When Leroy and I returned to the House Sturm townhouse, I prepared a set of rooms for Evelynn and Everard. Rather, I ordered the servants to prepare a set of rooms for them. Afterwards, I met with Mother and reported what happened.

"Good," she said. "We're in desperate need of manpower." She sighed. "Things will get better once we arrive at Sturm Hill Hall and can start recruiting more people."

Rather than recruit a bunch of people and then head over to Sturm Hill Hall, we decided to go to Sturm Hill Hall first and then bring people over.

"Of course, things would go much faster if you joined Caitlyn and I," Mother continued, giving me a pointed look.

"You know why I can't," I said.

Mother sighed.

"I do," she said. "Still, it's a bit frustrating."

A little while ago, I explained to Father and Mother my deal with Crawford and why I needed to go to Eastwatch. They weren't happy with me, but they understood why I did it. At the time, saving Harvey took priority. Nor did they try and convince me to renege on my word, which I appreciated.

Of course, during my explanation, I left out everything to do with regression and the First Timeline. I still believed that telling them the truth was the best course of action, but Kaylee disagreed. Since it was her secret, I decided to respect her wishes and kept my mouth shut.

After meeting with Mother, I decided to get some more training in. It was still morning and there was plenty of time before the twins arrived this evening. However, along the way, I ran into Harvey.

"Big Bro," he said. "Can I speak with you?"

I took a moment to look Harvey over. While he had recovered from his ordeal, he looked a little worse for wear. His eyes were red and swollen, and his shoulders were slumped, as if he carried a heavy burden.

"Are you alright?" I asked, feeling a little guilty.

I had been busy these past few days, so I ended up neglecting Harvey.

"Ye-" Harvey started to say, before shaking his head. "No. My family visited earlier this morning, and I told them about my decision to maintain ties with House Sturm."

His tone suggested that the conversation hadn't gone well.

"Come on," I said. "Let's go talk in my room."

I brought Harvey to my room and sat him down at my desk, before I ordered a maid to bring us some tea.

"How did the talk with your family go?" I asked, though I could already guess the answer.

"Better than expected," Harvey said, flashing me a smile. "I managed to convince my parents. They were reluctant, but accepted my decision in the end." His smile faded away. "Isaac on the other hand…"

He trailed off.

"He's still angry about what happened?" I guessed.

Harvey hesitated before answering.

"No," he said, his voice cracking. "Maybe." He shook his head. "I don't know."

At that moment, the maid arrived with the tea tray. She put it down and bowed, before leaving. I made two cups of tea and handed one to Harvey.

"Here," I said. "This will help."

Harvey nodded in thanks before taking a sip.

"Isaac accused me of putting on airs," he said in a calmer voice.

I blinked at him in surprise.

"Really now?" I asked, frowning.

Harvey nodded. He stared into his tea cup, holding it with both hands.

"Isaac said that I didn't know my place and that I shouldn't overreach. We were commoners. We had no place in House affairs. When I tried to refute him, he said that I always thought I was better than everyone else. Our parents tried to intervene, but he wouldn't listen. He stormed out and they followed after him."

I made a noncommittal noise, before taking a sip of my tea. It smelled and tasted a little floral.

It sounded to me that Isaac was jealous of Harvey. I could see why. First, Harvey got accepted into the Solarian Imperial Academy, and now House Sturm wanted to sponsor him. As someone who went through something similar with Kaylee, I understood where he came from. However, that neither excused nor justified his words.

"Is… Is he right, Big Bro?" Harvey asked, looking up at me. "Am I putting on airs? Am I forgetting my place?"

I snorted, before I reached over and ruffled his hair.

"Of course not," I said. "You earned your place in the Solarian Imperial Academy and proved yourself. That's why I wanted to sponsor you in the first place. As I said before, I need capable people like you by my side. Yes, you're young right now, but time will take care of that."

Harvey bit his lip.

"But what if I can't do that… Martial arts you mentioned?" he asked.

I shrugged.

