NOVPUBMerlin tried to move.
His hand wouldn't lower.
He couldn't breathe properly. Couldn't even tell if the rest of the world still existed outside this room.
"Reflexes are adequate," the man said. "But you still lead with your right. Sloppy."
"Who are you?" Merlin hissed. The words forced themselves out through clenched teeth.
The man stepped closer. Not aggressive. Not fast.
Two fingers extended.
He tapped Merlin lightly on the forehead.
Like knocking dust off a shelf.
And something opened.
White heat shot down the back of Merlin's spine. He buckled, knees giving way. The tiles cracked faintly beneath one foot as he staggered back against the sink, catching the edge with a grunt.
A flicker.
Then a ping.
[System Restart: In Progress]
[Core Integration: Partial]
[Soul Structure: Damaged, Stabilizing]
[Affinities: Dormant]
[User Access: Manual Override Required]
Merlin gasped, pulling a hand to his chest.
'It's back.'
Faint, flickering, but there.
His system. His connection. The dead weight in his chest finally buzzed with something almost like life.
He looked up, eyes wide, breathing hard.
The man adjusted his glasses.
"That's the last time I'll help."
"You…" Merlin's voice broke slightly. "You fixed it. Just like that."
"I restarted what was already there. You're the one that broke it. Don't thank me for cleaning your mess."
Merlin's hands clenched against the sink.
"I saw you. Weeks ago."
"Yes."
"You followed me."
"No. I watched."
"That's the same thing."
"It's not."
The man stepped back. One stride. Clean. Measured.
"You're going to ask me why. Then you'll ask how. Then you'll demand to know what I am."
Merlin didn't say anything.
He just waited.
"I'm none of those answers," the man said simply.
Merlin's hand reached under his coat. Not drawing Keryx. Just touching it. Grounding himself.
"What do you want from me?"
"I want you to stop wasting time pretending this is someone else's story."
Merlin's chest tightened.
'What does that mean? That I'm supposed to do something? Lead something? Be something? No. No. That's not how this works.'
"I didn't exactly ask to be here."
"You were chosen anyway."
Merlin stared at him.
The man tilted his head slightly.
Then turned to leave.
"The third opening will bleed soon," he said without looking back. "Don't go alone."
Merlin's voice caught in his throat.
He wanted to shout something. Anything.
But the man was already gone.
The door shut without sound.
No echo.
Merlin stood there for a long time. His arms trembled faintly.
The system was back. But it wasn't whole.
His soul ached like something was stitched together with the wrong thread.
He let out a long, slow breath.
Then washed his face with cold water, like that would help.
It didn't.
—
The door creaked as it shut behind him.
Merlin paused just inside the corridor, letting the cool mall air settle against his face. His collar still felt too tight, and there was a weight just under his skin that hadn't been there before. Not panic. Not fear.
Just pressure.
He lifted one hand and touched his temple. The memory of fingers tapping the center of his forehead still lingered, cold and unreal.
'What even was that. System reset? No explanation. No warning. He just appeared, touched my head, and everything stopped.'
The pressure in his limbs had started to fade, but the feeling of being frozen in place still clung to the back of his neck.
That man's eyes were flat, pale, unreadable, like he hadn't looked at him like he was a threat. Or even a person.
More like a patient. Or a cracked tool.
Merlin lowered his hand and stepped back into the corridor.
Nathan stood a few meters down, balancing a paper drink cup on one hand and kicking his heel against the corner of a bench. He looked up at the sound of Merlin's boots and raised his brows.
"You didn't fall in," he said.
Merlin just gave him a look.
Nathan offered the drink with a small shrug. "Thought I'd grab you one. Probably apple. Maybe cucumber. Honestly not sure."
Elara stood off to the side, her back against a pillar. She didn't say anything at first. Just looked at him. Her expression didn't shift, but she leaned off the wall as he approached.
"You were gone a while," she said.
"Line," he replied.
She didn't believe him. But she didn't press either.
Nathan tilted his head. "You good?"
Merlin nodded once. "Fine."
They didn't question it.
The three of them stepped back into the main corridor of the mall. The noise of the crowd had dulled a bit now, thinning out as people headed home or drifted toward the late food stalls.
Distant voices echoed off tile. Music played from somewhere too high to track.
Nathan tapped the side of his cup.
"You two ready to head back?" he asked. "Pretty sure the rail's still running for another hour, but I'd rather not sprint the last five blocks."
Elara nodded. "We've seen most of it."
Her eyes lingered on Merlin for just a moment longer before she turned toward the exit escalator.
Merlin followed without a word.
They moved through the mall in steady silence, past the glowing storefronts and wide glass panels that reflected their images back in odd angles.
A security bot floated by and scanned them with a blue pulse. Nathan waved lazily at it.
Merlin walked near the back, eyes fixed on the metal panel next to them. His reflection stared back, faint and smudged.
He didn't speak.
Neither did the others.
