Everyone gathered into the room, seeing Shikom's new form, and seeing that Merlin was muttering to himself and pacing around. "So, what exactly are we doing? Seems like we're just going in circles here ain't we?" G asked, but Merlin kept muttering for a few more seconds before clapping his hands loudly, sounding like a loud snap.
"I got it!! We take out these traitors all at once, and awaken the Paradox abilities. Somehow. But I know it'll happen." Merlin yelled, making everyone confused. It honestly sounded like he just made it up on the spot without having all the details, but had the right idea of what to do. Of course no one really had a real plan of what to do, and everything seemed to just be going in random chaotic directions, but it was fun for everyone, they couldn't deny it at all. Even though it feels like not everyone had made their appearance, and that the Saints haven't really said much.
"Right now, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say no one has any idea of what to do at this point. Just feels like we've been doing random things with no actual direction. Where are the Saints, the Dark Lords, hell what are these powers we're using now? I know magick and destiny stuff isn't exact science, but I'm completely lost at what we're doing. Feels like someone's jerking us around from the outside and we're not getting answers here." Magna said, smoke coming out of his ears and forming a thought cloud. Everyone began to think that they were just going in random directions without a clear goal, but they were heading towards something, albeit chaotically.
Jesteros looked outside, and saw that there was a large black orb rising into the sky, eclipsing the sun. It seemed to be growing, pulsating as it expanded. "I believe that's our answer incoming. Look, whatever's happening to us isn't always gonna make sense, but goddammit it's fun!" he yelled as he jumped outside, riding on a large circus ball. Everyone followed, heading towards where the large orb was. "Well fuck me sideways, I think that's a Sphere Portal formula. They're attempting to summon something here, in exchange for...what the hell?" G looked closer, seeing that something was orbiting the sphere portal. Multiple souls in a massive cluster, fueling the sphere and the summoning.
"He...took everyone. He's using everyone we knew to power that thing!" G yelled, aiming at the sphere with his trident, seeing if he could shatter it, but everyone was blown away with a powerful force. It was the leader of the Dark Traitors at last, Omnius Petrolai. "All this...all this just to kill some meddling teenage brats, using a power they don't even deserve, living as if life was a game. Why fight for these weakling "Dark Lords", the ones who failed at-" Ominus was interrupted by a kick to the head from Merlin, followed by a punch to the chest from Morgan that sent him tumbling to the ground and leaving a massive crater.
Morgan just shook her head, slowly floating downward to the ground to pick Ominus up by his hair. "Skip the yip yappin', and let's get to the fun part!" she yelled as she palmed him in the chest, sending him flying. Merlin caught up and summoned his scythe and surrounded it with bright crimson flames, slashing at Omnius as he flew into him. Omnius regenerated after every slash, ignoring the pain, then grabbing Merlin's arm intending to shatter it. But then, in a split second, Shikom grabbed his face and threw him into the air, with Merlin slashing his arms off, then summoning a massive serpent made of scalding water to eat him, following up with G and Magna blasting powerful compressed and rotating air that slashed him. "Unworthy my ass. Power is free for all, not your punk ass!" G yelled as he made his trident extend through Omnius's chest, and then surging immense electricity into his body.
Chris and Weiss ran up towards the massive snake, combining fire and ice to make multiple projectiles that slammed into Omnius's body, freezing and burning at the same time. "What was all that shit you were talkin'? Fight back big traitor, fight back!" Shikom yelled, surprising Merlin with his bold approach. Ominus began to smirk slowly, all the pain and attacks he was enduring just made him smile more, until he was unable to hide his smile, literally making blood leak from his mouth with how wide it was.
Suddenly a massive explosion of energy burst from Ominus, looking like a massive supernova. He emerged from the smoke, unharmed and still smiling, laughing even. Everyone looked to see what he was laughing about, when the massive sphere portal was pulling something out. A gigantic black creature with multiple arms, multiple eyes on it's face, and large insectoid wings let out a bloodcurdling screech, as it began to take flight. It wasn't like any creature seen before, it was something straight out of the worst nightmare to be conceived. Ominus looked at it, still smiling, then went straight for it. Everyone tried to halt his advance, but he endured even the most brutal attacks, and then when he got close to the creature, he drove his hand into his chest and crushed his heart, causing his body to burn away, and leaving his soul to be consumed.
As soon as the creature ate Ominus, it began to glow with intense energy, gathering quicker with every second. "Shit. He baited us! What do we do now?" G asked. But no one had an answer. It seemed like it was all over.
