Let's go our separate ways

Liam closed himself in his room to discreetly contact his assistant. Surrounding himself with a soundproof barrier, he was free to discuss the situation around the spirit families and the course of the war. What worried him the most was that the war was widespread and affected many innocent people. However, this time, the Third Elder made Liam worry more.

"Head, I must inform you that people are not only suffering from the war. For several years now, there has been a so-called reeducation camp near the city of Dachau. At first, it was reported that political prisoners, antisocial elements and other people undesirable to the authorities were being reeducated there. But the trouble was that since its existence, thousands of people had gotten in, and only a few had gotten out."

Liam didn't answer anything, pondering her words.

"In addition, we have learned that other similar camps have appeared on the territory of Germany."

"How many of these camps have you found," asked a worried Liam.

"I'm afraid we're talking about thousands."

"Thousands of camps?" — questioned Liam.

"The actual number would probably shock us," Third replied thoughtfully.

"I don't understand who came up with such a strange idea."

"The detention and exile of people there is part of the purification of society. Aryan ideals promote it," replied the Third.

"Purification? But weren't prisons used for that?"

"We can say that they are also prisons, but without the right of amnesty, and much is still unclear to us in this matter."

"Who is sent to these camps?"

"We were just about to find out, Head," replied the assistant.

"That's good, well, keep me informed," Liam said, thinking deeply about everything he had heard.

"I'll be in touch!"

Liam went to the window and looked at Cal, who was walking along the stone paths of the garden, accompanied by the marshal. They were chatting and laughing merrily. Liam couldn't share their mood. The information that was being reported to him frightened him and filled his heart with anxiety. Liam had been around long enough to know that all people had a right to live.

And there could be no perfect people who would be the standard for the rest of us. Everyone makes mistakes. Because of this, he thought it was wrong to exalt the so-called Aryan race, as he often heard in reports.

"Why should all people have the same looks and other qualities, isn't diversity the beauty of it?" — Liam leaned over the windowsill and looked at the motley beds of flowers. "Well, there you go, they're all different colors and shapes, but they complement each other and are pleasing to the eye. No, I certainly don't understand these ramblings."

He went downstairs and joined the marshal and Cal.

"Where have you been?" — Pittsu asked, "you haven't been out much lately, are you well?"

"I'm fine, just talking to my assistant, so many questions about the Academy."

"You've had enough of this idea. You know very well that it's not the only place to train students."

Cal turned his head in surprise.

"Not the only one? What does that mean?" — He asked.

Liam pressed his lips together and remained silent.

"Come on, don't keep telling me what else I don't know?" — Cal insisted, realizing that Liam was holding something back.

Liam sighed and looked at the marshal reproachfully.

"The other Schools are on the Earth," he said.

"What?" Cal didn't understand, "you said 'schools,' you mean there's a lot of them?"

"There are many, but they are all weak and different from each other. It's just that not all the Mentors wanted to leave the land. Many like my uncle…," Liam coughed, "many like the Fourth Elder, prefer to be among the humans. They like life on earth, and they call it 'the cradle'."

"The cradle?"

"A cradle is a place where creators and protectors can be born. As it happens, nowhere else in the worlds we've created have people with special abilities been born," Pittsu explained.

"So only on earth can a person with energy like you and me be born? And on new planets, ordinary people are born?" — Cal clarified.

"Yes, that's why…" — Liam paused, "Your father…"

Cal's eyes widened. His father!

"So that's what this is all about! That's why the general and his distinguished wife had a mediocre, run-of-the-mill child! He was conceived in one of the new worlds…" — Cal was shocked by this simple and so cruel truth.

Liam continued:

"When it became clear that gifted children could not be born on the new planets, it left many people shocked and upset. There was a great migration in those days, with families leaving the new worlds and returning to earth. As they settled together, they would rather not part with their friends and organized their cities, and then there was a need for training.

That's how Spiritual Schools began to appear. The organizers didn't even try to disguise them, attracting everyone's attention. Many famous and illustrious Schools existed in the East. Since ancient times, these places had a special energy suitable for meditation and practice."

"Wait, Shaolin, where I was trained…" — Cal remembered.

"Yes, yes, it's also one of the Schools of Spiritual Art, but with a focus on martial arts," Liam answered him.

He seemed to know everything in the world, and Cal looked at the Head with surprise, as if he had seen him for the first time.

