Joram turned around as he stood up again with pj’s in hand, to see Tillia sitting up in bed, staring at him wide-eyed, a blush infusing her alabaster cheeks.

He looked down at his far-from-mature body, then back up at Tillia. Even with his growth spurt, he was far from impressive.

“Haven’t you been changing and bathing me for almost two years now?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at her reaction.

If anything, her face got redder, steam practically coming off her head as she quickly turned around to stare at the far wall.

“Well, that was before you declared me your ‘woman’,” she said quickly, then seemed to regret it as she buried her face into her hands.

“Ah, well, then we must be chaste then,” he replied with a smile, then quickly slipped his pj’s on to cover himself. Looking over at Tillia again, he spotted his aura shroud ring still laying on the floor, so he concentrated for a moment, using [Telekinesis] to bring it to his hand, where he slipped it on once again.

“So,” he started cheerily, “what’s for breakfast?”

Tillia took a quick peek at him from the corner of her eye, and seeing him now dressed, hopped out of bed and made her way over to him, seemingly glad for the change of subject.

“Ah, that completely slipped my mind,” she said, cleared her throat, then took the lead. “The kitchens made up some of those pan-cakes that are so popular these days, as well as some bacon,” she explained as they left his family’s apartments.

It didn’t take them long to get to the communal dining hall where they were then served their meals, all the while listening to people telling him how glad they were to see him up and about and expressing their well-wishes for his future health.

He supposed that Grammy had spread the word that he’d come down with something or another, so he played along, thanking everyone for their care and well-wishes.

Joram got more than a few side-eyes directed his way, as people tried to figure out what was up, or something else, but he didn’t let it bother him.

He’d spent months not eating, so he took it slow so that he wouldn’t get sick. But funny enough, his stomach felt OK with the food going in, even after a short break from eating to let his stomach realize how much he’d packed in.

Maybe they fed me while I was out? Yeah, probably that, as I haven’t exactly shared anything about [Sustenance] with them…

It wound up being a pleasant breakfast, even with the constant interruptions from the well-wishers and stickybeaks. They didn’t exactly have maple syrup, but what they did have was something a bit similar but had a bit of a cinnamon-y taste to it. They also provided several other syrups derived from various fruits and berries, as well as a host of jams.

The “bacon” was even cooked to crispiness for him, for which he was very grateful. He’d never been one to like chewing the fat, and having it cooked to crispiness made it much better. Besides that, they served some scones, fresh sliced fruits, juice, and tea.

Hmmm, have to work on cinnamon rolls and various flavoured scones with Grammy, he thought as he stuffed a butter-laden scone into his mouth. Tillia tsk’d his lack of etiquette, but otherwise left him alone; likely due to finally seeing him eat something for the first time in months.

Near the end, word seemed to have gotten to Xixi, for she slid to a stop outside the open doors to the hall, then took off again at a dead sprint, straight at him.

He quickly hopped down so that she wouldn’t tackle him in his chair and cause a ruckus, then sent her an invitation to the Network as she passed the halfway mark to him.

He smiled as she immediately accepted the invitation, then decided not to fully brace for the tackle-hug that was coming his way. Reason number one being that he didn’t want to potentially hurt Xixi when she collided with a solid object, and the second reason being that he didn’t want anyone to suspect his true cultivation due to him taking a flying tackle-hug like an oak tree.

So it was that Xixi made contact, brining them both down to the floor in an impressive arc through the air. He was simply impressed, but also a bit sore from the two impacts. But happy as well. He hadn’t realized how lonely it felt to have a mostly empty Network. Well, not like it had ever been full yet, but going from having five people to none was a bit of a change. Now he had three people, so it was starting to feel a bit better. Like having people living in a huge mansion with you instead of living there all by yourself.

“I missed you!” Xixi sobbed into his chest as she clung to him as though he was a life raft, and she was in a turbulent storm way out at sea.

“I missed you too,” he said, hugging her back, though careful not to squeeze too hard. It was doubly hard, because he’d grown up in a family where the men didn’t give normal hugs, but instead gave bear hugs. Now, that wouldn’t have been bad if his family was the average North American family. No, they were all old, Austrian, farmers. None of them were below six feet, nor less than fifty inches around the chest. Nor were they flabby…

Anyways, that all contributed to his overabundance of caution when hugging people, no matter who it was. And since he was now in the Third Tier, and also having started refining his body, well, all the more reason to be careful.

