Merlin opened his eyes.
The ceiling was the first thing he saw.
He stared at it for a moment, trying to remember where he was.
His body felt heavy.
He slowly sat up.
The room was different from the one he'd been in before. There was a bed beneath him, along with several pieces of equipment surrounding it.
He was wearing a blue hospital gown.
Merlin looked down at his hands.
There wasn't a single wound on them.
He clenched his fists.
Nothing.
No pain.
No strange sensation.
Just his own body.
He looked around the room.
"You're awake."
Merlin turned his head.
Mr. Isaac was sitting in a chair near the wall.
The man in the coat stood beside him, holding a small tablet.
"You've been unconscious for about an hour."
Mr. Isaac stood.
"Yeah you collapsed."
Mr. Isaac stared at him for a moment.
"Your body couldn't handle the strain."
Merlin remained silent.
He remembered the chains.
The electricity.
The pain.
And then the feeling.
The Power.
His eyes narrowed.
You have the most complicated ability I've seen in a long time, the man in the coat stepped forward.
"We're still trying to determine the exact nature of your ability."
The man looked down at his tablet.
"Your physical capabilities increased dramatically during the stimulation."
Merlin looked at him.
"We haven't finished analyzing the data."
"So you the results are unreliable"
Merlin leaned back against the wall.
He thought about what had happened.
The moment the pain became unbearable, something inside him had changed.
His strength.
His body.
Everything.
"Is my ability a healing factor?"
Mr. Isaac shook his head.
"No."
"We don't know what it is yet."
Merlin frowned.
He looked down at his hands again.
"If I hadn't been able to heal, I'd be dead, he thought to himself."
They really pushed their luck with this one, Merlin said to himself.
Mr. Isaac sighed.
"Your ability is dangerous."
Merlin looked at him.
"Because you have to hurt yourself to use it."
Merlin was silent.
He hadn't thought about it that way.
Merlin lowered his gaze.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Mr. Isaac noticed.
"Don't."
Merlin looked up.
"Don't what?"
"Whatever you're thinking."
Merlin said nothing.
Mr. Isaac shook his head.
"You're going to have to learn how to control that ability before you start experimenting with it."
Merlin looked away.
"I wasn't planning anything."
Mr. Isaac gave him a skeptical look.
Merlin ignored him.
Where does it come from? Merlin asked.
What? Mr Isaac was confused.
My ability, Merlin glared at him, and also everyone else's, were all doing things that transcend human capability, I need to know how.
But I already told you, Mr Isaac gave him a wolfish smile, you awakened after the simulation.
Merlin was skeptical but the look on Mr Isaac's face was enough for him to know, this subject goes deeper than he thought.
He didn't peer any further.
A knock came from the door.
Mr. Isaac turned.
"Come in."
The door opened.
Sera stood there.
She looked at Merlin.
"You're awake."
Merlin nodded.
"Yeah I guess so."
She stepped inside.
Her eyes moved over him.
Sera looked at Mr. Isaac.
He gave her a tired expression.
"You should tell him."
Sera looked back at Merlin.
"It's approved you've been assigned to my flock."
Merlin blinked.
"So that's settled?"
"Apparently."
Merlin looked down at his hands.
He remembered Tony's expression before he left.
"He doesn't seem happy about that."
"Then again, Tony doesn't seem happy about a lot of things."
Merlin almost smiled.
Let's go everyone's waiting, Sera said.
What do you mean everyone? Merlin asked.
I mean the rest of our flock.
Merlin stood from the bed.
His legs felt slightly weak, but otherwise he felt fine.
Sera turned toward the door.
"Come on."
Merlin followed her.
As they walked through the hallway, Merlin remained quiet.
He kept thinking about his ability.
Pain.
He had spent days wondering what futility was supposed to feel like.
He had been looking for some complicated emotion.
Something he didn't understand.
But the answer had been much simpler.
Pain.
A feeling he understood better than most.
Merlin glanced at his hand.
There was something else he wanted to know.
