The events of the previous night would leave no stone unturned. Now the sun was rising and a new dawn was breaking not only here in Meglarsbruck, but throughout the empire. Wenzel sat at the highest point of the old imperial palace to watch its rise. A decent gust of wind whirled his hair around as he looked out at the horizon. He looked down and saw that the sun's rays had not yet reached the lower buildings. He also saw the hustle and bustle of the city. Above all, the soldiers of the revolutionaries could be seen marching along the wide avenues of the city, keeping interested people and onlookers away or even driving them into their houses, but on the other hand taking others out of them. The execution of August's orders was in full swing. There was a lot going on. Hardly any of it could be described as "nice". In one of the outer districts of the city, he saw the fallen being piled on a heap. He preferred to look elsewhere. He didn't like violence, but was fully aware that this was the kind of situation in which it was to be expected and was even logical and natural. Wenzel understood that the world wasn’t a "nice" place, but he would still prefer to approach things with humanity and understanding. However, it was also clear that such a solution was no longer possible here. Only violence could save the people of Ordania from even more violence.

  The building he was standing on was huge. Wenzel jumped down from the top of the turret he was standing on and landed on the surface of the palace's large main dome. The building had several wings and sections. From here he could see four smaller domes surrounding the main one. He decided he had seen enough and flew down the front. He landed on a lantern in front of the main entrance. The guards posted there looked up at Wenzel. He waved to them, whereupon they saluted. This irritated him to quite the degree. The lad couldn't bear to be treated specially. All he ever wanted was to be treated "normally" by others. He flew down and told them: "Leave it be, okay?" This had the desired effect, but essentially changed nothing. He made his way back inside.

  As he was wandering through the vast halls of the Melgarions, he looked around. Preciously decorated walls and pillars made of the most expensive materials could be seen and frescoes depicting various scenes from the Testament were everywhere on the ceilings. Not that he was too interested in the details, but the splendour made a huge impression. He kept seeing soldiers stamping through the corridors with people they had arrested. He didn't have a good feeling about the whole thing. But then he spotted Brahm and Ferenc beckoning to him from one of the huge writing rooms or offices or whatever that room was used for. He walked over to them. As he got closer, he noticed that they were each holding a bottle of wine in their hands. They drank straight from it without using a glass. Apparently, they had found them among all the other luxurious things here, many of which were now scattered everywhere as the men had rummaged through the boxes and shelves.

  "Hey, Wenzel! Do you want some, too? There's certainly reason to celebrate today! Here!" said Brahm, holding out his bottle. "Oh, dear!" the wizard thought to himself. But he replied politely: "No, thanks! I’m good!" His bodyguard shrugged his shoulders and took another swig from the thing himself. Wenzel had no idea what to make of this. He already knew Brahm. That was just the way he was. At the same time, the man hadn't had much to drink yet. The bottle had clearly only just been started and his two friends were certainly not drunk yet. Ferenc and Brahm leaned back in the ornate and padded armchairs of the authorities, who usually used them. "Most of our enemies' soldiers have simply fled. Can you imagine that? Haha! That's what these tyrants get for pressing so many people into military service against their will!" Brahm said with glee. "What the hell are you two doing?" a stern voice suddenly came from behind them. The boy was startled for a moment and turned around. It was a general who was now standing in front of him and tearing his two friends off a strip. But Wenzel couldn't remember his name. He said: "While everyone else is doing important work here, you're getting drunk! Shame on you!" Then he turned to Wenzel: "Your H.....Wenzel, I would like to point out that you should keep your subordinates under control, please. Their only task at the moment is to protect you. Do you really think they can do that in an intoxicated state?" The boy had to agree with him.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  "Oh, come on! I'm not going to overdo it," said Brahm. After a moment's hesitation, Wenzel turned to the two of them and said: "I think he's right. Please, don't drink any more." With a slight huff, they put the bottles down, not saying a thing anymore. The general laughed briefly and went back to his duties. Our sorcerer wanted to do the same. He left the two of them in the room and headed in the direction of one of the rooms where the prisoners were being taken. As he approached one, he could hear August's voice speaking to these people. He approached further and could see some rich people wearing expensive robes but with their limbs bound. When he saw the chief of staff moving in front of them, he leapt to the side so as not to be seen by him. He wanted to eavesdrop on him and stay unnoticed to get an impression of what August was really like. And he would not be disappointed!

  "Do you remember who I am?" August asked a couple. At first there was no answer, but then, after much deliberation, a "no" came out of their mouths. "But I know exactly who you are, Alfred and Bothilde! You'll remember me, believe me!" The Chosen One could then hear someone being kicked. "Vogt is my surname and unlike many others among the Martyrs, I have not discarded mine or forgotten my past. No, I will never forget what happened!" The interviewee then said in a very quiet voice: "August?" - "Good, very good! You've got it." - "Do you want me to apologise to you?" - "No, you know as well as I, that this won't undo the things, that have been done." - "Then what do you want from me?" At that moment, August let out an almost diabolical laugh. "From you? I don't want anything from you. I just wanted to remind you why things are going to turn out the way they are." This time his wife replied: "What? You know perfectly well that none of this was personal! You know how politics work!" The chief of staff paused for a moment, but then replied: "You're all nothing but pigs! And we all know what happens to pigs." Then he left the room. Wenzel was speechless. The devil inside August had obviously awoken.

  As he left the room, the mage moved behind a pillar to stay out of his field of vision. Then he waited until August had gone. But before he could do anything else, someone tapped him on the shoulder and Wenzel startled. "No need to panic! It's just me," Brahm tried to reassure him. He and Ferenc had been looking for him after he had made off like that. He now cautioned Wenzel like this: "You shouldn't just leave without telling us, especially in the current situation. We're here to protect you." - "Yes, you're right," the lad had to admit. However, he could not and would not keep what he had just seen of August to himself. He then sat down with the two of them and told them what he had heard August say. The two listened to him with interest. "I understand your concern, Wenzel, but you must also understand this matter. We have all experienced great injustice. That's why most of us joined the organisation in the first place," Brahm explained to him.

  Wenzel replied: "I understand that, but we shouldn't become just as evil as those we are fighting against." His bodyguard stared absent-mindedly right through him for a moment, but then agreed. Ferenc added: "Our emperor has a good heart. Far too good for a stone-cold world." - "I'm not emperor yet," Wenzel pointed out to him. "Okay, not officially yet..." The thought made the young man a little anxious, which is why he relegated it to the back of his mind for the time being. "Maybe you should talk to August about it. He's certainly not planning to eliminate EVERYONE, just the enemy's particularly important lackeys and those who refuse to change sides." The lad agreed with him and went off to find August.

  When he found him, however, he was gripped by fear and uncertainty. What should he say? How could he argue? He also had to be careful not to reveal that he had eavesdropped on him. He definitely had an issue with mass executions of regime loyalists. But how was he supposed to approach this? He walked up to August, wanting to say something, but no words left his mouth. When August turned to him, the Chosen One simply slumped down. He was too much of a coward. They were now standing in the large reception hall and a few soldiers were bringing in the next prisoners. The people who Wenzel now spotted among them would give him a shock!