"I kind of expected it to be harder."

Ben's focused eyes turned away from the path in front of him and moved backwards. Philippa, who was walking directly behind him, stopped abruptly and looked up at him in surprise. Cale, followed by Aletta and William also looked irritated at the tall man at the head of the group.

"I mean, wasn't it said that the wind would increase? You can barely even feel a breeze right now", the big swordsman added as he turned his gaze to the south. Like looking into the abyss, pitch black clouds loomed in the distance, only illuminated by the occasional flash of lightning. But as if separated by an invisible wall, this dark curtain could no longer reach them.

"We're past the storm already", Cale explained calmly, prompting Philippa to move on with a gentle nudge. "The wind is so weak here because the mountains shield it like a wall. Here on the slope, the storm gathers for a few weeks before it eventually dissipates. The rain dumped here then in turn causes the river to fill up and this causes the water level to rise. Every year, this floods the fields towards the city and provides them with minerals for the next year. That is why Sylve has such great harvests every year, especially in the river regions. If it weren't for the storm, the kingdom would have quite a bit of trouble feeding all the inhabitants, not to mention the trade with Altona."

Cale gave his friend a textbook lecture. He wasn't telling the story for the first time, as strangers often don't know about the storms of Sylve that set out every winter. But Ben, citizen of Sylve, should actually know about it, which is why he was almost a little disappointed by the question.

"Eh, it's kind of a nuisance too, isn't it. Other countries don't have anything like that, how do they manage to survive?"

Cale sighed audibly before shaking his head in bewilderment. How could someone with so little basic knowledge be a soldier of the royal house and be noble to boot? Surely he should have been taught about this as much as anyone else?

"I'm afraid that you're in desperate need of some tutoring", he relayed dryly, causing Philippa to chuckle.

"You can't know everything," Ben defended himself desperately as the others approached him.

"That's basic knowledge, Ben," Cale replied indignantly, patting his cronies on the back. Shortly after, Cale began to enlighten Ben, while Philippa walked beside him, listening intently to the explanation. Aletta, who had been silently watching the conversation, slowed down and fell back to William.

"Liam...", she murmured as she followed the swordsmans movements with her ice-blue eyes. The last member of the group was currently straining to make his way up the stairs when he looked up in suprise at the voice.

"I'm fine, don't worry."

With brisk steps he joined the small blonde, who gave him a skeptical look. She, on the other hand, clutched her cloak with one hand while nervously thinking about Cale's revelation. By knowing Cale's secret, she had vowed to keep Cale's identity to herself as well, but that couldn't prevent her from thinking his action was rash. Aletta couldn't gauge whether William was even remotely aware of how much the Igrikum was worth, but she also couldn't suddenly change the subject to explaining it to him.

"To be honest...", William spoke up quietly as he caught up to the young mage and cast an appraising glance at the other part of the group. The three were talking loudly about Sylve, so William assumed they weren't paying attention to Aletta and him. "... I wanted to ask you something. Would that be okay?"

Aletta followed his gaze forward. The perfect moment was literally slapped in her face, so she stopped and looked up at William hopefully.

"What exactly is an Igrikum?"

Acting, Aletta put on a surprised expression before nervously running her hand through her hair and beginning to speak.

"That's actually not so easy to explain", she began carefully. There was no way Aletta could let on that she had overheard their conversation the other day. At the same time, she had to tell William as much information as possible before the others noticed that the two were no longer walking behind them. "You can think of the Igrikum as the heart of a powerful mage."

"His heart?", repeated William, dumbfounded, automatically clutching Cale's gift.

"Yes. That's probably the appropriate comparison. You must have heard that a mage can pass through several mana stages, each of which presents him with a test. The first is the test of the past, the second is the test of the present and the third is the test of the future. The last test also has another, in my opinion even more appropriate name back in Frignez. It's the test of life: Igrikum."

Aletta paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and slowly began to walk on, followed by the eagerly listening William.

"Igrikum is the final form of a mage, it is the beginning and the end, his completion and what makes a true mage. It is the one expansion of his consciousness into a world, that cannot be physically grasped. A Third-Stage-Magician expands his abilities so that he can grasp the mana that is in the environment and use it for himself. The Mana of Nature itself. It is said that he sacrifices part of his humanity and absorbs nature instead, carrying two different kinds of mana, so to speak. According to tales, at this moment the Third-Stage-Mage are said to be granted a glimpse of the future by the gods and at the same time his ardent desire solidifies and takes on a physical form. The Igrikum."

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Aletta grabbed William's arm and pulled him tightly to her, who gave in in surprise.

