Merlin shoved his hands deeper into his pockets.
When they reached the apartment, he hesitated on the stairs.
The door wasn’t locked. He didn’t know why that surprised him.
Inside, the place smelled like someone had actually cleaned, floor freshly wiped, faint scent of mint or something herbal near the bathroom. There was a folded blanket on the couch. The kettle had been used.
Nathan looked up from where he sat at the table, a bag of groceries beside him. Elara was sprawled across the rug with a book in one hand and a half-eaten pear in the other.
Seraphina glanced up from her seat by the window. "You’re back."
Merlin nodded and kicked off his boots.
Elara sat up straighter. "How long were you out with, what’s his name again?"
Merlin shrugged. "Didn’t ask."
Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Didn’t ask? You were out with him for three hours."
Merlin walked to the sink, poured himself water, drank half the glass in one go, and leaned back against the counter.
"He just wanted to talk," he said.
Seraphina snorted. "Right. Because strange men who hang around unconscious academy students are just full of casual conversation."
Merlin didn’t answer.
Elara tilted her head. "You good?"
He looked at her. She meant it. Not suspicious. Just checking.
"Yeah," he said. "I’m good."
’Good enough to lie without blinking,’ he added silently. ’That’s probably not a win.’
Nathan stood, walked over, grabbed the rest of the groceries from the counter.
"Next training day is tomorrow," he said. "You should probably sleep. You’ve been... out longer than you think."
"Yeah?" Merlin asked, finishing his water.
Nathan nodded. "You don’t want to fall behind."
He moved past Nathan without another word and went straight to the small room they’d given him. It wasn’t his room. Not really. Just a place with a bed and a drawer he hadn’t opened since arriving. The blanket was too thin. The pillow smelled like dust and detergent.
Merlin closed the door behind him, sat on the edge of the bed, and opened his system again.
[User: Merlin Everhart]
[Inherited Memories: 9.3% Stabilized]
[Star Progression (Next Rank): 7.0%]
[Next Unlock: Enhanced Trait – Passive Reservoir Expansion]
He stared at that last line.
’Another step closer.’
The system didn’t speak. It never did unless it had to. But sometimes, Merlin felt like it was watching him. Not judging. Just... waiting. For what, he wasn’t sure.
He fell back onto the bed.
The ceiling was cracked in the corner. A spider had spun something there, maybe days ago.
’I’m going to be sent to that dungeon. I know it. And if it’s like the novel, someone important dies.’
He didn’t want to think about who. His eyes slid shut.
’If I get stronger now, I can stop it. Maybe.’
’I’m not going to lose anyone else.’
The system pinged again, soft. A reminder, not a warning.
[Questline Flag: "Overflow: Prelude" – 4 Days Remaining.]
He didn’t feel tired anymore.
And sleep wasn’t going to help.
Not with what was coming.
The gates were unlocked.
Merlin paused, hand still on the cold iron bar, staring through the gaps toward the main building. A single light burned near the top of the central tower.
He didn’t need to guess whose office that was.
’Still working this late?’
He stepped inside and moved fast, keeping low out of habit. The courtyard was empty, and the guards had either been dismissed or... more likely, told not to bother.
The Academy was quiet at night. No students roaming the halls. No instructors patrolling. Just the cold weight of stone and magic resting over the place like a too-heavy blanket.
The tower doors opened with a soft creak. Merlin slipped inside and started climbing.
Stairs curved up and up, and he counted them under his breath, even though he didn’t know why.
He stopped at the top, one hand hovering near the handle.
Then he knocked once.
"Enter," came the voice.
Smooth. Bored. Amused.
He pushed open the door.
Morgana stood by the tall arched window, her back to him, hair loose and down her spine, a glass of something red swirling in her hand.
The hem of her robe brushed the floor, black silk with a low-cut neckline that wasn’t there this morning when he last saw her lecturing about defensive enchantments.
"Well. Look who decided not to stay dead."
Merlin stepped in and shut the door behind him. "That’s the welcome I get?"
