Chapter 116
"Oh, great Merlin," they chanted in unison. "Thank you for blessing us with your presence." Jamal—or Merlin—sighed, waving a hand dismissively as he stepped into the clearing. His gaze fell on the spot where Viridian had fallen, his expression one of mild regret.
"Such a pity," he said, his tone soft but firm. "He was a great mage. He had the mentality of what it takes to truly embrace magic." He turned to the four women, his sharp eyes scanning them briefly before speaking again. "Stop speculating. The old snake is not awake."
The declaration sent ripples of surprise through the group, and Althea, ever the pragmatist, asked, "Then… did he leave his knowledge behind for the current—" "No," Merlin interrupted, his tone final. "It's not that. It's something else. Something he left behind. Something that allows the current Gray Knight to progress a hundred times faster than he should." His words hung in the air, heavy with implication. He turned back to the battlefield, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Isn't it fascinating?" he mused, his tone light, though the weight of his statement was anything but.
Althea's violet eyes lit up with an excitement she rarely showed, the possibilities racing through her mind. Merlin turned back to the group, his smile widening. "Well, either way, I must admit, I much prefer this version of Gray Snap—or rather, Gray Knight. He's more tolerable. Still a genius in potioneering, of course, but far less hateful than his previous self, but then again, we did the two people most precious to him, so that hate is understandable" With that, he gave them a nod and vanished, leaving the four women to ponder his cryptic words amidst the ruins of the battlefield.
-scene change-
Inside Pangea, on a large, sandy beach, Grey and Rachel sat side by side. Rachel, in her human form, laughed suddenly, her white hair ruffling in the wind. "Seriously, Adrian and Marinette agrest are your parents?" she asked between bursts of laughter. Grey groaned, running a hand through his own bristling white hair. "Of course, you know who they are," he muttered, drawing idle patterns in the sand with his finger. Rachel, still chuckling, replied, "Oh, come on. They're famous heroes, like me." Grey continued to sulk, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.
"What do you know about them?" he asked hesitantly. Rachel smiled mischievously. "Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir is an animated series from my world," she said matter-of-factly. Grey sighed deeply, already expecting the absurdity of the explanation. "At this point, I'm not even surprised. So, continue," he said flatly. Rachel composed herself, brushing sand from her fingers before continuing. "It's set in modern-day Paris and follows two teenagers, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste. They transform into superheroes, Ladybug and Cat Noir, using—" "The Kwamis of destruction and creation, Tikki and Plagg, right?" Grey interrupted, conjuring an illusion of the two Kwamis.
Rachel's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, did they leave that with you?" she asked incredulously. Grey nodded. "Yeah, they allowed me to seal back your father. But the more they stay out, the more they destabilize the universe. So, they're hibernating in my soul at the moment," he explained calmly. Rachel gave him a soft smile, her gaze deepening as if looking into his soul. Grey didn't flinch under her intense scrutiny, allowing her to glimpse the slumbering Kwamis. Suddenly, her expression shifted into a frown. "Grey, there's a snak—" Before she could finish, Grey placed a finger gently on her lips. "I know. I'm trying to figure it out. Don't worry. Just continue the story," he said with a small, reassuring smile.
Rachel sighed but resumed, brushing her wind-tousled hair behind her ear. "So, using magical jewels called Miraculouses, Marinette and Adrien protect Paris. Unaware of each other's identities, Marinette loves Adrien, and Adrien loves Ladybug," she said, rolling her eyes slightly. Grey raised an eyebrow. "That's just stupid. She loves his civilian identity, and he loves her superhero identity, yet they don't know each other's superhero identities?" he asked, visibly annoyed. Rachel nodded, stifling a laugh. "Yeah, it pissed off a lot of fans," she admitted. "Their main adversary is Hawk Moth, secretly Adrien's father, Gabriel Agreste. He creates supervillains to seize their Miraculouses and revive his comatose wife." Grey looked intrigued. "That's a plot twist and a half. So, I have superhero parents and a supervillain grandfather? Interesting," he remarked.
Rachel leaned closer, playfully ruffling Grey's hair. "Yep. Anyway, as the series progresses, Marinette becomes the Guardian of the Miraculouses. She and Adrien start a romantic relationship, still unaware of their dual identities," she added. Grey facepalmed in frustration. "Why is their love life so unnecessarily complicated? Gosh, I hope mine isn't as bad," he muttered. Rachel blinked, surprised by his comment. "So, are you in a relationship?" she asked teasingly. Grey narrowed his eyes. "What makes you say that?" he retorted defensively. Rachel shrugged, a sly grin spreading across her face. "When I woke up, you were in The Witcher world, and you and Ciri seemed... quite close," she said. Grey looked surprised. "The Witcher world? So that's the name of her world. Anyway, there's nothing going on between me and Ciri," he said, but Rachel's knowing smile made him pause.
"Although she did have feelings for me," Gray smiled as Rachel looked at him. "Wipe that grin off your face," she said, nudging his shoulder, causing him to chuckle. "Anyway, my heart is occupied by someone else," he admitted. She sighed, "Hermione, right?" Rachel asked, watching his surprised expression. "Come on, you think I wouldn't notice? I see the way she looks at you," she added knowingly, as Gray sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair.
"No" he said surprisingly rachel who asked, "then why did she look at you that way?" she asked, making gray sight as he explained, "You know, after the fifth year started, I began having these dreams," he said, his tone growing more serious, as Rachel leaned in slightly, intrigued. "The dreams were about Gray Snape,son of snape and lilly and harry twin brother" he continued, pausing to gauge her reaction. Rachel's face twisted in confusion. "You had a dream where you were Snape and Lily Potter's son?" she asked incredulously, making Gray chuckle softly. "Yeah, but it was more like memories from a distant timeline. The fight with Viridian confirmed that; he seemed surprised I remembered that version," Gray explained. Rachel crossed her arms, pondering his words.