Two days had passed since the incident with Leon's pendant. After Merlin reread the description, he understood what had happened.
[Leon's Pendant]
[A pendant belonging to Leon, the great mage of Alaric's flock.]
[A pendant with no special abilities except in the hands of its master. The pendant still carries the hope its master once held—to see the world restored. Though its master is gone, that hope remains, quietly guiding its wielder toward the same goal.]
The description had changed since the last time he had seen it.
Today, Merlin had just joined the others back in the dojo.
The dusty room looked a little different this time.
There were several wooden weapons scattered across the floor, along with a few training dummies that had been dragged into the center of the room.
To his left, Tony was training his ability by concentrating all the firepower he could muster. The training room was beginning to get a little heated up. Further to his left, Edith and Duke were working on something. She had wrapped her strings around his wrist, and Duke just watched.
Merlin scratched his head.
What could they be doing?
On another end of the room, Nathan meditated.
Merlin stood close to the door, staring at the weapon in Sera's hands.
A scythe.
It wasn't exactly the same as Requiem.
The blade was smaller, and the handle was made of dark wood rather than the strange material he remembered.
But it was close enough.
Sera held it out to him.
"You said this was your preferred weapon."
Merlin nodded.
He took it from her.
The moment his fingers wrapped around the handle, something felt wrong.
He tightened his grip.
It was heavier than he expected.
Not by much, but enough for him to notice.
He swung it once.
The blade cut through the air.
Merlin paused.
He knew this.
His body remembered the movement.
"Whoa," Sera said. "Hold on."
She put a sheath on the blade.
"Now you can knock yourself out."
Merlin sighed. He adjusted his grip and tried again, this time putting more force behind it.
The scythe swung around him, but the movement felt sluggish.
Merlin frowned.
That wasn't right.
He tried again.
And again.
Each movement became slightly smoother, but none of them felt natural.
It was as if his mind knew exactly what he wanted the weapon to do, while his body refused to cooperate.
Sera watched him silently.
"You've used one before?"
Merlin stopped.
"Let's say I've imagined it," he said.
That was technically true since the simulation was all in their heads, Merlin thought to himself.
Sera raised an eyebrow.
"Imagined?"
Merlin looked down at the scythe.
"It's difficult to explain."
Merlin looked down.
This was the same way she dodged my question, he thought.
Sera didn't press him.
Instead, she pointed toward one of the training dummies. It had several sticks pointing out of it horizontally.
"Try using it against that."
Merlin nodded.
He walked toward the dummy.
He took a stance.
For a moment, he could almost see Requiem in his hands.
The weight.
The balance.
The way the blade moved.
But he couldn't hear the singing.
He stepped forward.
The scythe swung.
It struck the dummy with a dull crack.
The impact barely made it spin.
Merlin stared at the weapon.
He remembered cutting through things much harder than this.
He tightened his grip.
Again.
This time, he swung with more force.
The blade struck the dummy.
The wooden target spun halfway, but Merlin's arms followed through awkwardly.
He stumbled.
He caught himself before falling.
Tony laughed from behind him.
"You're the one who asked for the damn thing."
Merlin glared at him.
"I know."
"Then why do you look like you've never held a weapon before?"
Merlin didn't answer.
Because I haven't.
Not this one.
He looked at the scythe again.
He knew how to use it.
He was certain of that.
So why did it feel so wrong?
Sera walked closer.
"Do it again."
Merlin raised the scythe.
He moved.
This time, he focused less on strength and more on the movements he remembered.
Step.
Turn.
Swing.
The blade moved more naturally.
His body followed the motion better.
But something was still missing.
That feeling.
The strange familiarity he'd always felt whenever Requiem was in his hands.
With Requiem, he never had to think about where the blade would go.
He simply knew.
Merlin stopped.
Sera noticed.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"You're hesitating."
Merlin looked at her.
"I just thought I could do better."
"You can."
Sera took the scythe from him.
She held it for a moment before handing it back.
"Knowing how to swing doesn't mean you can."
Merlin stared at her.
She continued.
"Your strength, balance, and reflexes all matter. If one of them can't keep up, you'll feel it."
"And most of all, you have to strike with intent. If you imagine the dummy still standing, then it'll surely stand after you strike."
Merlin lowered his gaze.
That made sense.
But it wasn't the whole problem.
He could feel it.
Requiem had been different.
It was a strange thought, but to him, this weapon was just a weapon.
He shook the thought away.
"Again," Sera said.
Merlin raised the scythe.
This time, he didn't try to imitate what he'd done in the simulation.
He simply moved.
He imagined destroying the dummy in front of him.
The blade swept through the air.
Then again.
And again.
His movements gradually became smoother.
Not perfect.
But better.
He struck it. It didn't destroy it, but it spun rapidly around its axis.
Sera smiled.
"Told you so."
Merlin shrugged.
He swung the scythe again.
This time, the blade struck the dummy hard enough to crack the wood. It spun round violently.
He stopped.
He stared at the damaged dummy.
Not bad.
Merlin smiled faintly.
Then his arms began to ache, and the more they did, the more he felt the thorns intensifying. In about two seconds, his arms felt alright, save for the crippling pain he still felt.
He frowned.
He'd have to deal with this every time he fights.
What a pain.
He had forgotten how different this was from the simulation.
Back then, he had been stronger.
Faster.
More capable.
Whatever he had experienced there, his body hadn't come back with him.
Sera looked toward the others.
"That's enough for today."
Tony immediately dropped his arms.
"Finally."
Sera ignored him.
"We leave tomorrow."
The room went quiet.
Merlin looked up.
Tomorrow.
He felt a bit anxious. The last time he'd been outside was when he came from Xiberia.
Xiberia.
The thought came to his mind.
He'd run away from the things he hated, but lost the only thing he actually wanted.
Was it all worth it? He asked himself.
Soon he'd be outside the walls again, but he wasn't going back to what he left, at least not yet.
"I'll go arrange the rest of the supplies," Sera said. "Food, equipment, documents, and anything else we'll need."
She stopped at the doorway.
"Get some rest. Once we leave, you won't have the luxury of wasting energy."
She walked out.
The door closed behind her.
For a few seconds, nobody said anything.
Merlin looked down at the scythe in his hands.
If not tomorrow, then when?
Merlin clenched his teeth.
He knew this feeling.
It was the same way he'd been lying to himself in the forest.