'What's up with me and going unconscious these few days…'
'Strangely enough… I remember everything I did, or rather 'He' did'
'What a pain… I'm just going to pretend to stay asleep… maybe I can enjoy the ride a little longer'
"If you're awake then walk on your own Merlin…" Silver's soft voice interrupted his internal monologue.
Merlin was currently laid on her back… finally, as she walked through the forest in her transcendent form.
His figure appeared to be in deep sleep, but his mind was already at work.
'Get off… when I finally got the chance to hitch a ride… heh, you can't prove I'm awake anyways' Merlin smirked inwardly.
The next moment Silver stopped moving and sighed.
"Merlin… do you know that the breathing pattern of someone asleep and someone awake is completely different…"
She waited for a few seconds and as he didn't reply, she continued.
"Your heartbeat sped up when I said that you were awake… you can't exactly pretend anymore"
"Tsk" Merlin clicked his tongue as he sat up.
"Good… now get off" Silver said calmly.
"i should have woken up a little later…" Merlin grumbled softly.
Silver just chuckled and replied.
"you really should have…"
"Sigh… alas all good things must come to an end" Merlin sighed as he jumped down from Silver.
The next moment, Silver's form glowed, then her transcendent transformation receded leaving Silver's beautiful form.
"Damn…" Merlin muttered unconsciously as he stared at her.
"You look young…" Merlin offered a compliment, but…
"Ow!... What was that for?!" Merlin teared up as he rubbed his head that Silver had just knocked.
"That was not a good compliment" Silver sighed as she fixed her long ash hair.
'It was a right one though… for someone almost a thousand years old, you only look a day over twenty five' Merlin muttered inwardly as he stared at Silver's figure, it was the description of demoness in a person.
"You're thinking something rather unpleasant…" Silver narrowed her golden eyes as she stared at his face.
Merlin raised his hands in surrender as he said with a smile.
"Innocent until proven guilty…"
"What a strange ideology" Silver muttered as she turned around and started walking.
Merlin walked up to match her pace as he sighed inwardly, he could tell that she wanted to ask about the things that happened earlier, but he didn't have enough answers to offer.
'What a pain…' Merlin sighed as he summoned his runes.
Name: Merlin Hermes
True Name: Attendant Of Mysteries
Rank: Awakened
Class: Beast
Soul Core: [1/7]
Soul Fragments: [125/1000]
Memories: [Cloak of Mysteries], [Formless], [Fur Coat], [Poison bottle], [Stone Sword], [Sunlight Shard], [Messenger's Wings], [Chittin Armour], [Spectre Suit], [Dimension ring]...
Echoes: _____
Attributes: [Fated],[Mysteries],[Mark of Divinity]
Aspect: [Child Of God]
Aspect Rank: Divine
Innate Ability: [Connection]
Aspect Ability: [Magician], [Faceless]
Flaw: [Apathy]
Flaw Description: [The stronger you get the more of your humanity you shed until you become a being of only divinity.]
He focused on the Faceless ability and immediately the runes came up.
Aspect Ability: [Faceless]
Aspect Ability Description: [You can become anyone at any time with this ability, and freely mold your body and flesh, enabling you to perfectly mimic your target's face, body, voice, or even smell to some degree.]
Merlin stared at the runes for a while then sighed.
'At least the awakening was successful… and I have a way to avoid being tracked to some extent'
'Plus the attribute I got from Thorax has gone…'
He walked to Silver's side and they walked forward together, he walked through the forest while enjoying the quiet and peace of mind it offered. Since he entered the city, his danger sense hadn't quieted down, so now that it had, he truly relished this moment of peace.
"You won't ask?" Merlin asked as he kept his face forward.
"Silver turned to him for a second, then she turned forward and said softly.
"I trust you Merlin, so tell me when you feel like it"
Merlin exhaled then he started, his voice was calm as he spoke.
"I remember… everything 'He' did, to me it felt like I was watching myself do something I knew I couldn't, I felt like I was nowhere and everywhere at the same time…"
He paused as his gaze became distant.
"I remember the terrified expressions of my friends, how everyone looked at me with fear… it felt horrible, when you stared at me with that guarded look…"
He stared up into the sky as his voice became solemn.
"...I wanted to claw my way out, to take back my body, to tell my friends that I was okay… that I was safe, but I couldn't, I couldn't do anything but watch…"
Merlin sighed then smiled.
"But in a way, I'm happy I didn't intervene… because in the end, 'He' fixed you…"
Silver turned to him then asked.
"Who is he?"
"Lord Of The Mys__"
Merlin's words were interrupted as he was immediately encased in steel like when Silver fought the great beast.
Boom…
A loud impact echoed outside the steel case, then his danger sense immediately flared up, followed by pressure… a familiar type of pressure.
'A cursed nightmare creature'
Merlin's mind was in a mess, then he heard a word, or rather an order.
"Break!"
His cover immediately shattered and he saw the cause of the pressure.
Standing a few meters away from him was Thorax, the cursed terror itself.
Merlin's head immediately turned to the side, he saw a deep crater, and at the center of the crater was Silver, her eyes were vacant and she had a large hole through her chest.
'Silver!'
Merlin wanted to cry out and rush to her side, but the pressure from Thorax locked him in place.
Thorax took a step forward, but immediately iron spikes rose up to pierce him, however they all stopped inches away from his figure, as if the world refused to let them touch him.
Thorax and Merlin turned their heads to the crater, there, Silver was already on her feet, her eyes were locked on Thorax, the gaping hole was visibly healing at a rapid rate.
