I never quite understood why people feared Headmaster Merlin. Sure, the man was a legend—his name woven into countless tales of magic and myth—but whenever I saw him, he just seemed like another eccentric scholar, always draped in robes that looked too ancient to stay intact and with a beard that defied both logic and gravity.
As I walked down the long stone corridors of the Academy, the echo of my footsteps mingling with the occasional distant hum of magic in the air, I couldn't help but feel a certain tension. Today, I had been summoned—personally—by Merlin himself.
Not exactly something you could turn down.
Dog, my wolf—who I still called "Dog" despite knowing he probably deserved a more fitting name—trot beside me, his eyes alert, picking up on the subtle shifts in energy around us. This place, the heart of the Mage Academy, always had a strange aura to it. It felt like the walls were watching you, listening even when no one was around.
As we approached the enormous double doors leading to Merlin's chamber, I couldn't help but reflect on how much this place had been a part of my life. The Academy was where I had grown from a novice, confused about this new world, to someone capable of standing among the best. Now, having graduated, I was walking through these halls with a different sense of purpose. But even so, the idea of meeting Merlin felt like a challenge in and of itself.
The doors opened without a touch, creaking in protest as they revealed the vast room beyond. The chamber was unlike anything else in the Academy. It was circular, its walls lined with ancient tomes and scrolls, many of which likely held secrets of magic long lost to time. The ceiling, impossibly high, displayed a rotating constellation of stars, planets, and celestial bodies that didn't seem to match any real-world sky I had ever seen.
In the center of the room, seated at a grand oak desk that was cluttered with books, crystals, and odd mechanical devices, was Merlin.
"Ah, Ryuji," he greeted, his voice carrying that peculiar mix of warmth and amusement, as if he was always in on a joke no one else knew. His eyes, a piercing blue, looked up from the tome he was scribbling in. "And Dog too, I see."
Dog huffed, his tail wagging slightly.
"You summoned me, Headmaster?" I asked, stepping inside. The doors behind me closed on their own, trapping me in this world of old magic and mysteries.
Merlin motioned for me to sit in the chair opposite him, which, to my surprise, moved on its own to accommodate me. Everything in this place had a life of its own—likely enchanted by Merlin centuries ago.
"I wanted to speak with you about a few things," he said, leaning back in his chair. "You've been quite the topic of discussion as of late, you know."
I blinked. "Me? What for?"
"Oh, a number of things," he replied, stroking his long white beard. "Your graduation performance, your wolf companion, your involvement with the Valorian family. But most of all…" His gaze sharpened, "...your connection to the Fate Scripts."
My stomach twisted at the mention. "You know about those?"
Merlin let out a soft chuckle. "Of course I do, boy. There's little in this world I'm unaware of." He paused, his expression turning more serious. "The Fate Scripts are no ordinary tool. They are ancient, older than even I, and far more dangerous than most realize. You've used them multiple times already, haven't you?"
I nodded slowly. "Ten thousand three hundred and twenty-one left."
"Ah, yes. Quite the bargain you've struck. But every use comes with a cost, even if it's not immediately apparent." Merlin's eyes darkened, a shadow of something far older crossing his face. "The Fate Scripts are tied to the very threads of destiny itself. Each time you alter fate, you leave ripples. Small ones at first, but they grow. Eventually, they will come back to you—sometimes in ways you least expect."
I hadn't considered the long-term consequences. My focus had always been on the immediate—survival, getting out of impossible situations. The Scripts were my way out when there was no other path.
"What should I do?" I asked, my voice quieter than I intended. "I can't just stop using them."
"Of course not," Merlin agreed. "There will come times when you must rely on them. But be wary of becoming dependent. Every Script you use weakens the veil between the present and the future, between reality and what could have been."
I shifted in my seat, feeling the weight of his words settle over me. The air in the chamber seemed heavier now, like the gravity of the conversation was pulling everything down.
"Headmaster," I said, trying to redirect the conversation slightly, "what exactly are the Fate Scripts? Where do they come from?"
Merlin's eyes glittered with intrigue. "Ah, now that is a question not easily answered. The Fate Scripts are relics of a time long before the mages and kings of today—before even the old kingdoms. They were crafted by beings who existed on the very edges of reality, the Fateweavers. They wrote the original threads of destiny, mapping out the paths of the world, guiding it in subtle ways."
He paused, leaning forward slightly. "But the Fateweavers are gone now, and the Scripts are all that remain of their legacy. Whoever possesses them holds immense power, the power to alter destiny itself."
I clenched my fists. I knew the Scripts were powerful, but this… this was on another level.
"Why do I have them?" I asked, voicing the question that had plagued me since the beginning.
Merlin leaned back again, a cryptic smile crossing his face. "That, my boy, is something you must discover on your own. But rest assured, it was no accident."
The cryptic nature of his answer frustrated me, but I didn't press further. Merlin was known for his riddles and half-answers. If he wasn't going to give me a straight explanation, it was because I wasn't ready to hear it.
Instead, I shifted the topic. "What about the Academy? Why are we all being trained for this? Is it all connected?"
Merlin gave a slow nod. "Indeed it is. The world is changing, Ryuji. Dark forces are stirring, and soon, the balance will tip. The mages, warriors, and scholars of this Academy are being prepared for something much larger than they realize. When the time comes, they will be the ones standing on the frontlines of that battle. And you… you may be at the very heart of it."
The words sent a chill down my spine. I had suspected as much—ever since I came here, I'd felt that this wasn't just about training or magic or even politics. There was something deeper, something ancient, that connected all of us.
"Headmaster," I said carefully, "what exactly is coming?"
Merlin's smile faded, his expression growing solemn. "A war," he said simply. "A war unlike any this world has seen before. And you, Ryuji, have a role to play. Whether you realize it yet or not."
I swallowed hard. A war. Just what I needed.
As I stood to leave, Merlin's voice stopped me one last time. "Remember, Ryuji, the fate you shape with those Scripts is only part of the story. The rest… that's up to you."
I nodded and walked out of the chamber, Dog at my side, my mind buzzing with a hundred questions and fears.
The future had never felt so uncertain.