"Then what's wrong with these schools?" — Cal asked, taking a seat on the bench next to the marshal, who preferred to look at the scenery.

"Many buts," Liam furrowed his brow and rubbed his forehead, "first, there's no centralization, no one leadership. Secondly, the curriculum, style, and direction are all different. Because of this, there were and still are often conflicts between the Schools. It cannot be said that spiritual Schools are an organized force that can fight back against the enemy or unite to help people. Then why call it a School at all? And besides, their students are not sent to the frontiers or to create new worlds. You could say they live like ostriches with their heads in the sand."

"So that's it…" — Cal replied.

"Besides, the leaders of these schools could not resist the temptation not to become a kind of "deities" for their followers. And no wonder because they had extraordinary powers, such as longevity, exceptional strength, wisdom, and influence. Rumors and legends began to circulate about them."

Cal whistled. He couldn't imagine Liam becoming such an "authority," but he willingly believed him, considering how legendary and all-powerful the Light bearer Lord had become.

Cal laughed: Ronu is a Light bearer Lord who is in a relationship with Dai-Kun!

He slapped his forehead and everyone looked in his direction.

"What is it?" — Liam asked, "What made you laugh so hard?"

"It's nothing, I just thought it's in people's nature to attribute exceptional abilities to someone."

"Yes! That's another reason why I don't respect spiritual schools – they started accepting ordinary people as adepts."

Cal stopped watching the grass being cut in the far field and turned to Liam.

"People who had touched the supernatural but had no powers felt envy and rage. They spread rumors and denigrated the Schools, even organizing campaigns to destroy them. Then, finally, the school leaders became more discerning in admitting students, but the damage to their reputations was already irreparable."

"Sounds absurd, so what's next?" — snorted Cal.

"It's gotten to the point where most Schools have become nothing more than empty shells. People visit them out of curiosity, buy souvenirs, listen to tales, and leave, and the School as such is gone. More or less capable students just scattered across the land, living as they please."

"But why didn't they come to the Academy?" — Cal wondered.

"That's another reason why the Head doesn't like the other spiritual schools so much," the marshal interjected.

"All of these prominent people have spent years turning their followers against the rest of the Elder world. That's why their students, children, and grandchildren would never come to the Academy," Liam sighed, "it's a centuries-old feud."

"In light of recent events, it's for the best," Cal remarked, and no one answered him.

The sun was setting, turning the sky into a feast of color: light orange turned to terra-cotta, blue and pink mingled, gold, yellow, lilac-the many shades captivated the eye, making the soul flit from joy to sadness, from hope to despair.

The palette was constantly changing and, because of this, it was so difficult to remember what it was – the sunset sky. Cal had intentionally gone for a walk beforehand to see this indescribable beauty once more, and was glad to share it with Liam and Pitsu. He pulled the Head by the arm and sat him on his lap. Liam tried to get up, but Cal held him tightly and kept his gaze fixed on the glow in the west.

"You're like a child," Liam grumbled, also watching the nightly magic.

"Who wants to eat pears?" — Pittsu asked cheerfully when the sun had fully set.

"Come on," Cal nodded, and noted with dismay how quickly Liam jumped to his feet as he left his warm embrace.

They walked quietly behind the marshal, and Cal discreetly grabbed Liam's fingers, but he flinched and tried to free himself.

"What's wrong?" — Cal thought, and sighed.

While he'd been recovering from his injury, Liam had cared for him so tenderly, sitting by his side day and night, spoon-feeding him, washing his hair, rubbing him with a damp towel, entertaining him with conversation, and often bringing him bouquets of flowers.

Cal delicately refrained from commenting, enjoying his care and attention. But ever since he'd been feeling much better, Liam had withdrawn from him and was immersed in his thoughts. No matter how hard he tried, Cal couldn't get a word out of him. So now, he took his hand away, not letting Cal enjoy the touch.

The pears were indeed ripe in the marshal's gardens, giant baskets of fruit stood under the trees and servants were gradually moving them to the warehouses. Pitsu selected the most beautiful and ripe fruits for dinner and treated his friends. After dinner, which also consisted of first-class lamb, salad and flavored wine, the men dispersed to their rooms. Liam was about to contact his uncle when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said and frowned.

"It's me," Cal entered the room. Liam nodded at him and sat down in a chair.