"It doesn't matter," I said. "I wanted you for your mind and your friendship. If you have a talent for martial arts, then that would be a bonus." I paused. "Would you like me to check? I didn't before since you were still recovering, but it should be fine now."

Harvey looked at me, hope and fear in his eyes.

"Yes, please!"

"Alright, sit up straight and relax."

Harvey put his cup of tea on my desk, before obeying my words. I placed my cup on the desk as well, before I walked behind him and put my hands on his back. To test Harvey's potential for martial arts, I needed to insert mana into his body and circulate it through his mana veins.

The amount of resistance I faced, or rather the lack thereof, determined his talent and potential. Less was better in this case. If I couldn't circulate my mana through his mana veins, then he had no talent for martial arts at all.

This was similar to how wizards tested for magical potential, but martial artists used different methods and different pathways. That was one of the reasons why talent with magic was often incompatible with talent for martial arts, and vice versa.

"Ready?" I asked.

Harvey nodded. With his assent, I sent my mana into his body and circulated it through his mana veins, taking care not to hurt him. I felt a great deal of resistance, but the fact that I could circulate my mana at all was a good sign.

I also got a feel for Harvey's elemental affinities, or affinity in this case. Water. This meant that he could practice the Mist Sword style, but he wouldn't be very good at it. The style was meant for Water and Air. Hmm, I might have to pick something else for him.

After going through a few more circulations, I retracted my mana and pulled my hands away.

"That felt good," Harvey said, sounding surprised. He looked back at me. "Does this mean…?"

He trailed off, unable to finish his question. I gave him a reassuring smile.

"Yes," I said. "You have a talent for martial arts." My smile faded away. "However, you don't have much potential. At most, you'll reach Third Star. That's equivalent to Third Circle."

It didn't matter to me, but I hoped Harvey wouldn't be too disappointed by this. Third Star wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. Average, in other words. However, to my surprise, Harvey didn't seem disappointed at all. Instead, his face blossomed with joy.

"This is amazing!" he said.

With that, he stood up and hugged me. I chuckled, before returning his hug.

So what if Harvey would only reach Third Star? For someone like him, just becoming an Awakened was a huge step forward.

"We should celebrate," I said. "What about a makeover?" I looked Harvey up and down. "Yes, that will do."

Harvey looked at me in confusion.

"A makeover?" he asked. "What does that mean?"

"It means you're getting a new look and a new wardrobe."

Harvey shook his head, a frantic expression on his face.

"That isn't necessary, Big Bro," he said.

I placed my hand on his shoulder and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Yes, it is," I said. "You're one of my people now. Your actions and your appearance reflect on me. So, I need you to look your best. Right now, you look… Shabby."

Harvey hesitated, before nodding.

"Okay, I'll follow your lead," he said, still sounding a little unsure. "So, what do we need to do for this makeover?"

I grinned at him.

"Let's go see my mother," I said. "She's an expert at this sort of thing."

With that, I grabbed Harvey's hand and dragged him out of the room. Our tea cups remained on my desk, forgotten.

When I told Mother that I wanted to give Harvey a makeover, and explained what that meant, she grew excited at the idea. So much so, that she barely noticed when I told her that Harvey had the potential to become a Third Star martial artist.

Since I planned on having him join Clan Sturm, this meant that we would have one more warrior. Of course, Harvey's mind and academic prowess overshadowed his martial arts potential. Best of all, after he became a martial artist, he would be able to fight back against any bullies that dared to target him.

Mother had the servants clean Harvey up. In the meantime, Mother and I focused on finding new clothes for him, to let everyone know that he belonged to House(Clan) Sturm.

Rather than go out ourselves, we sat in the drawing room and perused several catalogs for nearby clothing stores, including stores in Sunheart Undercity. We wanted to give Harvey Luminian style outfits as well as some First Murim robes, since he would have to interact with both sides. We even decided to buy him a few new pairs of stylish glasses.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

After Mother and I made our choices, we sent some people to pick up the clothing. The glasses would have to wait, since the lenses needed to be custom made for Harvey in particular.

