We found Mother standing in front of the guard station, waiting with her arms crossed. She wore a furious expression on her face. Caitlyn Walters, her bodyguard, stood beside her. A deluge fell upon Sunheart, as if the heavens themselves were crying. It was so cold out that if I weren’t a cultivator, or had an affinity for Water magic, I would have been shivering.

None of that mattered to Mother.

She stood there without an umbrella, yet none of the rain touched her. A Fire magic shield kept her dry. I heard faint sizzling as the shield spell evaporated the rain before it reached her body. Steam rose up from her, almost making her seem like some kind of vengeful spirit.

The moment I saw Mother, a chill went down my spine. In all my lifetimes, there were few things that scared me as much as my mother’s wrath. Father’s anger terrified me as well, but Mother’s was on a whole other level.

As Immortal Celestial Thunder, I had faced all kinds of dangers and threats. Legendary spirit beasts such as flood dragons, demons powerful enough to destroy entire planets with ease, and even the Golden Dragon himself, a being on par with Sol.

Few of them could compare to my mother.

Maybe it was because I was currently a teenager at the Foundation Establishment stage, as well as the Second Circle, but I had a feeling that I would have felt the same way, even if I were a Demigod. As a filial son, there were few people that I respected and feared more than my parents.

Thankfully, I had come prepared. The little bundle in my arms squirmed a little, but otherwise stayed put.

Two House Sturm carriages were parked on the street in front of the guard station. It looked like Mother had come in her own carriage, while someone had retrieved the one me and my siblings used. I checked the bond between me and Sky’s Dream. It was still in the carriage we brought.

I used magic to create a barrier to shield myself and the others from the rain. While the cold wouldn’t bother me, Kaylee, or the Blaze Cat because of our respective cultivation levels and elemental affinities, Roland was another matter. My little brother was still a child and couldn’t use magic yet. Besides, getting drenched by cold rain didn’t sound appealing to me at the moment.

“Get in,” Mother said to me, gesturing to the lead House Sturm carriage. “Everyone else, take the other carriage. I need to speak with Gabriel alone.”

No one said a word as I entered the first carriage, handling the bundle with care, while Kaylee and the others entered the second carriage. Mother and Caitlyn followed me inside, and soon we were on our way. We spent the first few minutes of the trip back home in silence as Mother glared at me. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut. Heat radiated off of Mother, turning the inside of the carriage into a sauna.

Caitlyn ignored all of this and stared out the window, keeping her eyes open for threats.

“How?” Mother asked in a clipped voice. “How do you always manage to get into trouble every time you leave the house? Are you cursed? Is that it?” She took a deep breath, as if to compose herself. “You promised me that you would take a break from throwing yourself into danger.”

“Hey, that’s not fair!” I protested. “I promised to try to stay out of danger, a promise which I’ve kept. At the time, I also said that danger might come find me. That’s what happened in this case.”

Mother’s eyes narrowed at me.

“That isn’t what I heard,” she said. “From what I heard, the group of adventurers you fought were chasing after a magic beast that escaped from House Shelton’s custody and you intervened. Sounds to me like you could have avoided all of this if you had just done nothing. That was all you had to do. Instead, you picked a fight with those adventurers and got arrested by the Sky Guard. Worst of all, you dragged your brother and sister into it.”

I paused for a brief moment.

“Well, yeah,” I said. “It sounds bad when you put it like that, but I had a good reason for intervening.”

The temperature in the carriage rose up another notch.

“You were supposed to go out, buy a pet for Roland, and come back home,” Mother said. “That was it. You had no business getting involved with those adventurers, especially since you could have endangered Kaylee and Roland. While you’re no longer the heir, you are still the oldest among your siblings. You have to set a good example for your brother and sister.”

I held up the bundle in my arms.

“I did set a good example for Kaylee and Roland,” I said. “When I saw an injustice happening in front of me, I did something about it instead of standing back and doing nothing.”

Mother glanced at the bundle for a moment, before glaring at me once more.

“Is that the magic beast?” she asked, her tone a touch gentler than before.

“Yes,” I said. “She’s an intelligent magic beast. A child. That’s why I intervened, even if it meant pissing off House Shelton. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have involved myself in the situation at all. Legal or not, enslaving a child is reprehensible.”

Mother’s expression softened. The temperature in the carriage dropped, becoming more bearable.

“I understand where you’re coming from,” she said. “In your shoes, I would have done the same.” She sighed. “I’m just worried about what will happen as a result of your actions. At this rate, we will end up in a feud with House Shelton. On their own, they’re nothing much, even with their cultivation. However, they’re a vassal of House Griffin. They’re sure to get involved if a feud breaks out.”

