311 Grimoire Making 2 (1/2)
Swift was napping and wasn't expecting to receive a call at all. The name reflected on her communicator surprised her a little but she would never reject a call from the interesting teenager.
\”Hello, Zero! What a surprise to receive a call from you. How have you been? I heard some really crazy things about the stunts you pulled.\”
Zero mumbled something over the line that the harpie didn't catch. \”I'm sorry, what was that again?\”
With more clarity, Zero spoke. \”I need an unbiased opinion... It's related to what happened at the Spring of Vitality but also more than that. It's related to Solo.\”
The sleep was cleared from the harpie's head at the mention of Solo. \”I'm listening.\”
In one breath, Zero summarised the fight he had with Merlin and his resolve to create a grimoire to counter Solo's power of creation. Swift didn't comment even when Zero said that he sold his mindscape assistants out in a way to gain more power for that special grimoire. The only person left in the dark about what he was doing was his magic teacher and Zero was currently conflicted about telling Merlin about Solo's involvement. He didn't sound like he wanted to justify his actions but was rather distraught with how Merlin was acting.
\”I don't want to keep secrets but I have a feeling that Merlin will try to meddle if he knows about Solo...\” the young doctor admitted.
Swift didn't deny that. Merlin was like a double-edged sword. While he is very mean to others who he didn't deem worthy of his attention, he was also a very loyal ally who would do everything in his power to help those he wanted to protect. She didn't doubt that the wizard would fly off the handle and work on something that would protect his student if he knew Solo was out to harm Zero even if Solo was technically Zero from the past. Zero's concern wasn't exactly unfounded.
\”I'd give you the reasons that I have and pros and cons from all the perspectives I can see it from,\” she told Zero. \”Ultimately, you need to make that judgement for yourself.\”
Zero agreed and listened carefully.
\”Based on my understanding of Merlin, he can be a very stubborn individual with a tendency to go overboard in his passion. Right now, you are definitely someone he holds as very dear. Merlin is not a very emotionally mature person and would cling tightly onto the things he finds precious almost to the point of suffocation.\”
The young doctor smiled. He couldn't deny it and Swift's observation was very spot on.
Zero nodded. Swift was right and this was exactly why he was worried.
\”On the other hand, not telling Merlin about Solo would continue to weigh on your heart. Even after you graduate from Merlin. There is no doubt that Merlin would eventually come to know the truth. He is the most curious magician after all and probably the smartest of the lot. You might be able to hide from him now but if you gave him enough time, he would discover it. At that point, I don't think Merlin would sit back and do nothing. Solo will continue to try and attack Heaven now that you've foiled his initial plan.\”
Zero sighed.\”I know. I need to gather more allies to guard against Solo's involvement but not all the gods can be trusted. The Great Gods cannot do much either and none of the angels is reliable.\”
Swift laughed. \”Your words, not mine. However, I will agree that there aren't many trustworthy individuals in Heaven whom you could consider an ally. Buddha will be sitting on the fence when it happens as he had always done since the beginning. Between you and Solo, the Wise One cannot interfere much. Likewise, Isis is in the same boat. In fact, all the Great Gods have their hands tied. The only one you could consider an ally would be Merlin but even he isn't a resident of Heaven. Your teacher spends most of his time if not all his time in Arabesque. Steve isn't even aware of all the undercurrent matters, only focusing on his personal projects while acting as an occasional tea buddy for Merlin. If you really want to find capable individuals to protect Heaven like how the Demon Lords protect Hell's plane alongside the Tree of Life, I would not rule Merlin out so quickly.\”
Zero thought about it. He knew Swift was getting to. In fact, he knew what he had to do even before calling the librarian. It's just that Zero was having second thoughts and his paranoia was acting up, making him doubt himself so badly for the first time.
Swift didn't need to elaborate further. Zero's silence was a good indication of the teen's thoughts.
\”Zero,\” Swift smiled. \”You are the master of your own destiny. Don't ever forget that. You can lose sight of everything and still be able to restart but once you lose sight of yourself, it's game over. Solo lost his way because he forgot who he was and what he wanted.\”
The young doctor let those words sink in and thanked Swift who ended the call. He stared at the grimoire materials on his lab table and blinked.
\”That's right!\” he beamed. \”Everything needs a name. I don't know if there are grimoires with names but I will name you Origin. That way, I won't ever forget what I have to do and who I am.\”
With that, Zero busied his hands for the entire night while mulling over his decision to tell Merlin everything about Solo and his involvement with the destruction of planes.
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Merlin who received the paper pigeon felt his anger simmer and the lemon tarts delivered by Bib made his heart soft. He knew that his attitude wasn't right. However, he was unable to face his student. Zero's recklessness scared him very badly and apart from his worry, he blamed himself for not being able to help Zero when it mattered. The powerful combination of wounded pride and self-blame made Merlin do something he hadn't done in a long time.
The wizard went over to the bookshelf and pushed in a hidden panel that led to a small secret cellar. There, Merlin kept all the prized wines brewed by fairies of the past. As he poured himself a glass, the wizard couldn't help but think back about the strange string of events. Zero wasn't acting very normal ever since he came to Heaven.
Although Merlin wasn't too acquainted with the teen, he had times when he visited the boy back at Endow Hill while he was still under Hua Tuo's tutelage. He would also hear things from the grapevine about what the child accomplished. Back in the abyss, Zero didn't act so desperately even if he did act recklessly. The wizard didn't know what was going on but it seemed serious. Zero was constantly struggling against something ever since he came under his wing. Was he really that unreliable like so many people have told him that Zero could no longer trust him?
With alcohol clouding his judgement, Merlin took out his phone and started dialling one of the few people he knew would listen to his ranting.
\”Mike!\” Merlin wailed into the communicator the moment it connected.
The archangel who picked up the phone groaned. Leave it to the wizard to not understand what resting time meant. He was in the middle of his midday nap when the wizard called. Then again, he didn't sound like his ordinary self and the archangel decided to move to a more private location to talk.
\”What is it this time? You don't sound like yourself at all.\”
Merlin hiccuped. \”Mike... am I really that unreliable as a teacher?\”
Michael didn't answer immediately. Truthfully, he didn't think that the eccentric magician would be a teacher at all. He was way too self-centred. However, after Treun, he saw a huge change in his old friend. Merlin was now more compassionate and understanding of others even if it still seemed like he was a jerk from the way he did things. For the archangel, it was clear how much he came to care for both his students. The old Merlin would never have initiated a meeting and sent out invitations.
\”I don't know about that but nobody starts off as a great teacher. It's all about the experience. Still, you sound off. Is everything alright?\”