[ Viviane's Domain ]
As the fog drifts through her feet, Nimue stands by her lake, flipping a page from the projected Book of Isis that remained after her guests left. She isn't sure why it didn't disappear with them, but she is grateful she can do something other than wait for their return or defend against shadowy corruptions.
If they didn't want her to read it, well... too bad. Supposedly, there is another book, but she hasn't been able to find it among the fog. Normally, that would be expected.
'Is this intentional, Merlin? I don't remember us ever being able to keep materials in our domains for long.'
If only he were here, manifested in some form to give her answers.
And to slap him, of course.
Her hands grip tightly against the book cover, and she snorts with a wry smile. Because her current memory stops at when she and Viviane last bonded, she naturally longs for the ever-busy wizard she once knew.
'How did I ever fall in love with that asshole?' She huffs to herself. Striking the great Merlin should be a grace after all he's hid from her and manipulated, but would a more recent version of herself feel the same?
Would she even exist in the same way?
Once again, Nimue swallows down her sense of existential dread and shame, trying to cling onto hope instead. Despite Merlin's prediction of being cut down by her—which is supported by her child's account—there's clearly more to the event. From the notes, it sounds like she was forced to strike down her lover.
Or, could it be her daughter is in denial about what she saw?
Whatever the case may be, something clearly changed, if not her. Maybe it can't be simplified to losing herself or "turning evil", but the fact that a whole kingdom disappeared from public memory shows there's a threat.
Except, not everyone disappeared.
'Bedivere' Nimue repeats, glancing over her child's notes again. 'I've never talked with him personally, but according to this, he was the only knight of the court that was on a diplomatic mission to Armorica. Whatever Merlin performed while I struck him, it seemed to have been limited to those in Brittania. This knight was farther out than anyone.'
Still, the wipe was enough to drag the kingdom's existence into mythology. As far as Viviane's travels go, hunting cultists of Isis while seeking answers or blame, Bedivere was the last piece of her home she found.
"Strange."
Breathing out into the dense air, she continues reviewing Merlin's notes and ritual designs, trying to understand his intent. Unfortunately, she is not as proficient with fire as he is, despite being its granter.
If not Merlin, surely there's someone else who has already studied it better?
Brr..
When everything is so eerily still, the ground rumbling ever so slightly is enough to shake Nimue out of her thoughts. While the bellow lasts only a second, her body instinctively shifts, closing the book in her left hand while liquid metal shoots out from her right palm, solidifying into a blade to hold.
Sword ready, she scans her surroundings, checking for any changes or danger—usually both. However, there isn't any screech or shadow suspect that she's familiar with. After a gentle breeze runs through her dark hair, a rare feature in this suffocating gray, her gaze locks to the potential source.
A darker-than-usual patch lies in the distance.
Nimue narrows her eyes, pulling away from her waters to see what has settled itself into the area. Luckily, she doesn't have to move far as the patch stretches out and darkens fairly quickly within a hundred steps.
She keeps a tight hold on her sword in case anything comes that is less than friendly, but her mistaken assault on her daughter and connections reminded her to be more open rather than to assume the worst. So far, nothing rushes at her, but she starts to see a pattern among the growing area.
Soon, her face drops as she makes out stone bricks. The white misty air clings to the edges of what appears to be a cylindrical building with a single, large, double wooden door. As far as she knows, it's not a building she remembers, and it definitely didn't exist until now.
"Child, you have a lot to explain for when you visit," she mutters, assuming this event was triggered by Viviane somehow.
Whatever the case may be, Nimue steadies her blade, her gown fluttering as she takes firm steps toward the entrance. Touching its wooden grain, it easily opens inward without much force, revealing a chamber. Pillars line along the edges with torches lit between. Her attention eventually settles on a man standing next to an unlit marble pit at the center.
Layered with colors she has never seen, she takes in his long brown hair and blue eyes as he stares at the pit, his expression empty. If she had to guess, her new guest is some sort of nobleman.
Nimue shuffles inside, enough for the man to flicker to life, widening as if he had just woken from a dream. Turning toward the entrance, he meets her stare, and notices the previous infinite hallway has been replaced with a dense fog.
"Mio dio," he whispers within his breath.
Knitting her brows, Nimue lifts her sword more, her voice equally sharp. "Who are you?"
The man checks his hand first, finding that he's no longer shrouded by the violet flame. Many questions race through his mind, but he composes himself, facing the guarded lady.
It would seem his fate continues, long after death.
With that in mind, he closes his eyes and bows. "Salve, I am Leonardo. Could the place outside be what remains of Viviane, mia signora?"
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[ Mary's Studio ]
For Viviane, the amount of new information swirling in her may as well be the raging seas under a storm.
Lightning strikes. "Stay the starboard! We're almost there!"
