Satisfied, Cale hovered over his home village and killed the last creatures that had survived until then. He was silently followed by the Eldest, who did not help him. Damian had used up most of his mana and seemed in need a few minutes' rest.

But Cale paid less attention to Damian and more to the fleeing humans. For a while now, he had been releasing large amounts of his mana and searching for a specific mana source until he realized that this was his first mistake.

"Sir Leuen?", Damian asked in surprise when Cale suddenly came to a halt.

With a grim expression, he observed a young woman desperately seeking refuge amid the chaos. Yet Cale saw beyond her façade, clearly sensing the myriad mana sources that flowed within her. Though none belonged to Chioni, Cale knew without doubt that he had found her.

Nodiavi. His aunt.

Without warning, he blocked Nodiavi's mana and could immediately feel her mana trying to spread. That gave him the only confirmation he needed before he pounced on Nodiavi from above and slammed her to the ground with a precise movement.

"Sir Leuen!", the Eldest shouted in confusion and immediately followed Cale. However, he didn't get any closer, because at that moment, Cale motioned for him to keep his distance with a wave of his hand. He ignored her screams and focused on sinking her body into the ground.

Even without mana, Nodiavi was not to be underestimated.

"Please... please help me... my children..."

Neither were her acting skills.

"Be quiet", Cale snapped dryly, looking down at the petite woman who, at first glance, appeared to be an ordinary young woman. She appeared to be about the same age as Cale's outward appearance and wore clothing that was common in Sylve. Even a little blood and dirt had been considered by Thormod during her transformation, something Cale usually paid no attention to. "Is Hosik here too?"

"Please... please... please help me!", Nodiavi continued to cry out, but she looked hopefully at the Eldest. Cale deliberately stood between them so that Nodiavi was forced to talk to him.

However, that did not prevent Damian from becoming skeptical. Over the last few days, he had encountered numerous unforeseen events that he couldn't make sense of. The vision, the attack on the village, the appearance of a new high mage, and now this unknown woman... nothing made sense to Damian anymore.

As much as he tried to trust the vision, he didn't know how to feel about the situation.

"Sir Leuen..."

"Don't be fooled by this, Eldest", Cale interrupted him. "This is not a human being, but the cause of the attack on the village. Isn't that right, Nodiavi? It seems you haven't found your holy Neyla."

"Bastard!", she screamed in her real voice and began to tense her muscles, but she could hardly move. Like a dry fish, she stuck to the floor, wriggled a little, and then spat in Cale's face. The spit literally stuck to his barrier, so he gave her a disgusted look.

"Give me an answer - or I'll kill you right here and now", he said defiantly, kicking her in the face. In the next few moments, her form finally changed, and now even the Eldest realized why Cale had attacked a defenseless woman. Before them lay a muscular woman, well over two meters tall, with a blood-red body and only a cloth around her hips.

"He's not here, as if this wimp would voluntarily put herself in danger..."

Her voice broke abruptly as Cale crushed her head.

Damian stared at him in disbelief, unaware of the problems this woman would cause in the future. Cale, on the other hand, began to burn her body and turned away, his gaze directed toward the capital city of Bellator. Some creatures had escaped them, but they shouldn't be too much of a burden for the humans. Cale's only hope at the moment was that his parents were alive. He wanted to question Olivia about her past and the reason she was hiding in Groka.

"Was that necessary?", Damian asked, his arms crossed in front of his chest. The Eldest's mistrust and rejection were written all over his face, which Cale could clearly see.

A complete stranger had suddenly appeared and was doing things that Damian couldn't understand. The only reason he didn't intervene was because of Damian's vision from the future.

"Absolutely, yes. She will become a major issue for Sylve later on, and in my last life, she assumed the identity of the second prince of Sylve. Single-handedly, she infiltrated the royal family and caused chaos during the war."

"War?"

"War, yes. A war that will take place in the future."

The Eldest did not reply, but his face turned pale. Without comment, he lowered his hands and looked at the floor as he recalled the events of his first vision. Cale recognized this immediately and approached the pensive mage, placing a hand on his shoulder and motioning for him to follow.

"I know what you're thinking. The attack on Exarion. Yes, it happened, and I witnessed it too. However, that was almost harmless compared to what happened afterward."

"How... do you know about my vision? I... never told anyone..."

"It was you who told me about it."

"Would you please be so kind as to explain to me what you know... but from the beginning?", Damian said cautiously and followed Cale into the sky. Slowly, the two floated over the city and headed south as the moon began to shine above their heads. Night had fallen, and Cale suspected that the soldiers would arrive in Groka in the next few hours. So far, he hadn't found the time to figure out exactly how to deal with his identity.

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"Well, then I'll briefly explain what will happen to this world", Cale began, extending his hand to his former superior, who looked at him hesitantly. However, when Cale began to generate mana in his hand, Damian understood that Cale intended to transfer some of his mana to him. The Eldest was currently struggling with 10 RM and seemed to be having difficulty filling the void on his own. "The first thing you should know is that we humans are not alone. Over 500 years ago, there was a war between the middle class and the nobility, which the middle class lost. For one simple reason: their mana cycles were destroyed and they no longer had the ability to fight with magic."

"You're talking about the great war in Tsuke, aren't you?"

"Correct. That was the birth of the Thormods, a race of humans who did not possess their own mana. This lack of mana is hereditary, and today's Thormods are descendants of that rebellion in Tsuke, just like that woman."

"Nodiavi?"

