the one who remembers

The next few days were relatively quiet. Every morning, he accompanied Fengari to school before Cale made his way to his lectures. In the afternoon, he took part in soldier training as usual - with the difference that it was canceled every three days.

Knowledge and training were important, but so was a break. This suited Cale just fine, as it meant he could spend those evenings dealing with other matters. On these days Cale spent outside his time outside Bellator. With the help of Velence's ability, Cale checked whether there were any other Thormods hiding in the area.

The searchers initially focused on the northern part of the country towards the mountains and flew over the provinces of Ameluxen, Gallymune, Caplens, Taovern, and Raenschwag.

However, his search remained unsuccessful until Fengari joined him one day and they explored the province of Pistori together. Inevitably, they were drawn to Kutam, a small town in Pistori, located a few hours east of the capital. It was the place that had also been attacked by creatures in Cale's past life, and Cale had been unable to figure out why.

In the form of two eagles, they circled a little lower over the houses and watched the people below go about their daily lives. Many of them were on their way to the big river, which is why Cale wanted to stay here for a while. As it turned out, this was an unnecessary endeavor, as Velence spoke up.

<"I see two Thormods.">

<"Two?"> Cale replied in surprise, letting his gaze wander over the crowds as Fengari flew toward him and came to a stop next to him on the roof of the house. Cale didn't see anything that seemed unnatural, and Fengari also seemed unable to say where the Thormods were.

<"Two, yes. The two women crossing the bridge with large baskets in their hands.">

Cale immediately turned his gaze to the people mentioned. Two elderly ladies, who looked very similar to each other, were walking across the wide bridge to the other side. They walked calmly along the path beside the river, chatting leisurely. If Velence hadn't pointed out that they were Thormods, Cale would never have recognized them. They didn't even carry much mana, so they blended in completely with the humans.

<"Could you describe or show me their true form?">

<"Of course">, the leader of the dragons replied politely, merging his mana with Cale's.

Velence showed him the memory he had received from Cale earlier, but this allowed Cale to see the world with omniscient eyes. Now he could clearly see that there was an almost glowing veil over the large bodies of the two Thormods, hiding their appearance. They really seemed to be Thormods, and since they had no markings on their bodies, they were probably just normal residents.

However, Cale wondered how the two Thormods were able to use shape-shifting. Which in turn ruined his assumption.

Besides, it was Kutam.

How unlikely was it that the creatures had attacked this city and didn't know that two Thormods lived here? From the beginning, it seemed strange to Cale that the Thormods had ignored all the other provinces and headed for Kutam. It was almost as if they were possessed by something.

Once again, Cale took off into the sky, followed by Fengari. They circled above the city at a safe distance and followed the two Thormods. The women, on the other hand, left the center and walked south along a narrow path. Without a word, Cale watched as they politely greeted a few passersby and even chatted with one or two of them. They seemed to have lived here for a long time, that much was certain.

<"What do we do with them?">, Fengari's voice rang in his head.

<"I don't really know yet. It would be best if we killed them."

<"Shouldn't we try to talk to them first? Maybe they've also fled, like your mother. Not that I approve, but the situation seems strange to me.">

<"For me as well...">

The two unknown women then turned off and walked along a narrow path through the fields. Some people were sowing seeds and waved to the women, who waved back. Talking loudly and laughing, the Thormods walked toward a house near the fields and put their baskets down on the porch before collapsing exhausted and looking up at the sky. They were alone, and the closest person Cale could sense was a man 50 meters away, busy with his work.

"Is it just me, or have these birds been following us since the city?", one of the women remarked, pointing at Cale and Fengari.

"Maybe they've fallen in love with you?", the second woman replied mockingly.

"Stop that nonsense. I don't need to find a man that badly."

"But with every decent man you see, you stop and start gushing."

"A girl can dream, can't she?", the woman replied as Cale and Fengari took their places on the roof of the barn to their right.

With one last, searching glance at his surroundings, Cale activated his Igrikum and blocked the two women's mana flow before erecting a sound barrier around their property.

