Anna and I found ourselves in a strange state over the next few days. The illustration of the briar maiden made a deep impact on us. However, it wasn't the illustration itself or the briar maiden it depicted that bothered us. Rather, it was the concept or idea of briar maidens.
At least, that was how I tried to articulate it. Unfortunately, that answer still felt incomplete. It was as if I was missing the most important piece to a puzzle. The hole it was supposed to fill gave so clues, but not enough to figure things out.
When I brought this up with Anna, she felt the sa way. However, neither of us had any idea of how to find that final piece. We would have to wait until we traveled to Mirkvale Forest.
To distract ourselves, Anna and I focused on training with the others. Holy magic, or the gods' divine power, gave each of them a significant boost in power. They didn't gain any new abilities or such, but their magic and martial arts beca more. At least, those that aligned with their chosen gods' purview. Anna's Fire, Leroy's Earth, and Cally's Ice.
On the downside, this made the weakest mber of our group. At least until I mastered spirit magic. Kiki and Kaya said that I had mastered partial unity, so they were going to teach half unity. After that, I would learn full unity.
Despite my current handicap, I managed to hold my own against my companions. While they were more powerful now, that didn't an much if they couldn't hit . I was still faster than them, and partial unity helped predict their movents. No matter how hard they tried to hit , and they tried, I always managed to evade their attacks.
Well, unless they used an underhanded trick like Anna had. During one of our bouts, she grew so frustrated that she flashed . The sight of her bare chest distracted so much that she managed to get a good kick in. This gave her the edge she needed to win.
Of course, Anna made it up to later that night.
These training sessions also gave us an opportunity to observe our new companions' abilities.
Priest Jai was the more straightforward of the two. He was akin to a Wind wizard, thanks to Aeros' blessing. He summoned blades of air, tornadoes, strong gusts of wind, etc. However, unlike Wind wizards, he could use his Holy magic to enhance our speed. This was good for both offense and support.
On the other hand, Priestess Natille, focused on supporting us and handicapping our enemies, though she focused more on the latter than the forr. To use video ga terms, she was a debuffer. I found this odd for a priestess of Amara.
She was a good healer, better than Cally in fact, and was adept at healing physical injuries, diseases, poisons, etc. However, she specialized in ssing with her enemies' minds. She used her Holy magic to disturb their ntal states by manipulating their emotions, utilizing ntal illusions, and attacking the mind itself.
Maybe Anna was right to be wary of her.
Fighting alongside them proved awkward at first. The rest of us had fought together for a while now. We knew each others' thoughts and capabilities. As newcors, Priest Jai and Priestess Natille shook things up. However, training and sparring with them helped lt the ice, so to speak.
Priest Jai remained surly the entire ti. At first I thought he might've had a problem with , because my family worshiped Tempest. However, I realized that was just his personality.
Priestess Natille continued to act bright, cheerful, and optimistic. However, after experiencing her literally nightmare-inducing ntal attacks, I started to wonder if that cheerfulness of hers was a facade.
Aside from all that, we also prepared for our journey to Mirkvale Forest. Buying supplies, procuring maps of the area, contacting potential allies, etc.
We also heard from Crawford during all this, who let us know that he was now in contact with the Inquisition to provide us with support from the rear. A lot of the information we procured ca from him.
As for the resources and manpower we received from the Church of the Sun, including Grand Priestess Quinn, we let Kaya handle all of that. She had the most experience dealing with church officials, and knew how to circumvent their bullshit.
Ti passed like this, until the day I was waiting for arrived. I heard back from my parents. However, not in the way I expected. Rather than send a reply to my letter, they ca here themselves.
And they were not happy with .
My parents arrived without warning one morning. My companions and I were in the rear yard, training and sparring with one another. I had just finished a particularly difficult bout with Priest Jai. As a priest of Aeros, he was the only mber of our group who could match my speed. This made it difficult to evade his attacks.
It didn't help that he was a Rank Three Awakened, while I was still just a Rank Two Awakened. I still won in the end, though it was a near thing. If I hadn't borrowed Aurora's senses using partial unity, allowing to read his moves with greater accuracy, I would've lost. That said, we both gained from the experience, so neither of us truly lost.
It was a cool morning. The sky above was bright and clear, without a cloud in sight. Despite this, sweat coated my body. This made the cool air feel even more refreshing. And thanks to my contract with Aurora, I didn't have to worry about catching a cold or getting sick.
Anna and Priestess Natille fought next. I watched them from the sidelines, drinking so water to rehydrate, when a loud voice rang out into the air.
"Where is he?! Where is that unfilial son of mine?!"
