Cale held his hand in front of his face as he sighed loudly and followed Fengari.

"I swear I'm on the verge of a breakdown", Cale interjected, dropping his hands and looking at Grischa. He stood rooted to the spot in front of Cale, staring in disbelief at the little cat. "Can you recognize her, Grin?"

Grischa replied nothing, which caused Cale to sigh. The situation had escalated and Cale couldn't fix it. The survival of the city, the influence of the dragons, and the shared knowledge with them and the Eldest. Slowly but surely, Cale had lost control. He had allowed himself to be swept away by the floods that he himself had caused.

But... why did he feel so liberated then? Why did it feel like someone had lifted a huge weight from his shoulders?

"What is... that. Even someone who can change his appearance, like you? That's... on a whole other level", Grischa spoke up as he convulsively defied Fengari's gaze.

"You didn't tell me that you have an Apostle who possesses the omniscient eyes of Velence", Fengari gave voice, causing Cale to shrug in surprise.

"Omniscient eyes?", Cale repeated skeptically, staring at his friend's eyes.

"You didn't know that? The omniscient eyes were an ability of dragons quite a few millennia ago, which, much like your shapeshifting and teleporting of the Thormods, has mingled with humans. And Velence is the origin of this gift."

"What?", Grischa and Cale exclaimed at the same time, causing Fengari to flinch in surprise and look at Cale.

"The gods haven't been gone that long, how can you not know this?"

"Well, it's not like anyone has taught us all we need to know as Apostles. So what do you mean the ability has mingled with the humans?", Cale replied , bending down to Fengari, who almost rolled her eyes in disappointment and approached Cale.

"That's an old story Palaios told me. Apparently, humans used to have a pact with dragons which allowed them to take on some abilities. As far as I know, this ability scattered and was passed on to hundreds of thousands of descendants, but there are some special cases in which the pure form of the ability comes out. However, I don't know why it comes to this level of purity of the ability in some."

With a jump, she finished her explanation and climbed onto Cale's shoulder, which is why the High-Magician stood up´again.

<"Be careful with the Apostle. I can't tell how powerful his eyes are, but our leader see mana itself with them.">

"Now I understand why Grischa was the only one at that time who could see through my true appearance so easily. It's because of this gift", Cale murmured, exhaling in relief and smiling at his friend. So the mystery had a logical explanation... in a strange sort of way.

<"I'll take care, thank you.">

"Grischa? As in Grischa Vonstetten, the Apostle who had the mark of the Thormods?", Fengari gave voice questioningly, instantly giving the 1st seat her undivided attention.

"I don't remember saying his name", she said.

"Are you having memory problems? That was barely two days ago", Fengari replied almost indignantly, causing Grischa to inevitably take a step backward. All this time he had been holding back, which was why Cale had paid him little attention, but all at once he realized the confusion the High-Magician was radiating.

"Ah, please excuse me, Grin. I hadn't said anything about Fengari because I wasn't particularly sure I wanted to tell you anything after all this."

"Are you coming with that again? I thought you promised to tell me what was going on in your head", the 1st seat scolded. Cale almost cleared his throat in amusement at the statement, which was based on hearing voices in his head. Unexpectedly, the statement fit quite well, but Grischa didn't seem to like the reaction. "You can't be serious. What by the Eldest's beard is going on here and who is the talking cat?"

"Please don't shout like that."

"Caleb! You promised me!"

"I kept my promise until you had to forget all about it, Grin", Cale countered flippantly, causing Grischa to pause momentarily. With a mixture of anger and sadness, the 1st seat looked at Cale, who rubbed his head wordlessly. He was a little relieved that his friend didn't get a headache as soon as he broached the subject, but that didn't stop him from getting nervous.

"I'm scared, Grischa", he finally confessed, returning his friend's gaze dryly. "I don't want to see you suffer again, especially because of me. In fact, I'm still wondering if what I did and will do are the right decisions. Probably it's all a big mistake on my part..."

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"I remember", Grischa interrupted him the next moment, causing Cale to give him a surprised look.

"What?"

"I remember what happened after the creatures attacked. Everything", Grischa clarified, staring at Cale with his bright green eyes. "Because of William, I didn't have a chance to tell you today that I remember, and you didn't give me a chance to tell you either. Do you know how I felt, remembering the whole thing?"

"And your... Headaches?"

"They still come now and then, but it's really nothing serious. I haven't told the others yet because I want to talk to you first... Caleb?", Grischa raised his voice and fell silent in surprise when he saw a tear streaming down Cale's cheek. Cale, on the other hand, unconsciously took a step back as he let the statement run through his mind. Of all the things that had happened since his arrival in Exarion, Grischa was probably the biggest surprise. "You really are stupid. Don't start crying over something like that."

"Grischa..."

"Did you really think it could never happen that someone would remember you?", the 1st seat threw in challengingly and grinned, which only silenced Cale even more. In all his life, Cale had always been the one to remember and chase after people. For the first time in nearly 300 years, he found himself on the other end.

