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[foundfate]

["I want to be free of the ghosts to see. That is my wish: to not be burdened by them anymore."

"Unfortunately, I cannot grant that wish. But I can send you to someone who can grant it."

That answer gave Watanuki jack-all to go off of, though, and he was left standing in a field of pink flowers looking absolutely befuddled. How had he gotten there? Where was he in the first place? The flowers seemed to go on forever, and all that was around besides them was a floating tower in the sky.

Well, that seemed like Watanuki's best chance at getting an answer, so he tried to step in that direction, but found that his legs were tangled up in the flowers. He fount this out by tripping, somehow, and ending up face-first in the flowers with a yelp.]

What- why are they-

[Oh, to be tangled up in the Garden of Avalon. His sins weighed him down, and he didn't even know it.]

Comments

[myrdd]

[Boring but practical. Ah, well.]

As long as it's anything but mashed potatoes, by all means.

[He tapped his staff on the ground. A clock no bigger than the palm of a hand would materialize before Watanuki - catch!

It was ornate, of course, because Merlin liked beautiful things, but if Watanuki looked at the back he'd notice something odd: it was completely smooth with no allowances for screws or even batteries. Yet the clock itself still worked with its tiny pendulum swings, showing that it was 3:58 - synced to GMT +13, Antartica's timezone. Not that Watanuki knew that.

(His Item Construction rank was C. He knew how towers worked because he was around when Artoria built a few, but cogs? Unnecessary details - he'd leave those to the inventors to obsess over.

Whether this miniature would still work outside Avalon remained to be seen.)]

[foundfate]

[That sure was a clock! And it looked like there was no way to set it. But he could make use of it, at least. Adjusting to that clock's time wouldn't take too long, hopefully. Assuming it worked properly.

Regardless, he would keep it in his room eventually, leaving it on the counter or table to easily refer to. That would help keep him from going crazy due to losing track of time.]

Why are mashed potatoes your first thought? Had too many of them?

[myrdd]

['Worked properly,' it would. Too well, perhaps, in the sense that it would keep resetting itself - assuming Watanuki managed to pry off the self-repairing face glass - back to that timezone, since Merlin would often end up observing Chaldea when he was in a dreamlike state.

Perhaps his preoccupation leaked out a little more than he'd intended.]

One of the Knights of the Round Table prided himself in making that dish. Unfortunately, his cooking isn't all it's made out to be. Even Artoria, that glutton, made sure to excuse herself fast when she saw that man approaching with a bowl of the stuff onhand.

[Merlin sounded fond, too - those were bright days, even if Artoria had to go out to deal with one war or the other. Really, that child was nothing but determined to be the perfect king, even if it backfired spectacularly towards the end.

By the way - if Watanuki had other questions, now was his chance to ask them. Because Merlin had a ton of stories, and he was the sort who liked regaling them when he actually had an audience.]

[foundfate]

[Merlin stop spying on people.

And today was indeed a good day for stories, because Watanuki was Japanese and knew jack-all about English legends. The confusion on his face invited explanations.]

Er...Knights of the Round Table? Artoria? Are those people I'm going to meet here?

[Please, explain. He would listen to stories about Merlin's former friends.]

[myrdd]

[And remain bored until the world ended? No thanks!]

No. Their age is long over.

[He couldn't quite say 'they're dead' because Bedivere was out there, as was the Lion King.]

I'm surprised you haven't heard of them, to be honest. Their Legend, or so I've observed, has already reached past the British Isles.

[He tapped his staff on the ground again, showing a few illusions: a cover of T.H. White's book, a part from Disney's The Sword in the Stone, scenes from this series.]

But what is there to say about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table... yes.

[He braced his chin on the palm of his hand.]

Britain, you must understand, used to have a lot of domestic wars: if they weren't fighting local tribes and other lords, they were fending off invaders.

Uther Pendragon, the previous king, was usurped from the throne and killed. It was prophesized that only his rightful heir would be able to draw the sword from the stone and set the kingdom to rights.

Indeed, his child had been raised away from the court in secret. When the time came she drew Caliburn, the sword of selection, and proved herself worthy of being king. With the Round Table she established, she brought peace back to the kingdom, bringing in a golden age for England that lasted until her own death in battle.

Mind, I can tell you know that Artoria was a girl, but at the time it was a huge secret. Only me and a few others knew she wasn't born male, and so she is known as King Arthur in history and myth.

[foundfate]

[Seeing those images, and hearing 'King Arthur', that was what finally got Watanuki to understand. He was far removed from the actual legends, but the idea of 'King Arthur' had permeated into some Japanese media, as Merlin had been able to show him. It had just taken Watanuki a moment to connect the dots.

