My father marched over to stand beside my mother and laid a hand on her shoulder. The air around him smelled like an oncoming thunderstorm, a sign of his agitated state. When Awakened lost control of their emotions, they sometimes leaked mana. This mana was tinted with the Awakened’s elemental affinities. In my father’s case, he had an affinity for Lightning, Air, and Water, which I inherited from him.

“Gabriel,” my father said in a smooth and rich voice, “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Even now, I found myself unable to look him in the eyes. Instead, I focused on his chin. That made it easier to face him.

“Bryce,” my mother scolded, “Gabriel just woke up. Can this not wait until later?”

My father looked down at my mother and his expression softened for a brief moment. When that moment passed, the softness disappeared, as if it never existed in the first place.

“No, Claire.” My father said. “This cannot wait. Gabriel’s actions went beyond the pale.” He turned towards me again. “So, I ask again, Gabriel. Do you have anything to say for yourself? This is your one and only chance to explain yourself.”

All right. Time to face the music. I steeled my resolve and looked my father in the eyes. What I saw shocked me. His eyes were bloodshot and had dark circles underneath them. In fact, now that I took a closer look at him, I realized that my father looked just as haggard and disheveled as my mother.

In that moment, I realized that I had definitely misjudged my parents. I never knew them at all. They loved me. Otherwise, almost losing me wouldn’t have affected them this much. Now I wanted to give my past self two slaps across the face for being so blind and stupid.

“Well, Gabriel?” My father said, his words pulling me out of my thoughts.

“I’m sorry.” I said.

My father narrowed his eyes at me.

“Is that it?” He asked, an edge to his voice.

I nodded.

“Anything more than that would just be an excuse, and there is no excusing my actions.” I clenched my free hand. “I’m sorry for doing something so stupid and I’m sorry for…” Tears pricked my eyes and I choked up. “I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused you.”

Fuck. Who knew that apologies could be so difficult? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened them again, I found both of my parents staring at me.

“Why did you do it?” My father asked. “Why did you risk your life like that? Was it because of the succession?”

Succession? Oh! I had almost forgotten about that. For the Houses, the younger scions of each House competed to become the next patriarch/matriarch. This was to ensure that only the most worthy candidate became heir. While the scions from the main family were favored, every scion of the House was an eligible candidate. They proved their worth by mastering powerful spells, earning merit through deeds, or forging useful connections.

“No.” I said, shaking my head. “I didn’t care about becoming heir. I just wanted to become a worthy scion of House Sturm, like Kaylee, instead of an embarrassment.”

Kaylee Sturm was my younger sister. Unlike me, she had a great talent for magic. People adored and praised her for it. They often compared me to her, in a negative light of course. Unlike me, she was the pride and joy of our House.

Like with my parents, my relationship with Kaylee was complicated. We used to be close, when we were younger. However, as anger and resentment consumed me, I grew cold and distant towards her. While I never hated her, I envied her. It was as if she was blessed with everything I ever wanted, leaving me with nothing.

When she heard this, my mother’s expression faltered. Guilt and shame filled her eyes.

“Oh, my child,” my mother said, “You are not an embarrassment. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool.”

I snorted.

“Then House Sturm is full of fools.” I said.

My mother’s expression darkened and she emanated killing intent.

“Yes, it is.” She said, her tone matching her expression. “It’s time we cleaned house and got rid of them.”

I stared at her in shock. There was no mistaking what my mother meant by this. Was she always this bloodthirsty?

My father gave my mother’s shoulder a squeeze. When she looked up at him, he gave her a brief shake of his head. My mother clicked her tongue in disappointment and looked away from him.

“Under normal circumstances, I would punish you for your foolishness.” My father said, turning towards me. “However, that won’t be necessary, considering what happened.”

Ah, he was referring to my shattered magic circle. Like with a mana core, a shattered magic circle was a crippling injury. It was impossible to repair one. However, I didn’t care. In fact, I was relieved. I would rather have a shattered magic circle than a shattered mana core. This meant I could still form a mana core and start cultivating.

While I didn’t have any talent for magic, I had immense talent for martial arts. I was born to be a warrior instead of a wizard. Unfortunately, Lumina didn’t have warriors and martial artists, so I didn’t know about my talent until I reincarnated on Earth and met Teacher. She showed me the truth. Thanks to her, I realized my potential and became an S-ranked hunter.

