The next morning had dawned several hours ago, the sun was already high in the sky and the fresh breeze was increasing. The group had been walking briskly along the cliffs for countless hours and with each step they reduced the difference in altitude. By now they could clearly see the busy ship traffic on the sea to their left, while in the distance the trading town of Persiven became visible.

Cale and William had not spoken to each other since the night. At breakfast, everything seemed fine for a moment, but Cale's fleeting reactions strongly suggested to William that he was avoiding him. Towards the others, he behaved normally. Since the morning, the mage had been talking to Philippa and Aletta about the Three-Gods-Belief and to William's surprise, the archer presented a long tattoo on her upper left arm. Thought he couldn't really see much of it anymore, because large scars covered the painting. Philippa had tried to get rid of the tattoo with a knife, which she had only partially succeeded in doing. How desperate was she that day to be capable of such self-mutilation?

"Are you all right?", volunteered Ben. He and William walked a little distance behind Cale and the girls. "You've been acting kind of weird all day."

The prince paused in wonder. He had not been aware at all that it was not Cale who was acting strangely, but himself. Because of the awkward situation yesterday, he had unwittingly distanced himself from everyone and not started a conversation, as if he were avoiding his friends.

"I'm just worried", William admitted quietly. His gaze fixed on the houses that could be seen beyond the hill. They were not far from the town now and judging by the crowds it was busy too. From their current position, they could wonderfully see the main roads to the sea and the capital, which were just so crowded with travellers.

"Take it easy. We're in Altona, surely no one will recognise us and even if they do, what's going to happen?", replied Ben, unaware that he had misunderstood William's words. William did not try to correct him at all and simply let his friend believe.

In contrast, the sight of Persiven filled Cale with anticipation. The last time he had been in the city, it hadn't been as big and busy as it was today. He could hardly wait to mingle with the people and gather information about the situation in the plains.

As he casually chatted with the girls, he observed his surroundings closely. Something that gave him pause for thought caught his eyes. Not a single Anuxer came towards him. The reason was originally supposed to be the storm and the convenient option of taking the boat, but the fact that there were so few people on foot did not bode well. With his dark eyes, he followed the groups that left the trading city and made their way to the capital in shuffles. Most of them were Anuxer, but he could also make out many traders and also families with children at a distance. Amidst the hustle and bustle, one could also see occasional carriages accompanied by soldiers. Although he didn't like the idea that they would inevitably be travelling with a group on their way, he couldn't avoid it much now.

"What's going on?", Philippa's words snapped him out of his thoughts. Instantly, everyone stopped so that Ben and William could catch up with them. With irritated looks, the 5 watched as a group of Anuxers argued with the soldiers at the gate. Hesitantly, they continued towards the entrance and were immediately spotted by the angry man who pointed his finger at them, causing the soldiers to turn away to the back. The surprise on the faces of the three soldiers in silver armor could be clearly seen by all. One of them, by all appearances the oldest of them, tried to calm the man down before turning away and walking towards the group.

"Where are you coming from?", the soldier called out to them, putting all reasoning aside.

"From Sylve. May I ask what's going on?", replied Ben, standing representatively at the front of the group.

"Seriously? How long have you been out, if you don't mind me asking? Didn't you guys notice the curfew?"

"Curfew?", repeated Ben, turning to the back in wonder. Not just him, but everyone. The whole group dropped their gaze to Cale, whose horrified expression frightened everyone.

"How long has there been a curfew for Anuxer?", the High-Mage himself now spoke up. His voice remained calm and clear, but in the corner of his eye William could see Cale clenching his hands into fists. He remembered that Cale had already brought up the suspicions of a lockdown, so he had actually expected Cale to be the most understanding of the situation, but his reaction was rather the complete opposite.

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"For a few days now. The Magistrat imposed it because a wave of creatures had recently fought their way up to the city. Did you not notice that, either?"

"No, we've been on foot for a few weeks, pretty much coinciding with the day the storms started in Sylve", Cale lied, relaxed. The statement caused the soldier to scratch his head nervously, risk a glance towards the town and continue speaking in a whisper.

"Didn't you have any problems at all? In the last few weeks, some travellers left from here but never arrived in Sylve. Then came the attack and the blockade of the entire creature plain. How did you get through that unscathed?"