Cale nodded contentedly and gently held the Eldest's hand in his as he transferred his mana to him. For the first time, he gained insight into the Eldest's mana balance and was surprised to see how weak the mana of nature was. It was completely silent and did not even react when a foreign source infiltrated his balance.

It almost seemed as if the Eldest's Igrikum was asleep.

"The rebels later waged war against each other until they finally attacked the nobles again in 1027 and killed almost all of them. After this conflict, they hid from the outside world and disappeared from view until they finally revealed themselves along with large waves of creatures. At this point, I must mention that there are abilities that can also be inherited. The shape-shifting of Nodiavi and myself is one of them, another is the mind control of the creatures themselves."

"By my beard...", the Eldest muttered gloomily.

"The creatures have attacked several times over the years, first Groka, then Kutum in the province of Pistori, and then Exarion twice. You saw this second attempt in your vision - we lost the battle back then. Years later, they took advantage of this loss and attacked Frignez and Sylve. It was terrible..."

"No wonder so many third-stage magicians have appeared in recent decades."

"Funny you say that. You said something similar back then", Cale replied with a nostalgic expression, turning away from the Eldest and beginning to search for his family. He had spotted the first humans and suspected that the refugees had gathered nearby.

Damian, on the other hand, remained silent for a moment and watched Cale from the side. From the beginning, he knew that Cale was the man from his insight. Both in his vision a week ago and just now in the form of a child - although in the latter case, he wasn't sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him. After all, a 5-year-old was a 3rd stage magician and, on top of that... he worked with the dragons.

"What exactly does all this have to do with you? How were you able to travel through time?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself. The dragons said that the god of the future had given me the gift of rebirth."

"The... dragons...?"

"Ah, forgive me. The dragons fought alongside us against the Thormods because they...", Cale began, but stopped at that moment.

How should he explain the whole thing? The dragons only worked with them because the gods didn't exist. But it was Mellontikos who had given Cale the gift of rebirth, presumably. On top of that, he hadn't yet explained to the Eldest that his current rebirth was not the same as his first six. Even on the question whether he had actually returned to the real world and how he had managed to retain all his memories and abilities, he still had no answer.

"What were you about to say?", the Eldest's voice roused him.

"I... need to clarify a few things before I can give you a concrete answer. For now, you can assume that the dragons will not attack us humans without reason - the stories are greatly exaggerated. I should also mention that this is my seventh rebirth, but the first in which you have appeared in Groka. In my last life, you tried to actively use your Igrikum."

"Excuse me? I have... my... what?", the Eldest said, shocked. "You know my alternate self?"

"That seems to be the case. I can't say with absolute certainty whether it was you who triggered my rebirth, although I strongly suspect it."

"I have... never actively used my Igrikum."

"I am aware of that. It was also your first try in my timeline", Cale explained with a smile.

When he could sense the crowds, he slowed down and let his gaze wander over the horizon, which signaled the existence of life with only a few lights. Cale glanced briefly at the Eldest and then ended the mana transfer before changing his appearance to that of a blond-haired man with light blue eyes.

A Frignezer.

Cale had decided to hide his presence again for the time being. He first had to get an overview of the situation, as he had changed the timeline from the beginning. Introducing himself with his real name was likely difficult, as there were bound to be those familiar with his name.

"What exactly are we doing here? Do you want to inform the soldiers about the events in Groka?"

"I'd like to avoid that for now, if possible. If you'd like to make your presence known, you're welcome to do so. Only I... will keep a low profile. For now."

"Then what exactly are we doing here, if I may ask?", the Eldest asked, raising his eyebrow questioningly. He seemed just as keen to avoid the people, and especially the royal family, finding out about his presence. That was probably one of the reasons why the man wasn't wearing his usual uniform, but relatively normal clothes and a cloak covering his face.

"I need to talk to my mother."

"Understandable, she'll be worried."

"Not for that reason. She is also a Thormod and was probably the reason for the attack", Cale replied casually and slowly slid to the ground.

"Pardon?", the Eldest shouted back, causing Cale to look up at him and gesture for him to lower his voice. "Didn't you just claim that the Thormod will attack us?"

"I said it's a long story. Let me talk to her first and then visit the Holy Island before I give you false information."

The Eldest stared wide-eyed at the now blond mage, who landed silently on the ground and cast a scrutinizing glance at his hands. When Damian received the vision, he knew it was different from anything he had seen before. Never before had he been able to hear such a clear conversation, and in the presence of a gigantic dragon, no less. But with the appearance of Caleb Leuen, the scenario took on proportions he could never have dreamed of.

Somewhat reluctantly, Damian landed next to the apparent 12th High Mage of Altona and smoothed his cloak while glancing around. They had arrived at another small village, and only a short stretch of forest blocked their view of the people in front of them, who appeared to be mostly refugees.

"Very well, I suppose I will obey the order and trust you - for now. Please do me a favor and don't call me Eldest in front of the people, but Raphael... Raphael Maron."

"Not Damian von Fiet?", Cale interjected casually, but his new colleague did not appreciate this comment at all. His face became rigid, almost malicious, when he heard his real name. "Too soon?"

"I find your familiarity with me most displeasing - if I may put it politely. I must kindly request that you desist at once."

"I apologize, I apologize. I didn't mean to offend you, forgive me", Cale quickly said, bowing humbly to the Eldest. The comment had been inappropriate. Cale didn't know what had made him say it in the first place. Perhaps his memories of his sixth life were still too fresh, and he was unable to draw clear boundaries. If he were to encounter Grischa, William, or Aaron now, he would have no idea how to behave toward them.

"I will also change my name. From today on, please call me Zod Adenia."

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