After I returned home from the tea party at Thorne Manor, I gave Mother a rundown of everything that happened. Well, not everything. I kept the more personal details to myself, and told Mother everything else. This included the confrontation between Lorelei and the trio from House Shelton. She grew so angry about what happened to my disciple that she accidentally lit a chair on fire. That didn’t stop her from worrying about the potential consequences.

As Mother said, House Shelton wasn’t much on their own. They were a middling House, but they were on the lower end of the spectrum. I think the only reason why they qualified was because their Patriarch was a Fourth Circle wizard. House Griffin, on the other hand, was a much more serious threat.

Thanks to the bargain I made with Grandfather Gabe, I wasn’t worried about getting into a fight with House Griffin. His presence would keep things from getting too far. However, if a feud broke out, then the chances of us making an alliance with them would go down the drain. I felt a bit sad about that, since one of my goals in coming back to Sturm Manor was to forge friendly relations with them.

Still, I didn’t regret my actions. If I had to choose between pissing off House Shelton and starting a feud with them or letting them take the Blaze Cat, I would choose the former each and every time.

“If a feud breaks out, we’ll find a way to deal with it,” I said.

“I’m glad to see that one of us is feeling confident,” Mother said in a dry voice, before letting out a sigh. “Still, you’re right. We’ll find a way. If nothing else, we have Grandfather. He’s coming down for your sister’s birthday party. Once he arrives, everything should be fine. Until then, we just need to keep our heads down. Even if House Shelton finds out that we have the magic beast, and they will sooner or later, they won’t start a feud right away. If we’re lucky, we’ll just have to pay them compensation.”

I hoped that’s where it ended. While I hadn’t given up on House Griffin yet, I wasn’t optimistic about our chances, given how things have gone so far. Still, there was some hope of turning the situation around. It all depended on how things played out from here.

However, if House Shelton made a big deal out of this incident, then our already dismal chances would lower even further.

We spent the next few minutes in silence, lost in our own thoughts.

“Would you like to see her?” I asked. “She’s rather cute.”

Mother snorted

“Very well,” she said. “Show me the cause of all this trouble.”

I unwrapped the bundle and revealed the Blaze Cat. As I did so, I kept a close eye on Mother’s reaction. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped when she saw the little kitten. Even Caitlyn Walters, who had been keeping an eye out the window, turned her head and stared.

“It can’t be,” Mother whispered.

Aha! Got you.

I suspected that the Blaze Cat had something to do with Clan Leone when she first called me “Grandpa”. Blaze Cats were a type of cat spirit beast with an affinity for Fire. Clan Leone was descended from a cat spirit beast, or magic beast, with an affinity for Fire. Their techniques, spells, and fighting styles reflected this. Maybe it was a coincidence, but I didn’t think it was.

I also wasn’t old enough to be the Blaze Cat’s actual grandfather, nor do I look like one, yet that was the first thing she said as soon as she saw me. The only reason why she would do that is because I looked like this Grandpa of hers. Given those clues, there was only one person that I knew of who fit the bill.

Altogether, that meant that this Blaze Cat was from Clan Leone, or was related to it in some way.

However, that had all been speculation on my part, and I couldn’t just ask Mother for confirmation, since she swore to keep Clan Leone’s secrets. Instead, I took steps to confirm my suspicions for myself. When the Sky Guard released us, and returned our stuff, I asked Kaylee to let me hold the Blaze Cat. After my sister handed her over, I wrapped her up in my jacket. Both to keep her warm, and to study my mother’s reaction when I revealed the Blaze Cat.

Throughout all of this, the little kitten continued to sleep, letting out cute little snores. She must have been more exhausted than I realized.

“Picking a fight with House Shelton because of what happened at Thorne Manor would be petty and small-minded,” I said. “However, starting a feud because they kidnapped one of our kin is a different matter altogether. Wouldn’t you agree, Mother?”

My mother stared at the Blaze Cat for several seconds, before looking back at me.

“How did you figure it out?” she asked.

“She called me ‘Grandpa,’” I said. “After that, it wasn’t difficult to put the clues together.” I started stroking the Blaze Cat’s fur. “I don’t know if she’s actually descended from Grandfather Gabe or not, but it’s clear that she knows him.”

Mother shook her head.

“If she was born like this, or can take on this form at such a young age, then she’s a member of Clan Leone’s main family,” she said.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

“Is it all right for you to reveal this to me?” I asked. “I thought you swore to keep Clan Leone’s secrets.”

