Quietly and with his eyes downcast, the Eldest followed Cale through the crowds, intent on not drawing attention to himself. As expected, the somewhat larger town of Rikadel was flooded with people who had fled Groka. Dozens of them were injured, and the few soldiers in the region were doing their best to keep an eye on the area. The remaining inhabitants, on the other hand, were taking care of the seriously injured. Damian kept seeing people who were exhausted, sleeping, or whimpering quietly to themselves.

<Horrific.>

He looked away and glanced at his own hands. For the first time since the Council was established in 1050, he had used his mana so actively to protect people. But it felt as if he hadn't done enough. Without Caleb Leuen's help, he would not have been able to defend the inhabitants, despite his experience and his large amounts of mana. He didn't like fighting, and being watched even less. The feeling of taking a life was something he had never really been able to come to terms with, even after all this time. Aaron's past behavior was probably a decisive factor in his decision to keep such a low profile.

<I am pathetic. Caleb Leuen did not hesitate to protect the people, while I spent two whole minutes considering whether I should help them at all. If I had intervened earlier, perhaps more of them would have survived.>

Humiliated, Damian followed the graceful mage through the streets before they took a sharp turn and headed into the western part of the city. They walked through several alleys and then up a wide staircase, causing several soldiers to eye them suspiciously. Caleb Leuen ignored these glances as if it were normal for them to be here. Silently, they walked across a paved area and discovered a small group of people sitting together in front of a tower, warming themselves by the fire and talking quietly to each other. The Eldest did not recognize a single one of those present, but when Cale slowed down, he knew that this group was their destination. Damian wondered how the potential High-Magician knew that his targets were hiding here.

"Can we help you?", a broad build man with short hair and a cut on his face asked, causing everyone around him to fall silent and to look at them. There were seven men and one woman, and judging by their clothing, at least half of them were refugees from Groka. Two others looked like high-ranking soldiers or nobles, as they wore thin armor and gave a completely different vibe than the people who were obviously fighting back tears.

"It's me, Olivia. We need to talk urgently", Cale replied, his face covered, completely ignoring the man in front of him. His gaze fell on the only woman in the group, who gave him a skeptical look. The athletic man, whose face seemed strangely familiar to the Eldest, asked her who the blond-haired stranger was, which everyone present could hear. "Because of Nodiavi."

Only then did the unfamiliar woman, Olivia, seem to realize that she really knew Cale. She covered her mouth in horror and tears ran down her face, causing the man behind her to quickly stand up and shield her.

"What do you want from my wife?"

"Vincent, don't", Olivia said in a trembling voice, reaching out with one hand to the man who turned out to be her husband. Vincent watched skeptically as his wife stood up and wiped the water from her face.

"Who is that, Olivia? A friend? And who is Nodiavi?"

Olivia did not answer, but walked past Vincent with her head bowed. However, he grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"Talk to me. You don't expect me to let you go away alone with a stranger, do you?"

"You can accompany us, Vincent Leuen. If your wife agrees", Cale interjected.

Damian only now realized why Olivia was acting so strangely. Nervousness gripped him as he looked at the woman, who in no way resembled a Thormod. Not for a second would he suspect that she was not a normal human being and was related to the person Cale had killed a few hours earlier. Although Cale had explained to him how Olivia fit into the story and what had happened shortly before their encounter - he found it difficult not to feel hostility toward the woman. He even wondered why Caleb Leuen hadn't used his Igrikum or pulled her out of the group by force, because he clearly would be capable of doing so.

"Olivia? What in the name of the gods is going on? First Caleb and now this man, why won't you tell me what happened?"

When the name was mentioned, Damian looked at his magician companion in surprise. Now Damian was completely confused.

"Not here, let's find a quieter place", Olivia replied quietly. Hesitantly, Vincent released his grip and followed her towards the two blond-haired magicians. With a nod, Cale said goodbye to the rest of the group and led the four of them to a secluded spot. During the short walk, none of those present spoke a word, which made the Eldest wonder if they are really family.

"We should be undisturbed here", Cale finally announced and created a large barrier around them, which instantly made the voices of people and the sounds of nature disappear. "My Igrikum. No one will hear us."

Cale turned his gaze to Olivia, who simply stared at him for a moment, trying to accept that the blond-haired stranger was indeed her son.

"What happened to Nodiavi?"

"I killed her", Cale replied harshly. "She led the creatures to Groka."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Surprised, Olivia covered her mouth with her hand as tears welled up in her eyes again. Vincent, on the other hand, looked back and forth between Cale and his wife in confusion.

"And the man?", Olivia finally spoke up, nodding toward the Eldest.

"Raphael Maron, a magician from Altona who I work with. He knows everything."

"You're not my son, are you? What happened to Caleb?"

Vincent cleared his throat in surprise and looked at his wife in shock. But when Cale dissolved his shape-shifting and his 5-year-old son, who had been missing for several hours, stood before them, he completely lost it. He took a step back and stared at the child who was talking to them like an adult.

"I really am Caleb Leuen, I promise. Not Thormod pretending to be your son. I know it may sound strange, but I'm not the same person I was this morning. Thanks to a god, I possess something called the gift of rebirth. I come from the future."

"What kind of nonsense is that!", Vincent shouted, stepping forward. "Where is my son!"

