Grischa, Aaron and Cale had gathered at the Eldest's apartment. The 3rd seat had explained the whole story from beginning to end to his superior and shared their findings with him.

Following that, the Eldest had also explained his part and what exactly he had seen during the vision. The reaction of Aaron and Grischa said it all. Neither of the two High-Magician had expected that three of them would have died had the Eldest and Cale not brought them all back. Therefore, it was hard for the Eldest to say exactly what had happened, since he had not seen Grischa himself in his vision.

Currently, Aaron and Cale were standing next to each other at the window while the Eldest was looking more closely at the mana household of his 1st seat. Again, Grischa had cleared around the top and turned his back to the Eldest, so the mage could see the mark on his back.

"Here, I've summarized everything relevant for you", Cale quietly spoke up and handed Aaron a small notebook he had made during the night. Wordlessly, Aaron took it and skimmed the first pages. "I also asked my friend Philippa to accompany you to Winstest."

"Who is Philippa?"

"She is the archer from the group currently staying with me. However, she is originally from Winstest and belonged to the Three Gods Faith."

"Does she know her way around there?"

"Yes. She has rarely been this far north, but she knows the Death Region relatively well."

"You know I could have managed it without help, kid?"

"I know, but time is our enemy", Cale returned. "They may be young and not High-Magicians like us, but they're pretty strong on their own."

"Do I have a right of co-determination at all?", retorted Aaron as he made the leaves disappear.

"Would it bother you that much if the three of them came along?"

"Bother is the wrong word there. I just don't want to bring an extra burden."

"They won't be a burden. All three of them are good fighters and will help you", Cale explained calmly, even if he let them go along mainly because he didn't trust Aaron to handle Basil on his own. And in a way, also to secure his relationship with Theorik. "In the end, I'll leave the decision up to you. I just mean that you might regret it if you go there all by yourself."

"Guess I have no choice", Aaron countered. "Can they play by rules?"

"Yes. I'll also tell them myself again that they need to follow your instructions."

"Very well", the High-Magician replied with a somber look, before turning to the Eldest and Grischa.

"Has Lady Merensen been able to accomplish anything yet?"

"Not really, no. The healers in Frignez don't really know anything, but they're looking what they can find out."

"I see. Would have been too eazy. Is there anything else I should know?"

Cale hesitated. Should he tell him his hunch, or was that too much? But perhaps it would be good for him to know in case something happened to him. Unobtrusively, Cale leaned forward.

"We suspect Grischa was not a random target", he announced quietly enough that only Aaron could hear him. "Not only Aletta and I, but the other healers thought of something similar. I can't tell them why, but there's something bigger going on. The creatures were clearly targeting us High-Magicians the other day, so please be careful."

Aaron didn't answer again, but Cale knew he was taking his warnings quite seriously.

"So, what do you think, Eldest?", Grischa spoke up, causing the two High-Magicians to look to the Eldest. The Eldest held his friend's pale hand with one hand as he looked at the darkened mark on his back.

"Dangerous, through and through. I can understand what Chiefs Merensen's daughter meant and I agree with her", he stated, easing away from Grischa before instructing him that he could get dressed again. "I'm going to talk to some people and see if anything can be found out. Vonstetten, you are banned from working for the time being. Leuen, I want you to keep an eye on him 24/7 and let me know if anything happens."

"And who will take care of official business during that time?", Aaron asked cautiously.

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"I will put Castero and Risztus in charge of that. They are to take care of only the most necessary things, and I will personally take care of the important tasks."

Understanding, the three High-Magicians nodded. Grischa was something like the right hand of the Eldest. He took a large part of the tasks from him and then distributed them further. Now that he would be gone and Aaron was leaving as well, they had to spontaneously set up a plan B, even if it wasn't the best solution in the long run.

"Very well, I will now call the others to me, you can go. But Vonstetten...", the Eldest added sharp. Grischa looked up in surprise when his name was mentioned. "In the future, you tell us something this important right away."

"Understood, Eldest", he replied, slightly humbled.

With a bow, the three thanked and bid farewell to the Eldest before exiting. Halfway out, Aaron also separated, leaving only Grischa and Cale. Together, the two High-Magicians left the Magistrat and went out into the city. Grischa made some jokes about his current situation while buying flowers for his wife, but Cale was not in as good of a mood as Grischa was. Rather, he was trying to remember if he had ever seen a Kormandent. But he hadn't, which is why he couldn't understand at all how they related to the creatures' attack.