“Don’t despair, Gabriel,” my mother said, “I will fix this. Just leave everything to me.”

I gave my mother a complicated look. A part of me wanted to tell her that I really was fine. However, I doubted she would believe me. Well, if I explained everything to her, maybe she would. The problem was, I didn’t know how either of my parents would react. It was best to keep the truth to myself for now.

I would tell them the truth, eventually. Just not right now. Later, after I grew powerful enough to ensure self-preservation.

“I’m fine, Mother.” I said. “I know it’s impossible to repair a shattered magic circle.”

She regarded me with the same terrifying intensity that I saw earlier.

“Trust me.” She said. “I will fix this.”

Despite my reservations, I nodded.

“Good.” My mother said. “I’ll need to make some inquiries.”

“We’ll also need to contact the Church of the Sun.” My father said.

My parents shared a look and nodded with one another. I looked between the both of them, confused.

“What are you talking about?” I asked. “Why would you need to contact the Church of the Sun?”

My mother shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it for now.” She said. “Instead, tell me your thoughts on marriage.”

I gaped at her, my jaw dropping. The sudden change in topic gave me mental whiplash.

“What?” I asked, flabbergasted. “How is that relevant?”

“You’ll find out.” My mother said. “Believe me when I say that the right marriage will fix all of your problems.”

I opened and closed my mouth several times, before looking at my father. Was this some kind of prank or joke? However, when I saw the expression on his face, I realized that they were both being serious about this. Suspicion bloomed in my heart.

“Is this a roundabout way of getting rid of me?” I asked, unable to help myself.

“No!” My mother said. “Of course not. Your father and I would never do that to you.”

I gave her a skeptical look. As much as I wanted to believe her, I couldn’t help but have doubts. Without a magic circle, the only value I had left to House Sturm was securing an advantageous marriage. By marrying me off to another family, House Sturm would kill two birds with one stone. They would get rid of their embarrassment while gaining benefits.

As much as I didn’t want to believe that my parents would do such a thing, I knew what kind of society we lived in. House scions didn’t marry for love. They married to secure alliances, seal business deals, and so on.

There were exceptions, such as my parents. They married each other for love, despite opposition from my mother’s House. They threatened to sever ties with her. This meant cutting off all contact and financial support. In other words, she was dead to them. When my mother married my father anyway, her House followed through on their threat.

The problem was, exceptions were just that: exceptions. Most House scions married for the sake of their House. As much as I wanted to marry for love, I knew that the chances of that happening were low. This wasn’t Earth. Different world, different rules. If I wanted to avoid an unwanted marriage, I needed to prove my worth somehow. That, or run away.

“Can I give you my answer later?” I asked, hoping to buy time. “I’m feeling tired and I’d like to rest.”

That wasn’t a lie. This conversation with my parents drained me both mentally and emotionally. That, combined with my current state, left me feeling exhausted. Right now, I wanted to go back to sleep.

Ugh, I hated being so weak. Unlike my father, I neglected my body during my first life. I never saw the point in exercising, since I wanted to become a proper wizard. That negligence was coming back to bite me in the ass.

“Very well, Gabriel.” My father said. “We shall leave you to your rest.”

“Thank you.” I said.

My parents turned to leave, though my mother wore a reluctant expression on her face. However, before they took more than a few steps, my father stopped in place. My mother and I gave him odd looks. A moment later, he whirled around and marched towards me. His actions caught me off guard, and I had no time to react before he pulled me into a hug.

“I love you, Gabriel.” My father said. “No matter what happens, that will never change.”

Before I could say or do anything in response, my father pulled away and marched out of my bedroom. I watched him go, feeling bewildered. My mother, on the other hand, seemed amused by my father’s actions.

“It may not seem like it,” she said, “But your father is a shy man. His stern exterior hides a warm heart. He just finds it difficult to express his emotions.”

I stared at her, unable to respond.

“Sleep well, my son.”

With that, my mother left. I stared off into space. Yeah, I never knew my parents at all. Not really. I resolved to change that. This time around, I would be a better son to them.

However, first I needed to recover my strength. I could worry about everything else after that. So, I lied down, closed my eyes, and drifted off to sleep.