"I have possessed a new body?"
He touched his body and face, held his hair and heard his own 'new' voice, when he was still in disbelief, he ran towards the mirror in the corner and checked himself.
"How?" Standing against the mirror, his heart started racing. He took two steps back before closing the distance between the mirror and himself again. Seeing his crimson eyes that almost glowed like a gemstone, having a brand new face which he could call pretty beautiful, and having a tall figure which nearly stood at 6'3, he was left in disbelief.
He closely inspected every detail of his face and body. Leaning in towards the mirror, he left only a handful of space between his eye and the glass. His eyelids stretched wide as he stared deeply into his own pupils.
The crimson color of his irises was cold and lifeless, as though they harbored no soul, with hollow, endless black pupils that seemed to swallow the light.
Satisfied and creeped a little bit, he stepped back slightly and turned his gaze toward the rest of his face. His gentle fingers caressed against his cheeks, tracing the contours of his jawline before moving his attention down to his neck. His breath stopped for a moment as his hand moved down to his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart beneath his fingertips. His heart was beating like a drum as he was going through a dreadful occasion.
While trying to calm himself and was still in disbelief, he noticed something akin to a tattoo on his right wrist; a snake eating its own tail!
"And this is…" He was pretty sure that mark represented the cycle of rebirth and death. He, however, decided to put that matter to a rest for now as he had already been fed with enough information.
His eyes followed his reflection, scanning his torso and figure, each muscle and faint scar telling a silent story. He stretched and flexed his arms slowly, watching the tendons and veins beneath his skin rise. Then, he shifted his focus on his lower body, observing his abdomen, his legs, down to his feet. There was no denying that his body had overcome many challenges and emerged stronger than before.
When he was finally content with what he saw in the mirror, he turned and walked with deliberate steps toward the kitchen. His movement slowed as he stopped in front of the counter. The surface was made of thick, polished maple wood. His instincts told him that this place was a fine work of a master craftmanship as his fingers groped the surface lightly.
I really am in a new body; I have become a new person, or did I? I want to remain as myself no matter what. But this whole situation itself doesn't make any sense, this is straight out of a fantasy novel, an occurrence where they call it as "transmigration"… He gave an inner sigh, trying to solve everything that had been thrown at his face suddenly…
What could have caused my 'transfer' into this world? Or, I may be asking the wrong question, and it is "who" caused my transmigration into this world. I doubt I said anything out of the ordinary or did that would get me in here, except of course, I was interested in alchemy recently, but that alone can't be the sole reason, there must be something else; there has to be!
Solomon, the original owner of this body, referred to himself as the Sovereign of the Forgotten History. I wonder if he had any relation to the same Solomon I know, the conqueror and king who performed great deeds and acts during his lifetime.
There is obviously a huge period of past lost in time, which, if I fail to revert this 'transmigration' nonsense back, finding clues about the lost history and the 'forgotten' will be one of my main purposes. Yes, I must learn about Solomon while doing the best I can.
I must find how this whole thing was accomplished, and I have to know if I can get back. What happened to my original body? Will I ever see my family again? What about my friends? I have to find answers to my questions…
My best option is to follow the lead of the person who knew of my coming. I must know why he brought me here, or maybe even chose me. I must first start with the man Solomon mentioned, Cardinal Beowulf.
And there is "they". Considering that Solomon even avoided mentioning what or who he was referring to, this matter must be gravely dangerous. But how am I supposed to avoid or beware from 'them' when he provided me with no crucial information at all… On top of that, I have to choose a new name for myself…
As a professional TV show and film watcher, he pondered over the countless characters and stories he had encountered. Yet, one name stood out, a name that he envied more than the others, which also suited his views, beliefs and while also aligning with who he really wished to be.
"Merlin… I am Merlin"
He uttered to himself. In that instance, the dagger Merlin held in his belt started glowing as faint screams of pain and misery began to emanate from it. Its blade, resembling a dragon's claw, gleamed ominously, reflecting the chaos harbored within. And the dragon scales on its handle took form again, changing from black, their color started shifting to a new color that pulsed like a heartbeat as they gained a new color, crimson!
"What the…" Merlin quickly pulled the long dagger from its sheath, witnessing the name "Solomon" slowly being erased, as "Merlin" was being carved onto it instead. The screams of agony and pain slowly came to an end when the name "Solomon" was completely vanished from the surface of the dagger.
This declares that the rightful owner of the dagger is me? In my interpretation, Solomon and his 'memories' it housed have been erased, and the dagger now accepts me as the current user. Is it able to differentiate between souls?
