The next five days flew by. When the Elder informed the inhabitants of the impending attack, many were willing to drop everything to leave their homes, but the Elder promised them the best possible protection. The last nobel visitors left on the morning of the attack, not wanting to witness the war, despite the Elder's words.

By noon, the city was full of people, while there was no one left in front of the Gates. Many Anuxers, soldiers, mages and also quite a few students were taught by the already known creatures during the last days. They were emphatically told that they had to follow the instructions of the High-Magicians at all times. They had largely spread out across the city limits and only the Eldest, Cale and Nora remained in the city itself.

After some searching, Cale found himself a good position on the roof of the Magistrat, and sat here waiting. Similar to his colleagues, he wore a dark combat uniform with the communication crystal tied around his neck. He had tied his hair into a tight ponytail and let his golden eyes glide over the horizon.

He wasn't very happy that Wiliam, Ben and Philippa would also participate in the battle. He had therefore given them privately several times a day and also trained with them a little, but there was one statement he repeated at every moment.

"Don't play the hero. If you can't do it anymore, or you get hurt, retreat to the barrier immediately! We are strong enough, so you don't have to risk your lives."

They accept his warnings without argument, but Cale would prefer to just deny them participation in the fight. He was really afraid they would get hurt. But equally, he trusted them to abide by his rules.

A dark silhouette appeared next to Cale, but Cale kept his eyes on the horizon. It was Aaron, to his surprise. The mage had been busy until today, scouring the lands with Grischa and Malte, collecting the last inhabitants. According to Grischa, this was a rather annoying task, as some of the older population refused to leave their homes.

"Kid", the High-Magician finally raised his voice.

"What can I do for you?", returned Cale in wonder. He didn't know exactly why Aaron was here. He was supposed to be on the walls, with the rest of the High-Magicians, but instead he was standing next to him on one of the tallest buildings in the city.

"I want an honest answer. Under what circumstances would your barrier give way?"

"My barrier will not yield", Cale countered gruffly.

"Don't overestimate your ability, kid. At a certain point, it's going to be hard for you to keep the Igrikum constant, too. You've never been in a war before, so don't assume it's going to be easy", Aaron interjected condescendingly. "So, I'll ask it another way: how long can you reliably maintain your barrier?"

"Who says I've never been in a war before?", Cale threw back softly. For the life of him, he couldn't stifle the comment. He was the only one of them who had served in combat several times. Of all the High-Magicians, he was not only the one who knew the most about creatures, but also the only one who really knew what it was like to have to fight for his life. Aaron's penetrating statement therefore bugged Cale on a whole new level. "Aaron. Look at me."

The man did as he was told and looked down at Cale with his iron eyes.

"I know my Igrikum and I can assure you that it will not relent. When I meant that I could keep the barrier up for weeks, I really meant it", he repeated in a still serious voice, looking coldly at the 3rd seat. The two were silent, but Cale could guess that Aaron wasn't thrilled with his statement. "I know you don't like me, but just trust me on this. My shield will never give way. Not as long as I'm alive."

"I really hope you're not overestimating yourself", Aaron admitted dryly, jumping off the roof a moment later. Silently, Cale tracked the High-Magician with his gaze before continuing his vigil.

It should not take much longer. The sun had almost set and all the people had taken their places. The High-Magicians formed the first line, behind them the experienced Anuxers and qualified magicians. Third in line were the students and novices waiting on the walls for their turn. Philippa, Ben and William were assigned here. They were to focus primarily on helping injured people and bringing them into the city. Aletta, along with the Elder, Nora, and several other healers, had retreated inside the city. They were strictly forbidden to fight, as they were to take care of the residents and especially the wounded.

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After a few minutes of silence, a chill of ice reached Cale as Grischa came up behind him.

"What are you doing here?", he stated dryly as Grischa smiled at him.

"You're really never happy to see me, are you?"

"That's not true and you know it very well. Go to your Plato's, I'm sure they're already looking for you", Cale threw in dismissively.

