Nathan reset for the fifth time, breathing harder now. Sweat trickled down his jaw, dampening the edges of his bandages. His grin was gone, replaced with a clenched jaw and the stubborn gleam that always came when he refused to lose.
Merlin stood opposite him, wooden blade resting lightly at his side. His breathing hadn't quickened. His body felt loose, steady, ready for another exchange before Nathan had even finished dragging in air.
'It's not fair,' Merlin thought, watching Nathan shift his stance. 'He's not weak. He's good. Better than almost anyone. But to me… it's like he's moving underwater.'
Nathan lunged again, this time faking low before snapping upward toward Merlin's shoulder. Merlin didn't even need to think. His blade moved with him, deflecting easily before twisting Nathan's arm just enough to send his sword flying. The wooden weapon clattered across the dirt.
Nathan froze, arm locked awkwardly in Merlin's grip.
Merlin let go, stepping back without a word.
Nathan bent, retrieved his sword, and straightened with a frustrated huff. "You make it look like child's play."
Merlin met his gaze for only a moment. Then looked away. "Maybe you're just slow."
The jab landed sharper than he intended. Nathan blinked, then barked a short laugh, shaking his head. "Ass." He smacked his own shoulder with the wooden blade. "Don't think you can push me off with cheap insults. You're not rid of me that easy."
Merlin's lips almost twitched. Almost.
From the fence, Elara's voice cut in. "Enough for today."
Both turned toward her. She hadn't moved from her place, arms still crossed, but her eyes had narrowed.
"Nathan, you're reopening your wounds. Merlin, you've proven your point. Stop before one of you ends up carried off the field."
Nathan groaned. "I'm fine."
Elara shot him a look that could slice steel. Nathan shut up, rolling his shoulders sheepishly.
Merlin lowered his weapon, grateful for the interruption.
"Food," Elara said firmly. "Both of you. Now."
The room was busier than earlier, soldiers drifting in from drills. Boots clattered on stone, the low hum of voices filling the air. The smell of stew replaced porridge, richer, though it still clung with the same heavy blandness.
Nathan dropped heavily onto a bench, grabbing a bowl like he hadn't eaten in days. Merlin slid down across from him, slower. Elara sat between them, her posture straight as if she'd been carved from discipline itself.
Nathan devoured his stew. Elara ate with careful, precise motions. Merlin stirred his with the spoon, staring at the steam rising.
'The system says the gap's widening. They'll notice sooner or later.'
He forced down a mouthful, chewing without tasting.
Nathan finished half his bowl before leaning back with a groan. "Alright. I'll admit it, today you had me. Completely. I couldn't even blink before you were on me."
Merlin kept his eyes on his food.
Nathan tilted his head, studying him. "Seriously, though. How are you doing it? I train the same hours, push just as hard. But you—" He gestured with his spoon. "—you're on another level. It's like the rest of us are standing still."
Elara set her spoon down softly, gaze flicking between them.
'He's getting too close. If I say anything wrong—'
Merlin forced a shrug. "Some people learn faster."
Nathan frowned, unsatisfied. "Yeah, maybe. But this isn't just learning. It's like…" He trailed off, eyes narrowing. "Like you're seeing the fight before it happens."
The words were almost too close. Merlin's chest tightened.
Before he could answer, Elara cut in smoothly. "That's called instinct. Some fighters develop it earlier, some never do. Merlin just has it."
Nathan looked at her, then back at Merlin. "Instinct, huh?"
Merlin kept his face blank, spoon scraping the bottom of the bowl.
'She covered for me. Again.'
Nathan eventually leaned back, letting it drop.
But the suspicion in his eyes lingered.
The evening brought a softer light, the sun sinking low over the walls. Soldiers trickled away, leaving the courtyard nearly empty. Merlin sat alone on a low stone ledge, watching the last glimmers fade.
The air felt cooler now, brushing across his sweat-soaked tunic. He exhaled slowly, tension pressing hard into his ribs.
The system chimed faintly again.
[Warning: Disparity Increasing]
[Projected Isolation Event: High Probability]
Merlin closed his eyes.
'Isolation event. That's one way to phrase it. Means I'll lose them. Nathan. Elara. Everyone. One step at a time, until I'm standing alone.'
He gripped his knees, jaw tight.
'What's the point of surviving if I end up with nothing left?'
The faint scuff of boots broke his thoughts.
Merlin opened his eyes to see her approaching, arms folded, hair loose from its tie in the evening wind. She stopped a pace away, studying him with that same sharpness she always carried.
"Don't give me that look," she said softly. "You sit out here every night, staring like the sky's got answers."
