My father’s office looked much the same as before. Not that surprising, since it hadn’t been long since I was last here. The scent of sandalwood still lingered in the air. I made a mental note to find the source. Otherwise, my curiosity would drive me up the wall. Curtains covered the windows behind my father’s desk. The now-lit glowstone lamps filled the office with warm yellow light.

When Caitlyn and I arrived, we found three people waiting for us. They occupied the small sitting area located at the corner of the office. My parents sat on one side of the small coffee table, while a man sat on the other side.

I knew this man. There was no need for introductions. His name was Darius Ward. He looked middle-aged, though I knew he was older, with short salt-and-pepper, a trimmed beard, and eyes the color of amber. His tanned skin was even darker than Leroy and Caitlyn’s, suggesting he came from the southern end of the continent. Despite his age, he looked hale and hearty.

He was also a Grand Priest of the Church of the Sun. It was a high rank, just below the Voice of the Sun, the head of the church as a whole. In terms of status, he was my father’s equal.

The Church of the Sun, and its counterpart in the Lunarian Kingdom, occupied a strange position on Luminian society. They weren’t House scions or minor nobles, yet they weren’t considered commoners. This was because they were the emissaries of the gods and wielded Holy magic. Technically, it wasn’t magic at all. It was a divine power granted by the gods. However, since it worked in a similar manner to magic, people just lumped them in together.

Unlike wizardry or martial arts, which required being an Awakened, anyone could join the Church of the Sun and gain Holy magic. It came from an outside source rather than something a person was born with. Well, okay. Not just anyone could join the Church of the Sun. They had standards.

Grand Priest Darius had been an ally of House Sturm for generations, and I had known him my entire life. Well, not counting the years I lived on Earth. Regardless, seeing Grand Priest Darius again filled me with joy. He was the closest thing I had to a grandfather. My paternal grandparents died before I was born, and my maternal grandparents cut ties with my mother a long time ago.

After Caitlyn and I entered the office, my parents turned to look at me. My father wore his usual stern expression, while my mother regarded me with an icy look in her eyes. I greeted them with a nod each, before turning my attention to Grand Priest Darius. I gave him a slight bow.

“Greetings, Grand Priest Darius. It is good to see you again.”

He chuckled.

“No need for formalities, Lord Gabriel. Not between us.”

He gave me a gentle smile. I gave him one in return.

“Now then, I assume you know why I’m here?” Grand Priest Darius asked.

I nodded, before glancing at my parents.

“Yes, I’m glad you’re here. The sooner we clear the air, the better.”

My father’s expression remained the same, while my mother narrowed her eyes at me. If the tension in the air bothered Grand Priest Darius, he didn’t let it show.

“In that case,” he said, “Come sit next to me.”

I walked over and sat in the chair beside his. Caitlyn took position behind my mother. I looked around and frowned. There were two people missing.

“Where is Trent?” I asked.

My father’s bodyguard wasn’t in the office. At first I thought he was in some corner, staying out of sight. However, I saw no sign of him at all, which I found odd. The man was like my father’s shadow. I almost never saw the two apart.

“Considering the circumstances,” my father said. “I decided it was best if Trent wasn’t here.”

I nodded. It was clear that whatever was going on with my mother, Trent wasn’t clued in on it.

“And what about Kaya?” I asked Grand Priest Darius. “Why isn’t she here?”

Kaya Deadman was Grand Priest Darius’ aide. The specific details of her role depended on the situation. Sometimes she protected him as his bodyguard, sometimes she assisted him in his work, and sometimes she kept him out of trouble as his babysitter. I had known her for as long as I had known Grand Priest Darius. The two of us met whenever he visited Sturm Manor.

“Kaya doesn’t know I’m here.” Grand Priest Darius said, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “When I received your father’s message and realized the urgency of the matter, I snuck out and rushed over here.”

I gave him a pained look.

“Kaya isn’t going to be happy when she finds out.”

Grand Priest Darius shrugged, before grinning at me.

“If she finds out. That is a risk I am willing to take.”

“Enough stalling.” My mother snapped. “Let’s get this over with.”

Grand Priest Darius and I glanced at her, before looking at one another again. His expression turned serious.

“Very well. Let us begin. May I see your hand, Lord Gabriel?”

I nodded, before holding my hand out to him. He grabbed it with both of his hands. They felt rough, but warm. The sensation filled me with nostalgia. When I was a child, I used to fall asleep while Grand Priest Darius held me, his hand caressing my head. It saddened me that we reunited with one another under these circumstances.

A moment later, I felt Grand Priest Darius’ Holy magic enter my body. It also felt warm. The Holy magic filled my entire body, before touching upon my soul. It was an uncomfortable sensation, though not an unfamiliar one. Back on Earth, in my attempts to locate Lumina, I met with a priest of a god of travel. I let that priest examine my soul, hoping it could provide clues. Unfortunately, this didn’t pan out.