This matter may be more dangerous and vital to my being than I think, taking into account that as soon as I chanted my name out, it assimilated with me. It's better to keep this dagger sheathed until I meet those 'certain requirements' Solomon mentioned and see if it poses any threat to me. Though, I have no idea what those 'requirements' are or how to get pass them. I really am hopeless…
Merlin slowly sheathed the long dagger back and slid it into his waist. However, unbeknownst to Merlin's knowledge, the carvings continued forming in silence at the bottom of the dagger as they formed a new sentence.
Merlin had already decided what kind of a persona he would adopt, carefully considering every detail to align with his future aims and the image he wished to preserve out in the world, as he proceeded to think about the current state.
These letters and markings on this paper are unknown to me, so how do I possess the means to comprehend it? Is is the effect of me "possessing" Solomon's body or something related to my transmigration? And now that I think about it, 'Merlin' is written in perfect English, but the language, letters and markings I saw in the letter and the papers scattered across the desk over there are different.
Does this mean that the predominant language is not English in this city? Solomon said I will regain 'his' memories in time but it seems that some of his knowledge was retained within current me. These effects may be merely the body remembering certain elements of what is left behind, including the languages he knew. This dagger even, it felt so natural to slide it into my waist.
Memory fragments slowly kept forming in Merlin's head.
Yes… I remember the neighbors in this vicinity. Miss Hilda always knocking on the door, bringing cookies or sweets she makes occasionally; old Carten who stops by form time to time to have a small chatter; the funny woman staying in the next door whose name I do not know; the children who never listen to their parents and are always on the run, playing games…
There is even a beggar's assemblage a few streets down. And the bars, public auctions are being held every fifteen days in the biggest bar around, 'The Lizard's Fang", by the collaborations of the so-called 'charities', ventures founded by some nobles. One is even being held today in some time.
While the poor are suffering and in a predicament so much that one day's work pays only a days subsistence, those who can bring home money are the lucky ones who happened to be just working in a 'well-paying' job in this areas standards. It really is a sad situation.
Sorting out his thoughts only to be left with more questions, and after deciding a name for himself, Merlin quickly moved on to what he had been instructed with. Considering Solomon's warnings, he dared not to even utter his 'true' name out loud. After reading the letter a couple more times, he went by the window and took a candle before opening the window's glasses widely.
As Merlin opened the window, the reality slapped him in the face once again, making him realize that he was not in a dream. Seeing horse drawn cabs, the buildings, the attire of people and the world itself made him gulp in terror. He took his gaze off of the street and people as he lit the paper. He made sure the wind blew away every piece of ash there was left from the burned page.
I should be safe for now, though I need a bath immediately, I am starving too… The first thing I should do is to relax right? I have to find a job for my welfare but I doubt finding one would pay well enough for me to reside in luxury. Actually it doesn't matter that much but why wouldn't I live in prosperity with this brand new journey. It is for the better if I do some sort of bodyguard or scout work; the payments of both would be quite well considering the risks I will be taking.
Ah, and there is how I should speak and behave outside too, I must not forget that this is not the world I know. The outside city resembles the old Britain Empire, around the beginning of the 20th century maybe? I wonder if they have electricity, steam powered machines, and enough technology to communicate? I'm not sure. Whatever, I will just go outside in a bit anyways. My destination for now is bathroom, I need a break from all of this.
…
Merlin was stuffed after cooking the piece of dried meat he found in the cabinet; this was his self-treat after taking a shower. He wore the new pair of suits he found in the closet located in the bedroom. He wanted to wear more casual-styled clothing; however, he took into account that the era he was currently in required him to dress more formally. He was also still wearing the necklace Solomon had left behind for him, and he didn't take it out even when he was taking a shower, as Merlin didn't wish to risk anything.
"Time to head out!"
I will wash that fancy coat and clean this mess up when I get back, I hope nobody comes to my visit. Now I need to explore the world before I jump out of the window before my curiosity gets to me…
After he wore his black patent leather shoes and took a long, brown coat from the coat hanger, he opened the door to the way outside, the last thing he did before going out was taking ten pounds of cash with him. Merlin was praying to the Goddess while stepping into the sun while holding his necklace, he wasn't sure if praying to the Goddess without knowing the proper prayer would work, he didn't even know if he was praying to the right goddess as his 'memory' had not been recovered yet, but he did it anyways.
After Merlin finally walked into the street, his mind was now focused on the outside temperature as chills went down on his body.