After a few more minutes of being tackle-hugged, they got up, hand-in-hand, and sat back at his table. Aunt Aloralla had joined the table, sitting to Tillia’s left, while Joram enjoyed sitting to her right, with Xixi on the other side.

“How are you feeling, Joram?” Aunt Aloralla asked as he took a cup of tea.

“I’m going good,” he said with a smile, then stuffed another slice of bacon in his mouth, chewing happily.

“That’s good to hear,” she said after a sip of tea. “I’m glad that you’ll be able to accompany Xiora again, as she’s done nothing but pout these last months.” She finished with a mock-glare at her daughter, but still had a twinkle in her eye.

For her part, Xixi made a face right back at her mother, though it was probably due to the glare she received as she was unapologetic about her affection towards Joram.

The rest of breakfast went by quickly, Xixi heading off to her own lessons, while Tillia shepherded him off to see the Matriarch.

‘Any idea what she wants?’ He asked as they approached Grammy’s rooms.

There was a pause before she replied, likely due to her still getting the hang of speaking over the Network.

‘No, but I’m sure that it’s important,’ she replied with a light shrug.

Whenever Grammy summoned him, she would never respond to his questioning her what it was about over the Network. Only when he showed up in person did she reveal what she wanted.

When they arrived, there was no attendant to be seen. So, after they exchanged glances briefly, Tillia knocked on the door, then stood still as a statue.

Which was a bit odd. Did she think that she had gotten into trouble for something? Judging by her slow and shallow breathing, she seemed to be suppressing a bit of a panic response.

He didn’t have to wonder long, as the call for them to enter came almost right away, causing Tillia to jump slightly before reaching for the door.

Once inside, Joram continued on to where Grammy sat in her customary chair, Tillia following close behind. This time, however, there were no chairs beside hers, but instead they were placed in front of her.

Curiouser and curiouser, he thought as he mentally stroked his non-existent beard.

He hopped into the chair on the left, which was to Grammy’s right, as Tillia quickly bowed and stood by her chair. Grammy nodded back, the indicated that Tillia should sit. She sat.

Grammy regarded them for a few minutes, face calm and unreadable. He was used to this by now, needing to wait as she examined them before speaking. He suspected that it was a habit she’d developed after having used the technique to make someone with a guilty conscience squirm. Classic patent tactic, right there.

Tillia, however, wasn’t used to being silently stared at by the Matriarch, as was evident by the slight perspiration forming on her brow. He checked with his perception and found that her back was already soaked.

Just what is she so nervous about? He wondered as he, too, began to watch her, though he used his field of perception to do so. No need to melt the poor girl’s brain after all.

By the time Tillia looked like she was about to crack under the strain, Grammy finally spoke up.

“It seems that young Joram has taken a fancy to you.”

He groaned inwardly as Grammy’s words hit Tillia like a freight train. She visibly paled, which was impressive given her already fair complexion, and nearly swooned right then and there.

“Yes, Grammy, I like her. Please don’t break her brain,” he said to interrupt Grammy’s little bit of sadistic pleasure. Well, maybe that was a bit unkind, but he certainly understood wanting to protect your family any way you could. In this case, make them sweat so hard they passed out. Or so it seemed.

Grammy turned a frosty look at him, which was about as effective as dumping water on a duck. After a moment, she relented, her poker face finally melting away to reveal a bit of amusement.

“Yes, well, I did need to be sure,” she said dismissively, then turned back to Tillia. “But in all seriousness, you are now privy to one of the most carefully guarded secrets of the Clan. I trust that I can depend on your good judgement and discretion regarding this?”

Tillia tried to say “yes”, but instead a squeak came out, so she just nodded vigorously, causing the accumulated sweat on her brow to roll down and sting her eyes.

Joram sighed, timed his use of [Cleanse] to her blinking, then released the power, eradicating the sweat in her eyes and cleaning the rest of it away, leaving pure water behind.

Both Tillia and Grammy started at that, then turned to stare at him.

“What?” He asked, giving them a flat look.

