After a long day, Cale found himself on the rooftops of Sylve, with Palaios by his side in his marten form. They had spent hours checking the entire city to see if there was another Thormod hiding somewhere, but as Fengari had pointed out, the second prince was the only one they could find so far.

"It's probably a good sign that there isn't another Thormod around. Would be a bit bad if every Thormod can change his appearance", the dragon expressed himself quietly.

The mage had no reason to disagree. Even though he had gone on a quest with that in mind, he used the time to get a clear picture of the situation. The Thormods had been involved in world affairs for considerably longer than Cale had been aware.

With a leap, he distanced himself from the lake whose surface he had been staring at for quite a while. Aaron and Luc were going to make their way back and Palaios would accompany them. Only Cale planned to stay in town for one night. He didn't even have to justify it, because it was clear to his colleagues that he was concerned about William's welfare.

So it was that a few minutes later he took his leave and, accompanied by Sir Venlan, watched as the two High-Magicians, along with Thormod, disappeared into the darkening sky. Palaios presence had kept them hidden until the end, which Cale thought was for the best.

"Are you guys all right? This must have been quite a shock to you today as well, Sir Venlan", Cale began cautiously once the two men were alone. Together they went back to the royal family to check on things. The palace had been silent all day, and Cale felt that oppressive feeling in every limb.

"I can't put into words what happened today. The second prince has been dead for years and no one had noticed, not even me and I saw Prince Marion every day."

"You could not have known that, Sir Venlan."

"Perhaps not been able to see it as you did, but I should have noticed something. A whole person was changed overnight and I didn't notice any difference."

Cale did not know how to respond to this statement. It was quite surprising that no one had noticed the lack of existence. Neither his teacher, nor his father, nor his own brothers. The people in his immediate vicinity must be reproaching themselves incredibly and Cale could understand why. If he learned after all these years that William had not been William, it would probably be the end of the world for him as well.

"Can you teach me to see the real exterior of a shapeshifter, High-Magician Leuen?", the swordsman spoke up again of his own accord.

"I'm afraid I can't. You can't see through a shapeshifter unless you have the dispositions to do so. I couldn't see through it any more than you could."

"Then how could you have been so sure that the person was not human?"

"His mana, Thormods don't have mana of their own and the one he carried and used was known to me. This is an advanced form of mana sensitivity. I can recognize and tell apart all the mana sources near me. Now, for example, I can tell that Sir Freigoud is standing guard outside the room where King Leonhardt is. In the same way, I can also tell that Edward and William are in the room next door."

"That's amazing. Maybe I should develop a little more in the direction of being a mage, it certainly seems to have its advantages."

"It would definitely be doable for you guys. You have good qualifications to learn it, although I wouldn't recommend you give up being a swordmaster to become a mage. The adjustment is far too great and not worth it, but you can combine the best of both worlds."

"Well, I guess you speak from experience there, High-Magician Leuen", the King's left hand threw back. This led Cale to suspect that the man had heard of his story and knew he was leading Karekama.

"Indeed", Cale muttered softly, looking up at the advisor. "You're welcome to call me Caleb, by the way."

"Then I would be honored if you would just call me Julius as well."

"I'd love to", Cale replied with a smile. "What do you intend to do now?"

"I will talk about that tomorrow with Sir Freigoud and King Leonhardt. Personally, I do not trust the Thormod's statement and have started an extensive search. If you can give us any information regarding this, I ask you not to withhold it from us."

"I'll see what I can do. Just don't get your hopes up too high. Even if I don't find every statement of the Thormod to be true, it is very obvious in my eyes that the 2nd prince was a victim of a crime and the same fate was intended for the rest of the royal family", Cale cautiously shared without giving away too much information. Inwardly, he was aware that he had a problem.

If Nodiavi spoke the truth, then word of her absence would spread quite quickly in Sylve. Cale expected it to take about a week for the Thormods to get wind that their secret weapon had been disarmed. For this reason, he had already spoken with the Eldest at noon today and recommended that experienced mages be positioned as a guard detail at the border. An action that was long overdue. The 5th seat and 10th seat would also join along with the communication crystal and sky fire crystal so that they could act instantly in case of emergency.

"I am aware that the probability is low, but I still want to try."