"My mana!", one of the women cried in horror, sitting up and looking fearfully at her trembling hands.

"Mine too", said the other, slightly younger-looking woman, already back on her feet. "I can't feel it anymore. Is your connection still working?"

"I don't know, I just can't feel anything anymore."

"How long until..."

"We have to get out of here right now!", the older of the two shouted in panic. "Into the woods! If anyone sees us here, we're as good as dead!"

"Right", replied the second woman, now also concerned, and ran behind the house, only to run full force into Cale's barrier. "What the...?"

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"An invisible wall?", the other one said, feeling along the barrier with one hand - then panic set in and she angrily slammed her fist against it.

Cale, however, had seen enough and jumped off the roof, gliding slightly and landing behind the two women with his wings spread wide. Surprised, the two Thormods turned to him but said nothing.

"It should be obvious that you are trapped. Don't try anything stupid, or I'll kill you both immediately", Cale warned.

The two women, however, flinched and stared down at the large, talking bird, which was accompanied by another. They seemed to realize instantly that these were no ordinary animals.

"Who are you?"

"I'll return that question", Cale replied abruptly.

The younger woman clung to the older one, who took over the conversation for her.

"Resneme...", replied the older lady, visibly frightened. "...and this is my younger sister, Yasne."

Her eyes wandered from Cale to Fengari, who had gathered on the roof above him and was watching the whole spectacle from above.

"Where are you from?"

"Phaseen", Resneme replied hesitantly, clasping her sister's hands. "Forgive me, but..."

"Did you hold a rank? You're not wearing any war paint."

Neither of them responded, but Cale didn't press the issue. The silence and looming danger were reason enough for Resneme to speak up.

"We were ordinary citizens."

"Were?", Cale repeated skeptically. "Ordinary citizens with the ability to connect and shapeshift. That seems a bit..."

"Who are you?", Resneme interrupted him abruptly. "You lock us up here like criminals..."

"I ask the questions", Cale clarified abruptly as the facade of the two Thormods began to fall. As with Neyla, their real body slowly appeared, but their new - visually more muscular body - looked more like a frightened giant.

At the sight, Cale almost felt sorry for her - but then he thought of the dead and immediately dismissed his sympathies. He had a job to do, and for that he needed information.

"How long have you lived in Kutam?"

"A little over 40 years", the younger sister, Yasne, now spoke up. She discreetly reached for her sister's hand.

"40 years?", Cale repeated in surprise. "How old are you?"

"I am 76 and my sister is 72."

Cale hadn't expected that. He inevitably glanced briefly at Fengari, who didn't seem to understand why he was so surprised by the comment.

Two Thormods had been living in Kutam for more than four decades? Completely unnoticed? Someone must have noticed that they weren't aging. And even if they hadn't, where did they get the mana? How had they managed to flee across the border and... were they even telling the truth?

"Does the name Nodiavi mean anything to you?" Cale asked.

The women shook their heads hesitantly.

"What about Neyla, do you know the Saint Neyla?"

Another negative response, which made Cale suspicious. Had they left Phaseen before Nodiavi became leader and Neyla became the Saint of the Thormods? Did they have any useful information for him at all?

"What about Dihal? He must have been a little older."

But the women shook their heads again. Cale was slowly running out of names. He could rule out the younger ones, like Ezzedin and Adamchak, which left him with only two names in mind.

"Hosik?"

Surprised, Yasne turned to her sister, who looked grim.

"We know him, yes. There's no one who doesn't know that name..."

"What about Abinoam?"

"His little brother", replied Resneme, with a grim look. "From the sound of it... you're not here on Hosik's behalf, I assume?"

Yasne literally hid behind Resneme, whose previous fearfulness had completely disappeared. Instead, she stood before Cale with her head held high, confident, as if she were ready to risk her own life at any moment.

"How well... do you know Hosik?"

"Better than most leaders, I would say", Resneme replied curtly.

"Better than..."

"I am... I was Hosik's wife."

Surprised, Cale paused and stared in amazement at the grim-looking woman.