I froze, before a chill ran down my spine when I recognized that voice as my mother's. Aside from Anna and Priestess Natille, everyone else paused what they were doing and looked around in confusion. On instinct, I started to flee. However, my mother arrived at the rear yard before I got too far. Caitlyn, her bodyguard and Leroy's mother, followed right behind her.
Mother wore a simple green dress, one designed for travel, with her hair tied up in a simple bun. Other than a few accessories, she wore little jewelry. This was perhaps the plainest I had ever seen my mother. Despite this, she still looked rather beautiful. If anything, the lack of adornnts just highlighted her natural beauty.
Of course, the furious expression on her face made it difficult to appreciate the sight.
Mother looked around the rear yard, before her eyes locked on .
"There you are!" she said, her nostrils flaring.
I tried to run, but Mother caught in an instant. The difference between us was too great to surmount. She grabbed by my ear and twisted. It felt so painful that I feared she would rip it off.
"How dare you try to flee?" she asked. "Do you know how much I worried about you? First, I heard you were in so kind of coma. However, when you woke up, you didn't bother writing to or your father letting us know that you were alright. Instead, we heard it from other people." She leaned in closer. "And on top of all of that, when we do hear from you, it's to ask us for sothing."
"I'm sorry for being a thoughtless and unfilial son!" I shouted without hesitation.
Pride and dignity ant nothing in the face of my mother's anger.
"Oh no," Mother said, giving a grim smile. "You aren't getting out of this that easily, Gabriel. I am well and truly angry with you."
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With that, she let go of my ear. However, before I could feel relieved, Mother grabbed my cheeks. She pinched them, stretched them, and smooshed them. Despite the pain, I refrained from resisting or fighting back. That would only make things worse.
"You are going to spend the rest of the day kneeling with your hands in the air," Mother said in a stern voice. "After that, you are going to join your father and I for dinner. Then, and only then, will I forgive you."
I noticed soone enter the rear yard from the corner of my eye. It was my father. Like Mother, he looked plainer than usual.
"Father!" I cried out. "Help !"
My father crossed his arms and smirked at . Damn. It looked like I wouldn't receive any help from him. I turned my eyes elsewhere. Priest Jai gave a baffled look, but otherwise didn't intervene. Priestess Natille, who had paused her bout with Anna, covered her mouth to hold back her laughter. The rest looked away from and avoided eye contact. Traitors.
The only exception was Anna, who approached us with a smile on her face. Yes! At least there was one person willing to take my side.
"Mother-in-law," Anna called out.
Mother looked back at her with a wary expression on her face.
"Lady Annabelle," she said. "Do not plead on my son's behalf. He deserves this."
Anna shook her head.
"I wasn't going to," she said. "Instead, might I make a recomndation? The punishnt you devised isn't appropriate for the situation."
Relief filled , at least until I heard Anna's next words.
"Gabriel won't learn from his mistakes that way," she continued. "Instead, why don't you make him copy the words 'I am an unfilial son' for the rest of the day. That sounds more effective to ."
I gave Anna a betrayed look.
"Whose side are you on?!" I cried out.
Anna gave a gentle smile.
"We're going to get married soon," she said. "It's important for to get along with my in-laws, is it not?"
"But what about ? I'm going to be your husband!"
"I an, you deserve this punishnt. It's not that difficult to write to your parents. I do it all the ti."
Mother smiled at Anna and took her by the arm.
"I was a little worried about you," she said. "However, I'm beginning to realize that maybe you'll be a good daughter-in-law after all."
Anna bead at her.
"Thank you, Mother-in-law," she said.
Faced with Anna and Mother's united front, I knew I had no chance of winning. So I sucked it up and gave in. The sooner I accepted my punishnt, the sooner I could get it over with.
As Anna suggested, and Mother accepted, I spent the rest of the day writing down the words "I am an unfilial son" over and over again. To avoid wasting paper, I wrote on a chalkboard that Grand Priest Darius had lying around for so reason. Whenever I filled it up, I erased the board and started over again.
By the ti I finished, my hand felt so stiff that I had difficulty opening and closing it. In so ironic twist of fate, Anna offered to massage it. I refused her, of course. At least at first. After so cajoling on her part, I softened up before giving in.
Besides, I hadn't been angry with her. Not really. I knew I deserved that sort of punishnt for neglecting my parents. At the very least, I could've sent them a ssage to let them know I was alright.
When evening arrived, I headed out to join my parents for dinner. Rather than impose further on Grand Priest Darius' hospitality, they decided to stay at the most expensive hotel in Templeton. It had a restaurant attached to the side, so we ate there. Since this hotel catered to House/Clan scions, I dressed up for the occasion.
Anna offered to accompany , but I declined. I hadn't seen my parents in months, and I wanted to spend so ti with them alone. Anna understood and sent off with a smile.
I t my parents at the restaurant's entrance. The three of us entered together. A waiter guided the three of us to a private room that my parents booked in advance.