The servants finished with Harvey a little after noon and brought him to the drawing room. My jaw dropped when I saw the new and improved version of him. In all honesty, the servants hadn't done much. All they did was give him a hair cut. However, that made a world of difference.

Before, Harvey's hair looked like a rat's nest that covered half his face. The servants cut most of it off, revealing his features. Harvey looked handsome, in a scholarly sort of way, especially with those gray eyes of his. If he styled his hair right and wore appropriate clothing, he'd attract quite a lot of interest. And he hadn't finished growing up yet. He'd become even more handsome after he reached adulthood.

Harvey fidgeted in place as he stood there in the drawing room.

"How do I look?" he asked, more than a little nervous.

"You are not allowed to let your hair grow out again," Mother said in a firm tone.

I nodded.

"I agree," I said. "You look much better this way."

"Really?" Harvey asked, uncertain.

"Of course," Mother said. "We'd never lie to you about something like this." She frowned. "It makes me wonder why you didn't cut your hair before now."

Harvey shrugged.

"I never saw the need," he said. "My father and my older brother never cut their hair, so I followed their example."

Mother pursed her lips.

"Did your mother forbid your father from cutting his hair?" she asked.

I raised an eyebrow at her, while Harvey looked confused.

"I don't think so?" he said, turning it into a question. "She never mentioned it, so I don't know."

"Nevermind then," Mother said with a knowing smile on her lips. "Forget I said anything."

Harvey glanced at me. I gave him a slight of my head. While I had an inkling of what my mother was thinking, I didn't see the point in bringing it up.

"Come on," I said, standing up. "Let's go see the others."

Harvey shirked back.

"Is that necessary?" he asked.

I shrugged.

"You'll have to face them sooner or later," I said. "Why not get it out of the way now?" I grinned at him. "Besides, you have nothing to worry about. Trust me."

Harvey swallowed and nodded.

"Okay, if you say so, Big Bro," he said. "I'll follow your lead."

Right at that moment, the door to the drawing room opened and Kaylee walked in.

"Mother, are you-" she started to say, but stopped when she caught sight of Harvey.

She stared at him in surprise.

"What do you think?" I asked. "He looks different without all that hair, doesn't he?"

Kaylee didn't answer and just stared at Harvey with a shocked expression on her face. For a moment, I thought I smelled the faint scent of ozone in the air, though I didn't know if my mind was playing tricks on me.

Several moments later, Kaylee turned around and left the drawing room, slamming the door shut behind her. Mother and I shared a look, confused by Kaylee's behavior.

"Do you think she hated my new look?" Harvey asked, anxious.

"I don't know," I said with a frown. "Let me go after her."

My intuition warned me that there was more to Kaylee's behavior than met the eye. So, I left the drawing room and chased after her. As I left, I heard Mother giving reassurances to Harvey. Thankfully, my sister hadn't gone too far, so I caught up to her in no time.

"Kaylee, what's wro-"

Before I could finish my question, Kaylee grabbed my arm and pulled me through a nearby doorway. We ended up in a music room, which caught me off guard. I didn't know we had one of those. It was filled with all sorts of musical instruments, though they were all covered in thick canvas tarps. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, giving the music room an almost ethereal atmosphere.

Kaylee looked up at me with a conflicted expression on her race. The smell of ozone was much more obvious now. My mind hadn't played tricks on me earlier.

"Did you know?" Kaylee demanded.

I blinked at her in surprise.

"Did I know what?" I asked.

"Did you know that Harvey was the Spider?"

My confusion deepened.

"Who?"

Kaylee closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The smell of ozone faded away.

"No," she said in a quiet voice, as if to herself. "Of course you didn't."

I frowned and crossed my arms.

"Kaylee, what's going on?" I asked. "Who is the Spider?"

Given my sister's reaction, I suspected it was related to the First Timeline.