Outside, the streetlights had come on. The station archway flickered slightly at the edges as the enchanted lattice powered up for the next round of transports.
They crossed the lot in silence.
Nathan took the lead this time, humming quietly under his breath as he stepped onto the platform.
Elara walked beside Merlin, hands in her pockets, posture casual but her eyes never leaving the corners of their surroundings.
Merlin noticed. But he didn't comment.
They boarded when the train slid to a halt, doors hissing open with a mechanical breath.
Inside, the lighting was dim and blue. The kind that made everyone look a little too pale. They slid into a row near the back. Merlin sat by the window.
Outside, the city slid by.
He let his forehead rest lightly against the glass.
'Everything's back. Or starting to come back. I can feel it, humming at the edge of my thoughts. My affinities aren't gone. Just… paused. Like something pulled the fuse and left me in the dark until it decided I could handle the current again.'
He watched the lights streak past.
The system hadn't spoken since it flickered on. No messages. No updates.
But something had changed.
Nathan yawned beside him, feet propped up on the base of the opposite seat.
"We should do this again," he said. "Maybe next time without walking for four hours."
Elara snorted.
Merlin didn't reply.
He was still thinking about the man in white.
Still thinking about the way his entire body had locked up with a single gesture. No words. No aura. Just presence.
'He wasn't using mana. So what was that. What kind of person can reset a system with a tap?'
The window glass rattled gently with the next turn.
Elara's voice cut in, low.
"You're quieter than usual."
He glanced at her. "Just tired."
"Mm."
She didn't press either. 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓅𝓊𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
The ride continued in silence.
Behind them, the train hummed. Ahead, the academy lights were just starting to glow.
And Merlin, for now, said nothing.
—
The tram hissed to a stop against the outer station platform. Steam vented from the side ports with a low sigh, and the lights overhead flickered twice before stabilizing.
It was always colder at the edge of campus. The kind of quiet cold that didn't sting, just settled into your coat and made you aware of how far from the city you really were.
Merlin stepped off first.
The gravel beneath his boots crunched in soft, irregular patterns. The walkways had been redone over the break, but there were still pieces of old stone mixed in. Every few steps, the sound changed. Sharp. Then dull. Then sharp again.
Nathan stretched as he stepped down after them, his arms up high and his back arching. A crack sounded somewhere in his spine.
"Gods, that tram needs more padding. My tailbone is gonna file a complaint."
Elara walked ahead, pulling her hood up as the wind caught her hair. She didn't speak. Just matched Merlin's pace with quiet ease.
The path toward the west dorms sloped gently uphill. Lanterns lit the trail at wide intervals, casting long shadows that swayed in opposite directions.
They passed a few students along the way. One nodded. Another looked up, hesitated, then quickly looked back down at her tablet.
Nathan slowed for a second, watching that last student walk off.
"People are still weird around you," he said without looking back.
Merlin kept walking.
"They think you're going to explode or something," Nathan added, half under his breath.
"I might," Merlin said.
That shut him up.
By the time they reached the main courtyard, the evening bells had already finished. The halls were mostly quiet.
Just the muffled sounds of someone practicing footwork drills behind the gym. The scent of cut grass drifted faintly from the upper gardens.
Merlin stopped near the edge of the fountain square. The lights reflected off the water in slow ripples.
'Home, technically. But it doesn't feel like it. Not when the walls remember what happened more than I do. Not when the scars in the courtyard haven't faded. Not when I still hear things sometimes, in the quiet.'
Nathan broke the silence with a soft groan.
"I'm going to collapse. Elara, tell the teachers I died doing something noble."
"You bought boots and ate a sandwich," she replied.
"Exactly. Full life. Glorious end."
Elara turned to Merlin, eyes catching his briefly.
"You heading back to your room?"
He nodded.
"I'll check on you later," she said.
He nodded again. Didn't look away.
Nathan gave a loose salute and turned down the side path toward the east wing. Elara lingered a second longer. Then she followed, leaving him alone in the open square.
The breeze had settled.
He stood still in front of the fountain.
Keryx rested at his side, silent, untouched all day.
His fingers twitched once toward the hilt. Then stopped.
'Not yet.'
The academy walls loomed around him, steady and clean and old. Not haunted. Not dangerous. Just too familiar.
He turned away from the water and made his way toward the newer dorm wing.
The hallway lights flickered as he passed through, motion-triggered. His room wasn't far. The same one Vivienne had arranged after his return.
A little larger than the old one back at home. A little quieter. He stepped inside and shut the door with a soft click behind him.
The walls didn't creak.
The lightstone above his desk pulsed once as it recognized him, then settled to a low, warm glow.
He dropped his coat over the back of the chair and sat down slowly on the bed.
Everything inside was the same. A folded blanket. A small stack of unopened books.
He stared at it for a long time.
Then leaned back against the wall, arms folded.
'It's starting..soon.'
The wind rattled the window once. Distant. Just enough to remind him the world still moved.
He closed his eyes.
He didn't sleep.
But he didn't move either.
