front of Sturm Manor, and we were all getting out, the front entrance burst open and Kaylee came running out.
“Mother!” she called out, her face filled with joy. “Gabriel!”
I stopped and stared at my little sister. Like Lady Calla, Kaylee had grown up in the months since we had seen each other. Her height and build remained the same, but her features had matured. Her face looked softer than before, more feminine. Instead of looking like a younger version of Father, she looked more like a young woman in her own right.
As I thought this, I realized that Kaylee’s birthday was coming up and I hadn’t gotten her a present. Nor had I gotten her one last year, since I was too busy pursuing my feud with Annabelle. Ancestors, no wonder she was so curt with me after Annabelle shattered my Circles.
That was when I realized that my own birthday had passed while I was in seclusion, and I hadn’t even noticed. Holy shit, I was eighteen now. In this lifetime at least. Events like these mattered less for cultivators after they reached a certain point, but I hadn’t gotten there yet.
I felt a little hurt that no one had said anything about my birthday after I emerged from seclusion. My disciples and the others had an excuse, I don’t think I ever told them about my birthday, but Mother knew. Maybe she hadn’t acted like it was a big deal because I hadn’t.
Regardless, I still needed to get a present for Kaylee. No need to repeat last year’s mistakes.
These thoughts passed through my mind before Kaylee reached us. She slammed into Mother, pulling her into a tight hug, before letting go and pulling me into one. It felt good to see her again, though I made sure to control my strength as I hugged her. While Kaylee was a cultivator now, I was still much stronger than her. I didn’t want to hurt her.
After several seconds, the two of us stepped away from each other.
“I’ve missed you two,” Kaylee said, beaming at Mother and I.
“We missed you too, Sissy,” I said.
“It has been far too long for my tastes,” Mother said with a fond smile on her face, though I noticed a hint of sadness in her eyes. Perhaps she had noticed how much Kaylee had grown in our absence.
My sister’s smile widened for a brief moment, then faded away when she looked between the two of us.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Kaylee gestured to us.
“There's something off about you two,” she said. “What is it?”
Of course Kaylee would pick up on that. Then again, it wasn’t like we were hiding it.
Mother and I exchanged a look. Unlike the Sun Guard, we didn’t have a communication crystal, so we couldn’t send word to our family about what happened. Well, we could have. We had various ways to send messages ahead of time, but we didn’t use any of them. The undead attack was something we wanted to tell our family about face to face, rather than by messenger.
The Sun Guard and House Solaria told us to keep it to ourselves, but that was to avoid creating public unrest. It was unreasonable to expect us to keep the rest of our family in the dark. We needed to tell Father and Kaylee about what happened, so they wouldn’t be caught off guard.
“We’ll tell you later,” Mother said. “When we’re somewhere more private.”
Kaylee opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Father walked through the doorway and walked towards us. He carried Roland in his arms. The moment she saw them, Mother rushed forward, picking up the skirt of her dress so it wouldn’t get in the way.
“Oh, Bryce,” she said, pulling Father into a hug before giving him a kiss.
Kaylee and I both let out disgusted sounds. No one, no matter how old, enjoyed seeing their parents kiss. Roland, who was caught between our parents, squirmed to break free.
“Mama!” he complained. “You’re squishing me!”
Mother pulled back and let out a chuckle.
“I’m sorry,” she said, taking him from Father’s grip and smothering him with kisses. “I was so excited to see Papa again, that I didn’t see you.”
Roland was too busy giggling from Mother’s kisses to respond.
“What happened?” Kaylee asked me while Mother had a reunion with the rest of our family. “You don’t look well.”
“Thanks,” I said in a sarcastic tone, before letting out a sigh. “Something happened on the way here. We’ll explain it after we’ve settled in.” I grimaced. “Just know that things are about to become interesting around here.”
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After Mother had her reunion with Father and Roland, my turn came next. Roland almost threw himself out of Mother’s arms to get to me, shouting “Gabriel!” as he did so. It was the first time I heard my little brother say my name correctly, a reminder that both of my siblings had grown up while I was away. The thought made me a little sad. Roland was much bigger now. Soon he would be too big for most adults to carry him with ease. Since we were cultivators, that wasn’t a problem for my family.
