- - -
Valefore was conquered. The Djinn had submitted and became a part of Sinbad's ever growing collection.
Sinbad stood atop the ruins with newfound power surging through his veins.
But for the first time in days, he felt a chill run down his spine.
This was further enhanced by a cold breeze brushing against his temple.
The air shimmered.
He transformed for a brief second, his djinn equip flickered involuntarily.
"What's going on," he muttered, frowning.
Behind him Drakon stepped forward. "What is it?"
Sinbad looked west.
"Something… just woke up."
Far above, tumbling through a storm of black Rukh, a young Magi laughed midair like a mad man.
His fun was cut short abruptly as the Rukh around him glowed. It swirled into a pattern that he had never seen before. Protective. Coiled. New.
His eyes instantly locked on in a direction. As he tried to make out a figure the Rukh shivered around him, blocking his path as if it was a beast protecting its cub.
"You smell like a Magi," Judar said aloud, "but your not one of us."
His expression shifted to one of curiosity.
"Who the hell are you?"
In the vast wilderness, another Magi stood beneath an ancient tree.
His slumber appeared to be disturbed as his face lit up as if he came to a divine revelation.
The Rukh around him was shrieking.
"This fluctuation… who caused it?"
And deep within the Kou empire a figure emerged.
A figure stirred, sinister energy began formulating around her figure.
The dark Rukh coiled around her, pulsating, thrilled.
Her eyes shone with a dangerous intensity of red. A smile appeared on her delicate face.
"The balance shifted, yet again. First the Singularity, and now something awfully similar."
Somewhere east of the ruined village, beneath the crescent moonlight…
Merlin walked steadily in silence.
The wind tugged gently at his back, the grass crunched beneath his feet, and the stars blinked overhead.
"…One minute I was catching up on one piece…"
"The next I'm resurrected in a warzone like a dlc character that no one asked for."
His hands flexed in front of him as he observed his physical features. They were vastly different: pale, learner, slightly longer fingernails that were naturally blackened.
'I didn't die…at least not in the traditional sense. No dramatic, final battle kinda way,' he thought.
'No heart attack, no pain, no anything. It was as if something just grabbed my spiritual form and transferred me directly here.'
He stopped walking.
'I feel different. Not a bad different, but as if I haven't been truly living until now. I feel peaceful, like I was meant to be in this body, in this world all along.'
The Rukh around him flickered calmly, still as abundant as ever.
Floating beside him, the gremoire reappeared—quietly, as if waiting for his attention.
Merlin raised a brow.
"Alright then," he muttered, sitting on a flat stone.
He extended his left hand and the pages fluttered open, this time without urgency, as if finally giving him space to finally read.
Words, symbols, and diagrams appeared, forming a system-like overlay embedded into the books texture. His name shimmered first, engraved in silver and inked in red light.
MYTHIC TEMPLATE SYSTEM: MERLIN]
Name: Merlin
Race: Human (Soul-Altered)
Age: 17
Titles:
Stats:
Magic Capacity: ♾️
Physical: 45/100
Intelligence: 85/100
Charisma: 100/100
Magic Pool: High
Rukh Control: Medium
Combat efficiency: medium level soldier
Abilities:
All-Seeing Eye (Lv. 1)
Grimoire of Echoed Thought
Items:
Metherra [Bound]
Arcane Grimoire [Bound]
Soul Thread (Locked)
System Note:
"Warning: This world rejoices your soul. You are unbounded by Fate. They are aware.
Merlin stared at the last prompt, frowning.
'From my earlier interaction with those soldiers I can deduce that I am in the Magi world.'
'They are aware can mean that figures who are intertwined with fate, this world, and the Rukh are aware of the change. This means that they are aware of my existence, however to a certain extent I should be protected.'
'I would have already been dead if David or Arba knew exactly where I was.'
'There's no point in trying to stick exactly canon and let everything play out the same. Due to the butterfly effect me being here changes things from what I already knew and was accustomed to.'
'Since that's the case I plan to not only survive, but also to be a dominating force in this crazy world.'
'While I build my kingdom I have to also watch out for a certain charismatic singularity with a god-complex who may destroy the world in the future.'
'Lets begin.'
Merlin remained seated as he began to open the map Metherra. The map was once a part of the gremoire it now became a companion that grew with him. It flickered in the air like an ethereal blueprint of the world. As his eyes scanned his surroundings the map became to chart places. In his opinion Metherra was an amazing treasure that he was lucky to have been given. His fingers traced the charted territory that showed an outline of the Kou Empire—a stronghold of power and a focal point of conflict—one that he couldn't quite compete with, at least not yet.
He needed to grow, to gain strength.
A kingdom couldn't be built on a whim. It requires resources: wealth, strength, and influence, to really make a difference. And the fastest way to acquire that in this world is by conquering a dungeon.
Sinbad's success hasn't come from charm alone. Djinn, the very beings of power, had been bound through conquest, and Sinbad had wielded them to shape his empire. The thought thrilled him— not with fear but, ambition. He didn't want to match the legendary futures of the past and present.
He wanted to surpass them.
With a resolute look, he stood up, the weight of his decision settling within him.
"It's settled," Merlin muttered to himself.
"I'll become an adventurer. Start small, gather strength, and move up. No more sitting idle. The world won't wait for me."
The map shimmered as if acknowledging his resolve, a pathway began to guide him to where he needed to be.
Merlin allowed the map to float alongside him as he began walking through the field ahead.
The immense Rukh surrounding him wasn't black or white. It was both, completely balanced into a violet color.
The violet Rukh flickered again, glowing in the dim moonlight, as if echoing the growing intensity of his will.
The gremoire opened.
"Begin logging: Dungeon Conquest Priority — Zagan."