It was a strange feeling to be alone with the Eldest. After they finished their conversation, he showed up at his door a few minutes later, so Cale politely welcomed him. This was probably the man's first time in the apartment in over half a decade and Cale could catch him unobtrusively glancing at the books on the wall as the tall man did so. He probably figured that Cale had taken the books from the library and was stashing them with him, but a few moments later he seemed to realize that a large number of the copies were not in the library. This was because Cale had acquired his very own collection of knowledge from around the world, all from his own money, of course. The books covered a wide variety of subjects. From textbooks, magic formulas, to the way of life of different countries, to the wildest theories. One might think that much of it was insanity, but thanks to Cale's knowledge, he knew that the books had some kind of truth, which is why he kept them.

"Can I offer you something, Eldest?"

Quietly, Cale watched the most powerful mage of his time. The elegant dark uniform perfectly complemented his dark blond long hair and well-groomed beard, while his blue eyes locked on Cale. For a moment, he got goose bumps. He had learned from Grischa at the time that the Eldest had also spoken in favor of including a 16-year-old in the Magistrat. But Cale did not understand the background. One might think that he placed a high value on Cale's knowledge or was simply impressed by his abilities. But Cale had already been a High-Magician once in his fifth life and had not revealed much of his knowledge then. Still, it led to the same end: the Eldest took Cale in.

"I decline with thanks", was all the mage said, so Cale nodded in agreement and led him to his bedroom. Silently, the Eldest stopped in the room when he saw Grischa lying in the bed, while Cale approached his friend. The magician must have noticed that the Igrikum was now expressing itself physically and his glance at the heat crystal also told him that he quite understood why it was so hot in the room. That was also the reason Cale was walking around dressed only in a light shirt. He couldn't really stand the heat. "When was the last time Vonstetten was awake?"

"Today, in the early morning hours. I'll make sure he eats and drinks, don't worry about it", Cale replied quietly, stopping in front of the door that led into the hallway to the bathroom, dressing room and guest room. Quietly, he leaned against the bookshelf to his right and gave the elder a skeptical look. "Eldest, I would like to ask you something, if I may".

His Igrikum, Cale still did not know.

He pointed with his hand to the vacant chair, which was to the left of the high-ranking visitor. For a moment, the Eldest stood quietly before accepting the offer and took a seat in the only chair in the room.

Ever since Grischa had made hints regarding the Elder's Igrikum at that time, he couldn't help but think about it. Actually, he had not expected to be able to achieve a conversation in private so quickly, but he did not have very much time. Cale expected Yusuf and Sefra to show up at his apartment in the next 20 to 30 minutes, so he wanted to make the most of the time.

"Speak."

That the Eldest returned his gaze with such pride made Cale nervous, but he didn't let it show. The man seemed positive about him, so therefore he had nothing to touch. Why else would he have accepted him into the Magistrat and entrusted him with Karekama if he didn't have a little faith in Cale? The man had to know something about him, even though Cale had never mentioned his past. Where did he get that trust?

"Forgive me if I seem disrespectful. Can you explain to me how exactly your Igrikum works?"

Cale's voice trembled a little at the statement, but the Eldest didn't seem to have noticed. Instead, Cale could see a moment of wonder in the man's blue eyes before his gaze turned away and lingered on Grischa.

"Are you going to ask me why I didn't anticipate Vonstetten's condition?"

Deliberately, Cale did not answer the question immediately. It was definitely one of the reasons Cale was interested, but there were several others. Why couldn't he have predicted the attack three years from now sooner, and did the Eldest know he was supused to died during the second wave?

"Among other things, yes", Cale confirmed, also letting his gaze wander to Grischa at the statement. He wanted to avoid the Eldest not answering him properly, so he was close to the temptation to give him some hints about the future.

"Is there more than one reason?", the Eldest replied calmly. Cale could hear the man lean back and cross his legs.

"Yes", Cale stated truthfully and looked at the elder again.

"You know the importance of the Igrikum revelation to us High-Magicians. Not everyone is willing to expound it as openly as you did, Leuen."

At the subliminal threat, Cale's hand clenched, so he folded his arms behind his back and held back a biting comment. Since the Eldest did not continue speaking, Cale became irrevocably aware that the man would not tell him anything about his Igrikum. Cale had no choice.

