CHAPTER 173: WATCHED

And the wind bent.

Literally.

Merlin’s body flipped, once, twice, before slamming hard into the dirt. Dust coughed up all around him, dry and biting. He grunted, rolled over, and pushed himself up, ribs throbbing.

The white-haired man stood exactly where he’d been.

No emotion. No movement. Just waiting.

Merlin’s heart pounded.

’This is control. This is pressure so fine it doesn’t even bother announcing itself.’

He stood, slower this time. "Are you... testing me?"

"No," the man said. "I’m showing you the gap."

Merlin exhaled, brushing dirt from his sleeve.

"And how big is it?"

The white-haired man didn’t blink.

"You’re halfway there."

Merlin nodded once. Didn’t argue.

"Alright," he said, shaking the dirt from his coat. "Then show me again."

The man raised one hand.

Smiled.

And stepped forward.

—

The step was quiet.

But the world reacted like it wasn’t supposed to. A low vibration settled into the soles of Merlin’s boots, as if the ground wasn’t sure it wanted to hold weight anymore. His coat fluttered once and stuck against his back, wind curling behind him in a full-body shove.

’It’s just a step,’ he told himself. ’It’s just a guy stepping forward.’

But his system disagreed.

[System Alert: Pressure Field – Type UNKNOWN]

[Warning: Full-body strain detected]

[Recommended Action: Brace or Withdraw]

He stayed where he was.

The man’s foot touched the dirt again. Just once. No sound. No crater. Just silence folding in around it.

And the world dipped.

His vision tilted like someone had turned a dimmer switch on the sky. The color dulled. The light curved in. A weight settled on his shoulders that wasn’t physical, but knew how to feel like it was.

His knees bent. Automatically. Not from weakness. Just survival.

The white-haired man watched him, gaze patient.

"You’re still standing," he said. Calm. Like reading a label off a bottle.

Merlin didn’t answer at first. His tongue felt like it weighed five pounds. He swallowed and found his breath again. The air burned, thin, sharp, but real.

’I’m not dying.’

Just learning the difference between strong and actual strong.

"What is this?" Merlin asked. "You’re not using mana."

"I’m not," the man agreed.

Merlin’s stomach twisted.

’Then it’s just raw aura pressure. No enhancements. No elements. Just presence.’

"You’ve trained this," Merlin said, finally straightening. His knees cracked as he rose. "All this time, you’ve been holding back. Watching."

The man tilted his head slightly, expression still unreadable.

"I wasn’t holding back," he said. "You were just too small to notice."

Merlin’s eye twitched.

’I hate how casually he says shit like that.’

The man finally took another step, and this time, Merlin moved. A shift to the right, half-pivot, fingers brushing across the sheath on his back. The motion felt sluggish. Like everything from his elbows down had been soaked in sleep.

[System Alert: Movement Delay – 0.7 seconds]

[Adjustment Required: Calibrate breath intake]

He inhaled. Deep. Felt his lungs push back against the compression in the air.

’He’s not even trying. He’s just existing harder than me.’

Another step.

Another ripple.

This time, it hit the nerves behind his eyes. A flicker of white-hot heat, gone before he could even blink.

Merlin didn’t fall, but his stance broke. A foot slid back half an inch. The kind of movement that wouldn’t mean anything in a real fight, except to someone who noticed everything.

And the white-haired man noticed everything.

"You’re adapting," he said, still calm. Still just there.

Merlin steadied his breathing. "Is that good or bad?"

"Expected."

’He’s impossible to read.’

He stepped forward now, testing. Not attacking, not flaring mana. Just moving like someone who wanted to remind himself he had muscles. The ground stopped fighting him after a moment. The pressure didn’t lift, but it gave him space.

The man didn’t block his path. Just stood.

Merlin drew closer.

"Why me?" he asked, voice quiet. "Why are you watching me?"

The wind didn’t move.

The man blinked. Slow. Once.

"Because you don’t know what you’re carrying yet."

Merlin narrowed his eyes. "You mean Rathan."

"No." He looked directly at Merlin now. "I mean you."

Silence stretched.

’What the hell does that mean?’

"Look," Merlin said, voice steady. "If you’re gonna talk like that, we’re done. Say what you mean."

The man raised an eyebrow.

Then moved.

Not an attack.

Just—

Presence.

Merlin dropped again.

Hard.

This time, his shoulder hit first. The shock ran up through his collarbone like a live wire. He winced, dragging himself back to his feet.

"Still playing vague?" he coughed.

"No." The man crouched beside him now, speaking like they were having coffee. "You think this is about gods. Or bloodlines. Or fate."

Merlin spat dust from his mouth.

"It’s not?"

The man reached out and tapped his forehead. Just once.

"It’s about what you’ll do when all of those stop mattering."

Merlin’s heart skipped.

[New Flag Detected]

[Hidden Questline Activated: "Where Stars End"]

He exhaled.