“I did, but there’s no point anymore, now that it’s come to this,” Mother said. “That little kitten’s wellbeing is more important.” Her hands twitched, as if she wanted to grab the Blaze Cat but held herself back. “Please keep what I’m about to tell you to yourself. Clan Leone’s secrets aren’t meant for outsiders. The only reason why I’m telling you is because you’re my son, and you’re a reincarnation from Spirit Earth.”

I nodded my assent.

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“First of all, do you know what kind of spirit beast she is?”

“A Blaze Cat,” I said, nodding. “They’re native to Spirit Earth, not Lumina. You have no idea how surprised I was to see one here.”

“You’re right. As far as I know, the only Blaze Cats on Lumina come from Clan Leone.” Mother looked thoughtful for a moment. “Those born as Blaze Cats, or those born with the ability to take on Blaze Cat form, are considered blessed by Clan Leone. They are cherished and venerated as sacred beings.”

I noticed a change in the Blaze Cat’s breathing, but pretended not to notice.

“Because Clan Leone is descended from a Blaze Cat,” I said. “Similar to how House Sturm is descended from Shattering Thunder.”

Mother nodded.

“For the most part, only members of the main family are born with this blessing, and it’s rare even for them. However, there have been exceptions in the past. Grandfather’s father, my great grandfather, was one of these exceptions. That’s how Grandfather’s brother, my great uncle, married into the main family and ended up becoming Patriarch of both House Leone and Clan Leone.”

I nodded. That made sense. It would also explain why Grandfather Gabe was so respected by Clan Leone, and why he was so powerful. I was rather annoyed with myself that I hadn’t realized that he was the son of a Blaze Cat, given my familiarity with the creatures.

My mind went to my conversation with Master Tempest, when I met him way back when. He said that it wasn’t a coincidence that I was born into this particular family. Was this what he meant? Or part of it at least? Given that my foster daughter, Flameclaw, was a Blaze Cat, it made a certain kind of sense to me.

Another possibility came to mind, but I kept it on the back burner for now. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, only for them to get quashed later on.

“If Clan Leone values Blaze Cats so much,” I said, looking down at the little kitten in my lap. “What is this one doing here?”

Mother’s expression darkened.

“That’s a good question,” she said in a cold voice. “Given the circumstances, we can assume that she didn’t come here willingly. It’s likely that she was poached from the Lunarian Kingdom and brought here. The question is, did her captors know what she is or not?”

I nodded, my expression mirroring Mother’s. Capturing magic beasts and taming them was a profitable, if dangerous, venture. House scions either bought them as pets or familiars. It was better to capture a magic beast when it was young, or before they hatched if they came from an egg, and raise it that way. However, there were some who preferred the challenge of taming an adult magic beast.

This included the capture and taming of intelligent magic beasts, though this was even riskier for obvious reasons. Some intelligent magic beasts were fine with being a House’s pet, but most preferred their freedom and independence.

One risk was that if an intelligent magic beast escaped and became a citizen of the Solarian Empire, their former owners were shit out of luck. For some reason, I failed to feel any sympathy for them. Weird.

Given the distance between the Solarian Empire and the Lunarian Kingdom, it amazed me that my siblings and I ran into the Blaze Cat. If we hadn’t picked that day to buy a pet for Roland, then we might have never come across her. I doubted that it was a coincidence. Fate had a hand in this.

The question was, was a higher being involved in this? It was possible, but I wasn’t sure. Fate was a force on its own, and worked by its own rules even without divine intervention.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “She’s with us now and we’ll take care of her until Clan Leone comes to retrieve her.” I raised an eyebrow at Mother. “We are returning her to Clan Leone I assume?”

Mother nodded.

“I’ll send a message to them,” she said. “Clan Leone must be searching for her desperately, though the need for secrecy would hamper their efforts.” Mother’s expression softened. “More than that, her parents must be worried sick. If something happened to you or your siblings, I’d go out of my mind with worry.”

I nodded, before looking down at the Blaze Cat.

“You hear that, little one?” I asked in Spirit Tongue. “You’re safe now. You’ll be reunited with your family, though it might take a little while.”

The Blaze Cat lifted her head and opened her eyes. I noticed that she had stopped snoring earlier, but kept quiet so I didn’t frighten her. Here she was, a child among strangers, lost in a foreign land far from home. In her shoes (paws?) I’d be terrified.

She watched me with a wary expression on her face. That made sense. Earlier, when the adventurers chased after her, she leapt towards me since I looked familiar. However, now that she’s had time to rest and think about things, she was on guard.

“You’re not Grandpa, are you?” she asked in Spirit Tongue, speaking out loud.

