Silence filled the office as my father and I studied one another. The office’s somber atmosphere seemed to press down on me. Light from the afternoon sun streamed in from the windows behind him. The scent of sandalwood teased my nose. I maintained a nonchalant expression on my face, but this was a facade. On the inside, I felt jittery.

Ha! If I added together all the years I lived as Gabriel Sturm and Brandon Norwood, I was the same age as my father. Despite that, I still felt like a child who had been caught doing something naughty. No matter how old I was, Bryce Sturm was still my father. That would never change.

My father heaved a deep sigh.

“What am I going to do with you, Gabriel?”

“You could always send me to the Northern Annex.”

My father blinked at me in surprise.

“Why would I do that?”

I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Aren’t you going to punish me for what happened?”

Regardless of my justification, I still caused a commotion and sowed discord between my father and House Sturm’s retainers. I figured that warranted some form of punishment, even if it was just a slap on the wrist. In fact, I counted on it.

As I sat here and reported what happened to my father, it occurred to me that I could turn this situation to my advantage. House Sturm sent its scions to the Northern Annex as a form of punishment, or to confine those who had fallen out of favor. Either one applied to me. I figured it would be easy to convince my father to send me there.

The Northern Annex was the perfect place to train. While I had resolved to tell my parents the truth about my transmigration and rebirth in order to ease their suspicions towards me, I still needed to be careful.

Everyone knew about my shattered magic circle. Training and forming my mana core would attract the wrong kind of attention, the kind that brought trouble. I wanted to avoid that as much as possible. In fact, my parents could aid me in that, another reason to tell them the truth. I just needed the right opportunity.

“Gabriel, I’m not going to punish you for this incident,” my father said. “I have no reason to. You did nothing wrong.”

“Regardless of right or wrong,” I said. “I injured two of House Sturm’s retainers. The other retainers are bound to feel resentment towards me. By punishing me, even if it’s just for the sake of appearances, will dispel that resentment.”

My father’s expression darkened.

“No.”

It was my turn to blink at him in surprise.

“What do you mean, no?”

“I am not punishing you for defending yourself. If any of House Sturm’s retainers resent you for that, then they are not worthy of serving our House.” My father gave me a strange look. “Just what kind of father do you think I am?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer that. I didn’t know my father as well as I thought I did during my first life, so there were many things I was uncertain about. He loved me, I knew that much. However, anything beyond that was a mystery to me. The same could be said about my mother.

Rather than open that particular can of worms, I deflected the question altogether.

“Then what did you mean by your statement earlier?” I asked. “When questioned what to do with me?”

My father gave me a pained look.

“Gabriel, you almost killed yourself with your reckless actions. Your mother and I feared we would lose you. Now, not even a day after you made your recovery, you throw yourself into danger yet again. How do you think that made me feel? How do you think your mother will react when she hears of this?”

Oh. Guilt stabbed me in the heart. I hadn’t even considered that. Fuck me, I was an asshole. It never occurred to me that my parents would be worried about me since I picked a fight with someone who could break me over his knee. I knew I could handle myself, thanks to my experiences as Brandon Norwood, but the same couldn’t be said for my parents. Even if they suspected me, there was no way they could know the full truth.

“I’m sorry.” I said.

My father snorted.

“Do you mean that? Or are you saying that because you think that’s what I want to hear?”

“I mean it. I don’t regret my actions, but I do regret worrying you and causing trouble for you.”

My father looked like he didn’t know how to respond to that. He sighed again, looking tired. If my guilt was like a knife to the heart, seeing my father like this twisted that knife.

“What compelled you to pick a fight with Timothy Jeffers?” He asked. “Why didn’t you just run?”

I took a breath to steel my resolve and opened my mouth to tell him about my transmigration and rebirth. This terrified me, but he deserved to hear the truth. Both of my parents did. Whether or not they believed me was another matter altogether. I just hoped they didn’t send me off to the Church of the Sun, thinking I was possessed by a demon or an evil spirit.

However, before I could say a word, the door to my father’s office burst open. We both turned and watched as my mother rushed in with a panicked expression on her face. She wore the same light green dress from earlier.

“Gabriel!” My mother rushed to my side and grabbed me by the shoulders. “I heard about what happened! Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, Mother.”

My attempt to reassure my mother failed. She looked at the blood on my clothes and her eyes widened.

“By the gods! You’re injured.” She turned towards my father. “Bryce! Call Joanne!”