My reunion with Father was less exuberant, but no less joyful. He smiled at me, put a hand on my shoulder, and said that it was good to see me. While that might seem understated, it was a far cry from how he was when I left Sturm Manor last year. Back then, we hadn’t shared many words before I left. I still remember the expression he wore as the carriage departed for the Icefall Region: stern and stony. I knew it was a mask that Father had worn to hide his pain and disappointment, but it still hurt to see that.
When we finished with our greetings, we all headed inside Sturm Manor. While Mother and I reunited with the rest of our family, Lady Calla and my disciples had unpacked some of their things, while the House Sturm servants handled the rest.
Kaylee escorted Lady Calla and my disciples to their assigned rooms, while I tagged along, still carrying Roland. We could have left it up to one of our senior servants, either the butler or the head maid, but Kaylee wanted to reconnect with Lady Calla, Lorelei, and Corie. The four of them had become friends during Kaylee’s stay at Sturm Hill Hall, and it was nice to see that things hadn’t changed.
Sturm Manor was larger than Sturm Hill Hall, even after the renovations the latter had gone through, but it was shabbier. With my enhanced senses, I noticed signs of wear and tear that I had missed beforehand. A stain on the ceiling, the frayed carpet, a crack in the wall, etc. Seeing all this, I pondered the wisdom of renovating and expanding Sturm Hill over fixing up Sturm Manor. While I was grateful that Clan Sturm had an estate worthy of it, Sturm Manor was our family’s ancestral home. To see it in this state hurt my heart.
After Kaylee and I escorted our guests to their rooms, everyone spent the rest of the day resting and settling in, something I very much needed. I was still recovering from the battle with the undead magic beast horde. My body felt hollow, and my head ached. I also felt blind without my divine sense, which hammered home just how much I had relied on it. In fact, I started to realize that I was over-reliant on it.
After I regained the memories of my past lives, I also regained my divine sense. It was weaker than it had been when I was an actual Immortal, but still above what I should have been capable of. However, I used it as a crutch to shore up my shortcomings.
Thinking back on it now, I saw that relying on my divine sense without honing my other senses and situational awareness had screwed me several times. The battle with the Black Wolf Gang at the mythril deposit, now the mythril mine, came to mind. If I had paid a little bit more attention to my surroundings, I wouldn’t have almost died. I benefited in the end, but that was besides the point.
Losing my divine sense, even for a little bit, was a blessing in disguise. It was an opportunity to sharpen my other senses and my situational awareness; it was an opportunity to master, or remaster rather, the basics. In fact, I already had a training regimen in mind. I had enhanced senses, but like any tool, they were only as good as the hand that wielded them. What was the point of having superhuman perception if one didn’t use it right?
However, that was for later. For now, I would focus on resting and reconnecting with my family. We had plenty to talk about after all.
When it came time for dinner, I left my rooms and headed to the dining hall. As I did, I noticed something strange in the way the House Sturm retainers and servants treated me. They could be divided into two groups. The ones who had accompanied my family, when they headed towards the Icefall Region, treated me with the courtesy and respect that was my due.
The ones who remained behind, however, viewed me with contempt. This included the butler and the head maid. It wasn’t anything obvious, but I noticed it through their body language and the way they looked at me. While they didn’t say anything, and wore polite expressions, their eyes betrayed their true feelings
Considering what happened last year, I didn’t blame them. I wouldn’t punish them for their opinions, as long as they kept it at that. I had screwed up big time, and I hadn’t fixed all of my mistakes yet. They could think whatever they wanted. However, if any of them crossed the line, I would take action. While I tolerated disrespect from the adventurers in the Icefall Adventurers Guild, I wouldn’t do so from servants in my own home. I was still a Sturm after all.
