At the hidden house...

"You’re supposed to be the greatest caster this world has ever known, and yet you still can’t find where my sister is... It’s been two days."

Alistair stared furiously at the figure relaxing on a large seat and reading a book.

Merlin sighed, closed his book and turned to Alistair. "During the age of champions, perhaps, I would have been the greatest caster" he began. "But the world has changed. There are people in this era, capable of rivaling even the King of Heroes himself."

He tilted his head just a bit.

"So it’s not unreasonable to assume someone has employed a cloaking spell strong enough to evade me."

Alistair’s eyes narrowed. "Then channel the fuckin’ Chalice"

Merlin sighed again. "I already used most of its charge. If I use any more... I’ll begin drawing from the reserve keeping Lady Audrey’s spell anchored."

The was the aging spell still tied to Eduardo current form as an old man.

Alistair glared at Merlin dangerously.

The trickster simply shrugged. "You’re linked to my mind, you’d know if I was lying."

There was silence for a moment.

Then Alistair clicked his tongue and turned away, with Sylvia following behind him.

Merlin watched him go with an amused look. Then he adjusted his glasses, and continued reading his book.

"What does this mean for us?" Sylvia asked. "If she’s still out there... doesn’t that mean they could get to us through her?"

Alistair didn’t stop walking "I’m not sure yet. For now, assume no one knows where we are."

Silver nodded and continued behind him in silence.

——

At the Arcorys Residence...

Ethan had stepped through the entrance doors of the mansion.

The moment he entered, Hayley who had sensed his presence pushed through the small gathering of wolves inside and walked straight toward him.

Her pace quickened the closer she got, until she finally reached him and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

Ethan paused for a second before returning the embrace, holding her steady as she buried her face into his chest.

"I’m so sorry..." Ethan said softly, patting her head.

They stayed like that for a moment before slowly pulling apart. Hayley wiped at her face quickly, trying to regain herself.

Percival approached not long after, exchanging a firm clap of hands with Ethan, that transitioned smoothly into a shoulder pull.

Ethan gave a slight nod as they separated. "How’re you holding up, man?"

Percival exhaled. "Yeah I’m alright."

Somewhere upstairs in the mansion, Phoebe was still inside, away from all of them. They still kept her in the dark about most of what was happening.

Ethan’s attention turned back to Hayley. His eyes narrowed, with an expression that changed a bit.

"What is this heavy magic pressure coming from you?"

Percival answered for her. "Oh yeah... Hayley’s a reawakened now."

Ethan’s eyes widened as he turned back to her, reassessing her presence like it had just changed in front of him.

Hayley had a smile and gave nod. "I woke up this way... I don’t know how it happened."

Ethan stared for a moment longer, then slowly nodded. "...That’s actually kind of cool."

Hayley nodded back, and after a pause she said again, "Actually, it’s good that you came. I needed to tell you something. The funeral will happen tonight."

He gave a quiet nod. "Alright."

Reawakening in this world was never something anyone could properly predict.

It didn’t follow training nor a follow bloodline consistency. It didn’t even follow desperation in any guaranteed way.

Some said it happened when a person was pushed past a breaking point; where something inside them snaps just enough for power to surface.

Others believed it came from relentless pursuit; years of pushing a single aspect of one’s abilities until the body simply adapted out of refusal to fail.

There were those who called it divine timing; something granted by higher forces when a person was "ready," whatever that meant.

And then there were those who believed it was pure coincidence.

At the end of the day, the truth was that no one really knew.

——

Later on that day, Ethan had returned to his guild. It was just him in the whole building as guild activities were on hold.

He was currently in one of the rooms which he considered a workstation. It was in this place that he had built the Arrancar blade.

In front of him was a spread of laboratory equipments. A metallic frame held several suspended vials, each one containing dark, thick blood.

Thin glass tubes ran from those vials into a smaller cylindrical chamber, where the contents were being filtered slowly through a layered solution that reacted faintly as it processed.

Ethan watched over this process with the Eyes of the Sage glowing in his sockets. He observed the flow, watching every reaction and subtle shift in composition.

The blood belonged to Andrea.

And in the last two days, he had learned something that made no sense. The structure of her blood didn’t just carry multiple genetic signatures, it was as though every single one of those components had always been there.

As though she had been born from all of them at once.

Then suddenly, a presence appeared at the far end of the room, right by the entrance.

But the moment it did, a streak of lightning flashed across the room. And in the next instant, Ethan’s hand gripped hard on the throat of the figure that had just manifested, pinning him against the door.

His eyes burned as he leaned in slightly. "Who sent you?"

Ethan knew this blue-haired person he held was a summon. It carried the signature of an emperor classed one.

But then, another voice came from behind Ethan.

"That’s a bit violent."

Ethan’s eyes flickered.

"...Yeah," another voice added from somewhere to the side, sounding amused. "I’d say that’s true."

Ethan moved turned and saw them.

It was different versions of the same man, Merlin, standing at separate points in the room as if they had always been there.

One leaned slightly against the wall, another stood near the workstation, and a third simply observed from a distance.

Then Ethan’s gaze turned back to the one he had pinned. And it was no longer there.

In its place, was stone figure carved in the exact likeness of the summon.

The stone figure had a smile on his face, then suddenly it cracked and burst apart into a swarm of blue glowing butterflies that scattered into the air and vanished.

Ethan redirected his focus between the remaining figures. "Who are you?"

The one at center smiled. "I go by many names. Some call me the Timeless Trickster."

Another version of him spoke from the side. "Others have referred to me as the Kingmaker."

A third voice followed from behind. "The Ancient Architect."

The main figure lifted a hand slightly, almost theatrically. "And in certain parts of the world...I am more popularly known as the King of Magic."

He paused, then reached up and removed his hat, giving a bow. "But my real name is Merlin Ereshki Ambrosius."

A smile curved across his lips. "You may pick whichever one you prefer."