"Hm? This is odd…" Eubin tried again, but it still didn't work, and it was also rapidly draining her essence.
Merlin by the side wasn't surprised at all, after all he was the cause of it, whenever she was about to cross over, he would get a sensation of being pulled away, and as he resisted, the sensation would immediately vanish, stopping her from entering the dream realm.
He knew that for a Saint to have him cross the dream realm, it would be difficult, after all his soul sea wasn't really a soul sea at all, it was a Sephirot, and although it was simply a small part of it, it still had control of space.
"Sorry… that was on me, try again now" He smiled and said calmly.
Eubin's eyes turned to him and narrowed slightly, after all, she could even pull a Saint to the dream realm, but now a mere ascended is openly stating that he is the reason she can't crossover.
She swallowed her multiple questions, and nodded, then she pulled on her anchor once more, this time, the drain on her essence was twice as much, but she was able to do it as her vision changed to the familiar environment of Ravensong.
"We're here…" She smiled as she breathed in the cold air.
Merlin looked around, the sky was bright, but was covered by clouds, there was also snow drifting through the air as he could see his breath, but what captured his attention was the large palace in the distance that had a slightly green glow.
'Jade Palace…'
"It's a little more impressive than I expected… nice architecture" He said as he looked around, there were a few buildings in sight and they honestly weren't as bad as he expected, considering that major changes in domains happened after Antarctica.
"Thanks… now although I'd like to give you a tour, it would be best if you first…"
"Hey, I want to ask you something…" he cut her off as he thought of an idea.
"Your powers can influence the mind right?"
"Yes" She replied, partially confused as to his sudden question.
"Alright that's great, let's do this… use your illusion ability to make me hear a song, then use your abilities to influence my mind, make it as calm as possible, calm to the point of indifference if you will" He explained as he formed a theory in his mind.
"Are you not afraid I'll influence your mind and enthrall you?" She asked half-jokingly.
"Don't worry, if you do that, I'll just recover within a minute, then forget making it to the castle over there, I'll be sure to end your life before you even complete a full sentence, and even if your Mother was here, it still won't change the outcome, one sentence maximum is what you'd be able to form" He replied calmly with a tone that sounded like he was talking about the weather.
But he wasn't bluffing either, he had a Sacred shard in his soul sea, it was that shard he was planning on using to split himself, but as he was able to complete the process in his soul sea, he was able to save the shard.
And if he used it here, he would practically become a Sequence 1, although only for ten seconds, he was very sure that if Ki Song didn't interfere, he would be able to wipe out half of Ravensong in that short time, and even if she did interfere, she still wouldn't be able to stop him from killing a mere Saint, that's how confident he was.
Eubin was shocked by his words, although she couldn't tell whether he was being honest or not, it was best not to find out, after all she just managed to convince him to come along, and although he couldn't return without a Saint, who knew if he had any method of contacting those three in his house, she wasn't planning on making trouble for her Mother.
She swallowed her words, but still asked, "Are you that confident you can survive against a Supreme and still kill me?"
She wanted to confirm two things from him, the first being the seriousness of his words, and the other being if he had knowledge of the Supremes.
"Meh…" he shrugged "Supreme's might be strong, but they're not that strong, at the very least, not strong enough to keep me in place… please, even Thorax couldn't stop me from escaping and he's a Cursed Terror, what are the chances that one Supreme can do so?"
As he finished, Eubin thought about his words, she had learnt of the details of his journey through the dream realm, and although it was unclear how he actually escaped, it was a fact that he did, and since he could escape a cursed nightmare creature, escaping a Supreme didn't really seem impossible anymore.
She also confirmed that he knew the existence of Supremes, and she wanted to try to get him to reveal more information, but Merlin changed the topic.
"So… I'm ready, let's get started, hit me with your ability" he smiled wryly as he turned to her.
"Alright… but why do you want me to use my ability on you?" She asked curiously.
"I'm training my mind…" He answered calmly.
Eubin sighed, she didn't buy his answer, but she still did so anyways, she looked at him and activated her abilities, influencing his mind.
Merlin heard a sober tone playing in the surrounding, and he immediately knew Eubin had started, slowly, his mind began to calm as the sound of the song drilled into his head, he felt like he was experiencing depersonalization as his mind felt almost disconnected from his body, but he wasn't panicking, he couldn't panic.
The next moment, the voice of the spell sounded in his ear.
[Ritual Completed…]
[Use Ritual?]
'Yes' he answered calmly.
[Unlocking Abilities….]
He immediately felt something shatter inside him as his vision spun, he was lost inside his mind, however although the situation was terrifying, he didn't panic, he still couldn't panic, the next moment, he heard the song play through his jumbled thoughts, anchoring him to reality as he slowly gained control of his body and his vision cleared.
He had completed the ritual and had become a Marionettist.
"Thanks, that's quite enough…" Merlin smiled as he felt the effect of her abilities wear off, he looked around using the eyes of a marionettist, and safe to say he was stunned, it was like looking through a horror mirror, thousands of blood red spirit body threads, all scattered throughout different locations, but their starting point was all focused on the Jade Palace in the distance.
'Scary…' he shuddered slightly.
"Since we're done, let's go, it's time for you to meet my Mother" Eubin sighed and was about to start walking, but his next words made her stop in her tracks.
"That won't be necessary, after all, she's already here" Merlin turned his eyes to the corner of a building.
The next moment, a small child walked out, her movements a little too graceful for her age. The child walked calmly till she arrived at their location, then she looked up at him with a smile and said.
"I'm curious, how did you know this child was under my control?" The voice sounded child-like, but still carried that air of authority.
'I don't know, probably because of the long bloody thread extending from you all the way to the castle…' he muttered inwardly.
"Incredible luck…" He replied casually.
"I see…" Ki Song didn't mind his words as she turned to Eubin, "I want to have a word with you"
Eubin nodded slightly and turned around, walking to the castle, while he stood with the child, he knew that the details of his journey was going to be revealed, and he didn't mind, on the contrary that would make his negotiation go smoother for him.
"If you don't mind, I'll do the honors of giving you a brief tour" the child spoke smoothly.
"Are all Supremes these free, or is it just you?" He joked, he was speaking casually with her because he was not scared in the slightest.
Can she compare to Azarax?
Can she compare to Dorax?
How about Thorax himself?
The time he spent in Civilth had completely reshaped his mental description of higher authority.
If you're casual with me, I'll do the same with you.
If you're professional with me, I'll do the same.
And if you come for my life, don't expect me not to repay in kind.
That was his new logic of survival in this world, as long as he made it home, whatever happens on the journey doesn't matter, as long as it doesn't go against his morals, then he was completely fine with anything.
"You're the first person to speak so casually to me despite my status…" the child chuckled lightly.
"If you came to me in any other form then I would at least try to be formal, but to a child? Hah, I'm still hoping to remain sane for a while…" He chuckled.
"Interesting…" the child muttered and continued walking.
…
Inside the Jade Palace…
"Tell me the process" the puppet of Ki Song spoke with poise.
Eubin bowed and described what she did, from the scouting to the phrase by Hel, then the cross over problem, and finally the part where she used her abilities on him.
By the time she finished, the castle was silent as only the sound of Eubin's breathing could be heard. The puppet nodded and broke the silence.
"So he was staying with three Saints, and when he was about to refuse, the words Hel said to you made him immediately change his mind?"
"Yes Mother, that's exactly what happened" Eubin nodded.
"Did Hel tell you what the phrase meant?"
Eubin shook her head, "She didn't, I previously assumed it was one of her usual rants, but the moment I said it, his reaction made me realize it was something more"
"I understand…" the puppet nodded, "Call Hel here"
"Yes Mother…"
..
.
"You called for me, Mother?" Hel bowed as she arrived at the castle.
"Yes… the phrase 'everyone will die, including me', what does it mean?" The puppet asked.
Hel thought for a moment then replied calmly.
"I do not know, it was part of a vision I received a while ago"
"A vision… tell me the details" the puppet asked.
"Yes Mother… I had the vision on the same day that Merlin returned as an Ascended, I was in a dark space and from the darkness I heard an emotionless voice that said 'When the time comes to recruit Merlin, tell him these words 'everyone will die, including me' if you tell him that, he should accept your invitation', then the vision shattered and ended" Hel explained.
The puppet stayed quiet for a few seconds, then asked.
"If you had the vision that long ago, why didn't you inform anyone about it?"
"That…" Hel stuttered, "that's because I didn't have any memory of the vision, it was as if the memory never existed until I met Bin a few days ago, then I suddenly remembered it"
The puppet went quiet again, then turned to Eubin by the side.
"Did Merlin say anything about the phrase?"
"He asked where I heard it from, he looked shocked when he asked, and when I told him, he looked confused for a few seconds, then he immediately accepted and said he wanted to see Hel" Eubin explained.
"Make sure to ask him about it later… no don't, I'll ask him myself, I'm curious about another thing, when he said that he would kill you before you formed a sentence, did it sound like he was joking?" The puppet asked.
"No… he sounded absolutely serious, and although I doubt if it's possible, it confirms with the information we gathered from his feat on the forgotten shore, and his interview with the government" Eubin spoke calmly.
"I believe he is serious, but that power is not something he can use whenever" Hel gave her opinion.
The puppet nodded, "Hel when he comes to meet you, ask him about the situation of the three Saints, if possible try to pull them to our side"
"Yes Mother" Hel nodded.
"You may leave… Eubin, wait here, I want you to be here when I talk with him" The puppet dismissed Hel.
"I understand Mother" Eubin nodded.
…
"It seems my tour has come to an end, I just hope the question and answer session will be to your liking" Merlin smiled as he stared at the large castle in front of him.
"I hope you keep this open attitude when you answer the questions, it will make things easier for me" the child spoke calmly.
He shrugged and walked towards the castle doors, as he arrived, he pushed open the door and walked inside, as he entered, he was awed and partially terrified by the sight, just like the book had described, Ki Song had been impaled by a sword, pinned to her throne as her pale skin had started to freeze slightly.
The sight was a beautiful one to behold, however it was not as others saw, what he was seeing was simply thousands of blood red threads extending from different parts of her body.
'That's a lot of puppets, a whole sequence 1 Attendant Of Mysteries ritual completed by the one who needs it the least… Sigh… what a world'
"Greetings your Majesty…" he bowed gentlemanly.
"It seems like it really was my appearance that made you so free" the puppet below the throne spoke, its voice laced with amusement.
"I believe honor is given to whom honor is due" He smiled as he straightened himself.
"A smooth talker, but can you keep your composure under this?" The puppet spoke, and the next moment, Ki Song released her will to make him tremble.
"Hmm?" Merlin tilted his head slightly as he stared up at her and asked calmly, "is this the strongest?"
"You're actually calm? That's interesting, since you're insisting for the strongest, how's this?" Ki Song increased the pressure.
From the side, Eubin gritted her teeth as she felt her body tremble, but Merlin still remained calm, if anything he looked unimpressed.
"As expected…" he muttered loud enough for her to hear "it's not only Cursed, even Supremes from the ancient times had stronger wills, is it because you guys aren't fighting for your lives?"
He was truly unimpressed, the will he was currently enduring was not even to force him to resist, he knew she wasn't truly going all out, but this level could not even compare to Eurys.
And he hadn't even mentioned Azarax, plus he spent two weeks with Thorax in the same building, it was going to take double or even triple this pressure to make him unable to resist.
'I guess it's just skill issue, I mean those old guys were alive with gods, they were just one wrong fight away from being collateral damage between gods' he sighed inwardly.
The next moment, he released his own will, not killing intent, just pure will, it wasn't enough to overpower, but it was enough to make a difference, enough for Ki Song to know that her pressure wasn't doing shit to him.
"Hm?" The puppet sounded surprised as he resisted, then she withdrew the pressure.
"You've surprised me, to think you can even resist what made Eubin struggle"
Merlin shrugged, "What can I say… it's skill issue, and honestly, Thorax could do that much just by simply being in a room, I'm sort of immune to it"
"That just makes you more interesting…" the puppet smiled.
"I guess we should start now…"