"I don't think we've ever had a conversation in private", William admitted, slightly amused, as he stood on his usual wall, balancing dangerously close to the precipice. Grischa had taken a seat next to him and watched as the prince elegantly walked along the stone wall.

"May be, yes. We were always surrounded by others, if I... remember correctly."

William performed a small turn and dropped onto the rock with a plop before turning his body to face Grischa.

"You remember correctly, don't worry", he replied politely. Although Aaron had only briefly addressed what was going on with Grischa, William had realized the full scope of the disaster.

"Have we... spoken to each other in the last two months?", Grischa asked hesitantly.

"A little, yes. Before I went to Winstest with Aaron and the others, we ate often together", William explained quietly, but Grischa just sighed. It became clear that he didn't remember that either.

"This man, Basil. What was he like?", Grischa quickly changed the subject.

"Basil Kama?", William replied in amazement. "A little brusque, at least at first. He assumed that we wanted to commission swords from him, so he was rather dismissive. Then, when the misunderstanding cleared up, he was unexpectedly helpful."

"He's the last Kama, if I heard correctly, isn't he?"

"Probably, yes", William replied matter-of-factly.

"And this... Mark?"

"The one from the Kormandent? He still had it. The man didn't have an ounce of mana left over, which was pretty scary, believe me."

William smiled at the statement before slowly sliding his hand to his sword. He still wore the beautiful silver sword on his waistband that Cale had bequeathed to him. Where he got it, the High-Magician never mentioned. But he wore it with pride, just as Ben was proud of the small scar on his chin. Which William still didn't know how it came to be. Every time someone asked Ben about that scar, he told another hero story.

"I'm sorry you had to make that trip because of me."

"Oh, don't be sorry. It's been nice. I learned a lot of new things and saw some, if time permits I'd like to visit Winstest at my leisure", William replied, which made Grischa smile himself. The two were silent for a moment, which is why William turned and dangled his feet as he stretched extensively.

"Do you remember when my brother Edward was in the house?", William began with amusement, to which Grischa replied in the affirmative. "I remember that day clearly. I was totally nervous to see my father and him again, the last time we saw each other was over two years ago. That was before I became Anuxer. Edward and I talked all evening and for the first time I felt like I could relate to how he was feeling. I also remember very clearly when he came over the next morning and the subject of him spending the day with us came up."

William had to chuckle for a moment before continuing with the story.

"When Cale informed you about it, we listened to your whole discussion. The whole fifteen minutes of you lecturing Cale. Like a father berating his son."

"By the Eldest's beard, I'm going to kill Caleb", Grischa interjected, causing William to laugh out loud. Grischa's face was flushed, so he raised his arm and hid behind it.

"Give him my regards, will you?", he replied mockingly before continuing. "Edward had been so uncomfortable with the entire situation, you can't imagine. He was constantly apologizing to Cale, which Cale took with humor. And we ended up having a really nice day together."

William quieted, his smile disappearing, and gazed bleakly into the distance.

"We don't have anything like that at our place. Edward, Marion and I never had that freedom. Whenever we went outside, we had to be careful how we presented ourselves. Whether it was for any visits, public events, or speeches, we couldn't afford to make any mistakes. There was no such thing as just spontaneously walking through town and fooling around. And when I became an Anuxer, I could not simply lay this behavior. I was permanently on my guard and was always afraid that someone would recognize me and want something bad. I simply couldn't trust people."

William sighed, ran a hand through his hair and sat up straight.

"And then I met Cale. I don't know when and how he did it, but he changed my life. He captivated me in such a way that I didn't even realize it myself. It was so natural for us to be together, even after I found out who he was."

William paused and turned to Grischa.

"And now I'm supposed to leave it all behind."

The question mark was literally written all over Grischa's face, so William continued.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"I can't stay with him forever. He has his life and I have mine. I am still Prince William of Sylve and he is High-Magician Caleb Leuen of Altona. I belong to Bellator and Cale belongs to Exarion. I know that and yet I don't want to let go."

The High-Magician seemed to grasp what William was trying to make clear to him.

"You're going home?"

"Not today. Not tomorrow, either. Maybe in the next few weeks or months, I haven't thought about that yet. But I will go and Cale will stay. Cale will stay here, in the Magistrat, with you."

Grischa looked sideways thoughtfully, so William smiled faintly.

"I envy you, High-Magician Vonstetten. I really do. I also want to be as free as you are forever. I also want to have those people around me who respected and valued me no matter what situation I'm in. I also want to have that person in my life who gives me a helping hand and pulls me out of my hole. I would love to have Ben, Aletta, Philippa and Cale by my side forever, but I can't. I can't take them and force them to give up their freedom. Give up their lives", William explained dejectedly, taking a quick breath. "The only thing I want is for them to be happy. And I think you feel the same way. You don't want to lose Cale, but at the same time you don't want to lock him up. You're curious and want to know what secrets he's carrying, but at the same time, you don't want to push him to reveal everything. That's why it bothers you that you have a problem with your memories, doesn't it? You're afraid you've forgotten something important, and judging by Cale's reaction, you're not that wrong in your assumption. Only you forget one thing: how would you feel if you had to watch your friend suffer and know exactly why?"