Cal had to grab a chair to sit across from him. He was quiet for a moment and then asked:

"Has something been bothering you lately?"

"What makes you feel that way?" — Pretending not to understand, the man replied.

"Because I've known you since high school, do you think I can trust my gut about you?" — Cal said almost reproachfully.

Liam pressed his lips together and didn't answer.

"If you're worried about my injury, you should be, I'm almost well, so I don't need to be spared and carry my burden alone."

Cal was shrewd as always, except that Liam knew in advance that Cal wouldn't support him, so he kept silent.

"Come on, Liam," the man called out to him, "you have to tell me everything."

"I don't think so," he looked away.

"Why is that?" — Cal was puzzled.

He got up from his chair and walked over to Liam. Then he knelt in front of him and took his hands in his own. He stared into Liam's face, trying to catch his gaze, leaving him no chance of escape: eye contact was inevitable.

"What do you want from me," the man said, standing up and moving away from Cal.

"I want you to trust me, and we'll do everything together," the man caught up with him.

"Okay!…"

Liam shouted with the frustration of a cornered animal, "now get out of here!"

Cal walked out of the room in utter confusion, heading toward the marshal. He could not realize all this alone and went to seek support. He found Pittsu lying lazily on the couch. A large, fluffy cat was sleeping sweetly on top of him.

"It seems that all is not quite in your vanilla kingdom, or was it not Liam who screamed a moment ago?" — The marshal asked.

Cal followed Pittsu's example and collapsed on the couch too, hugging the pillow.

"Hmm?" The marshal looked at him, "What's wrong?"

"It's bad," Cal exhaled, "I can't figure out what he's thinking, what he wants to do. He won't tell me anything."

"Well, I see," the marshal petted the cat and removed his claws from his chest, "you just can't control him."

"Huh?" Cal turned to him.

"And don't," the marshal said calmly, "stop it already."

…

"Honey," the marshal let his flirtatious nature loose, trying to embarrass Cal, "you can always be mine, and I won't blow your mind, and I'll love you around the clock, so you'll beg for mercy. And mind you, I'm not obsessed with saving the world, I don't think I'm the only one who thinks about people, I don't make plans for self-destruction for the good of others. In that respect, I'm an elementary, selfish voluptuary, am I not better than Liam the martyr?"

Cal grimaced and didn't say a word. The painful truth in the marshal's words rang more loudly than ever. Liam was indeed a danger to himself. His self-sacrifice had always been his weakness that other people exploited. That was why Cal was worried. That's why he wanted to know who and what he was talking to, what he was up to.

"Eh, I see you're not ready to accept my offer yet," the marshal moved the cat to the couch and sat down, "then I'll tell you this: stop controlling and start trusting."

"What do you mean by that?" Cal sat up.

"What I said: love him as weird as he is and trust him, and you'll figure out the rest in time."

"Trust him and love him," Cal repeated absently, watching the nervous movements of the cat's tail.

"Liam, like my cat, is his person, I can't force him to be around me, but I can make him want to be. I'm warm and calm, so this animal thinks my belly is the perfect place for him to sleep. What does Liam love?"

"He loves…" Cal pondered, "he loves everyone but himself."

"So sharing his worries with him, I'm sure he's out of his mind right now, worrying about people."

"I understand," Cal said, biting his lip.

"Well, that's good," the marshal leaned back on the couch, "now go and do the right thing."

Cal walked away from the marshal and stealthily moved away from the house. He chose the very field where Pittsu's horses were so fond of frolicking. By the time he reached that spot, he'd had time to digest a little of everything the marshal had told him, but there was one thing he couldn't understand. Why Liam would put the interests of others above his own good and put more emphasis on that than their relationship.

How could they even be said to have any kind of relationship at all?

Cal had hoped that if he met Liam again, then it would be a done deal, but here they were, meeting, getting together and separating, going through so many adventures and dangers instead. But, what do they have for each other in the end?

Reaching the field, Cal looked at the wide expanse in front of him with relief. He was madly in love with places like this, where the sky could be seen, where breathing was easy. It was here that he felt something supernatural and amazing. Admiring the myriads of tantalizing lights sparkling in the sky, he inwardly squared his shoulders.

"It's even easier to think in a place like this," Cal lay on his back and put his hands behind his head.