Suddenly, everything went white. Not like an explosion, but something more like being pulled away at an incredible speed. There was no feeling at all. Suddenly Merlin found himself alone in the same white space as when he first reincarnated, but it was different this time, and there was only one person there. He stood alone, clad in black, his hair being long and pure white, his androgynous face and body radiating both beauty and power. "Ah. You've made it. I confess, I hadn't expected to see you here so soon. I do apologize for the bumpy ride to this point." the man said.
Merlin stood amazed, but then wondered where his friends were. Or rather, where everything was. The man sat down, looking into an orb. "You know. Everything you've been through, it isn't real. It's sort of like a dream." the man said again, but this time it caused Merlin to hold his scythe to his neck, silent fury staring daggers into him. The man just looked up without moving his head. "It is the unfortunate fate of all Merlin Children. Life is but a fleeting dream that ends in tragedy for all involved."
"Shut your mouth! You honestly expect me to believe that everything I've done, everything I've been through...it was all just a dream illusion?!" Merlin yelled furiously. Suddenly a bunch of images appeared all around. They were Merlin's memories up to Ominus. All of them played as he remembered them, seeing everything that happened, and how all of it seemed like it happened too quickly. Years felt like weeks, and weeks felt like days.
"Don't you understand? It's all just a useless dream. Just wake up, this life was never ours. It's all just..." he was cut off by Merlin's calm demeanor, putting his scythe on his back. He walked towards the man holding the orb, putting all of his memories into it, then swallowing it whole without any hesitation.
"I don't care if it's a dream, or reality. It's my life now, and I will live it. Now I'm going back, my besties seem to still be alive, but in another dimension. Morgan you smart chick." Merlin went to leave, but he was grabbed by the hand, and yanked back furiously.
The man was determined to make him stay, his appearance mutating into that of a vicious demon, his face contorted into a visage of anger, pain, and sadness. He summoned a massive serpent-like creature that wrapped around his body, hissing with intent to kill. Merlin freed himself from the man's grip, and readied his scythe for the incoming onslaught. The man roared, bloody tears running down his face as he attacked with just his razor sharp claws.
"You think others weren't like you?! Head full of ideas, but thought they could achieve them with foolish enthusiasm! I was the first, I saw it all, war, violence, death, erasure! Why should you live your life, while I live here without the ones I love?!" he roared.
Suddenly his identity became clear, the first of the Merlin Children, the one with the title of the True Invoker. The white space became red, flames bellowing from below like volcanoes, the power whipped about like a serpent in a frenzy. Merlin did his best to fight back, defending with his scythe and defense spells, but he was losing ground quickly, the overwhelming amount of magick this first Merlin wielded was astronomical compared to his own, like a fishbowl compared to an endless wellspring. His summoning spells were capable of bringing mythical creatures and phenomenon into existence.
"I will erase you like the others. And finally...I will obtain the final components for my ritual! You will serve a higher purpose as my-"
He was cut off by a surprise earthquake, ramming spires of earth into his gut. He looked at Merlin, his cocky smile burning into his brain.
"Myth Magick. The imagination bringing forth beasts, phenomenon, and all forms of sorcery converge, diverge, and become one in the same. That's the true nature of a Merlyn Child isn't it? And here I've been misspelling my own name for so long, it's true nature hidden to me until meeting the first Merlyn. You're Merlyn Exiba, the first mortal one created by the Dark Lords, the grand sorcerer. I may share your name...but I'm not you! I'm Merlyn Pyrite, he who holds the power of Aquarius's endless ocean of stars in his bowl. And I won't by tied down by you, for I bare the soul..OF A FOOL!!!"
Merlyn's magick began to swell, seemingly expanding like a supernova. His eyes turned silver, his skin turned pale as demon wings erupted from his back, but upside down. Pink horns came out of his head, and a top hat formed over his head. His arms became beastman-like, along with his legs, and a singular fang poked out of his mouth. His chest scar produced a pentagram shape in the middle of the X, and all that was left was Merlin lightly floating there, smiling devilishly while holding his hat.
"Exiba, you've been in pain for so long. I will release you, just as you have released me from the shackles I never knew about. Goodbye, and may you guide me from the world beyond." He said as he swung his scythe at Exiba, causing him to revert to normal.
Exiba was slowly fading away, his peaceful memories flashing in his mind as tears fell from his eyes, and a smile etched into his face. He clutched his chest, finally feeling happy after so many millennia of solitude and sadness, finally fading completely, along with the realm he was in. Merlyn sighed a breath of relief as he made a portal to the void, reuniting with his friends there.