“You didn’t use your ring,” Grammy said, fixing him with a look so sharp he wondered if it could be used to give him a haircut.

“No, no I did not.”

Grammy sighed while Tillia stared at him. It was understandable, as [Cleanse] was normally a Level 2 spell that only someone who’d stepped into Tier 3 could cast. Well, one could only start using mana externally at Tier 3, that’s why. That said, he’d read a tome where the spell had been recorded and realized at that time just how complicated spellcasting was here.

The Tiers for cultivation were easy enough to follow, but the levels of spells were a whole different matter. While you could start using mana externally once you reached the Third Tier, the spell levels started there. So, a Level 1 spell was the base-level spell for a Tier 3 Mage. He didn’t know why or how that convention started, but it was very annoying. Everything that could be used before reaching Tier 3 was considered a Level 0 spell due to only being able to direct mana internally, and thus only being able to affect oneself.

That said, using [Cleanse] as a power was dead simple for him, but was currently impossible for him to do with mana. He really needed to figure out how to adapt everything to his new… physique. It was going to be a pain, literally.

“So, then, it was one of your ‘powers’?”

He wasn’t sure if that was a rhetorical question, but he nodded anyways just to be sure.

She turned back to Tillia, who was still staring at Joram, then spoke.

“As you can see, young Joram is a very special case. Much is riding on his secrets being kept,” she said, locking eyes with Tillia when she turned back to look at Grammy. “I will require a Heart Oath for you to stay with Joram from here on out.”

Joram blinked at that. He’d come across references to “Heart Oaths” in his readings. If a cultivator made a Heart Oath, their very cultivation enforced it. Sure, one could make a mild one that had a lesser effect, like not being able to speak for a year if they broke the oath, but the stronger ones could kill.

“Is that really necessary, Grammy?” He asked, his brow furrowing.

She calmly turned her head to fix him with an iron stare before answering. “I don’t think you know exactly how much the Clan needs you,” she said, then turned back to continue giving Tillia The Look.

There was an extra-large gulp from Tillia when she heard that, her face going completely white.

Tillia took a moment to wet her lips before answering.

“I will certainly take the oath,” she replied bravely, her voice only wavering slightly.

He was very proud of her then, sitting there in front of Grammy doing her best to not entirely wilt under the pressure. For her part, Grammy nodded, but continued to give Tillia The Look.

Another moment passed as Tillia composed herself, then she spoke.

“I, Tillia Aneath, swear to keep Joram’s secret, never betraying him; my fate tied to his. If I break this oath, may my heart be destroyed.”

Joram blinked at that, then felt a small ripple of mana as it emanated from Tillia for a brief moment before fading away.

“Good,” Grammy said, now looking serene. “That said, I’ll appoint better cultivation resources to you, and help you to find a better cultivation method.”

Joram raised his eyebrows in surprise while Tillia nearly fell over due to shock.

“Thank you, Matriarch,” she said, gratitude abounding. She bowed in her chair, cupping her hands in respect.

“Well, I need you to be able to keep up with this little rascal, so of course I would make sure that you have better resources with which to cultivate,” Grammy said, not unkindly.

Joram stuck his tongue out at her for calling him a rascal but was ignored.

“I shall also arrange for you to move into his apartments, so that you can be closer to help him,” she said, then continued with a grin. “You’ll also be closer to him for when you need advice with your cultivation.”

Joram blinked at that, turning a curious eye towards her. For her part, Tillia was growing redder by the minute. She was back to sweating and looking a bit shifty. Which drew Grammy’s attention like an iron filing to a lodestone.

“Oh?” She said, a small smile appearing on her face. Grammy then looked at him, that smile getting wider. “I see that we have a real lady-killer on our hands.”

Well, that wasn’t exactly the translation, being more an idiom meaning the same thing. That said, both he and Tillia blushed hard at that statement. Tillia started to ramble, not making much sense in her haste to confirm/deny/claim ignorance.

Once he’d recovered a bit from the surprise, Joram saw that Grammy looked like a cat that had gotten into the creamery. It was one of the most self-satisfied looks that he’d ever seen.

He took a moment to commit it to memory.

Once done, he firmed up his resolve and spoke.

“Yes, I like Tillia, and I’ll keep her,” he said, then realized just how that sounded when said out loud and face palmed. “What I mean by that is, I want her to continue being with me.”

