foundfate | private psl

You pulled us here from your dream that joined with the king's, Watanuki.

[That's the thing, isn't it? The sign post that might lead to the true nature of this place. In addition to now suspecting that his student's Origin is "Dreams," Merlin figures that this place - the nostalgia tied to it - factors in to why the one known as "Watanuki" is a Singularity in human form.

Even if something is erased, there is a gap that signifies that something was originally there.]

The obvious thing to say is that this is your sanctuary, but don't you think you're better off discovering the actual why and what for yourself?

Here. [He gestures at the tree.] Try to connect with it.

[And sometimes when you fill that gap, you're left with two of something when the universe only needed one. So what happens then?]

My sanctuary, huh?

[He does feel safe here. Like the branches of the tree will shield him from all harm.

So Wataanuki reaches out again, and he touches the trunk of the tree]

Connect with it...how am I supposed to do that?

[But that's less of a question for Merlin and more of one for himself. In the last couple of months he has started to build an understanding of magic, and he at least knows how to reach out and feel its presence. And when he reaches out with his magic, it weaves so seamlessly with the magic of the tree that it makes him gasp in surprise.

Suddenly he's aware of everything in the space. The two other men, the darkness around them, even the general spherical shape that makes the boundaries of that dream. It's a little disorienting, to be honest, and he really has to lean against the tree to stay upright.

Merlin and Gilgamesh will also feel Watanuki's magic surround them. It's not trying to invade their personal boundaries and take them over though, it's more like the warm hug of a drunk friend who doesn't realize they're in someone's personal space.]

Edited 2021-02-21 15:16 (UTC)

[Why, the universe can be entreated to make room... but that's approaching the realm of True Magic, isn't it? A miracle, in other words, or something like it might be what's required.

But that's for the future, when they might even be able to pick up a few tricks from a Master who's made a little Santa Alter's wish become reality. This particular moment is more in line with finding aspects of magecraft that can't be taught given how innate they are - and what a hug this is, indeed!

Merlin whistles in appreciation even as he draws up his hood, finding this just a little more personal compared to the usual distance he keeps.]

Fantastic. Now try creating something, if you can.

[He hasn't forgotten his earlier instruction for Watanuki to shape something - and, yes, he's expecting some form of effort even if his student looks rather overwhelmed at the moment.

Gilgamesh, meanwhile, has a mixture of patience and irritation in his expression, and he draws out his tablet of a mystic code. Golden cuneiform letters appear around him to act as a barrier between himself and Watanuki's magic.]

Mongrel. What did I say about getting this under control? Be grateful that I'm allowing your oversight this one time. The king does not lower himself to suffer the presence of others - it's the other way around!

Well excuse me for not being an instant prodigy!

[Not everyone can be as talented as Gilgamesh, unfortunately.

The momentary temper flare-up makes his presence push back against both Merlin and Gilgamesh's barriers as well. But after a moment, he tries to pull it back away from them, to try and get it under control. Bring the magic to him, then conjure something.

His mind first drifts to all the sword practice that he and Merlin have had. Swords are becoming much more familiar to him and much easier to handle. Maybe that would be a good thing to summon?

He summons a ladle instead. And while it's made of metal, there's sakura-print on the handle.]

...

[He feels like a fool.]

Insolent fool. [The toothy grin Gilgamesh is sporting, however, is probably a good indication that he doesn't mind the talkback, and the magic circle he's cast only shines brighter in response. This much he can do at the moment - in his time, it's still months before he goes past the point of being a diligent overseer and overworks himself to death.] Don't presume a mongrel like you can ever hope to outclass a king. Instead, work hard and prove your worthiness to serve me.

[Merlin, meanwhile, remains silent until the storm, so to speak, dies down, his rapt attention entirely focused on Watanuki as he also uses his Clairvoyance to get a better grasp of the situation and his pupil. He hadn't even bothered putting up a barrier as Gilgamesh had, and his robe doesn't count. Just how linked is this zone to that youth?

He senses the moment the mana around them shifts to focus on Watanuki's hand - to gather, form, then settle.

...and what a fine thing his pupil's crafted!]

That's certainly an uncommon magic focus [as in 'foci'], but we can make do if that's what you wish.

Shall I begin crafting a giant ladle-staff for you once we're back at Avalon?

[He might be talking shit here.

Maybe.