I shook my head.

“I’m afraid not, little one,” I said. “I just look like him. He is my great grandfather, if your grandpa is who I think he is. Gabriel Leone, right? Or Scarlet Blazing Lion, if we’re going by his cultivator name.”

The Blaze Cat didn’t respond, and just stared at me with suspicious eyes.

“My name is Gabriel Sturm,” I said, before nodding towards Mother. “My mother named me after him. She’s his granddaughter.”

The Blaze Cat looked at my mother. Mother gave her a soft smile.

“Hello, little one,” she said in Spirit Tongue. “My name is Claire Sturm, though I was Claire Leone before I married into House Sturm. I’m also one of Grandfather Gabe’s disciples. My cultivator name is Scarlet Blazing Claw.”

“Oh!” the Blaze Cat said, her voice brighter than before. “I know about you! You’re Papa’s cousin, though he and Mama don’t talk about you. No one does, except for Grandpa. He said you’re his favorite disciple.” The Blaze Cat looked thoughtful for a moment. “Papa doesn’t like it when I say that.”

Mother studied the Blaze Cat with narrowed eyes.

“You must be Gregory’s daughter then,” she said.

The Blaze Cat nodded.

“Uh huh,” she said. “My name is Gabriella. I was named after Grandpa.”

I chuckled.

“It looks like you weren’t the only one who decided to name their child after Grandfather Gabe,” I said.

“It appears not,” Mother muttered, before focusing on me. “Gregory is my only cousin. His father, Garland, is my mother’s younger brother. He was also one of Grandfather’s personal disciples.” She paused for a moment. “Gregory and I were what you might call friendly rivals. We considered each other close friends, but also competition. Grandfather liked to pit us against one another, usually for some kind of reward, since he believed it enlivened the spirit. I can’t say that he was wrong, since I pushed myself harder whenever I competed against Gregory.”

Mother wore a wistful smile on her face as she recalled her past. However, after a while, her smile faded.

“He also opposed my marriage to your father,” she said. “The last time we saw each other, we got into a big fight. I mean an actual fight, not a mere argument, though Grandfather intervened before it got out of hand. Gregory and I haven’t spoken to each other since.”

A pained look crossed Mother’s face. It was clear that before leaving Clan Leone, she had a close relationship with this Gregory Leone. That made their fight all the more painful for her. Mother loved Father, enough to leave her family for him, but she paid a heavy price for it. While her family hadn’t completely cut her off, it was a near thing. At least she hadn’t been disowned by them.

“Papa always became angry whenever I asked about you,” Gabriella said. “Afterwards, he would have this sad look on his face for the rest of the day.”

Mother gave her a sad smile.

“Maybe this is an opportunity to reconnect with him,” I said. “As well as the rest of your family. Saving Gabriella here is sure to earn you some good will, if nothing else.”

Mother nodded, though I could tell that her heart wasn’t in it. Separating from her family must have left her with some serious emotional scars.

I reached over to grasp her hand, making sure not to drop Gabriella. Mother gave me a grateful smile. When I leaned back, I reached to stoke Gabriella’s fur but stopped just before I touched her. My cousin looked at my hand with narrowed eyes. She wasn’t quite growling, but I knew that she would swat my hand if I touched her at this moment.

“Sorry, I forgot to ask,” I said. “Can I pet you, cousin?”

At the word cousin, Gabriella’s eyes widened. After a moment, she turned away from me in a huff.

“Fine,” she said in a haughty voice. “I’ll allow it, but only because you look like Grandpa.”

I resisted the urge to smile.

“Thank you,” I said. “You’re very generous.”

“Yes, I am.”

I started stroking Gabriella’s fur. At first she remained tense, but soon she relaxed. It wasn’t long before she started purring.

“Tell me, little Gabriella,” Mother asked. “How did you end up so far from home?”

Gabriella stiffened at this. I had been curious about that as well. The minutes ticked by as Gabriella remained silent. Mother and I waited with patience. Neither one of us pressured her into answering the question.

“I ran away from home,” Gabriella said after a while, speaking in a quiet voice.

“What? Why?” Mother asked, her brow furrowed.

“I wanted to find Grandpa,” my cousin said. “Everyone told me that he was in seclusion, but later on I overheard my parents say that he wasn’t in his immortal cave. I grew worried. What if something had happened to him? I told my parents that I wanted to go find Grandpa, but they said no. I went to go find him anyway, but they caught me and grounded me.” She sounded grumpy at this. “I ran away again using a talisman to hide myself.”

“What sort of talisman?” I asked.

Gabriella raised her head up high.