Grand Priest Darius spent the next half hour examining my soul. When he finished, he withdrew his Holy magic and regarded me with a frown on his face. I sneaked a glance at my parents. They held each other's' hand, clenching so hard that their knuckles turned white.

“He is not possessed,” Grand Priest Darius said, “Nor is he a stranger who transmigrated into your son’s body. He is your son, Gabriel Sturm.”

My parents stared at him in shock, their eyes wide. A moment later, my father let out a relieved sigh. My mother, on the other hand, stared at Grand Priest Darius in disbelief.

“That can’t be!” She said. “He acts nothing like Gabriel!”

I raised an eyebrow at her.

“You mean a miserable wretch filled with anger and resentment?”

My mother shot a glare at me, before focusing her attention on Grand Priest Darius.

“Are you sure? What if you made a mistake?”

Grand Priest Darius nodded, a solemn expression on his face.

“I am sure.” He said. “I recognize his soul. Remember, I examined him right after he was born.”

Grand Priest Darius examined my soul after I was born? Why? To see if I was a transmigrator or not? That seemed plausible. If so, that implied that the people of Lumina knew more about transmigration than I realized. Or at least my parents and Grand Priest Darius did.

“This is your son.” My mother opened her mouth to say something, but Grand Priest Darius raised a hand to forestall her. “However, according to the records I consulted, his soul shows signs of transmigration.”

My mother’s jaw dropped.

“But you said there weren’t any!”

Grand Priest Darius nodded.

“When I examined Lord Gabriel right after his birth, yes.” He glanced at me. “However, it appears that has changed. If we want answers, I suggest we ask the young man himself.”

Everyone looked at me. I crossed my arms and frowned at them.

“Only if you tell me how you know about transmigration.” I gestured to my mother. “And about how you know martial arts. Conversation goes both ways.”

My mother didn’t deny the fact that she knew martial arts. Instead, she looked at me with a complicated expression on her face, as if she couldn’t decide between strangling me and hugging me. Well, this was better than the iciness and killing intent from before.

“Claire,” my father said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it, “You heard Grand Priest Darius. He is our son. While he may not be the same, he is still Gabriel. He deserves to know the truth.”

My mother sighed, before she rubbed her face with her free hand.

“Fine.” She said, sounding tired. “I still don’t fully believe it, but fine. At this point, those old farts from the alliance council have no room to complain.”

“If they try, tell them to speak with me.” Grand Priest Darius said, grinning. “I’ll set them straight.”

My mother gave him a grateful smile. I looked between the two of them. What were they talking about? What alliance council? As much as I wanted to ask, I reigned in my curiosity for now. First, I needed to tell my parents the truth. Well, there was also Grand Priest Darius and Caitlyn, but mostly my parents.

It proved more difficult than I anticipated, at least at first. Telling my parents that I died and reincarnated on another world, before dying and coming back, sounded like insanity. From the expressions on their faces, they thought so as well. However, once I got started, it became easier.

I told my story in broad brush strokes, saving the finer details for a later time. When I finished, everyone stared at me with varying expressions on their faces. My mother looked like she didn’t believe me. Sorrow filled my father’s eyes. Grand Priest Darius stroked his beard, a thoughtful expression on his face. Caitlyn imitated a stone statue. I couldn’t get a read on her at all.

As soon as I finished speaking, my mother turned towards Grand Priest Darius.

“Are you sure he is my son?”

Grand Priest Darius let out an exasperated sigh.

“For the last time, yes.”

“His story does explain everything,” my father said. “While Gabriel is different from before, he still acts like, well, Gabriel.”

My mother opened and closed her mouth several times, before she managed to say something.

“But it’s ludicrous!”

“On that we agree.” I said. “I still don’t understand what happened, and I experienced it.”

My mother looked at me with a desperate expression on her face.

“It can’t be true,” she said. “If it was, then that means…”

She trailed off and closed her eyes. My father embraced her from the side.

“He is alive.” He said. “That is all that matters.”

Oh. I understood now. My mother didn’t want to believe my story. If she did, she would have to accept the fact that I died. Twice.

I stood up and walked over, before crouching in front of my mother. Caitlyn twitched when she saw this, but otherwise didn’t react. My mother opened her eyes and looked at me. Uncertainty filled her gaze. I took her free hand and pressed it against my cheek.

“Regardless of what happened, I am here now, Mother,” I said. “I am back. I am home.”

My mother’s lips trembled and she pressed her forehead against mine. She was short enough that this wasn’t difficult for her.

“Gabriel.” She whispered. “My baby.”

We stayed like that for a long while.