"That was... unexpected."

"Please...", Yasme stammered cautiously. "...don't tell him we're here."

"There aren't many shape-shifters left among us Thormods", Resneme changed the topic again, letting go of her sister. She took large steps toward Cale, but stopped right in front of him. "Who are you?"

Instantly, Cale dropped his disguise and transformed into Zod Adenia. Yasne sank to the ground in fear, while Resneme stubbornly defied his gaze.

"A demon from the north who is a shapeshifter", she finally said. "Your family seems to have done something terrible."

"Resneme...", Yasne said quietly.

"What do you want from us? We haven't hurt anyone and..."

"How many of you Thormods live in Sylve?", Cale interrupted, folding his arms across his chest. Even though he currently had no intention of hurting them, he wasn't going to answer their questions either.

"As far as I know, we are the only ones. Living here is only possible if you have the ability to shapeshift."

"Can you teleport?"

"No."

The answer came immediately, which made Cale wonder if it was the truth. But in the current situation, the Thormods were unable to escape anyway.

"What about mind control?"

"Mind control?", Resneme repeated. "If you mean Hosik's ability, then the answer is also no."

"Has a stranger ever appeared here who seemed strange to you?"

"In Kutam? Not that I've noticed. Appart from... you."

"Is..."

"Oh, Resneme! Groka!", the younger sister exclaimed in horror. "That was Hosik's doing!"

Surprised, Resneme turned around. The siblings looked at each other with wide eyes as they realized what had happened. As Fengari rose into the air, the two Thormods looked up at the same time and watched her land on Cale's shoulder.

"By the gods...", murmured Resneme. "Does he know we live here?"

"I wouldn't rule it out", replied Cale as Yasne jumped up and clung to Resneme's arm.

"If Hosik is hunting us, then we're all in mortal danger! Marex, Reolia, Gustev, Mallenia..."

"We have to get out of here", Resneme said neutrally. "We have to..."

Her gaze fixed on Cale as a thought flashed through her mind.

"Are you here to warn us?"

"No", Cale replied.

He seemed to have been right in thinking that the two women were in the same situation as his mother. That explained why the city had been attacked. Somehow, it must have come out in the future that the two Thormods were hiding here, and if their relationship with Hosik was to be believed, and considering their abilities, it was only logical that they should be hunted.

"Whose mana are you stealing with the connection?"

"The mana of a creature that lives in the plains."

"A creature? Are you sure?"

"Yes. This is only the third connection I have made in my life, and it has lasted for dozens of years."

"So not a human or a dragon...?"

"By the gods, who would dare to attack a dragon's mana?", Yasme exclaimed in surprise.

Fengari didn't seem to find the statement funny, because she spread her wings and released her mana, which is why Cale intervened and stretched out his hand in front of her body. However, Resneme and Yasne slumped to the ground when they felt the concentrated amount of Fengari's dragon mana.

"Stop it."

"Idiots. Humans can be such idiots", she muttered quietly.

"Calm down. Whatever possessed Ezzedin ended up costing him his life."

"I am calm", Fengari said maliciously, without withdrawing her mana. Even though noone said it out loud, Thormods knew it, they knew that Fengari was a dragon. If Cale's barrier weren't in place, the whole village would feel Fengari's mana.

But unlike Fengari, Cale was completely calm. Perhaps he was deceived by their fearful demeanor, but he couldn't help thinking about his mother. If he wasn't completely misjudging the situation, then he had made a very lucky discovery today one that was also a big problem for him.

"The three of us should... talk", Cale began, stroking Fengari gently. "I have a few things to discuss with you, and depending on what you have to say... I am willing to let you go."

"You'll let us... go?", Yasne asked in surprise.

She seemed to have really expected that they would not leave the barrier alive, and Cale would have removed it if he had heard something different from them. Similar to his mother, he saw the two Thormods as a source of information if he needed it.

"That depends on how cooperative you are", Cale replied, much more gently than he had at the beginning. "Forgive the late introduction. My name is Zod, and I am... something like the protector of humanity."