"Listen to me carefully, because I'm only going to say this once", she announced menacingly. Her glassy blue eyes spoke volumes, which is why William couldn't help but swallow nervously. "There are many stories about Third-Stage-Mages, but the most famous one revolves around soulless mages. If such a mage's Igrikum ever breaks, his body loses balance and with it the ability to ever use mana again. He loses the nature within himself and, because of this missing half, becomes a shell of himself, unable to comprehend reality. He is a prisoner in his own body. Such a soulless mage, according to those tales, dies after some time, as his body is also affected in the long run."

William's blood froze as he realized Aletta's words. For a moment, the ice-blue eyes of the young girl in front of him frightened him before she turned away from him. He couldn't even imagine how cruel that must be for a mage, let alone how much he must be suffering.

"I've never heard of that before. Can the Igrikum really break so easily?"

"To be honest I don't know that for sure myself, you would have to ask a Third-Stage-Mage yourself, but they are rare. This is also one of the reasons why mages guard their Igrikum as their greatest treasure. It is, as far as I understand, vital to them."

Silence.

The blond-haired girl strode in front of William with her head held high as he felt his heart cry out. Involuntarily, he glanced at his left hand, in which the Igrikum had been sealed.

Inevitably, he stared at Cale, who was walking a good 15 meters away from them. While he couldn't make out his face, judging by his movements he seemed to be having quite a bit of fun talking to Philippa and Ben. But William felt queasy at the sight, and when he discovered Philippa turning around to the back, he quickly hurried after the healer.

"What's taking you so long?"

Philippa's voice echoed over the mountain. Cale and Ben had also turned back, looking down from the highest point of the trail and waving to the other two. Amused, Aletta waved back at them, but William had a single question burning in his mind.

"Aletta, what would happen if one mage gave his Igrikum to another?"

"Are you insane?", she returned, almost screaming and turned to William again. "That would mean that the mage would put the others life above his own. He would always have to be prepared for that person to use his Igrikum in inappropriate situations, preventing him from using it himself. From what I've heard, that would threaten their entire existence."

"What?", the young swordsman gave irritated voice.

"William. You can't just hand over the Igrikum, it's the component of such a mage's mana budget. You would have to establish a connection between yourself and the person that would allow him to use his ability. Can you imagine how dangerous it is if someone can freely dispose of your own mana?"

Aletta started laughing, though only she knew how wrong that laugh was. With a cheerful, unimpressive face, she turned away from William, ran and jumped into Philippa's arms with all her might. William followed her slowly as his gaze drifted away from her and fell on Cale.

William's head was a mess. A single solved question had spawned a hundred new ones and he no longer understood the world. Why had Cale done this and not told him about the meaning of his action? Did he trust William that much?

William's and Cale's eyes met, a smile drawing itself on the man with the dark eyes, while William felt bad. Bad, because of his ignorance, bad, because of his stupidity, and most of all, bad, because of the tremendous burden he was carrying. If it was really something so rare, how could Cale be so casual about it?

William held his breath. He recalled the actions and tales of the past week. His friendly nature toward strangers, his willingness to help, his concern for those in his immediate vicinity, his experiences, and most of all, his mature bearing.

Had Cale lost someone important to him? Someone Cale loved above all else, even above his own life? Someone whose death he blamed on his own inablility to protect them?

For a moment there was silence in his mind and all at once everything became clear to him. Aletta's words echoed through his jumble of thoughts. The Igrikum is the physical form of a mages greatest desire. The shield Cale had used was no ordinary shield. It must have been his Igrikum. The Igrikum that he had received because he could not protect someone who was more important to him than his own life.

The smile on Cale's face suddenly seemed completely different. It was not the same one he usually presented. It was the same expression he had the night he had given William his Igrikum. Worry, sadness, pity, maybe even some anger was hiding behind the sanctimonious mask. It was as if Cale was a cold stone, just pretending to be happy without really being so.

"What have you two been up to?", Ben piped up when William finally reached the group and realized why they had come to a halt in the first place. They had reached the border. Altona stretched out before their feet and they could quite clearly make out the dark creature plain, which stood out from the rest of the surroundings.

"Nothing special", William quickly admitted, while trying to appear confident. But in doing so, he was careful not to let Cale realize that they had been talking about his Igrikum. The five of them stood side by side, silently contemplating the region they would traverse over the next few weeks. Somehow William was a little relieved that he was not traveling alone. His best friend Ben, a mage from Altona, a talented archer and a genuine healer from Frignez accompanied him. But as much as he was happy to have built such a good group, it also weighed on him. The three of them had to accompany Aletta safely to Frignez, because contrary to what they had told Cale, the mage capital was not their final destination. One of the many secrets William kept from the newcomer, who by now could be considered a real part of the group.

Inevitably, his eyes darted to the side and discovered the other four starting off into the distance with mixed emotions. His eyes, however, lingered on Cale, who was calmly tying up his long hair, but a strand still hung loosely over his pale face.