And when he finally did-]

Whaaaaat?! You're THAT Merlin?!

[Somehow he was shocked by this revelation. And a little embarrassed, because why had Yuuko sent him to Merlin of all people? A mage like him was going to help W atanuki with his ghost problems? Watanuki wasn't that important, he was imposing!]

[myrdd]

[Oho. So Artoria's legend did reach this boy. And his own, apparently.

Merlin laughed and, curling his hand in a loose fist, thumped his thumb on his chest.]

Yep, that's me. Merlin, the Magus of Flowers and former court mage for King Arthur, at your service.

[Then he stood up spread his arms out with a delighted flourish, staff held upright in one hand.]

And this is Avalon, Land of the Eternal Spring.

That you're even able to move and breathe properly here's a sign of your potential, you know. The magical energy's so dense that any normal human would physically rupture and die on arrival.

[foundfate]

[Well. That explained all the flowers. And the fact that this place was so weird and full of magic.

Watanuki really was in over his head.]

It did feel different here, but I didn't think- I really could have died?

[He was very concerned over that possibility in particular.]

[myrdd]

Yes.

Even King Arthur [and he said that to include both her and her male counterpart] can only find their rest here after fulfilling special conditions, though I'm sure you'll get to meet them if you stay around long enough.

[He wasn't about to mention anything about Artoria's FSN route contract, proto Arthur's quest, or the special circumstances of their birth.]

You're fortunate, too, that it was the Dimension Witch who sent you. Otherwise, you'd be in for a long trip. Avalon is situated where the British Isles would be on regular Earth: this is, as they would say, the other side of the veil.

[foundfate]

[Honestly, keeping those details quiet for the moment was best. No need to confuse Watanuki further.

And when he heard that it could have been a long trip, he grimaced. Yeah, he had no desire to tromp tens of thousands of kilometers through another world full of spirits in order to get to Merlin. Fast travel was appreciated.]

Well, that's one thing to be thankful for.

What kinds of food should I cook for you?

[Since Merlin was very obviously not Japanese, and Watanuki didn't know if he would like Japanese food or not. And since Merlin was hosting him, he could at least be nice and make what Merlin wanted. Or try to, his foreign cooking wasn't as strong as his traditional food.]

[myrdd]

Something with roast beef, perhaps. [Artoria had enjoyed that, and Merlin was in the mood to commemorate today.] And whatever else goes along with that, even if it's not from the same cuisine.

[More of his curiosity about Watanuki was coming through with that request. Britain had acquired a couple of Roman goods - pillaged from the camps of enemy soldiers on occasion - but anything from the Far East was unfamiliar to him, if one didn't count whatever media he kept seeing on Romani's screen during breaktime.]

Is there a chance you know how to brew alcohol, too?

[foundfate]

I can make anything if I'm given a recipe.

[He didn't know how to brew alcohol specifically, but if given written instructions he could probably figure it out. Shh, let him be confident here.]

[myrdd]

Then I'll find something suitable later, then.

[Luckily for Watanuki, Merlin wasn't prone to lounging around in various states of undress while imbibing. Unluckily for Watanuki, it was possible that the brew he'd make might taste extra special for Merlin.]

Now: shall we pick up where we left off earlier? [The tower tour, he meant.] Or do you have questions for me?

[foundfate]

[That would be a problem for future-them. Watanuki was a disaster bisexual and would likely be flustered by any reaction, but that could be a fun discovery for later. For now, he just remembered the tour suddenly, and he straightened himself up a bit.]

Right, the tower.

[A pause.]

Why are you even here in the first place? I know I called it a 'magic jail', but that's not actually it, right?

[myrdd]

It is. There's an enchantment cast that prevents me from physically leaving. Not the tower itself, but Avalon.

[Down the line he'll get his cheat code thanks to the combination of observing a sleeping goddess and an old poem that said he was the Antichrist, but he didn't know that yet.]

Although you are the first person to call it 'magic jail.'

[foundfate]

That's basically what it is. But I'm surprised nobody has called it that before, what did your other visitors say about it?

[Here was Watanuki, presuming that Merlin got visitors on the regular. Surely other mages visited him, right? Otherwise how would Yuuko know about him?]

[myrdd]

I have more fingers on my hand than I've had visitors.

[And here, Merlin sounded more amused than anything. He's had a thousand years to think things through, and maybe a few thousand more if things go decently.]

King Arthur will end up here sooner or later once a few loose ends are tied up. [Watanuki had been listening to that part, right?] One of my other guests was on a rather arduous mission, and he only stayed for as long as he had to recuperate.

[foundfate]

[Watanuki had been listening, and he had been doing the mental math. One brief visitor in the past...one king coming at some point in the future...Watanuki himself...

