Chapter 7: Unexpected Gain in Merging
Third-Person POV
"Son, I am going to activate the crystal ball now," Merlin said, his voice solemn and calm. "All you must do is hold it tightly with all your might and stand at the center of the runic circle I have drawn. I've merged many elements of nature in my life… but merging souls—this is entirely new for me. I must admit, I'm quite excited. This may very well be the last magic I ever cast… but if it succeeds, it will be worth everything."
He paused, then added gravely, "However, know this—you will lose your former identity."
The boy blinked. "So, you're saying I'll forget everything? My name, my friends, everything I knew?"
Merlin chuckled softly, shaking his head. "No, no. I never said that. You will retain your memories—your past, your experiences—they will still be within you. But your identity, such as your name, your relationships, even the faces of your friends, may fade. and those other things might become dormant for a while."
"Dormant?" the boy asked, frowning.
"Yes," Merlin said. "Like seeds buried in the soil, your memories may remain hidden until the right moment awakens them. In your case, perhaps the first instance of accidental magic will stir them. Until then, they'll sleep within you."
"So… six years then?" the boy guessed.
Merlin narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "No. Your magical capacity will be far greater than that of a normal child. It will take longer for your body and soul to synchronize enough to handle such power. It may take more time."
The old mage then stepped closer, his gaze intense but filled with pride. "Remember this—you will be my incarnation, a living representation of my will. But you will still be yourself. You are not my shadow or my puppet. We will become one entity, and there shall be only 'we'—not 'you' or 'me'."
After a brief moment of silence, Merlin's voice deepened with seriousness. "This process may be painful. But the rewards… the gains… are beyond imagination."
With those words, he began to chant. The air thickened with magic as a luminous circle of light surrounded the boy. Runes shimmered in the air, rotating and dancing like ancient spirits awakening. A suction of light formed around the runic ring.
Standing in the center, the young boy clutched the crystal ball tightly. Heat surged through his hands, almost unbearable. Before he could fully process the pain, the crystal suddenly glowed with intense brilliance and drew in the ashes of the phoenix nearby, along with its lingering flame. Golden fire erupted around the boy, while a radiant red light streamed into his soul.
Merlin's eyes widened. He seemed stunned for a moment, then smirked to himself, whispering under his breath, "The Phoenix Force…"
The Phoenix Force—one of the Supreme Powers of existence—belonged to none other than the God of Life himself. After the birth of the universe, the leftover primal life energy condensed into a divine entity—the Phoenix. Not merely a bird, but a sovereign over the entire domain of life itself.
When the gods withdrew from the mortal plane, their divine remnants scattered. From the embers of their powers many creatures were born, immortal creatures like the phoenix in one of them. Only this sacred bird possessed a fragment of the Phoenix Force—a power so sacred they rarely used it themselves.
Now, impossibly, that very force was merging into another soul.
But that wasn't all.
Suddenly, the lingering death energy in the void also surged toward the runic circle and fused into the process. The golden flame, now infused with life, turned blue on one side—ice-cold, ominous, and foreboding. The boy's soul stood at the intersection of two forces: one side burning hotter than lava, the other colder than the void of space.
Merlin's brow furrowed deeply. Two Supreme Energies—Life and Death—were merging within a single vessel. A scenario even he had never conceived of. What could be the cause?
Then the realization struck him like lightning. "The lawless space…" he murmured. "This void—it does not obey the rules of reality. Within it, even the impossible can become real."
He glanced at his staff, then gasped with a revelation. "Yew wood," he whispered. "The only known material that can harbor both the power of life and death."
His staff was no ordinary tool. It had been crafted from yew and English oak, its core a blend of phoenix feathers and thestral hair—perfectly balanced between life and death. It was the only hope to stabilize the volatile soul fusion.
With urgency, he flung the staff into the circle and shouted, "Boy! Grab the staff—hold it with your other hand!"
The boy, his body wracked with pain from the conflicting forces within the crystal, saw the staff hurtling toward him. As soon as it reached him, he snatched it from the air.
The moment he touched it, the staff shivered and dissolved into his soul. The pain didn't vanish, but it lessened—replaced by a surreal sensation. He felt something ancient and powerful merging into him. It was like being forged anew—heat and cold dancing inside his body as one.
Watching in awe, Merlin laughed with pride and joy. "Boy! You have no idea what kind of power you now possess. But hear my final words: live a happy life. Embrace every joy, every sorrow. Be courageous. Be kind. Be noble. Carry my legacy with honor. You are my successor, Merlin Ambrosius reborn. Never bow your head to fear or injustice."
He continued, "And don't worry about the divine beings—they won't perceive your presence. You will be invisible to them, hidden by the hands of fate itself. You will be born into a divine era… a time where every soul born carries great power."
With those final words, Merlin stepped into the glowing circle.
His body ignited in flames—blood, flesh, and spirit transmuted into pure golden energy. His soul compressed into a radiant orb that floated gently before merging into the boy's soul-body.
The crystal ball cracked open, and with a powerful suction, absorbed the boy entirely. In that moment, the boy of the void became something new—an entity beyond death and life.
Then, with a thunderous BOOOOM, the void trembled.
A blinding shockwave burst forth from the circle. In its wake, a gate opened—an ancient portal to another world. Through it emerged a brilliant energy orb, glowing in radiant gold and icy blue—a mixture of life and death.
It streaked through the void, faster than light, until it reached the mortal realm.
There, in the peaceful night of a distant world, it entered the womb of a sleeping woman—nestled beside her husband—infusing her unborn child with a power unseen in a thousand lifetimes.
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