~~Watanuki is absolutely going to get a second joke wand or staff as a gift. Don't worry, it'll be usable. Just utensil-shaped.~~]

[The zone and Watanuki are intrinsically tied together. This is definitely a manifestation of his magic, some sort of medium by which his magic can flow more easily. One cannot just dump paint on a canvas and call it a portrait, after all. A brush is needed, though this is more of a 'paint roller' than a fine detail brush. Refining magic takes time, but this is a necessary step that will make future attempts easier. The scent of fresh sakura petals will definitely be in the air when Watanuki uses magic in the future, at least until he gets practiced enough to find his actual focus for magic.

Watanuki is already feeling silly for getting lectured by Gilfamesh and for summoning a ladle of all things. Merlin's comment does not help, and in fact it prods Watanuki in just the right way to get him to yell and throw the ladle at Merlin.]

I wish for you to choke on flowers and die!

[And there goes a wave of sakura petals, flying right at Merlin without Watanuki really meaning to do it. Don't worry, it won't actually kill Merlin even if it hits him. At most it will slap him in the face before swirling off again. Watanuki's anger is like a flash fire: it burns white-hot and only lasts for a couple seconds before dissipating.]

[Someday, maybe Watanuki will learn to distinguish the nuances in Gilgamesh's moods, down to the occasional backhanded compliment that tends to lead back to pointing out what's in service to him. It's precisely because he's demanding that he will only have the best serving under him, and they are thus counted amongst his treasures.

He may or may not be looking forward to seeing what this mageling makes of himself once he's polished.

As for Merlin - he ducks his head and manages to smack some away, but still ends up playfully staggering backwards with a faceful (and mouthful) of flowers.]

Bwuh.

[Gilgamesh snorts.]

Keep this up and I may yet grant you both the position of jester instead of court mage. [The tablet book in his hand closes with a snap.] Your audience with me is over. Head back to your tower.

[That's what he intends, at least, as he turns around to find his way back to Uruk. Will Watanuki's dream let him leave, or will he have to wake himself up?]

[Watanuki's dreams are not yet powerful enough to force someone to stay, especially not someone as strong as Gilgamesh. There may be a token amount of effort needed to leave, but it's not unlike having to push a curtain aside to step through a doorway.

That also seems to be the trigger to get Watanuki himself to wake up too, because as soon as Gilgamesh walks off Watanuki wakes up in his bed, blanket askew and limbs thrown out dramatically.]

...eh?

[He's not going to cook breakfast first today. Unless Merlin makes himself known right away, Watanuki is going to go looking for the mage instead. He has Questions about that dream, as well as the vision he saw.]

[Quite the jarring exit from the dreamscape there, but if the master of the realm's gone, there's nothing that an incubus can do about it.

Merlin settles back into his own body once more, although he doesn't open his eyes yet. Instead of being in the study, he's back at his regular haunt at the platform, the same one he swept up Watanuki to on the first day.

...of course, his student will have questions, and Merlin will be quite aware of Watanuki's search - it's his tower, after all, and he sends a thought downwards that will audibly echo in the corridors:]

Topmost floor.

[At the end of the lengthy corridor from Merlin's study, there will be a series of flat ascending steps leading to the ladder beneath the trapdoor.]

[When Watanuki eventually learns to use his dreamwalking to travel while awake, then these hikes up to the top of the tower won't be so bothersome. But for now, he's left griping and complaining as he goes up all those stairs and then eventually the ladder.

It's familiar, Watanuki hasn't forgotten his first day at the tower after all. But he's still annoyed.]

Don't tell me you slept out here.

[He won't believe it for a moment, it's too bright.]

[Merlin chuckles. Spreads the arm that isn't twined around his staff, and his eyes are still closed.]

Where do you think I spend most of my time on this tower, o student mine? This spot still provides the best view.

[And that's the truth, regardless of what Watanuki believes. There's a reason why, by extension, Merlin's become accustomed to sitting on floors, and with his outstretched hand, he gestures to the spot next to him.

He can wait until Watanuki figures out what he wants to ask.]

You're an all-powerful magician and you never thought to summon a chair up here?

[Merlin please, don't sleep on the floor.

But Watanuki does take the invitation, and he sits down on his knees next to Merlin. This way of sitting is comfortable for him, though he might shift to cross-legged if they end up being here a long time.]

What are you looking for out here?

Nope!

[Look, he didn't have to build a prison tower on the patch of land he's stuck in, but he did so anyway. Near the bottom, in a room Watanuki hasn't seen, lies a jutting rock lit by sunlight streaming from barred windows. In comparison, his viewing platform's an improvement!]

