The Imperishable Artifacts!!!

The Seats looked at Abdul with an obvious condemning gaze, not liking him saying more about this topic.

What did it mean they were not from this world?! Were they aliens?!! But Phoenixes and Qilins had existed on earth since, like always, right?!!!

Darcie couldn't make sense of it and felt that these truths and revelations were just too out of her reach for now. So she decided to clear her doubts slowly, taking her time.

"Then how are you all still alive?" Darcie asked, not letting go of her original query.

"We…" Hermes answered this time, his tone relaxing, "… are not alive."

"Huh?!" Darcie's eyes widened. "Are you all Ghosts, then?"

An enchanting giggle entered Darcie's ears, making her spin her neck towards Red Seat.

"Now, who of our stature would be foolish enough to become such an unsightly creature?" Circe sneered. "Except Yellow Seat, who himself doesn't know his status (-Abdul Alhazred stirred uncomfortably for the first time-), we have all died, naturally after living for countless ages. But Death's Authority is supreme, not letting go of any individual in this world."

Darcie could not make head or toe of these words.

It was the monarch who came to her help.

"Do you see the objects hovering above our heads, Darcie?" King Solomon asked, smiling. "It's not they who are attached to us, but it's us who are attached to them. You must be familiar with animated portraits of wizards and witches and the process behind their creation, right?"

Darcie nodded.

"A wizard infuses his memories, thoughts, and magic into such portraits before his death," Solomon continued. "Before our true self died, we had also done something like that, but on a much grander scale.

"You can even say that we had infused a part of ourselves in these objects, making them — Imperishable Artifacts.

"If you were to say that we are nothing but memories, who can have rational thoughts and think logically on our own, then that would be true. But if you were to say that we are as much alive as any living being, then it wouldn't be wrong, either."

Was this even magic now? Darcie questioned herself, feeling the grandness of such complex spells.

"Haha!" Merlin laughed merrily.

"No wonder you weren't an excellent teacher, your royal excellency," he jested, making king Solomon laugh along with him. "No need to go mad in trying to understand Solomon's words, Darcie. Just take us as magical objects that can think for ourselves. Not an accurate explanation, but it should suffice, for now. Look."

Just as Merlin brought Darcie's attention to himself, the Staff over his head shone with a dense, blue shine.

The blue strand of mist, by which the staff and Merlin's figure were connected, pulsed, and in the next moment, sucked him in.

Merlin's entire blurred figure disappeared, and now only the Staff remained, towering tall eternally.

Now when Darcie looked at it, her mouth open, she felt the Staff looking back at her, peering into her soul.

Then, a blue mist around the Staff shone again, and Merlin's figure returned.

"It seems powerful, right?" Hermes added, making Darcie look at him. "But there are severe repercussions for this magical art.

"No matter the fact that we can think and have our own will, we aren't truly alive as per the innate laws of our world, making us infinitely weaker than our true selves.

"We can't leave the Island, either, and our every action that meddles with the Present brings back Karma, creating a chain of Cause and Effect that we can't avoid with our remnant powers.

"That's why we need astounding wizards and witches like you to act in our stead for the greater good, for there are far greater horrors in this world than mere dark wizards. For us, a 7 or 17-year-old is the same.

"For you to be here, it's naturally an outcome of thinking several decades ahead. Otherwise, there was no need for the next candidate to be so young. Then there's the matter of Voldemort, and none knows when he will strike next.

"Precautions only work when taken at the right time."

Darcie was now understanding little by little.

She looked at Merlin, who was already looking at her. How could she not realize the underlying meaning of the greatest Alchemist of this world?

Merlin, the grandest wizard known to wizardkind, was famous for his Prophecies and Shapeshifting prowess.

Had he made a Prophecy related to her? Darcie didn't know. Nor did she ask about it.

But there was indeed a question eating her from inside.

"Who is Madam Villanelle, then?" Darcie asked, looking at Green Seat. "Is she even… real?"

"Of course," Green Seat replied lovingly. "She is as real as you are. Sigh!

"Unlike others and Abdul, my case is a little special. Near the end of my lifetime, I had been researching Reincarnations. I had already prepared an Imperishable Artifact for myself. So, just before dying, I took the risk, casting the spell that I had thought was completed beyond doubt.

"Alas! It didn't work as I had intended, making my true self fall into endless reincarnations. However, unlike a Phoenix, I don't remain myself after the rebirth, becoming a different person altogether.

"Only when someone brings me here in each life that I remember a bit of my past. Even then, my reincarnated self never truly regains my original powers and memories."

"So Madam Villanelle is…" Darcie worded wondered aloud.

"Madam Villanelle is Madam Villanelle, your mentor, with her own ambitions and desire," the Witch of Endor explained. "When she sits here on this seat, we resonate with each other momentarily. Nothing more."

Just as Green Seat finished, Madam Villanelle left the seat, separating from the Witch of Endor's blurred figure.

She walked to Darcie and winked at her.

"I truly desire to take this little thing under my wing," Circe giggled, making everyone shiver a bit.

"We must not," King Solomon solemnly declared. "Unless the time comes for her to inherit the Indigo Seat, we can only guide her and must not indulge in teaching her. Let Madam Villanelle take care of her till then."

"I agree," Hermes nodded.

"It's best for everyone," Merlin shared, his tone calm and composed. "Let us command our beneficiaries all over the world and begin Darcie's foundational training from next week."

A training spanning the entire world? Darcie repeated the words, rooted to her place.

"What about my parents?" she blurted. "I don't want to lie to them more than I already have."

The Six imperishable beings shared a glance.

…

"She's cute, isn't she?" Madam Villanelle commented, standing behind Darcie.

"A few lies are nothing for the greater good, Darcie," Green Seat said, smiling. "But you don't have to worry. We understand your worries, and will naturally take care of these things for you."

"And can I share this with my friends?" Darcie asked hurriedly. "Daphne and Dobby, I mean."

The round table burst out in a feat of laughter.

"Sure," King Solomon nodded. "However, the Order's name and our true identities must not be revealed."

"I won't," Darcie promised.

"Do you have more questions for us?" Circe asked, resting her head on her palm. "You will not meet us before the completion of your training, my love."

"I…" Darcie thought hard but failed to sort out her chaotic thoughts. "I don't know."

Once again, it was Abdul Alhazred who fired the direct solution. "Let her have a companion."

All went silent as they heard those words.

***************

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