She sipped her wine. "You were gone five days. I assumed you’d found a new grave."
"No," she said, and turned.
Her eyes met his. Cool, steady, far too entertained.
"You came back skinnier, somehow," she added. "Not a good look."
He narrowed his eyes. "Do you flirt with all your students after midnight?"
"Only the ones who trespass into my office uninvited."
He raised a brow. "I knocked."
"That’s adorable," she said, and walked past him toward her desk.
She didn’t sit. Just leaned one hip against the edge, swirling her wine again with practiced ease.
"You’re not here for a lesson," she said. "So what do you want?"
Merlin looked around once, her office was cluttered in the exact way that said she worked too often and slept too little. Books half-open, scrolls rolled tight, a charm dagger stuck into a plate of untouched fruit.
He finally met her eyes again.
"I wanted to see if anyone knew."
Morgana tilted her head. "Is this a trick?"
"You vanished into a seal with a pulse like a dying star. We heard the noise from here. Then it stopped. No body. No energy trace. Just empty air."
"I assumed you tripped into something you weren’t ready for," she said, casually. "And got eaten."
She leaned forward, just a little. "So where did you go, Merlin?"
He didn’t answer right away.
Her eyes narrowed. "Don’t test me."
He sighed. "Somewhere bad."
"That’s not an answer."
"It’s all I’m giving you."
She smiled without humor. "You’re cute when you pretend to be mysterious."
Merlin crossed his arms. "And you’re always ?"
Morgana set her glass down. "Only when I’m annoyed."
"You don’t look annoyed."
"Because I’m trying to figure you out, and I don’t like not having answers."
[System Notification: New Path Integration — Passive Awakening Tracking Active.]
He closed it quickly.
"I’m not going to be the same anymore," he said quietly.
When he glanced back at her, she was still watching him, but something in her face had shifted. Less teasing. More interest.
"Did you learn something?" she asked.
She pushed off the desk and stepped toward him, stopping close. Too close.
"You’re not the strongest person here, Merlin," she said, voice low. "But you might be the one with the worst timing. I suggest you get better at both."
He didn’t flinch. "Are you warning me?"
"I’m trying to see if you’re worth investing in."
Her hand brushed his sleeve—light, deliberate, testing.
"You already are," he said.
That made her smile again, sharper this time.
"Good," she said. "Then prove it."
Merlin stepped back, his heart still thudding harder than it should’ve.
"I will," he said. "But not tonight."
He turned toward the door.
"Merlin," she said behind him.
"I’m glad you didn’t die," Morgana said.
Just pushed open the door and left.
Because he wasn’t sure he could say the same.
The apartment door creaked louder than it should’ve. Or maybe he was just more aware of it now. His boots hit the entryway tile with that quiet clunk that only old floors knew how to make.
He stepped inside, shrugged off his jacket, then froze.
Elara was sitting on the floor outside his bedroom. Her back leaned against the wall. Arms crossed. A blanket draped over her knees like she’d been waiting a while.
"Hey," she said. Not sleepy. Just... there.
He blinked. "You’re up."
"No shit," she said, tilting her head. "You snuck out again."
Merlin scratched the back of his neck. "Didn’t think you’d notice."
A beat passed. She didn’t move.
He walked past the little kitchenette, kept his eyes on her. She looked tired, but not like someone who couldn’t sleep. More like someone who chose not to.
"I needed some air," he said.
"Sure." Her voice was calm. "You always sneak into a secure magic school in the middle of the night when you need air?"
Her eyes followed him as he dropped his bag by the door and came closer.
"You didn’t bring a weapon," she added.
"I wasn’t planning to fight anyone."
"That’s usually when fights happen."
He looked at the door to his room. Then at her.
She raised a brow. "That’s what everyone says right before they’re not."
Merlin exhaled. Sat down across from her, backs to opposite walls. The space between them felt smaller than it should’ve.
’I should’ve expected this.’
He watched her stretch her legs out, the blanket slipping off her knees a little.