No wonder Merlin had agreed to this. He must have been pretty lonely in the tower.]

Ah.

Well, that leaves us plenty of time for training, then.

[Watanuki had the feeling that Merlin would still get on his nerves. The man had a rather grating personality, after all. But Watanuki couldn't be THAT mad, not when much of the problem could have been caused by loneliness. So he would tolerate Merlin's personality quirks, and try his best to be agreeable.

'Try' being the key word there. Watanuki could do a lot when he set his mind to it, but he still had a temper.]

[myrdd]

Indeed.

[Not as plenty as 'forever' though, because of certain future disruptions.

And speaking of training - Merlin walked over to the nearest shelf to retrieve a gold ring. The band itself was thick, carved with an intricate dragon in the Anglo-Saxon style.

This, he handed to Watanuki.]

Keep this on you if you need to go around the tower without me. It will make finding the right doors easier.

[Useful because the corridors shifted. Let's just say that having a lot of ambient magic around a tower constructed from magic meant that the internal architecture was bound to get a bit wonky.]

If you'll follow me?

[They could continue talking while walking. First stop: a courtyard somewhere near the base of the tower. Full of flagstones and large windows that weren't seen from the outside, simply because Merlin liked having the tower's main structure look smooth.]

[foundfate]

[Watanuki took the ring and held onto it, but he didn't put it on any finger. Rather, it was slid into his pocket, alongside the clock. He would find an easier way to carry them later, but for now he didn't want to go about wearing someone else's jewelry. That meant things where he was from. Though maybe to Merlin, it was maybe just a sign of master and apprentice?]

Right, got it.

[He would follow after Merlin from that point onwards, looking over the tower with a bit of wonder. The magic here must have been strong, for how much everything changed. It almost felt electrically charged here, and Watanuki was going to have to get used to it.

At least there are no ghosts here, Watanuki told himself.]

Did you make this tower?

[myrdd]

[Pocket's fine. Heck, they could look for cord later, if hanging it around his neck was more comfortable for Watanuki.

Also Watanuki shouldn't overthink why that ring was important. Sure, the Welsh Dragon was the crest of Artoria Pendragon and it was one of the tokens Merlin used to go around the kingdom and bypass certain restrictions and whatnot, but up until the moment he grabbed it off the shelf it wasn't enchanted in any meaningful way. Of course, if anyone happened to sense Merlin's magic on it and think Watanuki was an apprentice, that suited Merlin just fine unless that other person happened to be Morgan le Fay or the Lady of the Lake since that might get Watanuki into a spot of trouble.

Well, whatever. He hasn't seen either of the two since he got himself stuck in Avalon, and Merlin didn't expect to see them any time soon.]

I did, yes. For a while, it was just an endless field of flowers. [And a gated wall.] However, resting on the ground loses its novelty pretty fast, and I thought to myself, 'might as well.'

[Since then, the tower had gained other uses. The twisted shapes of its base and roof above the observational deck weren't accidental.

Interestingly enough: there were actual steps this time at the end of the corridor, leading down to the courtyard.]

[foundfate]

[Time to go down to the courtyard, then!]

It does look magical. Some of the places here, they seem to defy science. But that's probably how you fit everything in such a small space, isn't it?

[Less of an accusation, and more of a statement. The tower was larger on the inside, to be sure. And Watanuki walked down the steps as he traced his fingertips over the wall, feeling them as if he were making sure they were real.]

Do you practice your magic up here? Or is that down in the garden?

[myrdd]

[He simply nodded - those observations were a good start in identifying when magic was involved.

But that last part? He glanced behind him.]

If you're asking if this is my workshop to run experiments at - no, I'm not as reliant on those like modern magi are. In fact, it's better if you steer clear of most of them.

This is the space where you'll start exercising with and without a sword.

[Once Watanuki got his footing, they'll move to the garden. Merlin suspected the youth would be able to move easier once he had a better grip of his own magic - there had to be a reason for Watanuki's clumsiness. Even Cath Palug, tiny thing, didn't have that kind of difficulty in crossing the field.]

[foundfate]

Eh?

[The sword-training he got, Merlin had already explained the importance of that. It was more the first part that confused him.]

What's wrong with the modern mages?

[myrdd]

Think of them like scientists, except they're tinkering with magic. There are entire families of them that dedicate their entire lineage to reaching the Swirl of the Root - also known as the Akashic Records.

[Here, he studied Watanuki's expression. While the Root was an obscure term, even ordinary people would've heard of the Records if they looked through the metaphysics section of any regular bookshop.]

Others, of course, are practically married to the branch of magecraft they use.

Most humans would disapprove of their methods. If certain groups of them find you as you are now, you'll find yourself in a one-way ticket to a lab and never see the light of day again.