He stopped, sure that if he tried to clarify again, he’d just dig himself a bigger hole.

He was normally so good with his words. Was it because he was slightly flustered? Was it another case of “underdeveloped brain” syndrome? Either way, he clammed up at the look of great amusement on Grammy’s face.

He spared a glance at Tillia and saw that she was on the verge of embarrassment-induced-implosion. Then the best idea he’d had all day struck him like lightning, so he went with it. With a flex of intent, he manifested [Calm Emotions] through his connection to Tillia, smiling as she visibly calmed down.

He briefly wondered how many years off her life that level of stress had shaved off. Well, he hoped that that wasn’t actually a thing. Getting her to Tier 7, the Immortal Realm, was going to be a process, and he hoped that she’d be able to make it. The way he was going, he might make it before twenty.

Well, that was a bit unrealistic, as he now had sixty-four cores he needed to cultivate to keep going up in tiers.

“Enough fun,” Grammy said, interrupting his musings. “With those three things taken care of, I also need to mention that an appointment came to meet with the Smith Megami, but has long since passed.”

Joram’s jaw dropped. He’d totally forgotten about that, probably because he’d had no faith that that corrupt attendant would actually add them to the waiting list.

“Don’t worry,” she continued with a smile, “I’ve made sure to arrange an open invitation for you so that you can go visit once you were well enough to.”

Joram jumped off his chair and tackle-hugged Grammy, saying, “Thank you!”. It wasn’t the most graceful leap, as he was still getting used to limbs that were longer that he was used to. The end result was a faceplant into Grammy’s chest, which wasn’t as comfortable as one would think, because she reflexively circulated her mana to fortify her body… resulting in Joram’s face getting smooshed instead.

Tillia was so scandalized that she actually laughed out loud before clapping a hand over her mouth. For her part, Grammy just picked him up, took a look at his nose to be sure that he hadn’t broken it, then sat him on her lap where he began to rub his nose.

I probably would have broken my nose if I hadn’t cultivated the Adamantium Body Technique, he thought ruefully.

“Yes, I’m glad you’re happy about that,” Grammy said, patting him on the head. “Now, you’ve probably already heard that I spread word that you’d come down with a terrible illness. It was a cover to explain why you were confined to bed for all this time. Only I, Healer Reursa, and now Tillia know that that wasn’t the case.

“Have you told her why you were unconscious?” Grammy asked, then continued when he ­shrugged. “Joram was actually cultivating this entire time. There was… a complication which caused him to fall into that state. However, he is now a Tier 3 Mage.” She finished, then quirked at eyebrow at Tillia’s reaction.

Tillia was staring at Joram, a mix of awe, hurt, and incredulity warring on her face as her mouth hung open in shock. Which made him all the more uncomfortable because he’d been caught out in his lie. It didn’t matter that it was a white lie, it just mattered that he had lied, no matter the intent behind it.

He cleared his throat before speaking. “Well, even though I have stepped into the Third Tier, I’m actually closer to a Tier 2 Mage due to the complication in my cultivation.”

At Grammy’s inquiring look, he explained. “I haven’t had time to fully explore the issue, but I think my initial thoughts on it are accurate. I don’t think I’ll be able to use mana externally, possibly even internally, until I’m able to rectify the issue.”

Grammy stared at him for a while before nodding her head. “We’ll take it a step at a time. Just keep me informed of your methods and progress, please.”

From there, the conversation went on to the logistics of moving Tillia into his family’s residence and arranging for appropriate cultivation resources. Tillia nearly dropped the Authority Token when a servant brought it over to her but managed to catch the fumble in time.

Joram couldn’t help but notice Grammy’s mischievous streak coming out during their visit. He wasn’t sure if it was fair for someone who was probably close to two hundred years old to tease a junior as much as she did, but he figured that there was at least a purpose behind it and not just pure schadenfreude. He had been tempted to pass another [Calm Emotions] her way a few times but refrained as it would be good for her mental fortitude in the long run.

The meeting eventually ended, and they made their way back to the dining hall as the meeting had taken up the entire morning.

Neither were in the mood to do much socializing, so they quickly placed an order to be delivered to his rooms before returning.

