After the display, the scattered versions of Merlin scattered into soft bursts of blue butterflies that drifted through the air before vanishing, leaving behind only the single figure who had introduced himself.

Ethan was directly staring at Merlin now. "Whose summon are you?"

Merlin tilted his head slightly, as if amused by the phrasing. "I have been bonded with the Prince, Alistair."

Ethan’s gaze narrowed. "What does your summoner want?"

Merlin retained his smile. "He does not know I am here."

"That’s not possible." Ethan said, looking stern.

Merlin’s attention moved to the apparatus of extraction in the room. His gaze lingered there for a moment, then he spoke again.

"When a summon is called for the first time, the veil between the Well of the Undying and the realm of the living is torn open."

"With that tear," Merlin continued, "a passage is formed. One that allows the summoned spirit to cross over."

He turned his head slightly, glancing back at Ethan.

"But what most fail to realize... is that the veil itself is not merely a gate. It is could also be conduit."

"One of the most powerful sources of energy in existence," Merlin added. "And by channeling it, someone like me can gain enough power to bend the rules that govern summoning."

He smiled. "So you see... Alistair knows exactly what I want him to know."

Through his illusion magic, he had deceived the rules guiding the system of summoning. Therefore the effect of the bond between summoner and summon, was different from him.

He could decide what thoughts were shared with his summoner, he could even lie to him if he wished.

And because of that, Merlin had way more flexibility than any other summon in existence.

Ethan looked puzzled, turning the thought over in his mind. It sounded unrealistic, but rather than dwell on it, he asked, "What do you want?"

Merlin raised a finger. "One moment, I’ll get to that."

His attention returned fully to the laboratory setup by his side. He circled around the workstation with hands behind his back, observing the vials with some level of interest.

"Step away. " Ethan said, staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"So..." Merlin murmured, stopping beside one of the containers. "You’ve figured out how to extract it."

His eyes flicked toward the forming serum. "Impressive."

Merlin glanced back at him, now smiling again. "But the real question is...how are you planning to test it? Surely it can’t be on yourself?"

A soft chuckle left him.

Ethan’s eyes sharpened. "How do you know what I’m doing?"

"Because, I made that princess into what she is." Merlin answered, now stepping away from the lab process.

Ethan’s expression changed instantly. At first, it was fury; he wanted to charge at Merlin right then. But at the same time, he couldn’t sense any hostility from the summon, nor did he want to jeopardize the progress of his experiment.

Merlin waved a hand dismissively, as though brushing aside something trivial. "Do not be so eager to crown me a god," he added. "It is merely alchemy."

His gaze swept across the room again. "Though I must admit, I doubt there such capability in this era."

Ethan still remained quiet, now watching as Merlin suddenly began moving again.

The summon walked to one corner of the room and placed his palm on the wall until a glow ignited beneath his hand.

He moved to the next corner and repeated the process, until all four corners of the room bore the same strange glowing sigil.

Finally, he stepped to the center and pressed his hand to the ground, giving it the same magic.

"What are you doing?" Ethan asked.

At this point, Merlin had just stood to his feet to give an answer, "This is a spell of secrecy. Nothing spoken within this space will be heard by any man or magic, not even by the world itself."

He adjusted his posture slightly. "Now, For what I want...I seek to strike a bargain with you."

Ethan’s eyes narrowed. "You speak as though we’ve met before, when this is the first time."

Merlin’s smile didn’t change. "When my summoner tells me the names of those he’s up against, I do my own form of research."

He tilted his head, glancing around the room as though acknowledging something unseen.

"And who better to ask... than the walls themselves?" he added. "Or have you never heard that the walls have ears?"

Ethan stared at him. "It’s not that I don’t understand what you’re saying," he replied flatly. "It’s that it sounds like rubbish."

Merlin laughed, he looked genuinely amused. "Yes, It usually does."

Merlin exhaled, "let me tell you a little about my power. The art of illusion."

"You see, everything in this world has a mind of its own. And if something has a mind... then that mind can be tampered with. That is the most basic logic of illusions."

He gestured toward Ethan. "By deceiving your human mind, I could make you reveal your deepest secrets without you even realizing it."

Then his eyes turned downward to the floor. "The same applies to the ground you stand on, the city itself.

"By tricking the very ground... it tells me what has been done upon it. What has been said upon it. Even the things spoken in secrecy."

"Hm..." Ethan muttered.

"You might think," Merlin continued, "that you and another person are alone when you speak. That your words are contained between just the two of you. But there is always a third party."

He tapped his foot lightly against the ground. "The ground. The walls. They are always there."

"It is how I gather knowledge," Merlin finished simply. "It is also how I know that you are not just a dragon–demon hybrid, but someone who has come to possess the power of the Spirit Kings."

Ethan couldn’t hide his reaction this time. His eyes widened just a bit.

None of this made any sense. Even if Merlin could "hear" secrets, Ethan knew he had never told anyone about possessing the authority of the spirit king

Merlin watched the reaction unfold, then gave a satisfied nod. "You’re shocked, and you want to know how I know."

He raised a finger. "Very well."

Merlin’s voice change, taking on a certain tone as he chanted a few words.

"If you accept my authority as the king of spirits and pledge to honor this bond, then answer my summons."

Ethan froze upon hearing those words. They were part of the chant he used when summoning a spirit from its catalyst.

"...I believe that’s how the line goes," Merlin added.