"We had difficulties with Calyfaren some time ago, but we were able to resolve that. The two Anuxers that were affected weren't so lucky though", Ben now interjected again, followed by a short pause. "I personally didn't see any other people and I strongly suspect the rest of my group felt the same way. We haven't had any problems most of the time, just the occasional small fish, but nothing earth-shattering."

"You guys must be either damn strong or extremely lucky. I haven't seen anyone come out of the mountains in over a week."

For a moment all six were silent. While the soldier waited for an answer, he followed the glances of his counterparts to the man with the dark eyes, who was as pale as snow since his statement. He must be something like the leader of the group, if one interpreted the reaction of the others correctly. The soldier's statement made Aletta reach for Cale's cloak in fear and step closer to him. Guilt overcame her after the moment of fear. She had unwittingly put four people's lives in danger, it was hard to imagine what could have happened. At the same moment, however, she recalled that first night on the plains. Cale's horrified cry of how they could think of separating, as a group, echoed through her mind.

"Is the capital okay?", Cale hesitantly asked his question, breaking through the oppressive voice. The soldier sighed audibly, scratched his beard and turned around. With a quick motion, he motioned for the five to follow him, which the group eventually did.

"They're fine. As far as I can tell, they got away with a scare. The Magistrat's mages and especially their students are said to have taken care of most of the creatures. The 1st seat of the council - High-Mage Vonstetten - put out the lock on Altona a day later and ordered Sylve to do the same. Very hardly know anything else, I'm afraid, except that a meeting has been called and quite a few high-ranking people are now on their way to Exarion."

Cale winced briefly at the statement. High-Mage Grischa Vonstetten. He arranged this? Without consulting the Council and without the second wave attack? What happened and why had the elder just allowed this to happen? Or was this decided in consultation with him?

With the nervous Aletta by the hand, Cale followed the soldiers to the gate. The Anuxer on the ground had apparently complained about the lockdown because they were now stuck, but on repeated pleading from the soldiers, they had relented. They seem to be well aware of the danger, but in an emergency they would ignore the warning and make their way to the desert by other means.

While the soldier took down their names, Cale overheard the group of three men whispering, hidden in the crowd a few meters away from them. When the soldier received Cale's ID card, he was momentarily speechless. On it, in addition to his name, appearance, age and origin, was his current rank. All at once, the soldier realised that the quiet man before him was one of the High-Mages from Altona.

"I see, so that's why you're still alive", he muttered quietly to himself as he took down the details and handed him back the ID. With a polite goodbye, the group stepped out onto the crowded streets, Aletta and Cale followed by Philippa, Ben and William. For a moment, they all stood speechless amidst the crowds. William was visibly uncomfortable, and Aletta and Philippa did not like the large number of people either. Ben, on the other hand, was already looking for a place to stay. He was looking forward to having a soft bed and a warm shower for one night; being out in this cold every day annoyed him too.

Cale, however, together with Aletta, walked towards the group in front of them. The very group they were holding up right next to a newspaper boy, complaining loudly about the curfew. He tapped one of the men on the shoulder, who turned around annoyed and took a moment to notice Cale, or rather Aletta. The young, blonde-haired girl had immediately stuck in his mind when he had spotted the group, which was why he instantly realised who he was facing.

"Your discussion", Cale began cautiously, making sure the little boy next to them heard the conversation. "Please forgive me. I overheard your discussion with the soldiers at the gate. I really advise you not to go out there. It's the end of the world out there, literally. I've never seen so many creatures in my life as I have seen in the last few weeks."

Irritated, Aletta looked up at the High-Mage, who departed with a polite nod, leaving the men speechless. Cale's eyes were fixed on his group members, but with his mana he observed what the kid behind them was doing. Of course, the three strangers immediately began to prowl, but the child made all the newspapers disappear into his basket and ran away.

Satisfied, a grin flitted across Cale's lips. There were people who were really extremely easy to influence. Especially children, even if he couldn't stand them. When he was still young, he had lived in an orphanage for several years and, as the oldest child there at that time, he often had to look after the younger ones. He had hated this work, probably one of the reasons why he had rarely listened to his foster mothers. On the other hand, Cale also had to admit that he himself had not been a low-maintenance child. Compared to his current personality, he had been anything but calm and patient.

A thought he was almost ashamed of.