"Take care."

Lukas had escorted the four Anuxers and Cale to the gate and now said goodbye to his friend with a tight hug.

"I should say that to you", Cale admitted quietly, doing his best to pull away from the hug. As much as Lukas wanted to push it away, he wouldn't see Cale again for quite a while. The last few months had flown by and now that his friend was really leaving, he was both happy and sad at the same time. He wanted nothing more than for Cale to be happy, even if it meant for Cale to leave.

"We have to go or we'll get caught up in the rain", Cale finally declared, which made Lukas eventually let go of him and look at him with a big grin.

"Take care", he said, watching Cale turn to the group of four who were waiting for him a few feet away. With a wave, the Anuxers finally took their leave, even Liam, which surprised Cale a little.

He turned backward one last time, not to take one last look at Lukas, however, but to inwardly say goodbye to the capital. Inwardly, he hoped he would not have to return there in the next 3 years. For the time being, the preparations in Sylve were finished, so he could now completely devote himself to the Magistrat and the High Mages.

"Well then, let's get going", Cale announced with amusement as he reached the group, leaving the great gray walls behind them.

Their goal was to follow the great river to the mountain borders and then follow one of the western paths through the mountains. There they would probably meet the first creatures. While following the mountain stream to the border of the desert, they would stay on the first plain the whole time. Only when they had actually reached the driest part of Altona, they would be partially safe again. There was no clear boundary marking the desert, so they would have to follow the sea to the west until they saw fresh grass underfoot. In the dryland, the group should also have a good view of the ocean, which was very calm at this time of year and therefore could not cause sandstorms with its winds.

For a while, Cale watched as Aletta peered into the sky and then turned her gaze to Cale himself. The healer in particular seemed to have no suspicion of him, which was probably due to her kind-hearted nature. After all, even she could not guess that there was no normal person standing in front of her.

"Do you think it's going to rain today?", she quietly gave voice, causing Philippa to turn her gaze to Cale with interest. It was the young girl's first attempt to initiate conversation, to which Cale gratefully responded.

"No, not today. Probably not until we reach the mountain range. The storm front from the south is moving north very slowly, it'll be a good week or two before it reaches us."

Understanding, Aletta nodded before Cale could sense a group with several mana sources ahead of them. Inevitably he turned his attention forward, it was a whole platoon coming towards them. Silently, the five trotted ahead, close enough for all of them to spot the soldiers on their magnificent horses. Cale knew immediately who was coming toward them.

A bright red streak shone from under the hood of the muscular woman leading the group. She had noticed Cale as well, but was also keeping a low profile. Liam instantly realized that the stranger in front of them was watching his group, causing him to unobtrusively reach for his sword. In the corner of his eye, Cale spotted the movement and extended his hand at stomach level in front of Liam.

"Don't."

Cale's whisper was very low, but besides Liam, Ben also heard the warning. Skeptically, he glanced at Cale, who gave a small nod to the strange group, but it seemed more like a greeting. The woman in the lead, who now rode about three meters in front of them, also returned the nod. Her followers, on the other hand, ignored the group completely. When Cale and the strange soldier in armor of the army of Sylve were close enough, she merely extended her hand inconspicuously from under the long cloak to give two short signs. Without waiting for a response, she strode past the group, which gratefully turned away. One or two soldiers cast an interested glance at the five young adventurers, but kept their thoughts to themselves and silently followed the platoon leader.

"Acquaintances?", Liam said, surprised. He was well aware that these soldiers were patrolling the border of Sylve. Both he and Ben recognized their uniforms, and the sheer number of men led them both to suspect that the leader was a high-ranking officer, even if neither recognized the face, nor their insignia.

"Something like that."

Liam didn't seem entirely satisfied with that answer, but didn't probe further. He guessed that Cale had met dozens of soldiers thanks to his work at the tavern and that it was possible that this group was among the people Cale had thrown out. Aletta and Philippa, meanwhile, had struck up a conversation, which meant they hadn't really noticed any of the queasy feeling the two swordsmen had.

"Have you ever been to Altona?", the brunette interjected, completely off-topic and unexpectedly drawing everyones attention.

"Yes, I actually live in Exarion and only came to Sylve for a mission", Cale replied truthfully.

"Is that so? What a coincidence. Does your family live there too?"

Philippa seemed a bit excited, though Cale saw this as sheer curiosity. That was probably because none of them were from Altona or have been there before. The only thing any of them knew was the mage capital of Altona - Exarion. The entire country was once divided into hundreds of different bishoprics until, after the great uprisings, one man rose to the top: the Elder.

A mage with an incomparable power. He is considered by many to be the most powerful man in the entire continent, far above the king of Sylve or the three chiefs of Frignez. His vast knowledge, his uncanny influence and above all his loyal followers, the 12 High Mages of Altona, are what made him known throughout the world, even though hardly anyone knew his real name.

Many are grateful that Altona strived for peace between nations, which ultimately led to a peaceful neighborly relationship. People could travel freely through the two countries and trade as they pleased. Many came to Altona to try their luck as mages, while others still came to Sylve to be instructed in swordsmanship.

