The next few days were comparatively unspectacular. Aaron, William, Philippa, and Ben were on their way back to Exarion with Theorik and had already covered most of the distance. Usually Cale would be happy that both Theorik and Miguel were in the capital, but he wasn't particularly. The problems only seemed to keep adding up.

As discussed, the Eldest had made contact with Aaron and reported the events in Altona until they got to talking about the dragons. At first Aaron didn't want to talk about the subject, but when the Eldest politely asked him to, as the whole situation seemed strange to him, Aaron told of what he knew. According to him, he had seen the first dragons two years after the attack on Groka in Altona and since then they seem to be constantly multiplying. The High-Magician was even quite sure that there were significantly more dragons in the mountains than people assumed, although he could not give a number.

All the while, Cale listened to the words of the High-Magician, unaware to Aaron that he was listening. At some point, however, Aaron came back to Grischa and inquired how he was doing. Something unusual, Cale felt, since he didn't know he cared about Grischa. It was only later that Cale learned from the Eldest that it had been Aaron who had been the very first to make Grisha's acquaintance. Originally, the Eldest had planned to appoint Sefra as Grisha's teacher, but since the mage could not restrain herself in his presence and literally asked him about his life, he quickly forbade her to do so. That's how it had come about that Aaron became Grisha's teacher in the first place, who had no contact with magic up to that point.

Something that probably seemed strange to all High-Magicians, back then as well as nowadays.

The search party also reported to them twice a day, but so far they could not find anything. Every day they covered several miles and carefully combed the region, but Yusuf Mirai could not yet sense a spark of Grisha's mana. In the meantime, they traveled through the dangerous region and set fixed times to give a brief sign of life.

So far, however, without success.

The Eldest on the other side was busy with his usual business during the day. Be it problems in the city or talks with the other countries, his work piled up. Still, he found the time to join Cale every evening to share their experiences. The 12th Seat told him much about the war against the creatures and equally about the helpfulness of the other countries, with particular reference to the lives of the mages at the time. After the fall of Exarion, the mages lost their status and were hated by the inhabitants, sometimes even hunted. They were blamed for the collapse of Altona, which became all the worse after the 3rd wave. As he revealed the stories from his other life, Cale could see the Eldest's expression grow more somber. When Cale inquired what he was thinking about, the Eldest confessed that he was thinking about the time of the inner conflict in Altona and could therefore well imagine what kind of life Cale must have led.

At some point, however, they dropped the subject and got down to the current situation. Cale enlightened the Eldest about the countries' weak points and then together they considered how they could fix them. A key point was the defense measures of Frignez, as well as better care for the residents. Cale had informed him that hunger was becoming a major problem in the cold region and talked with the Eldest about whether they could somehow counteract it.

Aletta didn't get to hear the conversation about her home at all. Every day, she was with Cale for a few hours, carefully running her eyes over Grisha's body. Each time, the healer from Frignez gave her new, detailed tasks to examine, both related to his body and his mana.

It could be said that every member of Cale's environment was quite busy, but most of Cale's time was spent with Aletta and the Eldest.

With the third day since the search with Yusuf began almost over, Cale squatted on the sill of his open office window, braving the pleasant breeze. He leaned against the window frame as he let his feet hang and gazed over the rooftops of the city, lost in thought. He could not get enough of this sight. Whenever night fell, the city would begin to glow with the stars. A simply breathtaking sight, which was also often said by visitors to the Magistrat.

When the Eldest approached the apartment again, as usual at this time, Cale slowly turned around and opened his office door with the help of his magic. He didn't need to open the front door itself, the Eldest had access as well by now. Along with Grischa, William, Ben, Aletta and Philippa, he was now the 6th person who could gain access to his apartment at any time.

"Caleb", the old mage greeted him as he entered the office. With a disappointed look he observed the chairman of Altona, before he made it clear with a short hand gesture that he should take a seat on his chair.

"Good evening", Cale quietly acknowledged, pulling his feet toward him. He sat cross-legged on the window sill and looked into his office, the Eldest sitting at the table barely three feet away from him. If they hadn't both dropped their formalities, Cale would never dare behave like that in front of the Eldest.

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"I just spoke with King Leonhardt of Sylve", the blond-haired mage brought up instantly, which is why Cale's attention returned all at once. For a moment he was even afraid that something had happened. "It's quiet over there. They've increased the number of their troops and set up permanent defensive posts on the edges of the last villages. The Dukes of Ameluxen, Gallymune, Caplens and Taovern seem to be taking the situation very seriously. Duchess of Caplens in particular, which I personally find really remarkable."

"That's good to hear", Cale replied with relief.

"Yes. I'm also relieved that they're being more cautious. The rainy season is coming to an end and it's slowly getting warmer for them. King Leonhardt informed me that they would like to resume field work in the coming weeks..."