"I couldn't bear it", Grischa replied, taken aback.

"Cale probably couldn't either. He may not tell us everything, but he cares about us. He'll have his reasons for why he just left, and he'll have reasons for his secrets. Cale will be afraid of hurting someone or even... or even losing someone."

William abruptly remembered that night in the desert. The friends Cale had already lost once, maybe he harbored guilt. He must be incredibly afraid of losing people he cared about again. People like Grischa, for whom Cale would do anything.

"I sometimes forget that he's only human", Grischa admitted. "He's become important to me, and like you said, I'm afraid to lose him. Just... when I think that I wouldn't see him again for two years without knowing why, I get desperate."

"I'm sure he'll come back and explain everything to us", William replied calmly.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just know it. It's a feeling I can't describe. I just know he's coming soon."

Grischa sighed and held his head with one hand. He was silent for a few moments, internalizing the words before looking up again.

"You know, I blame myself an awful lot. The day Caleb left, I had a severe headache for some inexplicable reason, and Caleb talked to your friend Aletta regarding this. I don't know what about, Caleb tried not to let on, but I knew immediately that something was wrong. The next morning he was gone", Grischa explained his view of things. William became thoughtful. This was indeed a bit strange, which at the same time would have to mean that Aletta knew more specifics. "That's why I asked Aletta if something happened and believed her when she said she didn't know anything specific. And then I hear that he left because of me?"

"Knowing Aletta, she doesn't know for sure. Maybe she has a hunch, yes, but she was just as surprised that he disappeared. So were all of us", William tried to calm the situation, which was partially successful. Grischa closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Cale must have been thinking something, that's for sure."

"You may be right about that. From the beginning, Caleb has always been a very cautious and observant person who likes to be underestimated."

"I heard from Aaron about what happened back when Cale joined the Magistrat."

"Aaron told you about that?", Grischa threw back in wonder which William confirmed. "Funny that he would talk to you guys so openly. Aaron can be very closed and dismissive."

"I'm aware of that as well."

"What exactly did he tell you?"

"That it was you who discovered Cale's shape-shifting at the time and revealed his identity, Sir Vonstetten", William lifted politely, watching as the High-Magician opened his eyes and looked at him.

"Am I permitted to address you by your first name, Prince William? You are also welcome to call me by my first name."

"Gladly."

"Thank you. It's more pleasant somehow", Grischa threw back, grinning. "I remember that day pretty well. Like it was yesterday. I just happened to be walking around the school and in passing I saw my colleague Sefra teaching some students outside. So I stopped for a second and noticed Caleb. This was also the first time for me to see a shape-shifter, though I didn't recognize it right away. Caleb had his mana wrapped around his body like a transparent veil, so while I could see him change his appearance, I couldn't see his true form. That same day I informed the council about it, and the next morning I tried to explain to the others what I was seeing."

"Who did you think Cale was then?"

"I assumed he was a creature or a mage who was angry with the Magistrat. I got really scared when Cale turned to us a few moments later and grinned at us like he was mocking us."

"And you talked to him after that?"

"Yes. We had him brought into the building and asked him to reveal his form."

"Were you surprised?"

"Quite, yes. He was just a kid and the look on his face told me he had witnessed a lot. I felt sorry for Caleb and that's why I also offered to take care of him until we made a decision", Grischa clarified, putting on a big grin. "When Caleb confessed to me that night that he already had an Igrikum and therefore wanted to become a High-Magician, I was really at my wits' end. Of all of us, I was always the youngest 3rd stage mage, and then suddenly a kid showed up who wasn't even half my age when I got my Igrikum."

"How old were you then?"

"I was 20. Summer 77, 1140", Grischa explained, raising his hand as he felt a slight twinge in his head. "Caleb was 10, or even younger, when he received the Igrikum. I never inquired that closely, but I knew even then that he was a good mage. Accordingly, I was surprised that he just left us then and didn't come back until he was 16 to claim his rightful place."

"Is everything all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I keep having headaches for no reason, but Aletta gave me some medicine, so it's not so bad anymore."

"That's comforting to hear", William replied, even though he was instinctively worried about the High-Magician. While he was not as good friends with him as he was with Cale or Aaron, he felt deep compassion toward those who were suffering.

"I wish I could say the same to Caleb. The first time he left, he had left us a message, but the second time, just like the other day, he just left without saying goodbye", Grischa interjected, looking up at the sky with a sad expression. "And since the night he disappeared, I keep having strange dreams."