Without another comment, he ran toward Grischa and wrapped his arms around him, knocking Fengari to the ground from the movement. His whole body trembled at the thought that Grischa remembered.

That Grischa had... found him. The real Caleb Leuen.

"Did you miss me?", Grischa wryly interjected, hugging him as well.

"Shut up", Cale countered flippantly.

"You really have to promise me to just say it next time. Do you know how guilty I've felt the last few days? Do you know how scared I've been that you'd disappear and I'd... never see you again?", Grischa explained, getting softer on his last words. "I realize that you have to think of many things at the same time, but... please stop trying to handle everything on your own."

For a few minutes, the two High-Magicians stood arm in arm on their favorite spot in the Magistrat, letting the situation dawn on them. Cale didn't know what to say at all anymore. Tears were running down his face, all the while he clung to Grischa, not daring to let go of him. All the fear and worry he had felt up to that point were gone.

A relief gripped him that he had not felt for days. Grischa had single-handedly relieved him of a great worry and seemed to be aware of it. Cale actually regretted his rash actions of the last few days, but equally he was glad he had done it.

He was not alone.

"Enough of the emotional outburst. I'm actually really fucking angry at you."

"Sorry", Cale merely brought out, easing away from his friend before drying his face. "I couldn't... it... it was too much for me. I'm sorry I just left you behind."

"Apology accepted", Grischa replied, rubbing through Cale's black hair in amusement, before his gaze fell to the small cat. "The Eldest told me you went into the mountains of Sylve. What happened and... forgive me, who exactly are you?"

"The magnificent Fengari!", the little cat replied, wagging her tail excitedly.

"I see", Grischa threw back in irritation.

"I was looking for the dragons, that's why I was in the mountains", Cale explained slowly, taking a step back. "Fengari is one of the dragons that lives there."

Demonstratively, Cale worked his magic and transformed Fengari back into her dragon form, almost practiced, albeit only a few dozen inches tall. She jumped onto Cale's shoulder again, despite her form, and fixed her bright eyes on Grischa. Cale was a little surprised that she wasn't joking with Grischa this time, but in the next moment Cale understood why.

"You're not serious!", Grischa shouted in an extremely loud voice that all people within a radius of 100 meters could hear his words and abruptly looked to the roof of the Magistrat.

"By the Eldest's beard, don't scream like that", Cale replied in horror, causing a barrier to appear around her before he realized that the dragon was laughing. "What's so funny about that?"

"I told you, you're not normal. People always react with fear and panic, either screaming or cowering like babies when they see us. There are even the kinds of people who can't handle the sight of us at all and just faint."

"That's... no... Caleb... that's never ever a dragon, right? Please tell me you didn't bring a dragon to our town", Grischa only stammered out. Cale couldn't blame him for reacting differently than the Eldest, after all, he had had little preparation time either. Perhaps Cale should have been a little more careful with the information, but it was too late for that.

"Best. decision. of. my. life", Fengari emphasized with amusement, taking off into the air as Cale watched her skeptically, quickly transformed into a small, blue bird. Just the sight of Fengari's new form made him realize one thing.

He felt free.

Realizing that Fengari was right from the start... that he himself was the real problem was enough for him to feel satisfied. A part of him wished very much that he could talk openly with his friend, but the fear of that had simply prevented him.

"Caa...leb...?", he was awakened by the exasperated exclamation of his friend, who was clearly in a protective posture, staring in shock at the bird.

"She's bound by an agreement, Grin. Fengari won't hurt you, and she won't hurt the townspeople."

"Caleb, this is a dragon. DRAGON! You know better than anyone what they're capable of. How can you be so casual about it..."

"I can hear you, just for your information", Fengari interrupted him, demonstratively flying back and forth in front of Grischa, who couldn't make a sound.

"Dragons are intelligent creatures, you know that. Don't be rude and talk about Fengari as if she were not present", Cale declared, extending his hand forward. <"Fengari, please don't cause my friend such anxiety.">

The little bird switched her gaze to the 12th High-Magician and seemed to be weighing whether it was worth the argument, but followed Cale's request and came back to him.

"I didn't mean to be... disrespect towards you?", Grischa came forward questioningly, but continued to watch the little bird skeptically.

"I didn't take it personally, Apostle Grischa Vonstetten with the omniscient eyes", Fengari admitted surprisingly calmly, looking at Cale as if waiting for confirmation that she was doing right.

"Sorry, but your figure as a talking bird almost drives me crazier than the cat", Grischa commented absent-mindedly.

"Well, if you prefer, ask Caleb to give me the form of a human", Fengari replied, causing Cale to look at her in surprise.

"Not a chance. Then I'll be the one going insane."

"Boo... boring. I'd have so much more fun if I didn't have to hide like this", she commented on Cale's statement in a fake, depressed voice. Inwardly, Cale sighed as he looked into Fengari's begging eyes.

He felt as if he had suddenly become a father.