"Understandable", Cale merely returned and strode through the quiet palace. Together with Julius Venlan, he headed for the section of the house where Sylve's family was currently located. The closer they came, the more clearly Cale sensed the presence of soldiers patrolling the paths. They all belonged to the king's special forces and were usually only active in the shadows. No wonder, that the two did not catch sight of the men. "I would like to speak a little with Prince William and Crown Prince Edward, if I may."

"Of course. You probably have just as much to worry about."

"Quite...", Cale muttered, letting his eyes wander to the ceiling. Two soldiers were perched on the support beams near the ceiling, almost completely suppressing your mana output. But Cale could still sense them, and one of the mana sources even looked familiar, though he couldn't currently remember who. For Cale, it was the first time he got to see the task force, though not face to face. Quiet as the wind, they blended into their surroundings. Even though Cale couldn't see their bodies, he knew full well that they returned his gaze.

A few minutes later, they entered the hallway and were greeted by Sir Freigoud, who took two steps back from the door and bowed. He showed his respect to the High-Magician from Altona and at the same time his thanks. After a few brief words, Cale separated from the king's advisors and went to the room where the princes were staying. Carefully, he knocked three times on the door.

"It's me, Caleb", he announced himself, not waiting for a response. Quietly, he entered the room, which was completely darkened. The first thing he spotted was Edward. The king's eldest son was sitting on an armchair with his head bowed, looking out of the only window which was not covered by curtains. Fengari, much to the mage's surprise, squatted on his lap, raising her head briefly as he entered and greeting him in thought.

, Cale merely returned, closing the door behind him and glancing around the other part of the room. William was lying on the bed and had buried himself under the covers so that he could barely be seen.

With one last look at the crown prince, Cale decided to check on his friend first. Quietly, he crept up to the large, noble bed and carefully squatted down next to William. Without saying anything, he began to run his fingers through the soft hair of the prince, whose face was hidden under the covers. He did not move, but Cale knew he was awake. His breathing betrayed him and after about a minute he also moved his hand under the blanket as if wiping away tears.

"When I told you that you could contact us anytime, I wasn't thinking about anything like this, Cale", his soft, tearful voice could be heard saying.

"I'm sorry. There's nothing I can say that will make the situation better."

"How long have you known?"

"Since the Thormod arrived at the palace", Cale explained quietly, continuing to gently stroke the exhausted prince's head. "I have my eyes and ears everywhere, in Sylve as well as the other lands."

Cale was not too sure if William already suspected that those eyes and ears were Fengari, so he kept his statement vague. That a High-Magician had some contacts in Sylve didn't seem far-fetched, though the timing of events might not have been quite right.

"And you flew here?"

"Instantly, yes. I couldn't afford to put you in danger."

"Well, I suppose I should thank you", William replied, followed by an ironic laugh. "You probably saved Sylve from a major disaster today."

"I'm sorry you had to find out that way."

"You don't have to apologize all the time, it was never your fault", the prince returned, moving his body closer to Cale. Like a big dog, he wrapped himself around Cale's body so that his head was on the edge of the bed, sticking out slightly. "I just... just can't believe it. Marion is dead and I...we...why...? All this time, I've been trying to leave the palace and never questioned why Marion was the only one who supported me like this, even though we don't really have a close relationship. But now, in retrospect, some of the things that have happened over the years make a lot more sense."

"Please don't blame yourself so much, Will."

"I can't not blame myself. It feels wrong to have never realized anything. Mad... Mad must have been so scared... He was just a kid. I don't even want to imagine what he was thinking in his last hours. Why is this happening to me? Why am I alone? Why is no one protecting me? Why is anyone helping me..."

His words were interrupted by sobs. He pressed his head against Cale's legs and cried softly, while Cale remained silent and merely continued with his movements. Seeing William in this situation was heartbreaking to Cale.

Even in his other lives, he had never seen William as devastated as he was right now. Presumably, this was because he had barely reached the age of 30. If the Thormod had pretended to be Marion in the other lives as well, Cale understood by now why Sylve had lost so quickly back then. Memories of his 3rd life flooded through Cale. Back then, at 42, he was caught by the same creature that had already killed his mother. For more than 10 years, Sylve had been a war zone, with only the southern tip and the 21 islands of Sylve largely spared. This life had been the only one in which he could have been aware of the danger from within the royal palace. But Philippa was the only one to survive the third wave of attack. The rest of the group had died due to Cale's stupidity, one of the reasons he was so extremely concerned for their safety.