"That was by far the most incredible thing I've ever seen", Philippa pointed out after Cale had brought his opponent to his fiancée, who received them both with a wave. The whole group had distanced themselves a little from the spectators, while Grischa took care to make them believe that they had to give the two swordmasters a small break.

"Now that's the power of a swordmaster", Ben remarked in amazement, watching as Cale sat down on the floor next to William. "I often got to watch my father train in the morning, but that was a night and day difference."

"I always thought Miguel would be invincible when it came to a sword fight, but this is beyond all my expectations", Aletta interjected as she gingerly healed the motionless man's eardrums. "You haven't even used your normal magic, have you?"

"No, I didn't. I only used what Miguel would be capable of as well", Cale explained dryly, dropping his gaze to the blond-haired man. Fengari had climbed onto his chest and was looking at the motionless man curiously. "Miguel and I are on par from a pure strength level, but I have significantly more experience fighting and using mana, which guaranteed his defeat."

"You really scare me", the archer commented, shuddering briefly.

"Don't say it like that, it'll hurt our poor kid", interjected Aaron, who was standing behind Philippa. Amused, Cale cleared his throat at the statement, for he had not misunderstood the comment from her.

"Can I ask something?"

Theo was also squatting next to Philippa, and was probably the one among the group who was most shocked by the fight. Confirming this, Cale nodded, with the foreboding that he would come to talk about Basil Kama, the primal human from Winstest.

"What exactly is it about the mana of Kama swords? A friend of mine used to give sermons about it, but never really explained."

, Fengari quickly spoke up and approached Cale. Grischa also approached them from behind, which the 12th seat could sense.

, Fengari explained, even though Cale already knew that. In the lore, it was always reported that the man with the golden hand was able to grab and use the mana of nature, which is why it could be deadly even for normal people if that mana suddenly found itself in their circuit.

"The mana you are referring to is nature's mana. It is the same Mana that we High-Magicians can use and ... the same Mana that the Dragons use. It is surrounding us all, anytime, anywhere, like invisible particles flying through the air. Linus Kama was able to make use of this power, much like we High-Magicians can", Cale explained calmly, playing around with a small amount of his Igrikum in his hand as Fengari sat up on his haunches, staring at him wordlessly.

"I see, so it's all one and the same, just processed in different ways. So there is only the mana of nature and the pure mana mass that living beings carry within them, except for the Kormandents", William finally summarized, causing Cale to nod in agreement.

"Then what exactly is my Holy Mana?", Aletta interjected, as if she had been forgotten.

"I'm not entirely sure, as far as I know, a purified form of pure mana that holds life itself", Cale replied, looking down at Fengari, who shook her small head inconspicuously.

<"Not at all. That's also an ancient ability of the dragons that has been passed down to the humans. The same as with the Thormods' teleporting, except that these abilities used to be called the Wrath of the Gods.">

Cale jerked in surprise at the statement and stared at the cat in disbelief.

the dragon exclaimed delightedly and jumped up, causing Cale to reflexively distance himself.

"Aletta, your people are very cautious about information on the Holy Mana. Do you have documents at home that deal with the subject, or does your father know a little more about Holy Mana?"

"Maybe, yes. How did you come to ask that question so suddenly?", she asked, easing away from Miguel.

"I believe that your Holy Mana may has something to do with the Thor.... with the Kormandents."

Surprised, the others spoke up as well, so Cale looked up at his friend Grischa, who had just joined. His expression revealed that he was similarly irritated by the idea, but as his eyes fell on the dragon in Cale's lap, he seemed to understand how the High-Magician had arrived at this connection.

"How is that related?"

"What do the Kormandents have to do with the healers?"

"How do you come up with such a thing?"

"Stop stop, I interrupt the discussion at this point. This is an issue that should be dealt with by the Magistrat", Aaron, the 3rd seat of the Magistrat, interrupted the young Anuxer's exclamations before anyone else could come to harm in the statements. One look at Aletta was enough to see that she was already seriously concerned about it.

Cale lifted Fengari aside, who already seemed to be in conversation with their leader, before standing up and kneeling down next to Aletta.

"It was just a thought, nothing solid. I didn't claim that Frignez could have anything to do with the attacks", Cale tried to reassure the young healer.

"Then... please explain to me how you came up with this connection", she replied, frightened, looking at the High-Magician with wide eyes. For a moment he hesitated and let his gaze wander to the astonished people, who all looked at him. The rest of the group, even Aaron, also wanted an answer to this question.

"Does the name Wrath of the Gods mean anything to you?", Cale finally spoke up, causing Aletta to flinch in surprise. "You know it?"

"It's another name for the Holy Mana, although I don't know where it comes from", she explained with an almost more irritated tone than a few seconds ago.

"It is said that the Wrath of the Gods is a gift from the three gods themselves, allowing its possessors to completely destroy the mana of a living being. What exactly happens in the body after that I can't say, but it triggers this toxic reaction in the creatures. What if this used to be similar in humans? What if the Kormandents' mana budget was deliberately destroyed because they received the Wrath of the Gods?"

"That sounds pretty far-fetched", Philippa spoke up.

"I know, that's why I meant it's just a thought that came to me. But for me... it would actually explain a lot, which is why I want to know a little more about it", Cale corrected calmly, raising a hand to the delicate shoulder of the healer, who held both hands as if praying. "I meant no offense, please don't take this the wrong way, Aletta."

"It's alright, I can understand why you feel that way", the blonde-haired girl replied nervously, taking a deep breath and regaining her usual clear voice. "I'll see what I can find out."