“A Shadowless Talisman,” she said.

I resisted the urge to let out a whistle. Shadowless Talismans were rare. Creating one required a high degree of expertise, as well as the right ingredients. The right ink, the right paper, even the right brush.

They allowed a cultivator to completely hide their presence. Mundane senses, spirit sense, mystic arts. It didn’t matter. A Shadowless Talisman hid a cultivator from them all. It was as if they had completely disappeared from the world, until not even their shadow remained, thus the name. They didn’t last that long, and the potency of an individual talisman depended on whoever created it, but they were useful in certain situations, such as sneaking away from home.

“Where did you get your hands on one of those?” I asked.

“Grandpa. He gave it to me for my birthday, though he told me to keep it secret from everyone else. He said that I might need it someday.”

Mother pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Of course he did,” she muttered.

“What happened after you ran away from home?” I asked, to move the conversation along.

“I went to the nearest city and sneaked aboard an airship heading to the Solarian Empire,” Gabriella said, continuing her story. “Mama said that Grandpa might have gone to find you, in order to help you with your son. I knew that you lived in the Solarian Empire, so I decided to look for him here.

I stared down at the kitten in my lap.

“How did you plan on finding Grandfather Gabe?” I asked. “The Solarian Empire is a big place.”

Gabriella blinked at me a few times.

“I didn’t think about that,” she said.

It was my turn to pinch the bridge of my nose.

“How old are you, Gabriella?” Mother asked.

“I’m eight!” my cousin said in a proud voice.

I didn’t know whether to be impressed or horrified that an eight year old child managed to make it all the way here from the Lunarian Kingdom on her own.

“The trip was pretty boring,” Gabriella said. “I spent most of it hiding in my cat form, so I didn’t even get to see the ocean. At least the food I ate tasted good.”

“I’m surprised no one sensed your presence,” I said to Gabriella. “From what I remember, Blaze Cats have a distinctive aura.”

“One of the first things they teach children in Clan Leone, before cultivation even, is how to conceal themselves,” Mother explained. “As a Blaze Cat, Gabriella would have been better at it than her peers. Unless the wizards on that particular airship had good perception, or were extraordinarily powerful, they wouldn’t have sensed her.”

Gabriella stood tall, a haughty expression on her face.

“Of course they didn’t find me,” she said. “I’m the best.”

Mother and I shared a look at that. Caitlyn Walters, who had faded into the background during this conversation, facepalmed.

“After the airship docked, I looked around for Grandpa.” Gabriella’s expression darkened. “That’s when the bad men found me. They captured me, put this thing on my neck, and threw me in a cage. I tried to escape, but they were too strong.” She started to tremble. “They…They threatened to pull out my claws if I didn’t behave.”

I hugged Gabriella to my chest. She buried her face in my clothes.

“I have you,” I muttered. “You’re safe now. The bad men can’t hurt you anymore.”

Little by little, the trembling faded away.

“Caitlyn,” Mother whispered. “Find out all that you can about these bad men. Their names, their locations, everything.”

“Yes, my lady.”

From the looks on both of their faces, the poachers who captured Gabriella were dead men walking. If it weren’t for the cold rage burning in my chest, I would have pitied them.

“Feeling better?” I asked.

Gabriella nodded.

“We can stop here, if you want. We can listen to the rest later.”

She shook her head.

“I’m almost done anyway,” she said. “The bad men told me they found a buyer and brought me to this city. I managed to escape when they got into an argument with the guards. That was a few days ago. I’ve been on the streets since then. I would have turned into my human form and asked for help, but this collar keeps me in my cat form.” She looked up at me. “You know what happened after that. Those adventurers found me and started chasing me, but you saved me from them. Thank you.”

Gabriella rubbed her face against my clothes. I smiled at the little kitten.

“While I am sorry about what you had to endure to get this far,” Mother said. “I am glad to meet you, cousin. Or maybe I should call you niece? Yes, I’ll do that instead.”

Gabriella looked at Mother.

“I’d like that, Auntie.”

Mother beamed at that.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “Grandfather will be here in a few days, to attend your cousin’s birthday party. You’ll be able to see him then.”

Gabriella let out a sigh of relief and laid down on my lap.

“Good,” she said. “I miss him.”

“While I don’t want to encourage this sort of behavior,” I said. “You did a good job coming this far on your own. You even managed to succeed in your mission to find Grandfather Gabe.”

Mother gave me a sharp look at that, but I ignored it.

“Once we get home,” I continued. “We’ll get the collar off of you.”

“Good,” Gabriella said.

With that, we spent the rest of the ride home in companionable silence.