If I'm not looking at the flowers, I watch the world of humans. Seeing all of you... them from this distance [a correction since Watanuki's essentially stuck in Avalon for the duration of his studies] is quite different from being amongst them.

I suppose you can say it's a matter of Sight.

[With a capital 'S.' He has no doubt his student's here to ask about that vision and Merlin's appearance in the dream.]

[Let it never be said that Merlin isn't dramatic.

That is an appropriate lead-in to Watanuki's question though. He does spend a moment looking out over the flowers, like he's trying to see whatever other people it is that Merlin claims to see. But his sight isn't good enough for that, and he's left with just a field of flowers.]

Do you mean as in actually seeing something, or like 'dream visions'?

[Call it a performer's flair.]

Both. I'm Clairvoyant.

[Here, he holds up his hand as his gaze grows unfocused for a moment. Over his palm, a faint illusion appears of Cornwall in the present day, and it dissipates when he returns to the present moment.]

After last night, I suspect you are similarly gifted, but with one crucial difference: you can catch glimpses of the future.

[And while Merlin's told prophecies in the past, they aren't tied to his Sight.]

...eh? It's not the same thing?

[To Watanuki, seeing the future and seeing other parts of the present are the same thing. It's all just 'magic sight' to him. He really does have a lot more to learn, doesn't he? Fortunately, that just makes him curious to learn more.]

How are they different?

No, they're not. Moreover, there are different types of Clairvoyance: in the broadest sense of the term, it's simply a skill that affects the acuity of vision.

[And it's fortunate that Watanuki's met Gilgamesh. Now they have more examples to work with!]

Mine, for example, allows me to see everything in the present, and my gift of Prophecy is separate from it. Solomon, the King of Mages, is able to witness both the past and future.

Lastly, we have Gilgamesh, the god-king of Uruk. [His gaze slides over to Watanuki to catch the youth's expression.] Although his is a Noble Phantasm and is continuously active.

[Sha Naqba Imuru: The Omniscient Omnipotent Star.]

I believe he restrains its use for practical reasons, but when employed his Sight allows him to discern even the deepest of secrets.

Undoubtedly, he was in the middle of employing it to discern any possible alternative outcomes to the... situation you foresaw when we arrived.

[Watanuki is listening intently, a habit he's developed during his time with Merlin. While Merlin can be...himself, sometimes, there's no denying that the man is a wealth of knowledge. And Watanuki is like a sponge, ready to absorb anything he hears.

He does frown slightly at the mention of Gilgamesh, and his eyebrow twitches too, but he doesn't make a verbal comment. So that's why Gilgamesh gave him so much grief over his lack of control, is it? It's understandable, but no less annoying.]

A situation that's the future for him, but the past for us, right?

[Knowing that might help him come up with some alternate solutions, given that it will probably be at least a little while before Watanuki ends up in that ruined city for real.]

[Ahh, were it only so simple as to be a thing of the past.

(Gilgamesh being able to manage his own Sight is only part of why he speaks as he does. After returning from his quest for immortality, his priorities shifted to making Uruk and its people prosper, and he's said as much during their brief encounter --- of course, if Watanuki hasn't picked up his and Merlin's soon-to-be roles in the future, he'll find out more about that and Gilgamesh's way of understanding things soon enough.)]

No. There are no records of a calamity of that nature bringing about the downfall of Mesopotamia.

[The smile slips from Merlin's face. This is a serious matter, and he still has to be careful with what he says. After all, the Beast occupying King Solomon's corpse possesses those Eyes, and it won't do for that shadow to discern who else is aware of that grand plan. Especially when one of them happens to be a walking anomaly.]

The culprit will reveal themselves in due time, but I can say this: you and I will be aiding the king in holding off that disaster for as long as we can since it threatens the very existence of human history as we know it. As you've noticed, our chances of victory are quite slim... but.

[He dispels the illusion from his palm. Briefly turns his Sight to Chaldea... yes. There is still hope should they survive the first strike.]

If all goes well, we may receive aid, and you and I might witness something akin to a miracle.

[Wait until Merlin figures out that Watanuki's existence is a blind spot to Goetia and that these early conversations are going completely unnoticed. It's a fascinating trait that will become less useful in the future, when their enemies are aware of how difficult it is to perceive him and start deliberately looking for the blind spots he could be hiding in. But for now, it lets Watanuki learn things without giving away too much to the enemies of mankind.