"...but he is worried about how to proceed with the trade", Cale finished the mage's sentence, to which the Eldest merely nodded. King Leonhardt was not entirely wrong. With the Cold War on their doorstep, they too had to be a lot more careful with their resources. And since they had to supply their own people first and foremost, it was currently unclear how much they should even let them grow.

"Although there was the idea of moving the trade route to the coast, paths would have to be built first. King Leonhardt of Sylve therefore asked us to provide mages."

Cale frowned. Simply put, their plan was to dig a new path from Sylve to Altona. Specifically, from the trading city of Persiven to the capital of the province of Ameluxen - Werbast. While Sylve would provide their manpower, Altona would help out with earth magic. But there was still a problem. They had to ensure the safety of the people during the work, both the city and the workers on site. After all, part of the route would be along the Creature Plain and the Mountains of Sylve, which was anything but a safe place. It was even up for debate that she would dig the path along the side of the coast rather than above ground, as the entire region was situated on cliffs.

"What did you answer to that, Eldest?"

"I promised him that the Magistrat would support them no matter what. But I also asked King Leonhardt to give us a week, as we are currently working on another solution."

"Had you told him about the flying crystals?", Cale indignantly admitted, to which the Eldest merely shook his head.

"Of course not. Those crystals you told me about were merely to serve as a plan B. Still, I didn't want to make a decision right away", he explained. Relieved, Cale breathed a sigh of relief before the Eldest spoke up at the same time. "Are you capable of developing these crystals on your own?"

Surprised at the statement, Cale looked at the mage. He was asked straight out if he could take over Grischa's position and lead the Magistrat's developments, which he didn't exactly like. However, he couldn't blame the Eldest. As much as the Eldest cared about Grischa, he had an entire country to govern. So he had to look for other options.

"In theory, yes, but it would take some time. I've never tried it myself and so far I've only watched. It was Grischa who had developed the formula for these crystals", Cale explained reluctantly.

"Write down the whole theory behind it for me, please. I'll take a look at it, but for now we'll continue with the original plan."

"What exactly are you going to do?", Cale raised calmly. He himself had always been very careful about what he said and did, as it carried direct consequences for the future. The Eldest felt similarly, he could not sit and wait when all of Altona and the King of Sylve were relying on him.

"I will ask Rangar to gather a dozen capable mages tomorrow, primarily those who have experience against the creatures or are good with earth magic. Depending on that, I'll also talk to the Anuxer guilds to look for some capable people", the blond-haired mage clarified, to which Cale nodded in understanding. "You don't think that's a good idea?"

"We don't really have a choice, do we? I'm just worried that the overland route might still be too dangerous, even if it's just on the edge of the creature plain. How long do you think it would take the mages to dig their way from Persiven to the mountains?"

"Several months, for sure."

"And if there's another attack by then?"

"I'm pretty sure my Igrikum would warn us", the Eldest replied, but the statement didn't really reassure Cale. Basically, he had to rely on the Eldest's visions, but he couldn't really get comfortable with the idea. He trusted the Eldest and the High-Magicians enough to be able to protect Altona, but Cale preferred to be in control of the situation himself. In the meantime, there were too many unresolved factors to consider and his original plan had to be pushed back. His plan to increase the size of the group and strengthen their fighting force.

"Maybe it's best if...", Cale raised his voice, when at the same moment the communication crystal of the Eldest contacted them. Surprised, Cale fell silent and watched as the latter infused mana into the crystal. The usual feedback from the search party was yet to come, as who would check in with them at this hour?

"We found him! The Kormandent!", Sefra's excited voice instantly gave voice without even giving the Eldest a chance to speak.

All at once, Cale's heart began to pound wildly and instantly jumped. It was like a ray of hope at the end of a long, dark night. A glimmer of hope that Cale had all but given up on. Tensely, he stared at the face of Sefra, her short hair blowing in the wind as she turned to face the back. In the background, the others of the group were faintly visible, most notably Yusuf's, who sat right next to her. The blind mage did not dignify them with a glance, as he concentrated on what was happening beneath his feet.

Cale wanted to tell them not to walk too close. He wanted to warn them to remain unnoticed and keep their distance while Luc Darves captured the creature with his shadow. Cale wanted to prevent any more High-Magicians from falling victim to the creature and getting into even bigger trouble, but he couldn't produce a sound. His head was full of all kinds of thoughts and feelings, first and foremost the joy that they had really managed to find the creature.

Sefra turned back to them and explained that although they could not see the creature, Yusuf could sense Grischa's mana. However, Cale tuned out the high mage's voice and turned pale in the face. His joy extinguished as quickly as it had come, for his current greatest worry announced itself at that very moment.

Grischa was losing Mana.