"Thank you", Cale announced with a smile on his face, before casting his eyes to Fengari, who lay thoughtfully on the floor. Automatically, therefore, his gaze wandered over the High-Magicians to his friends and ultimately lingered on William. His facial expression and posture were calm as usual, but his eyes spoke a completely different language. He seemed to be afraid or worried in a way that Cale could not comprehend. But not wanting to bring that up in broad strokes, he left it for the moment and looked down at Miguel, who moved at the same second.

Sullenly, Miguel raised a hand and held his head as he screwed up his face and tried to open his eyes. His blue eyes landed on Cale and stared at him blankly for a while before he seemed to remember.

"I lost, didn't I?", he admitted softly as he sat up, looking irritably at his healed body. Cale carefully supported him with his hand on his back, while Miguel looked first at himself and then at the other people, who watched him wordlessly.

A moment later Ben began to laugh and seconds after that he infected Philippa and William. It wasn't long before the whole circle was laughing, even Cale. It was as if everyone had forgotten that two swordmasters had just fought a duel. Irritated, Miguel turned back to the High-Magician to whom he had lost, but managed not to ask why everyone was laughing.

"It's good to see you're doing well. Does that answer your question about why I was so sure of my victory?"

"Not really. You're not a disciple of Master Paseru, are you? That was just a lie to throw me off, right? Please tell me I'm not a complete idiot", Miguel brought up seeking help, while the others slowly grew quieter. Cale who pulled one leg up, propped his arm on it and held his head as he continued to talk to Miguel.

"I am a student of Jonat Paseru, even though that was quite a few years ago. I knew from the beginning that we had the same teacher, Miguel. You already realized correctly that our fighting style is quite similar", Cale explained calmly, which made Miguel just shake his head.

"I felt like I was fighting my reflection. Like you were an older, more mature person than me, I almost thought you were Master himself. What a nightmare."

"It wasn't just you. For me, it was also a strangely... familiar feeling", Cale replied quietly.

"Still, I don't understand... why? After Suerre died, Master Jonat Paseru had always claimed that I was his only student. Then how come he had never said anything about you?"

Cale was silent for a moment as he thought of the past. He couldn't help but think of the time he had come to Frignez and tried to become Master Paseru's disciple. At first, Jonat had refused him because he could only focus on one student, but in retrospect Cale had learned of the death of his other student. A child who could never grow up and whom Cale, for all his life, had never met.

Suerre Mundor. The deceased son of Asta Mundor, who worked for the 2nd chief, Ninett Merensen.

"That's a secret I'll probably take to my grave."

"I could ask Master myself", Miguel interjected challengingly, but Cale allowed a gentle smile to appear on his face. He knew that point had not changed in this life.

"Miguel... I know that Master Paseru has passed away", Cale confessed. Surprised, the blond-haired man looked at him as Cale stood up and made Zurakekama appear in his hand. Wordlessly, he held out the white disguise to the swordmaster, who stared at it for a while without accepting it. "Master Paseru handed Zurakekama to you, didn't he?"

"Yes", Miguel confirmed in a sad voice.

"When we first met, I recognized the sword immediately. It wasn't particularly hard for me to guess who you were and what had happened."

"I really feel like I played right into your hands", Miguel merely commented, gratefully grabbing the weapon from him before looking up at Cale. "Why didn't you receive it if you were his first student?"

"It's a secret of the old man. I'm sure you'll understand it on your own one day", Cale explained with amusement, straightening up before offering his hand to Miguel. The others also straightened up as well, causing the onlookers to take notice.

"You're not telling me?"

"Nah, I made a promise to him. He would rise from the grave just to kill me if I told you anything", the High-Magician commented truthfully and couldn't help thinking. He knew Jonat Paseru quite well in the past, because while Miguel was the wild student among them, so what Cale was the quiet one. Cale and his Master often talked about private issues and events that had accompanied them over the years. Therefore, Cale also knew that Miguel was to Sir Paseru the son he never had. Even though he had never said that to Miguel.

Cale walked past the group toward the spectators who had gathered among them, waiting for a reaction. Silently, the 12th seat stood at the edge of the precipice and stared out at the sea stretching before them. The sun had set behind the end of the world and stars were outlined in the cloudy sky. A warm breeze swept across the landscape as the others came up behind him.

"Cale", William's voice rang out, causing Cale to turn backward with a smile on his face. "You said today... you said...that you would show us how powerful you really are."

"I said that, yes."

"Will you..."

"Yes. This one time."

Curious looks appeared on the faces of the people Cale would count among his friends and family. Without another comment, he turned back around and closed his eyes.

In the past, he would never have done that. Intentionally, presenting his power like that in front of a multitude of people. But his attitude towards the whole subject had gone through many twists and turns in the last few months. Even though to this day he wasn't sure it was the right decision, he enjoyed the feeling of freedom.

With that in mind, Cale reached forward and began generating a large amount of mana over the ocean. Everyone could feel a huge power accumulating over the waves, draining the surrounding area of life.

No more negative thoughts. No more fear. No more self-doubt. He had managed to get further than ever before. He had created a future for people and had resolved a lot of unresolved issues. For that moment, Cale felt he could accomplish anything if he wanted to. And for the first time in quite a while, he didn't feel alone.

Cale opened his eyes and abruptly let the Igrikum he had accumulated over the sea expand. Joltingly, a strong wind shot toward them and made the whole ground shake, knocking all the spectators to the ground. Only moments later, a tremendous bang sounded, turning on all the lights of the villages behind them. Startled, the people around Cale cried out, but he himself ignored them completely. He stared at his large, round barrier that seemed to divide the water and the sky.

And the next thing to be heard was the silence of the void.