If pain made him stronger...
How strong could he become?
And how much pain would be too much?
He looked ahead.
There was only one way to find out.
Merlin followed Sera into a dusty room.
A long desk stood in the center.
Tony leaned against the wall at the far end of the room, his arms crossed over his chest.
Edith sat at the desk beside another boy. He had black hair and wore a pair of glasses that complemented his dark eyes.
Duke sat at the edge of the table with his head lowered.
Tony's eyes fell on Merlin.
"What's with the gown?" he asked with a smirk.
Merlin looked down at himself. He was still wearing the hospital gown.
"He'll change in a minute," Sera interrupted.
Tony shrugged.
"Whatever."
Sera looked around the room.
"Now that everyone's here, take a seat."
Merlin walked over to the empty seat beside Duke.
Edith waved at him as he passed.
Merlin gave her a small wave in return before sitting down.
Sera remained standing at the head of the table.
"First things first. We've officially been assigned as Flock Thirty-Five."
"Thirty-five?" Merlin repeated in his head.
Just how many flocks are there?
Sera continued.
"This room will serve as our station for now."
Merlin looked around.
Dust covered almost every surface. The walls were bare, and the room looked like it hadn't been used in years.
"Every flock needs somewhere to operate from."
She rested her hands against the table.
"Our main objective for now is to establish ourselves. We need a proper station, equipment, supplies..."
She paused.
"And a reputation."
Edith sat upright, a reputation? She asked.
Merlin glanced at Edith, she looked enthusiastic.. too enthusiastic.
"If we're going to receive better missions, people need to know who we are."
The guy on glasses raised his hand.
"And the academy provides all of that?"
Sera shook her head.
"No."
"Then what does it provide?"
"Missions."
He frowned.
"That's it?"
"Pretty much."
Sera glanced around the room.
"The academy isn't obligated to provide us with a station, equipment, or anything else. Once we're assigned to a flock, we're responsible for building it ourselves."
She paused.
"The higher-ups only give us missions."
"And those missions are worth money," Tony said.
Sera nodded.
"Exactly."
Merlin looked around the dusty room again.
Merlin frowned.
So this wasn't simply a school.
The moment they became part of a flock, they were essentially on their own.
They had to survive, complete missions, earn money, and build their own reputation.
I believe everyone understands, Sera said, everyone nodded.
Good now before we begin, Merlin can you go change into something else?
Uhh yeah, Merlin got up and left the room.
Merlin stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.
The hallway was quiet.
He looked down at the hospital gown.
What a ridiculous way to meet my new flock.
He sighed and began walking toward the changing rooms.
He hadn't taken more than a few steps when he noticed someone standing farther down the hallway.
The black-haired upperclassman.
Merlin slowed down.
The man was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.
His bright brown eyes were fixed on Merlin.
Merlin stopped.
The man pushed himself away from the wall.
"I saw your little performance."
Merlin's expression remained unchanged.
His mind immediately returned to the room.
The chains.
The electricity.
The pain.
His body changing.
The chains ripping free.
Remembering it felt almost as painful.
He walked closer.
"I've never seen anything quite like it."
If I observed correctly they must have misinterpreted your stimulation, that almost never happens, he squinted his eyes.
It made me wonder, what exactly did you see in your simulation?
The question startled Merlin.
"What do you want?"
The man's lips curled into a faint smile.
"I want to offer you a place in my flock."
Merlin stared at him.
He had already joined Sera's flock.
"I'm already part of one."
"I know."
The man's smile widened slightly.
"That's why I said offer."
Merlin narrowed his eyes.
The man stopped in front of him.
"You don't have to answer now."
He turned and began walking away.
"But think about it."
Maybe then you'd have a reason to join.
Merlin watched him leave.
There was something strange about that man.
He hadn't asked Merlin what his ability was.
He hadn't asked what happened in the room.
He had simply seen it.
He knew way too much.
And somehow, that was more unsettling.
Merlin looked toward the changing room.
What exactly did he see?