’Of course.’

The man stood again. "That’s enough for today."

Merlin pushed himself up, slower this time.

"You say that like I had a choice."

"You did," he said, already turning his back. "You stayed. Most don’t."

Merlin wiped his mouth. His ribs still ached, but less. He could stand now.

"...So," he said, squinting toward the man’s retreating figure. "What now?"

"Now?" the man said without turning. "You rest. And tomorrow, we try again. Because someday, you’ll need to stand through all of it."

And he was gone.

Just like that.

No blink. No flash. Just absence.

Merlin sat back down in the dirt. It didn’t feel like defeat.

It felt like warning.

’Halfway there, huh?’

[System Log: Strength Evaluation Complete]

[Estimated Progress: 52%]

[Note: White-Haired Man not included in global strength index]

Merlin laid back and stared at the sky.

It was getting brighter now.

But not enough to see where the line ended.

—

The warehouse-turned-training hall wasn’t much to look at. Concrete, dust, cracked glass on the upper panes. Someone had tried to paint the walls once, half-hearted grey stripes now faded into nothing.

It was quiet. Just enough echo for sound to feel like it had permission.

He stood on the edge of the observation floor, arms folded, one shoulder leaned against the railing. Below, the sound of sparring cut through the stillness: bootfalls, short exhales, the dull thump of fists against skin.

Merlin was faster now. Too fast.

The white-haired man didn’t blink.

[Tracking: Merlin Everhart]

[Growth Rate: 237% above predicted curve]

[Mana Efficiency: Evolving]

[Combat Adaptability: No ceiling detected]

His system clicked silently.

[Assimilating Growth Metrics...]

Merlin ducked under Nathan’s right swing, pivoted, and jabbed once. No wasted motion. No flourish. Clean contact with the chest.

Nathan hit the mat hard.

The white-haired man tilted his head slightly.

’He’s not hesitating anymore.’

Another system window floated into existence, low near his elbow.

[Skill Integration Map: Compatible]

[Source: Rathan Memory Core]

[Result: Hybrid Evolution – Permission Pending]

’Not yet,’ he thought. ’He’s not ready.’

He watched as Merlin helped Nathan back to his feet. The two exchanged a few words, too quiet to hear, but Merlin’s mouth barely moved. Minimal expression. Focused. Present, but not relaxed.

’Still carrying it.’

His fingers twitched, just once. Not from nerves. From calculation.

A second window opened.

[Observational Note 381]

[Subject: Merlin]

[Summary: Full merger inevitable. Emotional detachment progressing slower than physical adaptation.]

’Good.’

He didn’t need him emotionless. Just efficient.

And so far?

He was becoming exactly that.

His gaze didn’t break as Merlin reset his stance below.

Nathan called, "Again?"

Merlin nodded once.

They went again.

Slower this time. Nathan was trying to read him. Merlin was letting him. Letting him believe there was still a gap small enough to close.

The white-haired man didn’t smile. That would’ve meant he was impressed.

He wasn’t.

Not yet.

[Energy Signature: Stable]

[Growth Rate: Assimilation Complete]

[Subject Remains Unaware of Deeper Conditioning – Confirmed]

’Keep it that way.’

He turned from the railing. Let the sounds of sparring fade behind him. The system map in his vision shifted as he walked, following his pace with smooth transitions.

Another alert blinked into existence.

[Event Branch #19 Approaching – Three Days]

[Candidate: Merlin Everhart]

[Probability of Intervention: 84%]

’It’s too soon.’

His steps didn’t slow.

He passed through a threshold of space that didn’t exist to anyone else. No door. No marker. Just transition.

From warehouse to pure white.

Now alone.

System data flooded in.

[Assimilation Hub Accessed]

[Merlin Everhart – Linked Node Status: Active]

He raised his hand. Light pooled at his fingertips, forming a small floating core, glowing, flickering, erratic like a dying star.

It was Merlin’s.

Still rough.

Still unstable.

But undeniably his.

[Soul Data Confirmed – Rathan Fragment 84% Integrated]

’Almost there.’

He closed his hand.

The light vanished.

There was nothing more to check.

For now.

—

Merlin didn’t remember walking home.

He remembered landing. A slam against dirt, a cough, dust in his mouth. Then standing. Then walking. Maybe.

But now?

He was on the couch. His couch. Or technically Elara’s couch, since she’d claimed it the first day they arrived. The cushions smelled like lavender and that weird herbal tea she brewed late at night. His coat was folded over the armrest. His shirt was gone. Probably burned off him in the training session.

Nathan was nearby, sprawled in one of the chairs, face lit by his tablet.

"You good?" Nathan asked without looking up.

"Define good," Merlin muttered, one arm across his face.

"That thing where your lungs work and your spine isn’t backwards."

’Then I’m maybe 60% there.’

"Yeah," Merlin said. "Good."