Merlin didn't respond.
She sighed, sitting beside him on the stone. For a moment, they both watched the horizon in silence.
Then she said, "Nathan's worried about you."
Merlin's head turned slightly. "Nathan worries about everyone."
She tilted her head, meeting his gaze. Her eyes held no accusation, only quiet persistence. "He thinks you're hiding something."
Merlin's pulse quickened. "…And you?"
Her lips curved faintly. "I know you are."
But before he could speak, she continued, her tone softer now. "I don't need to know what it is. Not yet. Just… don't shut us out. We've already lost too much. If you vanish into whatever you're carrying—" Her jaw tightened. "—we won't get you back."
Merlin stared at her, words caught in his throat.
'She doesn't understand. She can't. But… she's closer to the truth than she realizes.'
He finally forced a response. "I'm still here."
Elara studied him for another long moment, then nodded once. "Good." She rose to her feet, brushing dust from her trousers. "Don't make me drag you inside again."
She walked off, leaving him with the fading sun.
The fortress had quieted, only faint sounds drifting through the halls, snoring soldiers, distant patrol boots. Merlin sat at his desk, lantern low, staring at the glowing text hovering before him.
[Warning: Accelerated Growth Detected]
[Projected Star Advancement Threshold Within Range]
Merlin's stomach sank.
The system pulsed again.
[Advisory: Concealment Recommended]
He pressed a palm over his face, breathing slowly.
'Concealment. As if it's that simple. Nathan's already pushing. Elara already knows too much. And if either of them—'
The knock at the door cut through his thoughts.
Not Elara's knock. He knew that rhythm by now.
"Nathan," Merlin muttered, half to himself.
The door opened. Nathan slipped inside, no grin this time, no banter. Just steady eyes, locked on him.
Merlin straightened, body tense.
Nathan closed the door behind him, pulling out the chair opposite and sitting heavily.
"You're hiding something."
Merlin's fingers curled against the desk.
Nathan leaned forward, elbows on knees. "I don't care what. Not right now. But don't lie to me. Don't pretend you're fine when you're not. I'm not blind, Merlin."
Nathan's jaw clenched. "I don't know what road you're on. But I'm not letting you walk it alone. So whatever it is, however far ahead you are—deal with it. With us. Not just by yourself."
The words hit deeper than Merlin expected.
He turned his gaze aside, throat tight.
'If only you knew. If only you understood what being twelve-star really means.'
But he couldn't say it. Not yet.
Nathan pushed back from the chair, standing. His voice was quieter now. "I'll wait. However long it takes. Just don't make me regret it."
He left, shutting the door softly behind him.
Merlin sat in silence long after.
The system flickered again.
[Emotional Instability: Elevated]
[Reminder: Objective – Survive]
Merlin whispered into the empty room.
Mist clung low to the ground, cool and damp. Nathan stood already in the yard, wooden sword in hand, grin restored like nothing from last night lingered.
"You look like death," he called. "Perfect time to spar."
Merlin rolled his shoulders, stepping onto the dirt. "You just don't learn."
Nathan barked a laugh. "One of these days, I'll catch you slipping. And when I do, you owe me a drink."
Elara leaned against the fence, arms crossed, watching with her usual skeptical frown.
Merlin caught the wooden sword Nathan tossed. The weight was almost laughable, but it would serve.
Nathan lunged. Fast. Strong. His blade sliced through the air with sharp precision.
But to Merlin, it was slow. So slow.
His body moved without thought. Step aside, twist the wrist, blade already at Nathan's ribs before Nathan even realized he'd missed.
Every strike, every lunge, every desperate attempt, Merlin was ahead. Always ahead.
Nathan stumbled back, breathing ragged, frustration flashing in his eyes.
"You see it," Nathan growled. "Before it even happens. Don't you?"
Elara straightened on the fence, her eyes narrowing sharply.
Nathan stepped forward, chest heaving. "That's it, isn't it? You're not just faster. You know. Somehow, you know."
Merlin's throat tightened. His fingers clenched on the wooden hilt.
'Too close. He's too close.'
He forced his voice steady. "You're imagining things."
Nathan's gaze burned into him, searching, unwilling to let go.
Elara's voice cut through the tension, sharp as steel. "Enough."
Both turned. She pushed off the fence, striding toward them. "This isn't training anymore. It's tearing each other apart. Stop."
Her eyes flicked between them. Too knowing. Too sharp.
Merlin lowered his blade.
But inside, the system whispered again.
[Isolation Event Approaching]
And this time, Merlin had no answer.