As Merlin's look turns serious, so does Watanuki's. If the lazy wizard is being serious about something, then it definitely deserves care and consideration. And Watanuki has been learning to read between the lines. "No records of the calamity" doesn't mean it didn't happen, just that nobody survived to write the records down. And if Merlin himself, this powerful mage, is just an aide? Then yeah, this is going to be quite a battle. Watanuki is further motivated to learn as much as he can and become a mage capable of helping save the past.]

The fact that humans still life is proof of existence, isn't it? Or is this one of those 'if you travel back in time you can change the future' kind of things?

[Aye, that'll be a game changer in the early parts. Not that Goetia has plans of directly interfering with Mesopotamia given the presence of a certain primordial goddess there.]

Changing events through time travel isn't as simple as it sounds. There are major events [Quantum Time Locks] that are considered necessary for the history of the world, allowing for some variation across other timelines and parallel worlds. Uruk, for example, is one such linchpin: it is one of the most important civilizations from that era, the Epic of Gilgamesh is the world's oldest piece of surviving literature, and King Gilgamesh's life has, ultimately, benefited humanity and its division from the gods.

Now, in order to completely undo human order and anything that might fall under the umbrella of acceptable variance, an incredible amount of mana must be used to both travel across time and distort its events to the point of conceptual annihilation. In a way, our culprit isn't just taking out floors at random - they're targeting both the support pillars and the cornerstones of a building.

[Here, Merlin pauses - this is more metaphysics than he and Watanuki have discussed so far. How well is the youth absorbing all of that?]

[It's metaphysics, but the metaphor Merlin gives actually helps Watanuki visualize it. Major events are the support pillars that keep all the timelines up. Take out a support, and the world comes crashing down.]

And we're going to stop that person from taking out those cornerstones, right?

['that person'. As if Watanuki knows who's responsible for all of this.]

[To be fair, no names have yet been given. That said -]

There is someone preparing to take the helm. You and I will be assisting.

[Although... he eyes Watanuki with some consideration. Noble Phantasms and Servants were useless against Goetia as things stand, however. Watanuki isn't a Servant. Nor does his he fully part of humanity, strictly speaking.

...

No, this isn't something that should be even thought about now. The youth doesn't even have a clue as to what he's signing up for, and this is one of those circumstances wherein Merlin's own specific interventions might depend on the character of the actual human embarking from Chaldea's shores.]

The destruction you saw is only one part of what he can do. Once we begin our work, you'll be placing your life at risk and exposed to many a mortal peril.

Are you prepared for that?

[He's hoping Watanuki will be realistic. Expressing uncertainty isn't a bad thing, moreso when one has the opportunity to prepare.]

[Is he prepared for it? To risk his life at such a hopeless situation? And for what, really? If the city has already been wiped off the map by historic standards, then what is Merlin hoping to change? What difference are they supposed to make there?

...maybe it's a matter of one person. One witness, to continue the story. Or a small group, enough to keep life going. Maybe that's what it is. That even if most die, having a few survive is what matters. Or hell, even having records survive might be what's important. Just some biit of evidence of what used to be, some proof that Uruk existed.

With that in mind, there's only one possible answer Watanuki could give.]

Not yet, but that's what I'm supposed to be training here for, right?

[This wouldn't be asked of him if it was beyond his capabilities. He know that much. So he just has to get to the point where he can make a difference.

And. Hopefully not die in the process.]

[What, indeed, is he hoping to accomplish if the end is, in some ways, a foregone conclusion? On most days, his view is so macroscopic he won't even notice the minutiae, and it still counts as witnessing.

But that's not what this is about. Once more, he finds himself watching over a handful of individuals - two kings, one student, and whoever else Chaldea ends up sending. Slowly but surely, he may yet be convinced to turn this into a long-term collab instead of a one-off thing.

Oh, if anything else, he wants to see how his student ends up blooming. That tree in the dreamscape remains a sharp image in his mind: elegant and enduring amidst the storm, and Merlin gives an approving smile at Watanuki's answer.]

Very good.

And you best mark your words. Not only are you contending with two sets of expectations other than your own, but we now seem to have a deadline. Even your dreams will be full of lessons, and you may as well set up a picnic blanket and a chalk board beneath that charming tree of yours.

[As if they hadn't started doing that, but Merlin will take the same approach as he had once done with Arturia if he has to.]

no subject

no subject

fantastic description. time to go drinking wata

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject