"Merlin, you can come back now."
Nimue's words echoed above the lake.
Emrys immediately turned his head toward his mother, visibly perplexed.
"... Merlin?"
He remained silent for a few seconds, waiting for an explanation that never came. Then he frowned slightly.
"Wait, you mean that gloomy woman? Why are you calling her?"
Actually, if he put two and two together, he could immediately understand why his mother was calling that woman. But he refused with every fiber of his being to admit that this was the reason.
Please tell me she's not serious.
Nimue didn't answer. She had already turned her attention back to the spot where Merlin had previously been, and a brief silence followed her call.
Then space seemed to distort. A figure appeared near the lake, as though she had simply walked through an invisible door.
Merlin had returned. She first looked at Nimue, then turned toward Emrys.
"You called me?" Her voice was calm, but a hint of curiosity could be heard in it. "Can I join this conversation now?"
"Sorry for cutting things off so abruptly, but it was a family matter. Thank you for coming back."
Merlin raised an eyebrow.
"You're thanking me before even telling me why you called me? That's unusual."
"You're right." Nimue chuckled softly. "Then let me explain."
Merlin turned her attention back to her. Emrys, meanwhile, remained silent, also waiting to discover what his mother had in mind.
Nimue began by summarizing the situation without going into too much detail. Her son had lost his sight, and despite all the checks he had performed, he hadn't found any abnormalities in the structure of his eyes. The problem didn't appear to stem from a curse or any identifiable magical effect either, which meant that conventional healing methods might not work.
He therefore needed a mage capable of studying his case, formulating hypotheses, and conducting the necessary research to discover the cause of his blindness. She didn't mention the lake or the rest of their conversation. There was no need.
When she finished, Merlin remained silent for a few moments. Her gaze settled on Emrys once more.
"Interesting."
No. Please, anything but that.
"I'm glad you find it interesting," Nimue replied with amusement. "That's precisely why I called you."
"Because I'm the most talented mage you know?"
"Not only that, but it's one of the reasons."
Merlin smiled slightly. She seemed to appreciate the compliment, even if she hadn't yet understood where Nimue was going with this.
Emrys, however, was beginning to understand. And he didn't like what he was figuring out one bit.
"Wait a second." He raised a hand. "I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm willing to believe that you're an extremely talented mage, but there's no way I'm letting you conduct experiments on me."
He was about to continue when a voice interrupted him.
"Oh, come on, Rysrys. You can't be serious."
Emrys fell silent. Nimue was looking at him with an expression that left little room for discussion.
"We've already talked about your behavior. You can't keep reacting like this every time someone suggests something you don't like. You should stop acting like a child."
Emrys was left speechless. His own mother had just scolded him when all he was trying to do was protect his physical integrity.
"Well, well... I didn't expect Faker to be so immature."
Emrys immediately turned his head toward her.
"No one asked you."
Merlin blinked, then her smile widened.
"Oh? Did I hit a nerve?"
"Not at all."
"Then why do you sound so upset?"
"And you seem to have a lot of time to waste."
Nimue sighed and rubbed her temples.
"You two are acting like children... Merlin, I didn't call you here so you could argue with each other."
"I was just joking." Merlin raised her hands in a gesture of surrender, then turned her attention back to Nimue.
Emrys looked away. He already had enough problems to deal with without having to put up with Merlin's provocations, and judging by her tone, she wasn't about to stop anytime soon.
"All right, I understand the problem. We have a common goal, fine. But I still don't see why I should help him."
Nimue's smile didn't fade.
"Because his existence is extraordinary."
Merlin raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Extraordinary?"
"Far more than you can imagine."
Nimue briefly glanced at her son before continuing.
"My son is a being whose existence defies many of the rules we ordinarily take for granted. His soul has become entirely tangible. He possesses a body that allows him to exist without ordinary physiological needs. He doesn't need to eat, drink, or sleep to continue living."
Merlin stopped moving.
"Think about it for a moment. A tangible soul, a being freed from the constraints imposed on every living creature, and an existence that doesn't fit into any category you know."
The mage's eyes began to change. The expression they conveyed was no longer the same at all. The simple curiosity she'd displayed at the beginning was gradually turning into genuine interest.
Nimue had noticed. She had known Merlin long enough to recognize the signs that appeared whenever the mage discovered something capable of capturing her attention.
"Just imagine how much knowledge he could provide. Not only about souls, but also about their relationship with magical energy," she added in an almost innocent voice.
Silence followed.
Emrys didn't need to see Merlin's face to understand that something had changed. He could hear her breathing quicken and sense her magical energy fluctuating slightly.
Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?
He genuinely felt as though his mother were feeding him to a bloodthirsty wolf eager to sink its teeth into fresh prey.
No. No, no, no.
Meanwhile, Merlin was beginning to tremble. At first, it was only a slight quiver in her fingers, but then her shoulders began to shake as well.
A soul that had become tangible. A body freed from hunger, thirst, and sleep. A unique existence that was impossible to classify. Each new piece of information added another question to the list of things she wanted to ask.
How could a soul become entirely tangible? What mechanism allowed a being to exist without depending on food, water, or sleep? What exactly was the relationship between his body and his magic? Was this a consequence of his original nature, the result of a transformation, or the culmination of a phenomenon that remained unknown? And above all, what could she discover by studying his existence?
Incredible.
The word echoed in her mind. Then another followed.
Fascinating.
Her lips began to curl upward. At first, the smile was subtle, but it gradually widened until it took on an expression that was anything but reassuring. There was something almost deranged about the intensity of her excitement. Merlin hadn't even begun her research, yet she already felt as though she were standing before the most extraordinary discovery of her life.
Unable to see what was happening, Emrys could only feel his foreboding intensify. Something about the way Merlin was breathing and the fluctuations in her magical energy told him that the situation was beginning to slip out of his control. His neck stiffened. He wanted to slowly retreat, very slowly, without attracting her attention.
Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance.
"This is... This is absolutely wonderful."
Merlin's voice had taken on a strangely cheerful tone. Emrys froze.
Oh, no.
Nimue, on the other hand, seemed perfectly satisfied.
Hook, line, and sinker.
She knew Merlin well enough to realize that she'd just offered her a subject of study she would find almost impossible to resist.
"So? What do you think?"
Merlin didn't answer immediately, too busy imagining the possibilities before her. Her smile widened even further.
Then, as though she had suddenly become aware of her own behavior, she raised a hand to cover her mouth. Her eyes widened slightly.
"... Ah." She cleared her throat discreetly before lowering her hand and straightening up. "Excuse me. It's a bad habit."
Merlin took a deep breath to regain her composure, and when she spoke again, her voice had returned to its usual tone.
"All right. I accept."
Emrys abruptly turned his head toward her.
"What?"
"I'll take him on as a research subject, just as you asked."
Nimue was stunned for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.
"That's not at all what I'm asking you to do!"
Merlin paused and smacked herself on the forehead as though she'd forgotten something obvious.
"Oh, right! There's that thing with his eyes. I'll do my best, but I can't guarantee anything."
Emrys stood motionless, as though the ground had just crumbled beneath his feet. He slowly turned toward his mother and asked, with a hint of desperation in his voice:
"Do I get a say in this, at least?"
Nimue didn't even take half a second to answer.
"No."
Emrys clenched his teeth. Having expected that answer, all he could do was grumble to himself.
"Tch!"
Merlin, who had watched their exchange with amusement, decided to speak again.
"Good. Now that we've settled that matter, we can begin."
She approached him. Emrys immediately felt the urge to step back.
"Wait. What are you planning to do?"
"Faker. Take off your mask."
Emrys stiffened at once.
"No."
The answer came immediately. Merlin raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
Nimue could only sigh.
"Will you stop this childish behavior already? Are you really that afraid of her?"
"Sorry, I can't help it. The gloomy aura she gives off is too much for me."
"Well, thank you. That's a lovely compliment, especially coming from my patient. Speaking of which, are you going to take that mask off anytime soon so I can examine you?"
"Is that really necessary?"
"How am I supposed to examine your eyes with that helmet on? Madam, are you sure it's not his brain that's the problem?"
Emrys didn't respond.
Nimue watched their exchange without intervening, amusement that she made little effort to conceal evident in her voice.
She was certain that her amusement would only increase the moment her son removed his mask.
Along with the chances of her having grandchildren within the next two centuries.
Emrys let out a long sigh. His hands slowly rose to his face, but he hesitated.
One second.
Then two.
His fingers tightened slightly around the edges of the mask.
"Come on, hurry up. We're not going to spend the entire day on this."
He took a deep breath.
Then he slowly removed his mask.
For a brief moment, nobody spoke.
Merlin, who had prepared herself to examine his eyes carefully, raised her gaze to his face.
And froze.
Her eyes widened abruptly.
Her smile vanished.
Every trace of amusement disappeared from her expression.
The next instant, Merlin's magical energy fluctuated violently.
The space around her distorted.
Then she disappeared.
This chapter is straight garbage but this is the best that I was able to do.