"Let me ask it another way. How come you don't know what's going to happen three years from now?", he now implied rather directly. Instantly, his hands began to tremble as he looked into the Elder's surprised face. Lucky for him, the Eldest couldn't see his nervousness, but what kind of reaction was that from the Eldest? "Or do you know and are deliberately keeping the others in the dark?"

"What are you talking about?", the Eldest replied, but this time with a clearly discernible interest. Cale was sure the man was not fooling him. His powers of assessment about people were not without, which is why he could clearly tell that the Eldest did not know what to expect from Altona and the rest of the world.

"So your Igrikum is really limited. I guess you can't see further into the future than a few weeks, can you? Combining this with the current situation, it would also have to mean that you are also limited in your use of it or cannot use it in quick succession?", he challenged the Eldest. All he received in response was a warning in the form of mana, but he had already given too much of himself to flinch now. Besides, he was pretty sure the Eldest could do nothing against him. Cale doubted there was anyone who could defeat him in a straight fight. "I'll trade my knowledge for yours, what do you say? A look three years into the future for your Igrikum."

"You could fool me."

"I would never dare. Besides, I'm pretty sure you can tell a lie from the truth."

Silence was heard on the part of the Eldest. He certainly seemed skeptical about the situation, but when the man withdrew his mana and a soft cough was heard, Cale breathed a sigh of relief.

"You begin", he prompted Cale, causing a brief smile to appear on Cale's face.

"The issue regarding the consequences for Altona was not out of the air", Cale raised carefully. "If we hadn't been able to prevent the attack on Exarion, they would have invaded the city and killed all the inhabitants, including us High-Magicians and you."

"You already said that."

"And why do you think I'm so sure of that statement?", Cale asked dryly, until he mustered up the courage to address the one he'd been keeping secret until now. "Altona should have been destroyed. The land we know today won't exist in three years."

Shock was literally written all over the Elder's face. His eyes were wide and his mouth slightly open, as if he wanted to retort something. But he hesitated. Cale could clearly see the elder's hand clutching the table board to his left as he looked at Cale, stunned.

"The creatures are destroying everything. The big cities, all the villages and fields in the countryside.... nothing will be left. The people who survive the attacks will flee to Sylve and Frignez", Cale added with his usual confident tone to the man who ruled all of Altona as an unofficial ruler. He hadn't seen the face he was giving him for a very long time. To be exact, he had seen it once, at their first meeting a good 12 years ago. "In three years, we'll be at a point where our land will be teeming with creatures, much like Tsuke. And then the real catastrophe will begin: the downfall of humanity."

"So it's already come to this...", the Eldest muttered, his shock turning to sadness. But Cale straightened up in surprise.

"You knew about this?", he said, almost shouting, as he watched the man literally sink into the chair. What was this sight? Was the Eldest just showing... guilt? Unconsciously, Cale took a step toward the Eldest, who looked away from him and stared elongatedly out the window. Cale had his hand half in the air, anger spreading inside him. The Eldest knew what was about to happen, but why was he hiding it? "Eldest, I beg you. Tell me what is going on. How do you know about this and why are you hiding it from the High-Magicians?"

Forced, Cale suppressed his anger, though he would have liked to strangle the Eldest. The man in front of him had no idea that Cale had suffered for decades because of his silence. Why on earth was he keeping it to himself?

"It's not what you think", the blond-haired man raised, staring boldly at Cale.

"If you say so", Cale gave out, taking another step toward the elder. With his last shred of sanity, he forced himself to swallow his anger to give the Eldest a fair chance to explain himself. "But you know my words are not just speculation, don't you? From the beginning, your behavior seemed a bit strange to me. Of all people, you came to me during the 2nd wave and told me about your vision. You left the command to me without comment and at no time doubted my Igrikum, as if you knew something. As if you knew exactly that my Igrikum is clearly more powerful than I had presented it at that time 6 years ago. I purposely didn't interfere in your affairs because you were one of those who spoke out in favor of my appointment as High-Magician and now you're telling me that you knew about the war all along?"

"It's not... it's not what it may look like to the outside world."

"Then explain it to me!", Cale threw back flippantly. "Explain to me why you, of all people, the most powerful mage of our time, signed humanity's death warrant. Explain to me why you, of all people, are acting as if everything is fine. The mage whose Igrikum is called the glimpse of the future!"