Awakening

As if rusty parts had been coated with lubricant, familiar sensations awakened throughout the body, surging towards the brain like a tide, jointly triggering a signal known as 'awakening'.

Arkhan slowly opened his eyes, and what met his gaze was the ceiling he saw every morning. The air carried a scent he knew all too well.

This was in Ector's estate, the small cabin where he had resided for over half a year.

"Teacher, you're awake!"

A voice of delight came from beside him, followed by an exquisitely delicate face like a fairy entering Arkhan's field of vision.

"...Lily?"

Arkhan blinked in confusion, and memories flooded into his mind like a tidal wave, gradually clearing his black pupils.

He sat up, rubbing his slightly throbbing head, and asked, "Lily, what time is it now?"

He remembered being pulled into the mental world by Nidhogg after pulling Caliburn. Time there flowed entirely differently from the real world, with no discernible patterns.

Sometimes it felt like only a moment had passed in the mental world, but one would wake up to find a year had gone by. Other times, it felt like an eternity had passed in the mental world, while barely any time had passed in the real world.

Arkhan hoped it was the latter case. Otherwise, if he had slept for a year or more and failed his System's quest as a result, he'd be devastated.

"Teacher, today is the third day since you pulled out the sword from the stone. You've been sleeping until now." Artoria replied.

Arkhan breathed a sigh of relief; it had only been three days, which was within an acceptable range.

"Has anything chaotic happened?"

After all, he had fainted right after pulling out Caliburn. If someone had suddenly shouted something like "The new king has passed away!" at that moment, it would have caused quite a commotion.

Although the probability of such an event was low, it wasn't entirely impossible.

Honestly, when Arkhan realized he was in the small cabin instead of a coffin and that Artoria was beside him instead of mourners in mourning attire, he felt a strange sense of relief.

"At that moment, everyone did get a shock. Archbishop Canterbury even fainted right away, and everyone thought that perhaps God was worried you wouldn't find your way to heaven, so he sent Archbishop to accompany you."

Artoria's first sentence made Arkhan's heart leap into his throat.

"But then, Merlin appeared and quickly calmed everyone's emotions. He said 'The new king is merely accepting the inheritance that King Uther left within the sword. The moment he awakens, it signifies the true return of King Arthur.' So, everyone calmed down. After that, we brought you back here."

Artoria finished speaking, her curious azure eyes fixed on Arkhan.

"Teacher, did you really obtain King Uther's inheritance from the sword?"

'King Uther, huh...'

Recalling the middle-aged man with the crown in his memories, Arkhan's eyes displayed a complex expression.

Without a doubt, he had now fully understood his own origin.

In order to confront the White Dragon that was about to become the so-called 'Final God', Merlin and Uther created a Child of Black Dragon using the power of the Dragon of Despair—Nidhogg.

In terms of blood relations, he could even be considered Uther's son.

He was Artoria's big brother and Morgan's little brother.

His original self had died, but for some unknown reason, he had been resurrected in the Land of Shadows and taken in as an adopted son by the Queen of the Land of Shadows—Scathach.

The reason he could pull Caliburn was that he possessed both dragon factor and Uther's bloodline, meeting the seal conditions left behind by Merlin.

'Really... is all of this just a coincidence, or is it the hand of fate? This is so absurd...'

"Teacher? Teacher?" 

Artoria's voice brought Arkhan's thoughts back to reality. He looked at her with a complex smile, her eyes like clear azure waters.

"Yeah, I did meet King Uther."

"Oh, really?! Did he say anything to you?" Artoria asked, her curiosity bubbling like an eager child.

Now free from the burden of being the 'Ideal King', Artoria began to reveal her true nature. After all, she was just a fifteen-year-old girl.

"He said..." Arkhan looked out of the window, where the bright sunlight danced on the leaves like shimmering gold. "He said to take a good look at this world."

"What does that even mean?" Artoria muttered with a confused expression as her 'ahoge' turned into a question mark.

Arkhan smiled at her, offering no further explanation. Instead, he said, "Lily, you can go out for now. I need some more rest. You can tell Kay and the rest that I woke up, but don't spread it around to the public."

"I understand, Teacher." Artoria nodded obediently and walked out, closing the door behind her.

In the small wooden cabin, only Arkhan remained, and it quickly returned to silence.

After an uncertain amount of time, Arkhan suddenly whispered, "Aren't you coming out, Merlin?"

"..."

Silence. No response.

"If you don't come out within ten seconds, I'll give up the throne, and then I'll expose everything you've done."

"Ten..."

"..."

"One..."

It wasn't until Arkhan counted to one that the air was filled with that familiar mischievous and frivolous voice.

"Oh dear, my apologies, my apologies. This old man's legs aren't as nimble as they used to be~"

Pink petals fell from the void as a familiar figure walked along a flowery path, his handsome face adorned with his signature smile.

Merlin held a cherry wood staff and executed a flawless courtly greeting in front of Arkhan.

"Court Mage Merlin, at your service. Your Majesty, is there something you need from me?"

"Just a minor matter."

A cold voice came out from Arkhan's mouth, and suddenly, a strong sense of danger washed over Merlin. He instinctively prepared to escape, but before he could react, he found himself surrounded by a sea of crimson feathers.

His consciousness paused for a moment, and his gaze became dazed.

*Swish!*

A black sword slashed toward Merlin, and the hungry black flames devoured his figure. The concept of 'life' was instantly corrupted.

A faint light flickered, and the black flames gradually dissipated.

Merlin's figure reappeared, now pulsing with renewed vitality. However, before he could react, Arkhan once again used the power of Fenghuang Down to strip away Merlin's consciousness.

The Jizo Mitama in Arkhan's hand transformed into Abyss Flower, its black patterns representing death, ruthlessly piercing Merlin's heart.

The power of death extinguished the newfound vitality, and then a faint light flickered again, as Merlin was resurrected once more.

In the moment of resurrection, Merlin's figure disappeared from his original location, only to reappear five or six meters away from Arkhan, maintaining a safe distance.

Arkhan didn't find this surprising. If Merlin couldn't react after being killed twice in a row, he would have long become fertilizer for some unknown flower by now.