Magic Explanation
Time waits for no man. Like so, 5 more years had passed with Merlin reaching age 10. In the backyard of the Caliban mansion, Mereoleona, Fuegoleon, and another child, Nozel who was 9, were together and trying to practice their magic once more.
In the past years, Merlin's Mana reserves had exponentially increased. If it were to be categorized into a rank, the Magic Knight's ranking system would be consistent with 5 in total, starting from the bottom.
Junior Magic Knight
Intermediate Magic Knight
Senior Magic Knight
Grand Magic Knight
Wizard King
From Junior to Senior Magic Knight, there are 5 sub ranks within them, starting from Fifth Class to First Class before one can proceed to the next ranking. At Merlin's current level, his Mana control and storage sets him at the equivalent of a Senior Magic Knight.
Off to the side, Merlin was watching over the three as they practised their powers. In his hands was a black cube that he was in the middle of configuring with invisible mana threads, in an attempt to imbue it with magical properties. This was one of the main sources of income for House Caliban, as they could fetch up to astronomical prices.
Instead of having to rely on a person's mana reserve or their grimoire, they can merely inject a tiny bit of mana into here, and the resulting 'release' would vary, depending on what type of magic and properties were imbued.
"Pay attention! Stop trying to force your mana from your arms! Spread it across your body first, and then redirect it outwards!" A shout spread across the backyard. "And you, Mereoleona, didn't I tell you to take a break last night?"
A magic instructor from the Royal Court, by the name of Theresa Rapual, was currently instructing the children on how to control their powers. Their teacher would constantly tell them to stop over practising as it could be harmful to a child who was growing, but the Vermillion siblings would still ignore her in the hopes to become stronger.
Mereoleona and Fuegoleon had both grown taller and had slightly longer hair than in the past, with them being 10 and 8 respectively.
"Hey, Merlin! How is it so easy for you to use magic? It took us forever to be able to control it to the extent that we can!" Mereoleona said.
Merlin was sat on the ground with his back leaning against a tree. His face started to slightly mature more but still had the same childlike looks to it as before. His white hair started to become untamed as time passed, with pointed clumps of hair sticking out the side of his hair which now reached past his shoulder.
Under where his ears would be, sticking out of his ear were pink flower petals on both sides of his head. When asked about them, Merlin would throw a roundabout answer, saying that they somehow, 'suited him' and felt 'natural'.
However, as he was under sunlight, his hair instead turned to a rainbow hue, something the other kids had gotten used to by now. He wore the same attire as he had done when he was 5, donning a 5 robe with blue cloth wrapping both of his arms, and under it, he wore a black shirt and black pants.
(A/N: More similar to Merlin from Fate now in terms of appearance except in his teens, while the clothing is the same, just smaller.)
He shook his head and said, "You're better off asking Ms Theresa on how to utilise magic with more ease, Mereo. It's something that I can't really explain to others."
Nozel from the side said, "He's a royal from the most powerful house, of course, he would have greater control over us. However, in the future, I'm going to get better, and surpass you in the future." He stared at Merlin with a strong resolve, coupled with tidbits of noble pride and arrogance.
"You're going to have to try and surpass me first before even trying to surpass Merlin," Fuegoleon interjected as he walked in front of Nozel. The two stared at each other for a moment, then scoffed and looked away.
Theresa, their instructor, shook her head and said to the 3 kids, besides Merlin, "House Caliban has always had different training requirements compared to the rest of us. So there's no use in asking him. Instead, you three need to work on solidifying your foundations now to pave the way for your powers to manifest further in the future."
Mereoleona, Fuegoleon and Nozel all nodded solemnly, getting back to their training.
Theresa turned to Merlin, saying, "Still, you should at least join them when they're practising. Stop trying to exclude yourself."
Merlin shook his head and said, "It's fine, they need the practice more than me. I'm working on something else right now anyway." He held up the cube in his hands, grabbing Theresa's attention.
"Oh? Is this your fabled new invention from the Caliban household that I've been hearing about?" Theresa said, examining the cube closer. As she got closer to it, Merlin threw it back into his robes.
"Now now, no sneak peeks. Once it's completed, I'll release it up for auction, you know the rules." Merlin said, wagging his fingers at her.
"An opening!" Mereo shouted as she threw a ball of fire towards Merlin. Merlin in turn blew out of his mouth slightly, like blowing out a candle, snuffing out the fire thrown at him.
"You're wide open!" Mereo shouted, pouncing towards Merlin, who waved his hands and suspended Mereo in mid-air as he cried out, "Let me down, you bastard!"
Around Mereo, a small fire was building, as little paws made of flames extended out of her and flew towards Merlin.
"Oh? That's a new trick." Merlin said with a smile, spinning Mereo around in circles with a flick of his finger.
"Waaah!! I-I'll get you for th- Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick…" Mereo cried out, but then held her mouth as she was slowly set back down onto the ground by Merlin, who still had the same smile on his face.
Nozel from the side shook his head and said, "You should try and act with more grace that befits your status, Mereoleona."
Fuego nodded his head and said, "You should stop being so willful and act more ladylike, sister."