The kingdom of Sylve, on the contrary, was divided into thirteen large districts due to the noble families, all with more or less influence on the royal house itself. There used to be a lot of unrest inside the country, but since the reign of King Leonhardt of Sylve, people have been taking care of each other in a harmonious way. After all, there is one thing that every person on the continent fought for.

The death of the Dragon Queen and the resulting danger from the creatures fleeing her territory.

"No, my parents passed away. You know, I'm originally from the village of Groka. Province Caplens", Cale explained, slowly raising his hand in the air to point north-east - directly toward the mountains of Sylve.

Liam gasped in shock when he heard the name. The young man next to him, who just like him had black hair and eyes as dark as the night, seemed rather amused at the statement that he came from the village Groka. The man, who was barely older than himself and seemed much weaker in stature, slipped his hand back into his warm jacket pockets.

"The village Groka?"

"Ah", Ben gave abruptly. Philippa's question seemed to make Ben a little uncomfortable, but he didn't know what to say to stop the conversation. He wanted to interrupt the question, but couldn't bring himself to comment and instead traced his finger over the scar.

"You are not from here, are you? There's a little saying among the inhabitants of Sylve: lets hope we won't become the next Groka."

Visibly confused, Phillippa looked at her friends, who all scowled in disbelief. A slight chill ran down her spine from looking at their faces.

"Groka...", Cale began to explain, deliberately punctuating his voice with a serious undertone. "...was the first village to be overrun by the creatures about 17 years ago. At the time, almost all the 10,186 residents who were in the village and surrounding area perished."

Liam got goosebumps while being told the story by one of the survivors. He barely remembered what had happened then, since he couldn't even talk properly at the time, but the history was told to him over and over again by his teacher. Everyone who grew up in Sylve or Altona is repeatedly reminded about the attack on Groka to highlight the danger stemming from the creatures.

"That day only a handful of people, a little more than 100, escaped. I was the youngest survivor at that time."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up any unpleasant memories", the archer replied as she gave Ben and Liam a reproachful look. She had heard of the story, but didn't know the name of the village and most importantly, she wouldn't have expected Cale to be a survivor.

"That's all right. I barely remember it anyway", Cale explained with a somber expression, so Liam couldn't help but doubt that statement. But Cale was furious about the attack, he hated that place with a passion, but had a completely different reason for that.

Liam had rarely felt so miserable. All the prejudices he had unintentionally thrown at Cale seemed to have been blown away. Before him now stood not a potential enemy, but an unknown man his own age who had lost everything. A boy who had become an Anuxer as a child and had traveled the world, alone. A boy who had to grow up. Maybe that was why Cale seemed so strange to him at first?

Inevitably, he remembered Lukas' words, who tried to convince him that Cale was a good man. Did the innkeepers son know about Cale's background and if so, why hadn't he mentioned it? Out of respect for Cale?

"What about you guys, where are you from?"

Cale tossed the ball back to the questioners, who visibly needed a moment to recover their wits.

"Liam is from the capital and I'm from Oriann, province Freigoud. We grew up together, met as children, were taught together and eventually one thing led to another."

Angrily, Liam gave him an appropriately warning look, but the latter seemed visibly uninterested. He wasn't even really paying attention to Liam, though he knew exactly why Liam stayed on low profile.

"I see. How about the two ladies?", Cale merely replied, which almost seemed to William as if he actually didn't care.

"I'm from the southern part of Winstest myself, but I haven't been home for a few years. I live here most of the time. And Aletta..."

The rangers gaze turned from Cale to the little healer, who was still considering what exactly to tell him.

"I'm originally from Firgnez and just like you, I live and reside in Altona."

Cale nodded in understanding, knowing she was lying right to his face.

Liam, on the other hand, was somewhat taken aback by Cale's reaction. Frignezer's are known to avoid others. This is mainly because many of them are born with incredibly strong magical powers. Aletta also radiates mana, but she was at the top of her land. She holds Holy Mana, which is considered rather rare. Therefore, she tries to hide it. Of all four, she is the one who can best gauge the powers of her opponents. She had also been the reason to why Liam had listened to Cale when they had encountered the red-haired woman.

"Ah, Cale!"

A strange voice at the side of the path made the four Anuxers look to the side, except for Cale. He had long since spotted the old man at the edge of his field.

"Is it time at last?", the stranger added, raising his hat in greeting. Irritated, all eyes were on Cale, who amusedly raised his hand and returned the greeting.

"Five days, tops. You should have your fields plowed by then", Cale replied with false friendliness. Lukas often bought fresh vegetables from the man, which was why they knew each other.

Liam remembered Cale's statement earlier. The storm front from the south was moving in. As every year, farmers were also preparing for the rains that signaled the beginning of the winter season.

"Ah, thank you so much!", the man heartily acknowledged, refocusing on his work.

"You really know everyone, don't you?"

Liam's statement came out with a light laugh as his and Cale's eyes met. Cale merely returned his half-serious question with a wide grin as he thought only one thing to himself.