My father raised his hands in a placating gesture.

“I already did, Claire. Gabriel is fine. That isn’t his blood.”

My mother looked like she didn’t believe him and insisted on examining me herself. She only relaxed after it became clear that I wasn’t injured. Even then, she still looked worried. She took my hands in her own and focused her attention on them. Her soft hands looked dainty compared to mine. The scent of her rose and pomegranate perfume teased my nose.

“Please, be more careful.” My mother said. “Take care of this body. I can’t handle anymore heartache.”

I opened my mouth to respond, before I paused. This body. Those two words sent a chill down my spine. Well, fuck. It looked like my mother was convinced that I was possessed, or at least strongly suspected it. She didn’t believe I was her son. That… Fuck me, that hurt a lot more than I thought it would. I already knew she suspected me, but still.

I looked over at my father. He wore a grim expression on his face. It appeared that he noticed my mother’s slip of the tongue as well.

Change of plans. Prove that I wasn’t possessed by a demon or an evil spirit, and then tell my parents about my transmigration and rebirth.

“Father,” I said, “When will the priest from the Church of the Sun arrive?” I glanced at my mother. “The sooner they examine me and prove that I’m not possessed, the better.”

A tense silence fell over the office after I finished speaking. My father’s expression remained grim, while my mother’s grip on my hands tightened. She lowered her head and hid her face from me, so I couldn’t see her expression.

“When did you figure it out?” My father asked in a quiet voice.

“A little while ago.”

My father shook his head.

“It pains me to suspect you like this, but please understand our position. Your actions and behavior thus far… It’s out of character for you.”

I nodded.

“I know,” I said, “I understand. And I will explain everything. However, it’s best if I wait until after the priest from the Church of the Sun examines me. Otherwise, you won’t believe me.”

“Is it because you’re a transmigrator?” My mother asked, her voice made of steel.

I stared at her in shock.

“How do you know about that?”

My mother’s hand shot towards my neck, moving so fast that I couldn’t react in time. She grabbed me by the throat. I tried to pull back, but her fingers were like iron bars. What the hell? My mother was at the Fifth Circle, making her a powerful wizard, but she didn’t practice internal magic. How was she this strong?

Despite this, my mother took care not to hurt me. I could still breathe and talk. I just couldn’t break free from her grip.

“I don’t know who you are,” my mother said, “However, if you are some stranger who has taken over my son’s body, I will make you regret it a thousand times over.”

My mother lifted her head to look at me. She wore a vicious expression on her face, her eyes filled with killing intent. For some reason, they reminded me of Teacher’s. A suspicion bloomed in my mind, but I kept it to myself for now.

“I am Gabriel Sturm,” I said, maintaining my composure, “I am your son. The priest from the Church of the Sun will prove that.”

“We will see.”

The two of us stared at one another, neither side backing down or giving an inch.

“The priest was supposed to arrive tomorrow night.” My father interjected. “However, I will see if I can expedite this.”

My mother and I nodded, not taking our eyes off each other.

“In the meantime,” my father said, “Go to your room and stay there, Gabriel.”

“Very well, Father.” I narrowed my eyes at my mother. “Are you going to let go, or do you plan on dragging me to my room?”

My mother regarded me for a moment, before she let go of my neck.

“If you try to run,” she said, “I will hunt you down and break your legs.” She gestured to me. “I want to keep my son’s body intact, so I won’t kill you. However, I have no problem immobilizing you. Joanne is more than capable of mending a few broken bones.”

With that, she turned and left my father’s office. Hearing my own mother speaking to me as if I were a stranger stung. I understood where she was coming from, but that didn’t make it any less painful.

“Was she always this violent?” I asked, glancing at my father.

He took a moment before responding.

“Actually, she’s mellowed out over the years,” he said. “This is rather mild compared to how she used to be.”

I stared at him for several seconds, unsure of how to respond to that.

“It appears that I’m not the only one with some explaining to do.”

My father shrugged, before his expression turned troubled.

“Are you really Gabriel?” he asked. “Are you really my son?”

I nodded.

“Yes, the priest will prove it. However, I’m not the Gabriel you knew. I’m sure that was obvious by now.”

His expression grew even more troubled.

“I see.”

I stood up.

“I shall take my leave and head back to my room.”

My father nodded.

“Go. I’ll send a message when the priest arrives.”

With that, I left my father’s office and headed back to my room.