"Huh?!" Mereo shouted, standing up and cracking her knuckles. "The hell you two brats say to me? I'm guessing you're itching for another beating." Mana danced around her, as Merlin activated his eyes and saw the flow of Mana entering into her from the surrounding, as she began to build up a stronger flow.
Merlin stood up, with the same smile on his face he said, "Now now, there's no need to get violent with each other. How about this, I'll try explaining to you three how I use magic, that might make it easier for you guys to control Mana. You don't mind, do you, Ms Theresa?"
Mereo and Fuego both smiled, while Nozel stayed straight-faced. However, a corner of his mouth was raised as he was also expectant. They all knew Merlin's mastery of Mana, as well as the stories that their parents had told them about each generation's heir of House Caliban. The three gathered around Merlin as they waited for his explanation, with Theresa watching over them with an exasperated smile.
"If you want to gain better control over your Mana, you need to open yourself up to more to your surroundings, become a part of it. Mana flows in each and every one of us. It is inside the plants, grass, air, and all living beings in this world. Instead of trying to use the Mana that is within yourself, try taking Mana from around you instead and channel it." Merlin explained, as his violet eyes lightly glowed, gazing at the flow of Mana surrounding him.
Reaching his hand out, Merlin made a grabbing motion. From the three's perspective, they saw a glow of light that consisted of a rainbow hue. Opening his palm, Merlin showed the three and said, "Mana can take different forms. How you visualize it will help you to better gain control of it. Instead of trying to force Mana out of you, first, let it enter you and make yourself more familiar with its essence."
With a wave of his hand, the rainbow-coloured Mana dispersed into flower petals that flew past and through the three children, startling them. However, they all felt an incredibly calming and soothing effect from it.
"Well, that's just my take on Mana. Everyone has a different take on the subject, so just do whatever feels most natural for you." Merlin said with an amused expression, seeing the bewildered state of his three friends.
"Wow, that was amazing," Fuego said.
Nozel nodded his head and said, "Surprisingly, that was well articulated and quite easy to understand. However, knowing and doing are two completely different things. As expected of the heir to House Caliban"
Theresa on the side, had a slightly incredulous expression on her face after witnessing and hearing what Merlin displayed. 'Is this the teachings from House Caliban, or from the child himself? Although I'm more inclined to believe the former…' Glancing at Merlin, she kept to herself and shook the thought from her head.
The scene from when Mereo first met Merlin played out in her mind.
It was a party where both Nobles and Royals respectively were invited to attend, hosted by the King himself.
Mereo was forced to wear a dress, causing her to be upset the entire evening, scowling at the people who approached her, scaring many of them at the same time.
She just about had enough of it and decided to head to a balcony outside to get some fresh air.
Leaning on the railing, she let out a long sigh, muttering, "Why do I need to come here? It's not like the King even enjoys this himself… It's so boring..."
"You're right, it is quite boring." From behind, a child's soft voice entered her ears. Turning, she saw Merlin playing around with a triangle-shaped object, twisting or fixing various parts on it.
With the sun shining down, Merlin's hair changed, causing Mereo's eyes to widen. She then remembered what her mother told her about a certain child.
"Are you Merlin Caliban?" Mereo asked, curious.
Looking up, Merlin smiled, saying, "That's right. And after hearing what you just said a second ago, I guess you're Mereoleona Vermillion. A Pleasure to meet you." He got up and bowed slightly.
Mereo was supposed to follow Noble protocol but felt herself being restrained by her tight dress.
Merlin laughed seeing her stiff movements, saying, "It's fine, I can tell you definitely don't like these sort of occasions. I've heard quite a few things about you."
"Oh? Knowing the kind of people here, They aren't anything good then." Mereo scoffed, crossing her arms.
Merlin raised his fingers one by one, saying, "Energetic. Unruly. Undisciplined. Wild. Untamed. Should I continue?"
With her eye twitching, Mereo growled at Merlin, saying, "So what? I like who I am. Are you also going to be like those uptight Nobles then?"
"Hahaha, no!" Merlin said, sitting back down on the bench. "I rather find you interesting. You seem to be quite a fun person to be around with."
Mereo was stunned for a moment, but then gave a wide grin, saying, "You're right! I'm an extremely fun person to be around with! Let's be friends!" She then moved over to him and sat down next to him.
"What are you doing with that?" Mereo asked, looking at Merlin tinkering with his artefact.
"I'm trying to think of a new way to put a restraining spell into this artefact. The last time I tried it, it failed and shot out webs all over my living room." Merlin recounted, to which Mereo laughed.
She then asked him to show some of the artefacts that he had, to which he obliged, showcasing various artefacts with different magical properties within them.
The two spent the rest of the time speaking and enjoying themselves, compared to the stuffy atmosphere within the main hall.
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With the memory ending, Mereo then grinned and said, "Alright, you best prepare yourself for the future, Merlin! I'm going to become a lot stronger from now on, hahaha!"
Fuego shook his head and said, "The woman born from our family can be quite aggressive, especially sis. Good luck."
Nozel scoffed, saying, "Hmph, at least you should hold yourself with grace. However," He then turned to Merlin, stating, "I remember a phrase. 'Nothing's stronger than a determined woman'. That's what my father told me."
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Authors Notes:
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