With mixed feelings, Cale stood at the edge of the cliffs and observed the holy city of Velence. He could clearly see the black mountains in the sea, from which flames kept rising. The spectacle was frightening, and Cale clutched his arms anxiously. Memories of his past lives appeared in his mind's eye, memories that froze him. The mighty fire of the dragons that had burned him alive then seemed puny and harmless at a distance. But their breathtaking splendour and immense heat would never be forgotten by Cale. Nor would he forget the concentrated pain he had felt that day.

In the corner of his eye, he detected movement and lowered his hands. Thanks to his black clothing, it was relatively difficult to make him out in the dark. Only his mana revealed that he was here. This was fortunate, because the ship, which was moving silently on the sea, could not see its observer. It was the ferry that was also on its way to the trading city of Persiven. The city that his friend Grischa hated with a deep passion. Similar to how Cale hated Groka, even though he had never asked Grischa what the city or its inhabitants had ever done to him.

They had almost crossed the desert, and by the next evening they would in all likelihood reach the trading city on the coastal region. It served as a hub between the capital Exarion, the shipping to Sylve and the road to the creature territories. At first, he was not particularly pleased that they would make a stopover in the city. But that attitude had changed in the last few days. He wanted to get an overview of the situation, because the fact that they still hadn't come across any other Anuxers worried Cale. Briefly, he had thought about going ahead alone to gather some information, but he didn't want to take that risk right now. He still had far too much apprehension about leaving William and the others here alone, even if it was only for a few hours.

He let his gaze drift back to the island and wondered if he shouldn't just drop everything and pay an immediate visit to the Dragon Queen. This was not the first time he had toyed with the idea, and certainly not the last. Once in a while, he found himself in a situation where his courage fails him, and he would like to just throw everything away. If he hadn't already done something similar once and had been plagued with guilt for years, he would have done it long ago. Someday, maybe... Someday he'll be able to live a normal life, but not yet.

"Cale", William announced himself. The dark-haired prince had suspected that the mage would not sleep tonight either, and had been watching him from a distance for quite a while. As he slowly turned to face him, the cool breeze made his long hair blow in the wind, which shimmered through the light of the moon's syllable. "Are you all right?"

The High Mage had been standing by the cliffs for quite a while without the slightest movement and seemed to be deep in thought, which was why William was worried. It was one of those days that put a gloomy mood over the camp for no apparent reason.

"What do you think? Do you want me to slay a dragon for you?" replied Cale quietly, causing William to stare at him with wide, blue-lit eyes. Immediately, he recalled his father's mission and became afraid. King Leonhardt had allowed him to travel the world as an Anuxer, but if he couldn't present him with the Dragon Queen's head in 10 years at the latest, the King would expel him from the palace. It must have been one of those days that had an unexpectedly sombre feel to it. Even if he had little contact with his father, he never thought he would expel him from the royal house. "I often think that maybe I should just tackle the problem myself, but I've never dared."

Cale turned away and did not even try to correct his statement, for he was well aware of the significance. The only reason the group kept getting pulled into the same death circle was unanimously and solely William's delusional notion of living up to his father's standards. He did it not because he was afraid of losing his title, but to prove something to his father. After all, he wanted to be free and the King of Sylve was preventing him from being free. A strange situation that Cale had never understood. After all, he knew King Leonhardt and to him the man had never given the impression that he thought so little of his children. It was rather the complete opposite, even if the lack of communication between the family members was the bigger problem. To this day, therefore, Cale could not understand why the king had ordered William to kill the dragon queen.

"Forget what I said", he threw after him, waving William off with a quick wave of his hand. The mage was aware that he stood no chance alone against the dragons, even if he used his Igrikum and all his mana. He had set himself the goal of winning over some strong personalities to be able to use them in the fight against the dragons. But for that to happen, they would first have to survive the war that was secretly approaching, something he had not managed to do until now. Over the years he had met dozens of people and acquired a lot of knowledge, but he would not be able to do it alone. His only problem was that he generally cared quite little of people and only kept an eye on those he considered worthwhile. One of these people lived in Frignez and the funny thing about the fact was that Aletta would know him very well later on. Because he was the real disciple of his master and his successor. The one who wielded the second legendary sword - Zurakekama.

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"What are you thinking about for you to ask such a question?", inquired William, not wanting to be brushed off. As he stood next to Cale, he too noticed the fiery spectacle in the distance and got goosebumps. "What's happening there?"

Inevitably, his eyes remained fixed on the flames as he felt Cale adjust his hair. For quite a while, Cale said nothing before he sighed softly and explained the situation from his perspective.

"I don't really know myself, I must confess. Rumour say that the the Holy Island is too small for the dragons and so, with the help of the creatures, they are spreading out their territory."

That was indeed a fact, but this information would not be available for several years. But Cale was pretty sure: the dragons were the cause of all the problems. Perhaps he might be a little biased, since a dragon had already killed him once, but he was very sure about this. Who else should be able to direct the creatures if not the most powerful beings on earth?

"Promise me one thing, please...", added Cale slowly, turning to William. "Promise me you won't go near this island. Ever. Under any circumstances."

William felt betrayal spreading through him. He couldn't promise him that, because his destination was this island. But Cale couldn't know that, no one knew, not even Ben. He had had the conversation with his father alone back then and had confided in no one.

"I promise", he lied straight to Cale's face as his heart began to beat harder. For a moment Cale seemed relieved, but in the same second relief turned this to disappointment.

"You're lying to me again", he merely commented. William felt a chill run down his spine. He had shown no sign of lying. His words were clear, he hadn't averted his gaze and he hadn't used his hands passively, so how did Cale know for sure that he was lying to him? The situation some week prior immediately came back to William. When he had first lied to him about his physical condition then, it had been pretty obvious, he admitted to himself, but not today. It almost felt like he was talking to his father, because he always knew when William was lying too. The same was true of his brother Edward, though the latter had never made much effort to cover up his excuses. "You won't listen to me anyway, I know that."

William inadvertently made a step back. Cale had that look again. That one look that made him seem like he was alone in this world. His face graced with hatred and disappointment, as if everything and everyone was his enemy and he could never find peace. As if he were a prisoner in a war of sorrow and destruction. It was at moments like this that Cale really scared him.

"Cale", he raised in a soft voice. For a moment he had considered justifying himself, but he couldn't manage it. Something told him that Cale would not change his mind. "I'm not your deceased friend, so please don't switch me with him."

Cale turned away from the prince at the statement, which confirmed his suspicions. The only reason he did so much for this group was because of Williams looks. The swordsman had thought that much for a long time, but Cale's story a few days ago and his sad reaction confirmed it.

"Don't worry", Cale replied quietly, turning his gaze to the moon as if asking for help. "I don't. I would never try to project anything from the past into you, that would be quite disrespectful to him. And you could never replace him like that, either."

William fell silent after this statement. He felt their intimate relationship distance itself all at once, and his heart ached. He didn't want their friendship to end like this, nor did he want to serve as a cheap copy. But just as he was about to say something, he caught a tear running down Cale's cheek before he pulled his hood over his face and hid.

Speechless, William stood beside him and looked down at the ground. He knew some of Cale's facial expressions by now. His serious face, his laughing face, his astonished face and his disappointed face, he had seen them all many times before. But his crying face was completely foreign to him. William knew very well that the mage did not like to talk about his past, yet he had answered every question honestly.

Once again, William realised why he had trouble forming relationships with other people. The problem was not the others, but himself. His distrustful nature and inconsiderate, ungrateful treatment of people made him seem truly obnoxious, as well as how hurtful he was to others.

William could feel an uncomfortable distance building up between Cale and himself that night.