"In the First Timeline," Kaylee said, opening her eyes. "We encountered a number of particularly dangerous fiends. The Spider was one of them." She paused. "Think of him as the fiendish version of Crawford. He was an excellent spy and strategist. His personal strength was lacking, but we always found him difficult to deal with despite this."

I raised an eyebrow at Kaylee.

"And you think Harvey was this Spider?" I asked.

Kaylee scowled at me.

"I don't think he was the Spider," she said. "I know he was." She gestured toward the drawing room. "While he looks younger now, I'd recognize him anywhere." She shook her head. "I just wish I had recognized him earlier. Otherwise, I would've told you not to sponsor him."

I scoffed.

"Why not?" I asked.

Kaylee gave me a serious look.

"The Spider hates-hated the Houses and House scions," she said. "While he helped the demons invade Lumina, he focused on destroying the Houses and killing scions. So much so that he sometimes even abandoned other objectives to accomplish this. Keeping someone like that around is a bad idea."

I took a moment before responding.

"Harvey isn't the Spider," I said. "Not yet at least. In fact, considering how much I've interfered with his life, I don't think he will become the Spider." I shrugged. "Regardless, I don't plan on judging him on who he became and what he did during the First Timeline. In this one, he is a shy fourteen year-old boy with low confidence, not a dangerous fiend."

Kaylee gave me a frustrated look.

"But-" she started to say, but I cut her off.

"I understand where you're coming from," I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "This isn't me dismissing your concerns. Believe me. They just give me more reason to keep Harvey by my side. Once you take a moment to think about it, you'll understand why."

Kaylee clenched her jaw and didn't respond right away.

"You want to keep him close to keep an eye on him," she said.

I nodded.

"That's one reason," I said. "If we see signs that Harvey is becoming the Spider again, we'll take action to prevent it. If worse comes to worse, we'll eliminate him before he becomes a threat."

Though I hoped it didn't come to that. Harvey was my friend and I didn't want to lose him. The mere thought of killing him made my heart ache. In a worst case scenario, I would do everything in my power to save him first.

"I also want to prevent Harvey from becoming the Spider," I continued. "From what you said, I think I know why he turned out that way, at least in part. He endured a lot of bullying while at the Solarian Imperial Academy. Anyone in his shoes would hate the Houses." I gestured between us. "However, thanks to our intervention, that won't happen anymore. In fact, Harvey can become a great ally for our cause. I mean, his mind was one of the reasons why I wanted to sponsor him in the first place. Finding out his identity in the First Timeline just makes me want him more." I grinned at Kaylee. "Why not take the enemy's strength and make it our own?"

Kaylee studied me for several moments, before she sighed.

"You're right," she said with a vulnerable expression on her face. "I was too… Impulsive. When it comes to the First Timeline, I can be a little emotional."

I gave her a sympathetic smile.

"After what you endured, I don't think anyone can blame you for that," I said. "Besides, I'm the last person who should judge you for being impulsive and emotional."

Kaylee nodded.

"Can I get a hug?" she asked in a small voice.

I pulled her into my arms and held her tight.

"Of course," I said in a gentle voice. "You don't even need to ask."

The two of us stayed like that for a while, neither one of us saying a word. By the time Kaylee pulled away, she had regained her composure.

"Thank you, Gabriel," she said in a business-like tone. "I apologize for the unseemly display you just witnessed."

I snorted.

"There's no need to apologize," I said. "I'm your older brother. Comforting my younger sister comes with the territory."

Kaylee scoffed.

"Yes, but I'm more mature than you," she said. "I shouldn't have to rely on you for comfort and support."

I gave her a flabbergasted look.

"No, you're not!" I said. "We're mentally the same age." I paused. "No, I'm still a little older than you."

Kaylee smirked.

"Not quite," she said. "Maturity is about experience. We may have lived the same number of years, but I'm more experienced than you. I lived a full life, from childhood to adulthood. You lived through two childhoods and a short adulthood. When it comes to maturity, it's not even a competition."

"What kind of twisted logic is that?" I asked.

"The kind that proves I'm better than you."