"What am I going to do?" — he pondered, "Liam once accused me of not having ambition."

He remembered what had followed and shuddered, either from the cold or the vivid pictures of his humiliation.

"How does he not realize that my only ambition is to be with him," the man wondered, "do I really need to prove to him again that we're right for each other, that I'm worthy of him?"

Cal squirmed. Releasing one hand, he fumbled for something in his pocket and pulled it out, looking at the object in the starlight. "I can use this to help stop the creatures' advance on our worlds, will it be enough for Liam?" — he twirled the faintly gleaming artifact in his elegant fingers.

"He must realize that if I get involved, there's no turning back."

With these thoughts, Cal continued to lie on the damp ground and stare up into the night sky. He wished Liam would come in and scold him for such tricks, tell him not to catch a cold, tell him to take care of himself. Or just come over. At least that, but time was passing and Cal was alone.

"Looks like I'll have to take care of myself," he stood up and, shaking off his clothes, returned to his room. The palace was asleep, engulfed in silence. Cal left a short note at Liam's door and, gathering his things, knocked on Tishow's door. The general was asleep, reading a book in his chair.

"Tishow," Cal called out to him, 'I'm going to go to the front lines and help the remnants of our army.'

The general was silent.

"I just had to tell someone that," he adjusted the plaid on the General's lap and walked out, quietly shutting the door.

The General opened his eyes and looked after him thoughtfully.

In the morning, Liam woke up with a headache. He got up to get a drink of water, but the pitcher was empty. So he opened the door and saw a piece of paper.

"What's this?" — Liam picked up the note, and unfolded it and read it aloud:

"I have urgent business. I'll meet you afterward. Cal."

Liam could still feel his head hurting, but taking the letter, he went to find the marshal. Showing him the note, he asked if he knew anything. The marshal yawned, making no secret of the fact that he had been unceremoniously awakened early. With one eye, he looked at the letter and nodded.

"You had a quarrel last night, I believe? — Pittsu asked casually, scratching the back of his head.

"Well…" — Liam hesitated, "I had a headache."

He turned and left the room. Marshall stood for another minute, then collapsed back into bed, squinting blissfully. "I don't like getting up early," he whispered, and fell back to sleep. He didn't care what was going on between these two, though he was a little sorry to see Cal go. Turning onto his other side, he forgot all about it.

Liam went into the kitchen searching for water.

"Well," he thought, "so be it. After all, I was going to land, too."

He sat in the kitchen for a while longer, rolling an apple around the table, thinking about the future. Then he went to pack. By evening, the marshal's palace was empty, and he shared dinner with the general. Not ashamed to say what he thought in front of him, he said:

"Our boys will do well, won't they, Tishow?"

The General pretended not to hear him and looked up from his book.

***

Cal jumped off the platform and put the bracelet on his wrist at the same time. He looked around for the creatures, and it didn't take long for them to show up. A cloud of unknown creatures circled the sky, and there were more fearsome specimens on the ground. But the man didn't care, he mentally controlled them all and moved on.

He sent out a dozen flying creatures to scout for people, and soon he could see through their eyes a handful of people pinned to a rock by the undead. Cal rushed there and stopped the carnage. Quickly ferrying the people to safety, he moved on.

Everything was happening so fast that he began to act machine-like. Almost nowhere did he encounter the military. Moving from planet to planet, he found a dilapidated military camp and was able to locate a more or less detailed map there.

After a few days of traveling, Cal had lost his way and remembered the map. Now he carefully marked the worlds he had conquered and moved forward more sensibly. As he slept surrounded by his new army, Cal gradually grew accustomed to the creatures and no longer detested them as much as he had at first. At the same time, he learned to distinguish between the creatures and even divided them into classes.

He had noticed that all creatures smaller than a man preferred to move in groups, in packs, choosing a leader, while larger creatures often traveled in pairs. Cal wondered where all these monsters came from and who had created them.

On one of the planets, he had been joined by a group of creators who were eager to revive at least one more world. Surprisingly, Cal had met several groups of such enthusiasts over the course of a few days, and under his leadership they began traveling together. This slowed his progress somewhat, but it made the trip more efficient.

On one of the planets they stayed for several weeks to rest. Cal continued to meliorate his skills at leading an army and fought off the pretty female creators flirting with him. And at times he allowed himself to relax in their chirping company, not listening to their chatter at all.