"There are a few things I'd like to ask you, Caleb", Grischa lifted after buying a large bouquet. "Did you ever tell Yusuf any of this, or how did you manage to get him to follow your plans?"

"Yusuf was always very loyal to me, even during our school days. When I asked him if he could prepare his students more intensively for a fight against the creatures, he just did it."

"That little brat...", Grischa muttered angrily. "And in Sylve? You were there to protect the city then. How did you do that?"

"I was pretty often with Sefra in the creature plains at the time, if you recall. It was after my time as Anuxer. I took advantage of the situation and she kept making comments that the creatures had become more and were acting strange. At some point she started observing similar things and told the Eldest. He in turn warned King Leonhardt of Sylve and when he ignored the warning, I offered to go there personally. Of course, I claimed that due to some research I would be traveling in the region anyway, so I might as well settle down in Bellator. The Eldest had merely granted my request, in the back of his mind still the warning from Sefra."

In the distance, the two men could make out the housing development where Grischa's family also lived.

"That reminds me, I never told you there was actually an attack."

"There was?", exclaimed Grischa in amazement.

"Yes. I mean, I knew it was going to happen, that's why I went there originally. They attacked a little village called Kutam by surprise, and I happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"How come you never told the Magistrat?"

"With regard of the meeting. Altona needed someone as an ally and what better than a country that owes a debt to a High-Magician from Altona?"

"Not bad, not bad. Still, I would liked to have known that."

"Yeah", Cale muttered regretfully. "I'm sorry I never answered back to you. I didn't know what to say if you asked me why I was in Bellator. Besides, I've been really busy getting the city ready."

"You mean to prepare them?"

"That's right. Defense, supply, cooperation. The whole program, in fact. I did start preparing a little earlier, getting the right people and getting them acquainted with each other, but the main program ran in those two years."

"Until your old friends finally arrived."

"Yes. After that, I went back to Altona, knowing full well that there would be an attack on you during that time."

"People died."

"I know. I thought long and hard about doing something else, but the best solution for me was Yusuf. I can't save all the people, and as I said before, the four are more important to me."

Grischa just nodded silently after the statement before they reached his street.

"Have you ever been to Tsuke?"

"You're interested in Tsuke? Seriously?"

"Well, yes. I have a fascination for the unknown and there are no people living on the continent anymore."

Cale laughed at the statement.

"Yeah, I was. Just creatures everywhere as far as you could see. It was the perfect place to test the extent of my magic", he finally announced, avoiding giving the reason why he had gone to Tsuke back then.

"What were you doing there?"

"I was looking to see how strong my attacks would last if I didn't have to hold back."

"And?",Grischa threw back stunned, but he was immediately interrupted.

"Dad!"

The sweet voice of a little boy made both mages look forward. A walking meter wrapped in a thick cloak ran towards the two, so Grischa knelt on the ground and duly welcomed the boy.

"Fabio", Grischa spoke up in a raised voice, laughing and lifting the boy into the air. "You sure have grown up. How old are you again?"

"Six", the little boy announced indistinctly.

"What, that old already? I could swear you were only one."

"Six", the little man repeated, grinning.

"Grischa."

A woman's voice made the man look forward. A slim, pretty woman in a dark red coat walked briskly toward the two.

"Hello dear", the High-Magician gave out, also welcoming the woman with both arms before giving her a kiss on her lips. He had his hands full. In one, he held the boy, in the other the bouquet of flowers and in front of him was his wife.

"What a surprise, I didn't think I'd see you for a while", Ibellina replied delightedly, before her eyes wandered to the flowers. "Are these for me?"

"A beautiful bouquet for a beautiful woman", Grischa replied, handing them to her with a half bow.

"Sweet of you, thank you", she replied, taking the bouquet. When Grischa set his son back down on the ground, he immediately clutched his coat and peered up at Cale, almost as if he were afraid of him. "Caleb, long time no see."

"Pleased to meet you, Madam Vonstetten", Cale replied as he bowed in greeting.

"Courteous as always. You haven't changed a bit. Have you unlocked the secret of eternal youth?", she announced with a laugh as she wrapped her arms around her husband.

"No, madam. I merely have good genes."

"That makes me jealous", the woman replied, leading the two men to the estate. "To be visited by two handsome men with the gift of eternal youth...if the others knew about it!"

Surprised, Cale looked up at the young woman, but didn't reply. At that moment, he realized something he had never realized before. How was it that after 20 years, Grischa had never aged?