With a satisfied smile on his face, Cale leaned back and took a sip of the sweet alcohol that Aletta had chosen today. He watched the people who had gathered in his apartment, exchanging amused words, while he himself stroked Fengari.

William, Ben, Aletta, Philippa, Theorik, Miguel, Yusuf, Ninett, Aaron, Sefra and even the Eldest had gathered in his premises and are celebrating the last day of the year together. In the entrance area, they had removed the furniture and set up a large table so that everyone could sit down to eat together. For Cale, it was nice to see that the people he had brought together got along so well. The whole evening had a pleasant atmosphere, which Cale found a welcome change. He spent no thought on his problems and instead just enjoyed the festivities. The only thing missing now would be Grischa.

"I knew I was older!", could be heard from Aletta's shouts. Interested, Cale turned his attention to the young healer, who sat diagonally across from him.

"You can't be that much older. When's your birthday?", Theorik replied theatrically, but Aletta was all smiles thanks to her victory.

"Spring 22, I'll finally be 17."

"That's only a few weeks!", Theorik complained loudly. Ben's expression at that moment darkened abruptly and he cast a surprised glance at Aletta, as if he hadn't expected her to be so young. Though the swordsman said nothing, this reaction was noticed by Cale.

"Older is older", was all she gave in response, which caused the young spearman to grumble. The discussion of which of you was the youngest had begun after Theorik learned that Yusuf was 29. "That reminds me, if you want, you can come to the celebration on the 22nd!"

"You're celebrating the 17th birthday?", Philippa admitted in surprise.

"We celebrate every birthday in Frignez, don't you?"

"With us, only the 14th birthday has any meaning. From then on, you are officially considered an adult."

"At 14 already?", Ben joined in the discussion, which is why everyone's attention was drawn to the conversation.

"Is that different in Sylve?", was all he received in response from the dark archer.

"Yes. It's not until you're eighteen, and then there's also a big celebration, which is also attended by many family members and friends."

"Heh, I see. I never realized it was handled so differently in the other countries. Seems almost a little strange to me that you're not considered an adult until you're 17 or 18", Philippa replied thoughtfully.

"I think you've misunderstood something", the chief interjected. "In Frignez, you're not considered an adult until you're 18, either."

"Eh? Is that so? And why are you celebrating the 17th birthday, then?"

"It's not just the 17th, we celebrate every birthday", Aletta explained.

"EVERYone?", Philippa, Ben, William, Theorik, and Yusuf exclaimed in unison, causing the healer to shrug in surprise and look to Cale for help.

"It's customary in Frignez", Cale himself now interfered, setting the glass down on the table in front of him. Automatically, all pairs of eyes turned to him. "There, every year is considered a gift of life and accordingly you celebrate every birthday. Like us, 18 is the day when you are no longer seen as a child. Isn't that right?"

At the last sentence, Cale's gaze turned to Ninett Merensen, who extended an approving nod.

"Here in Sylve and Altona, that's only once. Some families still celebrate the day in small circles, but it's not usually an important event in our countries", Cale then added.

"It's sad", Aletta merely commented at the statement, putting on a comparatively depressed expression. Cale, on the other hand, grinned at the statement and meanwhile continued to pet Fengari.

"Doesn't mean we can't celebrate it with you. If the situation allows, you can still do it."

"That's probably going to be a problem this year, considering what's currently going on", Aletta merely commented, which is why the mood darkened abruptly.

"Probably, yes", Cale quickly replied, lifting Fengari into the air before passing the cat to William and standing up. "I've still got the dessert in the freezer, do you want some?"

"That godly dessert from Henry?", William quickly spoke up. Cale had asked Henry this morning if it would be possible for him to take a few servings of the in-house dish, which the old man gladly did.

"Yes, that's right."

"Godly dessert from Henry?", Chief Ninett Merensen repeated, looking from Cale to his daughter, who answered his question.

"I'll help you", Aaron volunteered unceremoniously, following Cale into the kitchen as the conversation at the table independently took its course. Wordlessly, Cale opened the cabinet, in which a cold crystal floated, preserving his food.