I rolled my eyes, before flicking Kaylee on the forehead.

"Brat," I said in a fond tone.

Kaylee rubbed the spot I flicked and glared at me with an aggrieved expression on her face.

"I'm telling Mother that you hit me," she said, pouting.

I put my arm around her shoulder and led her out of the music room.

"While you do that, give Harvey a compliment or two," I said. "Help me build up his confidence."

"Fine," Kaylee said. "But you owe me. He was a former enemy, after all."

"Deal."

With that, the two of us headed back to the drawing room.

Later on that evening, Evelynn and Everard arrived at the House Sturm townhouse. Settling them in took a little while, since they were eager to explore the place. Herding them along took a lot of time and effort. There were several times when I turned away for a moment, only to find them gone when I turned back. By some miracle, I managed to get them to their rooms.

Afterwards, I decided to throw a small party, to celebrate Clan Sturm's first disciples. It wasn't anything big or special, just a small gathering with all of my friends, at least the ones staying at the House Sturm townhouse. This also served Harvey's introduction to the world of Murim, since almost everyone there was a martial artist, with Kaylee being the only exception.

I invited Mother but she declined, saying she wanted to spend some alone time with Father.

I also took this opportunity to introduce Harvey to the twins, since they would be working together a lot in the near future. To my delight, the three of them got along well.

At first I thought that the twins might be condescending and dismissive of Harvey, since he was a commoner who was new to Murim. However, I needn't have worried. Instead, the twins befriended him with the same enthusiasm that they applied to everything else.

When they first saw him, the twins embraced Harvey and almost knocked him over. While Harvey was hesitant and shy at first, their cheerfulness and warmth won him over. After a while, he grew comfortable around them. In fact, I think he enjoyed how affectionate the twins were. It was like watching a small puppy being coddled by two larger puppies. However, I stayed near them just in case Harvey needed rescuing.

As for the others, Leroy, Andre, and Richard were in the middle of some kind of card game. I didn't understand the rules, but it looked interesting. Kaylee was in the middle of a whispered discussion with Lorelei and Corrie. The three of them often broke out into giggles. A part of me wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation, but I decided to respect their privacy.

The night took an interesting turn when a servant approached Kaylee and whispered something in her ear. Kaylee looked surprised and delighted, which caught my attention. My sister caught my eye and gestured for me to follow her. The two of us left the party and headed towards the townhouse's front entrance.

"What's going on?" I asked as soon as we were alone. "Is something wrong?"

"Cally is here," Kaylee said, brimming with excitement.

That took me by surprise.

"She is?!" I asked. "Why? How?" I paused. "You invited her, didn't you?"

"I did," Kaylee said. "However, she's early. I didn't expect her to arrive for another few weeks." She frowned. "I hope nothing's wrong."

"So do I."

The two of us reached the front entrance, where we found Cally waiting for us. She wore a traveling outfit and carried a single bag with her. It looked like she arrived here alone, which I found odd. I thought Lord Icefall would at least send a retainer or two to accompany her. At least she looked fine, if a little disheveled, which calmed the anxiety in my heart.

"Cally!" Kaylee shouted, before rushing towards her.

"Kaylee!"

Cally met my sister halfway and the two embraced one another. I stood off to the side, not wanting to intrude on their reunion. Several minutes later, the two of them pulled apart with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces.

"What are you doing here?" Kaylee asked, wiping her eyes. "I'm glad to see you again, but I didn't expect you to arrive so soon."

Cally wore a self-deprecating smile.

"I ran away from home," she said.

Kaylee and I stared at her.

"What?!" Kaylee exclaimed.

Cally sighed.

"It's a long story," she said. "Can we go somewhere more private?"

Kaylee and I shared a look.

"Sure," I said. "It's good to see you again, Cally. Welcome to our residence in Sunheart."

Cally smiled at me.

"It's good to see you too, Gabriel. Thank you."

Kaylee grasped Cally's hand.

"Come on," she said.

With that, the three of us headed off to talk in private.

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