"Look at that, little Caleb all grown up", Grischa retorted, coming to a stop beside him. Sighing, Cale held his hand in front of his head. This was exactly why he hadn't said goodbye to Grischa back then, he always had to get something off his chest. Sometimes it really felt like Grischa considered him his younger brother, which put quite a mental strain on Cale. "I wanted to say goodbye."

"You sound like this is the last time we'll see each other."

"Maybe it's our last time?"

"Where do you get these gloomy thoughts? A rosy future awaits you, I have no doubts about that. Those few little fishes can't hurt you, and if you're scared, you can always go back to my barrier. I will protect you."

"Who says I'm scared?", Grischa threw back instantly, laughing as if trying to contain his fear with it. Cale waved him off with his hand before turning his attention back to the creature plain. Grischa stood silently beside him for a moment before placing his hand on the young mage's head. "I trust you."

"So do I."

"Stay alive", the 1st seat quietly gave voice before disappearing from the roof.

"You too", Cale said, but Grischa could no longer hear those words. With a small cloud of ice in his luggage, Grischa flew away and disappeared in the light of the sun.

Cale reached for the crystal around his neck and took a deep breath. In fact, he was quite nervous himself. They were facing a dangerous crossroads: either Exarion would perish or they would survive. Today's battle would determine the course of this life, and Cale prayed that the city would make it. If not, he would encounter a formidable problem. But he had high expectations, because not for nothing he had spent the last 17. years preparing people for war with the creatures.

No one really realized how strong Cale was. He had always kept a low profile and tried to reveal as little about himself as possible. Today, however, things would be different. He had no reason to continue hiding and stood up with full confidence.

"The visit is coming", Cale announced instantly as he spotted the dark mass on the horizon. Inevitably, he had to grin as he emitted great masses of mana. Through the crystal on his neck, Cale could hear the High-Magicians giving some encouraging last words, but he himself ignored them. He didn't need luck, and he didn't need the blessings of the gods. That had never helped him before, and it wouldn't help him in the future. "I'll start."

With a mighty blast, Cale spread nature's mana all over the city. Within seconds, a gigantic dome formed and Cale could feel the fighters below him start to move. He lowered his hand and focused only on the mana for a few moments. How long had it been since he had used his Igrikum so openly? Years? Decades? Probably more. Tsuke had to be the last time, though he couldn't remember exactly when he'd snapped back at Tsuke and killed everything in his path. It was an unpleasant memory, since he was at the end of his rope then and had not been able to stand the torture.

The ground began to vibrate, causing Cale to open his eyes again. His Igrikum stood rock solid, he had nothing to fear. His task was done for the time being, now the others had to work. It wasn't long before Rangar announced the start of the war with a massive amount of mana before launching himself into the crowd. The warriors in his plato instantly followed his lead, until the other High-Magicians began to move as well. Cale could see their various Igrikums forming and specifically observed spectacular manifestation. A massive blizzard formed around his friend Grischa before he caused a multitude of large icicles to appear and hurl them at his opponents. On the other side, Sefra's dangerous-looking black, serpentine formations Igrikum hurled her opponents into the air before she slashed her razor-sharp through them in one lightning-fast motion, splitting their bodies in two. Odin, on the other hand, held a weapon of blood in his hands and sliced horizontally through the creatures, which instantly fell to the ground.

The 12th High-Magician could see the others holding their own against the creatures and their followers tending to the victims who had slipped through.

It was a fascinating sight that filled him with joy. If there was still snow in Exarion, the battle would probably be truly comparable to Frignez. At the time, Cale felt a similar sense of awe, especially since it was his first war. The number of creatures had to be somewhat higher than in Frignez, but since the High-Magicians were still alive and were almost single-handedly handling the attack. Even if, Cale did not assume that this fight would not be easy.

Battle cries could be heard everywhere and a mixture of metal and magical explosions resounded through the area. No matter how far Cale looked, opponents were everywhere, surrounded by massive flames from the mages. They, too, had begun to use magic of the great kind, following the High-Magicians as best they could. Cale spotted some Novaren in the distance, laughed diabolically, and pulverized the creature with his Igrikum in the next moment.

When he saw a Novaren, he always thought of his mother and wants to vomit. He really hated Groka.