"Are you okay?", he asked the 3rd seat as he carefully pulled out the bowls and placed them next to him. Aaron, on the other hand, remained standing behind and glanced back at the large table.

"Yes", he admitted with a gentle smile, and then freed the dessert from its wrapping. "It's nice to be here, even if it's a little uncomfortable in Fengari's presence."

"Does she still scare you?", Cale softly replied, crouching down to more easily reach the bowls.

"You always make it sound like I'm completely helpless."

"I didn't mean it that way, and you know it. I don't blame you for being uncomfortable with the situation. I've lived just like you for a couple of centuries, believing they were all evil."

"Admitted, it's hard to accept. I wonder if normal people would accept it so easily without having the opportunity we had."

"Probably not", Cale replied, lifting out the last bowl, straightening up and closing the door. He stopped next to Aaron, opened the last of the wrappers, and pulled out some plates while the High-Magician watched him.

"How come you have no qualms about dragons at all like that?"

Jerkily, Cale paused in his movement and made a sonic barrier appear at the same time, before turning his gaze to the man beside him. Aaron was leaning slightly against the kitchen counter and had his arms crossed, but his gaze did not match his posture. The usually expressionless expression on his face was painted over with a curious manner that Cale wasn't really used to from him. Since his trip to Winstest, the High-Magician had changed significantly, making Cale wonder what had caused it.

"It's not like I didn't have any concerns at all. I was very afraid of the dragons, after all, the Dragon Queen had literally killed me. Even in this life, I hadn't really intended to face them, but after Grischa and Damian found out about everything and helped me, I was able to look at the events soberly for the first time. You saw what I did in the mountains of Sylve. Until the last moment, I wondered if I would now waste my sixth life because of something stupid. I guess I was very lucky that Fengari was my first encounter, she likes people very much. It's probably just her presence that I had been missing", Cale explained calmly, catching himself at how much he was suddenly giving of himself. It felt strange to be so open about his thoughts, but not an unwanted one.

"She'll leave with them to Sylve", Cale added a breath later.

"Who, Fengari?"

"Yes. I'm sending her back as an escort for William. I want her to keep an eye on events in the city for me."

"Did you tell them she was a dragon?"

"No."

Reproachfully, Aaron looked at him, but did not comment on the statement. Cale, on the other hand, returned his attention to dessert, carefully distributing it among the plates before the 3rd seat began to help him as well. Aaron seemed to have his own opinion on the subject of dragons, Cale had known that for a while, but he kept it to himself. It was probably because he trusted the Eldest and Cale enough that he could overlook those concerns.

"Did you know that my sister always liked the dragons?", Aaron finally raised after a good minute, as Cale still kept the barrier up. With a few plates in hand, the 12th seat stopped in irritation and looked to Aaron, who did the same.

"Seriously?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Eevie found dragons fascinating and always wanted to see them with her own eyes, so she could better depict them in her artwork."

"Your sister was an artist?", Cale expressed in surprise, while Aaron lifted the last plates into the air with the help of his magic and followed Cale, who dropped the barrier.

"Yes, she was. A pretty good one, even if she wasn't particularly famous. I learned to draw from her back in the day."

"That was unexpected. Are there any artwork left from her?", the 12th seat replied, and followed by Aaron, stepped into the dining area, which was bustling with activity. Several pairs of eyes, including William and Ben, spotted you immediately and got wide-eyed at the arrival of dessert.

"I don't think so, at least I never got to see any. If you ever find a painting signed with an 'E' in a circle on the lower left, let me know."

"I'll keep my eyes open."

With the words, Cale stopped behind his guests and began placing the plates in front of them, while Aaron followed suit and took the other half. After a few moments, Cale finally took a seat again next to William, who had Fengari on his lap and was petting her unnoticed.

"I wish everyone a good appetite", Cale politely informed the guests, and after a brief response, everyone began to eat the dessert. Judging by the expression on their faces and their noises, Aletta liked it the most, while her father looked at her thoughtfully for a few moments and tasted it as well.

However, there was no need to worry. All present tasted Henry Larnge's dessert exquisitely, even Cale unobtrusively let Fengari lick his spoon a few times. William was the only one to notice this action, but he didn't reply, just grinned.