The restaurant had a quiet and intimate atmosphere. Low lighting and gentle music deepened this impression further. The sll of delicious food lingered in the air, making my mouth water. The low din of quiet conversation, accompanied by the clinking of silverware, reached my ears.
To my surprise, when my parents and I arrived at our private room, we found soone already there, waiting for us.
It was my great grandmother, Sky Leone.
When I first woke up from my coma, I asked about my great grandmother. According to my companions, she disappeared before the group even left Eastwatch. No one knew where she went or what happened to her. Otherwise, I would've t up with her before this point.
It turned out that she left to see my parents.
I had mixed feelings when it ca to my great grandmother. On the one hand, she saved my life and helped us deal with the situation in Eastwatch. On the other hand, she had seen at my most vulnerable.
Not only that, but I mistook her for Teacher. I still felt embarrassed about that. However, in my defense, she played along with it. This made her half at fault.
"You two have already t, so I doubt introductions are necessary, I shall go ahead anyway," Mother said. "Gabriel, this is my grandmother and your great grandmother, Sky Leone. Grandmother, this is my son, Gabriel Sturm."
I gave my great grandmother a polite bow.
"Great Grandmother Sky," I said.
She frowned at .
"Why do you call 'great grandmother' but call my husband 'grandfather?'" she asked. "Stop. It makes feel old. Call grandmother."
I gave her a mystified look. Was it really that important? Grandfather Gabriel rolled off the tongue, which was why I called him that even though he was my great grandfather. Grandmother Sky sounded like so kind of ancient deity.
Besides, she was old.
However, she was my great grandmother and annoying a Sixth Star martial artist sounded like a poor idea.
"Yes, Grandmother Sky," I said.
She gave a satisfied look.
"Well, what are you three waiting for? Co here."
My parents and I sat down. The private room had a round wooden table, so I ended up sitting between Mother and Grandmother Sky. A waiter entered a mont later and took our orders. When we finished, they bowed and left the room again.
"So," I said to my parents. "What's the occasion? Given the company, I doubt that this is a social call."
My parents shared a look with one another.
"Gabriel," Father said. "We wish to know what is going on."
I frowned at him.
"What do you an?"
Mother gestured to Grandmother Sky, who sipped so wine that she got from who knows where. Maybe her inventory ring.
"We know about what happened in Eastwatch," she said. "Your great grandmother told us. After so discussion, we've co to believe that you went there to deal with Lady Isabel and the succubi rather than the reason you told us."
What was the reason I told my parents again? I thought about it for a mont. Oh yeah! I told them that I owed an acquaintance a favor, Crawford in this case, who asked to look into sothing for him.
"I didn't lie to you," I said. "I went there to help an acquaintance of mine. Everything that happened was a direct result of that."
Grandmother Sky snorted.
"Perhaps," she said. "But it is true that you knew that there was demonic activity going on in Eastwatch. Maybe you didn't know what kind of demonic activity, but you knew that it was going on."
Okay, she got there.
"This is the second ti you've gotten caught up in sothing like this," Mother said, giving a concerned look. "The first ti we can excuse as bad luck. However, we can't this ti. So, tell us the truth. Did you go to Eastwatch to deal with the demonic activity there?"
I faced a crossroads here. On the one hand, I could keep concealing the truth from my parents. While this would maintain the current status quo, it would also cause a rift between and my parents. We had just nded our relationship, and sothing like this might tear us apart again.
On the other hand, if I told them the truth, I might have to end up telling them the whole truth. I wasn't against that. I trusted my parents. They wouldn't go blabbing about the regression. However, it wasn't my secret to tell.
"We know that Kaylee is also involved," Father said, as if reading my mind. "Your mother and I noticed the two of you conspiring together. We allowed it at first, even encouraged it. However, after what happened in Eastwatch, we can no longer turn a blind eye."
"What's wrong with us fighting demons?" I asked. "As Sturms, it is our duty to slay demons and protect the innocent."
Father shook his head.
"That part isn't the problem," he said. "The problem is that you kept it a secret from us." He gave a hard look. "Besides, we're well aware of how reckless you can be."
"We want to support and protect as best we can, Gabriel," Mother said. "However, can't do that if you aren't honest with us."
I sighed. In the end, I decided to tell my parents so of the truth. There wasn't any point in denying things anymore. I would leave it to Kaylee to tell them the rest, if and when she decided to.
"I can't tell you everything," I said. "It involves secrets that aren't mine to share. Keep that in mind."
My parents shared another looked, before nodding. Grandmother Sky shrugged, before nodding as well.
In that case, there wasn't any point in holding back. I decided to go right for the kill.
"The Infernal Lands are invading Lumina," I said.
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