Cale merely sighed and changed his appearance to his 25-year-old self. His parents looked at his appearance without comment until Olivia exchanged a few glances between her husband and her son. Apart from the color of their eyes, the two men looked eerily alike, almost as if Cale were not his son but his younger brother. Only Vincent was slightly more muscular than Cale, and his face was accentuated by three days' stubble.

"I completely understand that the whole thing... may feel strange. It's weird for me too. In my former life, Groka and all its inhabitants were killed. I was the only one who survived the attack. So I know as little about you as you do about me"

"Stop talking like..."

"Vincent, please. Let it be", Olivia interrupted her husband.

"Then tell me what happened today. Where is Caleb?"

"He suddenly started flying and told me to get myself to safety. That's what happened."

"What?"

"I didn't know what to say", she cried desperately. "I even ran after Caleb, but he was way too fast for me. He flew, Vincent. Do you understand? Like a magician!"

"Like a... magician?"

"To be precise, I am a High-Magician and this barrier is my... Igrikum", Cale explained, pointing to his barrier, but no one followed the movement.

"My son is 5...", Olivia began instead. "...only 5 years old. So please... explain to me what's going on here. Otherwise, I'll go crazy."

"That's why I came here", Cale announced calmly and sighed. "Even though I may still be a child physically, mentally I am over 300 years old."

At this statement, the Eldest held his breath and stared in horror at the black-haired mage next to him. He understood that he was from the future, but... 300 years?

"What the..."

"I'm not a normal human being. Normal humans don't just die and wake up in their children's bodies."

"By the gods...", Olivia murmured, immediately close to tears again. She seemed skeptical of the statements, but compared to Vincent, her reaction was mild. Damian suspected that, due to today's events and her past, she had a more relaxed understanding than the man who had no knowledge of magic. "What exactly happened?"

"The Thormods happened."

"Did the chairman..."

"Yes, Hosik declared war on the world and was quite successful at it."

<Hosik? Who is Hosik?>

The Eldest wasn't the only one asking himself this question, as Vincent Leuen also wore a similarly confused expression. Olivia, on the other hand, immediately understood what would happen to her in the future.

"So... it was really me... who was the reason...", she stammered.

"Yes, the attack was directed at you. Your sister hates you quite a bit."

"Sister?", Vincent interjected. "I thought you didn't have any family left."

"I never saw them as family. They never saw me as a member of society and locked me up", Olivia replied simply, her sad expression disappearing. Nodivia's hatred was mutual. "I spent most of my life in a room deep inside Phaseen, only seeing sunlight once every six months. Since they learned of my ability, I was their mana slave."

"So you really are a saint", Cale interjected.

"Saint, what a hypocritical term. They worshiped me like a god, but they didn't give me a voice of my own. I lived only for their purpose, an object that they could use and forget at will. A damn curse."

"What happened back then in the plains?", Cale replied, while the other two men could no longer follow the conversation.

"I tried to teach myself some magic and noticed that, like Nodiavi, I had inherited the ability to shapeshift. I practiced keeping my disguise up for two years, and at the next public appearance, I ran away and fled to Sylve", Olivia summarized the events briefly and clenched her fists. "I can't believe I dragged innocent people into this dilemma."

"Do you know where Hosik is currently staying?"

"No idea, he could be anywhere. When he did come around, it was just to get something from me."

"Can you please explain what you're talking about?", Vincent finally interrupted the discussion and stood between the two of them. "The issue with Caleb Leuen is not off the table yet, but Olivia, what are you talking about? Who is this Hosik and what do you mean you were locked up? Who exactly are you?"

An oppressive silence ensued after this question, as all eyes turned to the woman. Olivia remained silent, seeming to weigh whether it was time to reveal her identity. After about 30 seconds, she finally sighed, brushed a strand of hair from her face, and looked at her husband with a weak smile.

"I'm sorry. I... I didn't know when and how to tell you the truth. I was happy with you and felt safe by your side, so I was able to forget that part of my past and live a normal life. When Caleb was born, I was terrified that the possability he would inherited the body of a Thormod and that I could put our whole family in danger..."

"Olivia...", Vincent said meekly.

"Neyla, my real name is Neyla. I originally belong to the Thormods and am the only saint on the entire eastern continent...", she finally confessed, revealing her true form. She grew dozens of centimeters, her body turned red, and her hair turned black. Vincent didn't move a muscle as he watched in disbelief - the appearance of the woman he had fallen in love with changed completely. "... at least that's what I thought until today... until Caleb... Caleb from the future... came."

"I inherited your mana masses, yes. Your mana masses and your shape-shifting ability, but also Vincent's human body."

"And my mother's eyes."

"My eyes?", Cale replied, confused. He stared at his mother in amazement and unintentionally fixed his gaze on her eyes. They were light brown, so he had never suspected that his eye color came from his mother's side. "Oh... that actually explains a lot. Are they similar?"

"Identical, yes. Seems like that gene just skipped me."

At that thought, both Cale and Olivia smiled. Inheritance was a strange thing, they both knew that. The mere fact that Cale was so lucky with his Igrikum was a miracle. Without it, Cale would have had massive difficulties controlling his mana. For a brief moment, he considered asking his mother how she dealt with the mana masses, when the answer popped into his head.

"Olivia, were you marked?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.