"I've never tasted anything that delicious", Theorik managed to say after a few minutes, while looking almost sadly at his increasingly empty plate. Philippa then told him that he would always find something like this at the Larnge restaurant and would like to invite him there sometime. The conversation quickly fell in this direction, because Aletta joined the statement and invited Miguel as well, who blushed at this statement. Amused, Cale watched Ninett give Miguel a warning look, while Aletta beamed.

After all the portions had finally disappeared and the usual chatter had run its course, Cale's communication crystal checked in with him. Somewhat irritated as to who would check in with him at this hour, he allowed the blue crystal to appear in his hand and was pleased to discover that it was Grischa.

"Grin!"

"Well, you're always in a good mood when I'm not around", was the first comment of the High-Magician, who judging by the sounds was in the city.

"To what do I owe the honor?", Cale dodged the insinuation and noticed the Eldest and Sefra looking over at him curiously.

"Come down to town to the big square, I have a surprise for you."

"Right now?"

"Yes, the time is ticking", Grischa merely replied, disconnecting at the same moment. Visibly irritated, Cale looked up at the Eldest, who was equally unaware of what was going on.

"Do you know what Grischa is up to?", Sefra directed to Aaron, who had only casually listened to the conversation and shrugged his shoulders. Cale then turned his gaze outside. It had become dark, only the lights in the city still illuminated the surroundings. The new year would soon dawn, so what was Grischa up to?

A few guesses were exchanged, but in the end no one knew anything, so the group of 12, followed by Fengari, made their way to the city. With a curious look, Cale noticed that the streets were filled with people and Cale also sensed some other colleagues like Rosalie and Rangar in the crowds, even if he didn't see them.

Finding the 1st seat was not particularly difficult, he stood with his son holding his hand in the middle of the large square where 6 different paths met. Next to him was an orange glowing crystal on a box that Cale had never seen before - not even in his other lives.

"There you are, right on time!", Grischa greeted the group, waving a hand in delight, while Fabio did the same thing like his father. Cale spotted his wife Ibellina, next to Elisa Larnge on the sidelines. Like the rest of the residents, they had found themselves in a circle around Grischa's construct and were talking to each other.

"What are you up to? What is that crystal?", Aaron spoke up, almost a little worried, but Grischa did not answer the question. Instead, he gestured to the side with his hand and grinned from ear to ear.

"You'll see in a minute. Find a place to stand somewhere."

Without argument, the group moved to the edge when Odin suddenly appeared behind them and stopped on a wall. Sefra and Aaron immediately asked him if he knew what was going on, but the 5th seat also just shook his head.

But Grischa didn't keep them waiting long. After a few minutes, he lifted his young son on his shoulders and greeted the residents.

"A very good evening to you all, it is a pleasure to see how many people have gathered here. My name is Grischa Vonstetten and this is my son, Fabio. In light of the New Year's celebrations, we thought we would like to make our contribution to the festivities. We present to you the Sky Fire Crystal."

With an elegant turn, Grischa turned to the strange crystal and whispered something to his son, who then began to cast magic. Surprised, the onlookers watched as the little boy poured mana into the crystal, and shortly thereafter cast a scrutinizing glance at his father, who grinned and took a step to the side.

Seconds later, a shrill sound followed by a small light could be seen, which shot up into the sky like a flash of lightning, only to disappear into the darkness a moment later.

"Is that it?", Theorik quietly announced, only to be awakened a moment later by a loud bang.

Wide-eyed, Cale watched as many small lights spread evenly across the sky in all directions, illuminating the heavens. It looked as if a luminous flower suddenly appeared, which slowly trickled to the ground. A moment, two small lights shot into the sky again, also creating flowers of different colors.

Like the rest of the spectators, Cale stared up at the sky, watching the spectacle that none of you had seen before. After the sixth flower, Cale looked over at Grischa, who was holding his son with one hand and also looking up at the sky.

Even though Cale knew all the crystals Grischa had ever developed, he still managed to surprise him with new things. Grischa, the crazy developer and a true genius.