"Is it winter? Why am I freezing…"
He was headed for the auction that was being held at 10 a.m. today. Merlin walked as his eyes observed everything that surrounded him. The air was cold, freezing in fact with the bite of winter, and his breath came out as small steam clouds that dissipated quickly. Merlin looked up to the sky and saw small snow particles fall and land on his body, but quickly melt afterwards because of his body's temperature. He kept walking as the street's surface was covered with snow slowly.
Merlin kept observing to gain more insight on the scene. The city, at least in this area, was a mix of both luxury and plain house structures. Normal, red and brown colored, houses were built in long rows, sharing walls with the neighboring building to save space and resource, only a few restaurants, café's, barber shops, clothing shops and more were tucked in between the rows with a bit of distance between them; their colors were no different than the other.
More luxurious, large and tall buildings were very few in this region as only the upper-class could afford staying in them. The ones in this district were often large and detached buildings while having intricate designs, elaborate stonework along with gothic architecture, and broad gardens.
Merlin pulled his coat closer to keep himself warmer as the cold slowly settled in his bones. His shoes made a firm, but silent sound as they stomped on the damp pavement, leaving faint footprints on the thin snow layer that coated the ground. People around him moved in a brisk, wearing heavy woolen coats and poor scarfs while trying to hide their face from the bite of the cold. Merlin noticed some of the grim expressions of the laborers heading to their work, while also seeing some well-dressed gentlemen in a hurry, trying to avoid the possible incoming snow storm.
As Merlin walked, he kept his distance from passersby, carefully sliding through the crowd but not getting too close. He was afraid how out of place he might seem with his knowledge of different eras, but his mind stuck in this one. He was a stranger here, a place where he had no knowledge about. Merlin started to understand this world bit by bit, but not fully belonging to it.
The bar where the auction would take place was just ahead, a big building stationed between a theater and a warehouse. Merlin arrived in front of the bar, he paused for a moment before the door and let out a sigh as he listened the voice of the city—the noise people made, the clatter of carriages, the far away hum of the machinery, silent breeze and the falling snow—and then, with a final glance at the world around him, he went inside the bar unnoticed.
The bar was quite crowded as most people were here for the auction. It had a huge space, containing a great number of tables, waiters and waitresses; it even had a small stage of its own.
Merlin was unknowingly natural at hiding his presence, though he remained unaware of that fact. He spoke in an unfamiliar language, one he had never heard or seen. But he was fluent. Merlin was fluent in quite a lot of languages he hadn't seen in his life before, but he just considered it a natural process, taking into account the unnaturalness of himself and how he shouldn't even be in that body in the first place. So he continued to order.
"One cup of wine"
The bartender was surprised, as he couldn't sense Merlin's coming and sitting by the bar in a matter of seconds. After hiding his weird expression of surprise, which made the wrinkles on his face and eye bags caused by deprivation of sleep more apparent, he moved on to pouring a cup of regular Victus wine, a local specialty that had a bitter taste and had been used since the city was founded. The bartender finally reached the cup in front of Merlin before he named the price.
"Two penny."
Merlin who was hoping the bill to be cheap found the price quite reasonable… Doesn't that equate to around ten cents? Maybe not, as the currency is completely different. But the prices around here are lower than I expected… Merlin took the cup of wine as he mingled in the crowd after paying the two pennies for the wine. Taking sips from time to time, he waited in the corner, eavesdropping other people's conversations. After nearly twenty minutes had passed Merlin finally found an interesting topic as he closely but secretly listened.
"I'm only telling you what I heard, streets are saying a demon lives in there and hunts women who are nearby at night, leaving only their bones behind."
Another man answered:
"Who would be that stupid to wander around in a that much black and creepy house at night anyway? And what makes you think that thing won't hunt men too? Let alone any women; I myself am scared to approach there even in the morning. The house is full of cracks and wrecks; it looks as if it was resided a millennia ago."
Merlin listened carefully while taking notes in his mind occasionally. He was surprisingly good at remembering the things he deemed as important. But to him, this matter was for much later as the current him was rather weak. In his mind, he needed to find a way to get 'stronger' as Solomon said.
He sometimes wanted to curse Solomon for writing so much but explaining so little, but he figured that Solomon only showed the path which Merlin should take. So he decided to forget about Solomon for the time being as he listened to more people, waiting for the auction to start.
After eavesdropping and finding nothing interesting while also lightly drinking his wine for quite some time, he realized that it was about time that auction began. A man shouted:
"Attention folks, the grand auction which you are all waiting for begins now."
The people in the bar became quiet en masse, directing their attention to the announcer. Merlin took a seat in a place far from the center of attention, somewhere that he could hardly be noticed. He merely waited as the first item was brought to the stage and presented by a woman before everyone's eyes.