Dinner was an awkward affair at first. Lady Calla joined us, of course, given her status as a House scion. Since she was both our guest and our ward for the foreseeable future, it only made sense to treat her with the utmost respect. However, my disciples joined us as well. This was a break from the norm. At first they demurred, since none of them were House scions, but they relented after much insistence on my part. As my personal disciples, I considered them part of the family. This included Leroy, who was a House Sturm retainer.
Of course, I made sure to clear it with my parents first. Since I was no longer the heir of House Sturm, my authority and influence had diminished. I mean, I could argue that I was the heir to Clan Sturm, but while we were in Sturm Manor, that didn’t matter too much. We were still figuring out the exact boundaries between House Sturm and Clan Sturm. They were two sides of the same family, each with their own dealings and areas of responsibility.
Still, despite breaking social protocol, dinner was an enjoyable affair after we got over the initial awkwardness. Kaylee helped a lot with that, since she had made friends with Lady Calla, Lorelei, and Corie. She eased their nervousness in no time at all. Leroy remained uncomfortable, despite everyone’s best efforts. As a retainer, he was well aware of his place in the social hierarchy. As for Lady Calla, she saw nothing wrong with the situation. She was a House scion, but Lorelei was her kin and Corie was Lorelei’s best friend. The three of them had grown up with each other.
Roland had to leave halfway through, despite his protests, since he started to fall asleep.
Things took a turn for the unexpected when dinner ended. We had planned to retire to the drawing room to discuss the attack by the undead magic beast horde and its consequences. Since it would affect Lady Calla and my disciples, we felt it prudent to include them in the discussion, even if they didn’t end up saying much.
However, before we could, Kurt Traylor, the butler for Sturm Manor, approached Father and whispered something in his ear. It made no difference. Given that almost everyone at the table practiced cultivation, Kurt might as well have been speaking at a normal volume. We all overheard him.
“My lord,” Kurt whispered. “High Inquisitor Corvus and his aide are here. They wish to speak with Lord Gabriel..”
A chill ran down my spine when I heard this. Father’s expression. Everyone gave me concerned looks, except for Lady Calla, who had no idea what was going on. She looked around, a confused expression on her face. I sipped my wine to calm my nerves.
“They couldn’t even wait a single day,” he said, standing up and throwing his napkin onto the dining table.
“What’s wrong, Lady Kaylee?” Lady Calla said to my sister, who sat next to her. “Why did everyone fall silent?”
“The Inquisition,” I said, answering her question before Kaylee could. “They’re here to see me.”
Kurt frowned at my words, but remained silent.
“Yes,” Father said with a grimace. “Over the past few months, they’ve insisted that they need to talk with you, Gabriel. I’ve kept them at bay, saying that you were still convalescing in the Icefall Region, but that’s no longer an option now.”
I sighed, before standing up as well.
“In that case, I should meet with them and get this over with.”
“Gabriel,” Mother said. “Just because the Inquisition barged in here and demanded to speak with you, doesn’t mean you have to meet with them, especially right now. We don’t have to give in to their rude behavior. They can wait another day.”
I shook my head.
“It’s better to get this over with now, while they’re still being nice,” I said. “If they came here to see me, less than a day after our arrival, then it must be for something important.”
At least they weren’t going to arrest me. If they were, they wouldn’t have bothered with the formalities. They would have just shown up at our doorstep and demanded to take me into custody.
Besides, if nothing else, it gave me a chance to verify the rumors that Grandfather Gabe told me. If House heirs really were going mad because of Dark magic, then the Inquisition would know about it. It was their sacred duty to prevent this sort of thing from happening in the first place.
I just needed them to confirm, or deny, said rumors. If the rumors were true, then maybe what happened last year wasn’t entirely my fault. While that didn’t excuse my actions, it would help explain why I acted the way I had.
“In that case, we’ll meet them in my study,” Father said. “Kaylee, can you see to our guests?”
Kaylee nodded.
“Yes, Father.”
“I’ll join you as well,” Mother said.
While I didn’t need my parents’ help, it warmed my heart that they would support me like this. I knew they would, but it still felt good to see it.
The three of us headed towards Father’s study to await the inquisitors.