"Merlin run!" Silver's voice sounded as she sent more iron spikes flying towards Thorax.
Merlin wanted to run, but the next moment, iron spikes similar to the one Silver summoned earlier shot out from the ground, piercing his figure from all angles.
The next moment, Merlin's impaled figure transformed into a paper figurine and tore to pieces, the real Merlin reappeared beside Silver.
'That's one move he's learnt, and he probably won't let me use it again… who knows what his will might pull off' Merlin's mind raced as he thought rapidly.
"Merlin, you should use this time to leave, I can at least hold him off for a while" Silver said as she stood between him and Thorax.
Merlin thought of possible abilities he could use and finally came to one conclusion, Scribe.
As he activated the scribe ability, he immediately found out there were five recorded abilities, the same five that had been used when his body wasn't under his control.
Historical Projection Summoning…
Time Reversal…
Two Travels…
And one Wish…
Merlin's mind immediately locked on the travel.
He knew that Thorax didn't have his scribe ability, because while his mimic ability had its advantages, it also had its disadvantages.
Thorax had seen the illusory book in his hand when he awakened, but even if he mimicked it, he would only mimic its appearance, because he had no idea what the book would do, so Merlin wasn't worried.
"Silver, I can get us out of here…" Merlin said to her.
"I doubt that it'll work, he already mimicked the disappearing ability you used in the castle, that's how he got here right now, so even if you use it again, he can just find us again… I have to keep him busy to buy time for you to escape" Silver said as she raised an iron barricade between them and Thorax to block the flesh tendrils that shot out of Thorax's hand.
"No! I'm not leaving without you!" Merlin refused as he prepared to use the scribe's travel.
Silver sighed then turned to him.
"Child listen to me! I trust you, I trust that you will come back for me when you become stronger, but for now you need to run away… I can't die, so trust me when I say, I will wait for you"
She locked eyes with him and said sharply.
"Run… Merlin, Run"
Merlin bit his lip until it bled then he nodded.
The next moment, the iron barricade shattered, the last thing he saw was Silver turning to face Thorax as he was encased in steel again.
He immediately used the recorded travel to arrive at a location he had seen earlier.
As he vanished, Silver turned to Thorax, her eyes cold as she summoned two long swords in her hands.
"You won't have a chance to get him" Silver said, her once calm voice now sounding cold.
..
Merlin reappeared at a place he had seen when his body was being used, the top of the arcane mountain.
As he could only travel to places he had seen or had sufficient information about, he chose this place, the high vantage point gave him a clear view of the forest.
Merlin immediately looked downwards, his eyes fixed on the edge of the forest, where the trees were dead and the edge bordered on a dead land, he wanted to travel farther if possible, but that was as far as his eyes could see.
He immediately used the second recorded travel and arrived just above the forest, he snapped and flame jumped to the ground.
As he landed, he felt the tremors on the ground from the battle afar, he didn't even think of anything as he ran.
Merlin ran, he didn't stop, didn't turn around, didn't think, he just kept running.
Minutes passed, and he arrived at the edge of the forest, but he didn't stop, he kept running, he crossed the forest and still didn't stop.
He felt weak but he kept running, he was hungry but still with that he kept running, he kept replaying Silver's last words to him, and he ran, an hour passed, he slowed but he didn't stop, Merlin kept running.
Finally, his legs gave out, he fell to his knees, his heart was pounding, with exhaustion and guilt, he cried, he clawed at the ground as he cried, he cried helplessly. As he pounded the ground, he screamed at the top of his voice.
"THORAX!!... I'LL KILL YOU!!"
"I DON'T CARE HOW LONG IT TAKES!!!... I DON'T CARE WHAT IT COSTS ME!! I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL KILL YOU!!"
"I'll kill you in the most horrible way possible!!" Merlin's voice weakened as his exhaustion began to settle in.
He cursed a few more and cried as he curled himself up and used his most recent recorded ability, and he encased himself just like Silver did earlier, but he gave himself enough space to move freely, and a few holes for ventilation.
Inside the safe space, Merlin fell asleep on the cold surface of the earth.
…
By the time undid the iron barricade he summoned, it was already morning the next day, as he woke up, his eyes were hollow and cold.
He stared up ahead, in front of him were seven stone like creatures surrounding him in a circle, with his spirit vision he saw that they were all fallen demons.
Merlin stared at them and immediately summoned the stone sword, in the air beside him, an illusory book appeared and floated beside him.
..
.
[You have slain a fallen demon, Mountain Gargoyle.]
[Your soul grows stronger…]
Merlin sighed as he looked at the last dead gargoyle, he had recorded nine petrifications that they used, but his expression was still hollow.
He felt the loss of a friend, and he hated himself for being weak.
'Never again…'
Merlin held the sword in his hand as he looked up, his long hair immediately began retracting, it reduced to a level where it was just resting below his neck, and some flowed to cover his face, his complexion became paler, his face sharpened, and his eyes became golden like Silver's.
That was his new identity, the one he would use to survive the dream realm, overall the appearance he used was one he had seen in his past life, identical to Kaneki Ken from Tokyo Ghoul, but he kept Silver's eyes.
As he finished, he finally had time to look around, after leaving the forest, he arrived at a desolate dead area, it was filled with rock pillars and hills that extended high and filled the area, leaving only narrow paths for movements.
The terrain made climbing the stone pillars impossible, not only impossible, but rather useless, as they were only high and didn't cover a lot of distance on the ground.
Merlin noted the area around, and he started walking, he was following the narrow path with only one thing in mind, that was to get stronger, the means didn't matter, what mattered was that he would become strong and come back for Silver.