Between what was coming across the Network and her body language, Joram could tell that she needed some alone time to process everything that had happened over the course of the morning. So, he excused himself on the pretense of needing to examine his cultivation, then retired to his room.

He didn’t bother meditating just yet, as the food would soon arrive. Instead, he began studying the Adamantium Body Technique again, pouring over it to make sure that he hadn’t missed a step by completely bypassing Tier 2.

While it mentioned absorbing more adamantium during Tier 2, it didn’t require anything new until Tier 4, which relieved him greatly. It also gave him time to find more adamantium. Or, rather, for Avi to find it. He doubted that poor Careth would be getting any more refined adamantium any time soon due to his sample going missing, even with a pile of mana crystals left behind.

He really hoped he hadn’t gotten into too much trouble over it. He was sure that he would have heard some gossip about something like that, but then realized that it had been roughly six months since the incident. Even the most shocking news wouldn’t likely still be talked about after that long. He’d have to remember to visit the old man…

Then the food came. The meal was eaten in relative silence, only broken by the occasional offering of a second helping of this and that. He was starting to get concerned that she’d taken too many big revelations in too short a timespan, resulting in a bit of emotional and psychological shock.

Well, if she hasn’t recovered by tomorrow, I might just have to do some mental healing, he thought as he once again retired to his room after thanking Tillia and letting her know that he’d be cultivating.

* * * * *

Tatia sat for a while after Joram and Tillia left, thinking things over.

She could understand why Joram had chosen to confide in Tillia, she was, after all, a very personable and trustworthy girl. On the other hand, she wondered if he’d been swayed by her beauty instead of her personality.

Joram didn’t seem the type, but he’d also manage to fool her for two years with his acting.

She shrugged, deciding to let the issue drop. The milk had been spilled, then walked through.

Then she smiled as she recalled Tillia’s face as she had teased her throughout the morning meeting. It was clear as day to her that Tillia was very confused about her feelings towards Joram, but it was also equally clear to Tatia that she deeply cared for him. Now, what that care would develop into in the future was anyone’s guess, but she had a feeling that it would eventually turn romantic.

Did it bother her that someone so much older than Joram might fall for him? Not at all. Well, not unless something inappropriate happened before he grew up. But she couldn’t see that happening with how… rigid Tillia was. There was also the well trodden precedent of people marrying someone so much older or so much younger than themselves, that the whole “issue” was a moot point.

After everything was said, she trusted that Joram was mature enough to deal with any romantic interests in a responsible way. One didn’t come by the power he had without extreme discipline and focus.

She began laughing then, reminded of her cultivation room with its painting of “Focus” on the wall. Who knew that Joram would accomplish something so utterly ridiculous? Being able to not only draw in enough mana to jump all the way through Tier 2, then being able to condense that mana into a core, pushing him into Tier 3. It was unprecedented.

Yes, he’d run into a rather unique… conundrum by doing so. Yes, she had no idea how he was going to get out of that situation. But. She very much looked forward to being able to research the issue with him, to be able to break new ground in the thousands of years old traditions that kept on being passed down from generation to generation, hardly changing as time went by.

If Joram didn’t end in failure, this would indeed change the world as they knew it.

Sure, it depended heavily on having what Joram called a “Knowledge Star”, but if he managed to push through and progress, then every crafter out there would be able to take a qualitative leap forward in their own cultivation while keeping up with their training in mental strength.

Then a thought occurred to her. Would this method only be effective when first condensing one’s core? Was it possible for someone to move their core to their knowledge sea after it had been formed? If not, what would happen to someone who tried? Would it completely cripple them, destroying their core in the process? Or would they become useless until they managed to re-learn everything due to having moved their core, thus rewriting their internal pathways?

Her smile grew a bit manic as her mind continued to come up with more and more questions. This was what she lived for: knowledge. Knowledge that had either been lost or, preferably, was entirely new.

She’d spent far too long being the Matriarch, ignoring her true passion. She knew that most people thought that Bezia was the die-hard academic of the family, but the older generation remembered Tatia’s passion, and how hard it had been for the previous Matriarch to wrangle, hog-tie, then harness her with her new duty.

“At last, something interesting!” She said as she leaned back and had a full-body stretch, luxuriating in both the feeling and the anticipation of what was to come.