Wise men scoff. "He wants my head? What an idiot. A king who cannot take criticism is not a king that will grow his kingdom nor himself."
A father supports. "We tread a fine line, my son, being responsible for a source of unimaginable truth. Don't ever lose sight of what we must protect."
An uncle is teased. "Mary, did you just draw swirls on my head? ...You brat, I'm sending you back home!"
And...
"My lady... Do you have to do this? You don't owe the world anything, you don't owe your mother anything, and you certainly don't owe Merlin. What you would do is to simply extend yourself to a new time, but putting yourself through more suffering, possibly to see it end."
A friend.
'Bedivere.'
Viviane's eyes snap-open as her past self is heard whispering his name.
At the same time, Marlin's shoulders tense as he feels tingles on his head. Before he can question or panic, the two remnants' hands peel away, not even a full second after Anne had joined. From the abrupt removal, his mouth hangs slightly as all the tension drops. It's as if he's been thrown into cold water.
Tiny bridges of blue slime thin away from the confused uncle as Anne and Viviane step back with a silent breath. Reflecting their whiplash, Rachel shoots up from her chair, rushing to the slimes side.
"Goodness, that was fast! Are you two okay?" she asks, eyes glazing with concern.
Anne blinks a few times, regaining her footing before turning to her friend. She forces a smile. "I... I think so?" Then, she glances to her sister. "Viviane?"
The elder slime doesn't answer, her focus swimming around.
When the domain collapsed as she retook the millennium-old flame, the holders of the book, including Marlin, crashed over her with their histories like a dam breaking. With it, she finally obtained Marlin's memories, and can now relate to his research, technical knowledge, and personal life.
However, those pieces pale in comparison to the past holders. Beyond each person's words that she had to listen to, snippets of their lives flashed in her mind, painting an incomplete picture of their time.
One stands above the rest, filling her own canvas.
'Bedivere...' Viviane repeats the knight's name.
She can finally place a face to the first outline she saw within the violet fire, but not of his prime. With growing white on his receding hair, creases by his temples, she can vividly recall his plea to reconsider her self-exile.
Her response?
"Be that it may, my dear knight, I owe it to myself because change is inevitable. If there's a chance to make the world better, I'll gladly take that, predictions be damned."
Viviane snorts. 'That was a lie. If I stayed, I might have tried to extend him selfishly just as Nimue did to me.'
In the end, he had limited time, and she had far more. With no answers to their kingdom's disappearance, she couldn't bear to see the last reminder to pass on before her.
"Viviane!" Anne calls again, breaking her fellow slime's thoughts. "Please, answer! We don't have much time. We need to catch up with our so—I mean, Daniel and Mary!"
The elder slime flinches before facing her sister, smiling weakly. "Sorry, I'm fine. There's just... a lot for me."
Anne raises her brows. "Well, you did absorb a magical fire. Still, I only have Marlin's memories?"
"Really? We'll have to discuss that later."
Before checking on bald man, she glances at the books on the table briefly. Oddly, she doesn't recall anything from Leonardo, but he was presented differently from the others. At the very least, she does have some knowledge from Frederick. Having the founder might prove useful with a member at their doorstep.
Knowing that, she claps a hand on Marlin's shoulder, breaking him from his own daze. "Marlin, are you okay?"
The uncle blinks, exhaling slowly as he comes out of his daze. Being able to turn his neck is a huge relief as he jerks up to meet her. "Viviane, finally! Nico has..."
The elder slime holds up a hand. "I know, and I'm sorry for taking so long."
Although she wants to blame Marlin for trapping her, his past proved he never once visited the mental plane nor was aware of the Book of Isis' special inheritance.
For now, it's enough that Marlin is responsive, so she turns back to her sister. "Anne, go ahead and take him and Rachel out the back, just to be safe."
The slime mother balks. "Wait, what are you planning? I'm not going to leave the others behind with another cultist!"
Beep Beep!
By now, Mary has opened the lobby entrance slightly amid Daniel's hushed protests. Hearing the standard chime by the security module, Viviane dashes away, partially melting to the floor. "Just trust me on this! Hurry before he might see you all!"
"But... ugh, damn it!"
Clenching her fist as her fellow slime slips away in her view, Anne switches to Rachel and Marlin by her side. The latter hastily pushes out his chair as he moves to follow.
"Wait, I'll—"
Anne snaps her hand to his shoulder, pulling him back. "No you don't! I don't like this either, but we have to trust her. If I had to guess, she's probably going to impersonate you."
"I'm... impersonate me? How the hell would that..."
"Listen!" Anne cuts. "Neither of us would let any harm come to Daniel and Mary, but if... if the worst does come, Viviane is better suited to..."
She doesn't finish, but the implications are clear, weighing down the lounge.
In the moment of silence, Rachel inhales shakily, then forces herself to straighten. Staring at Marlin, the thins her lips. If there's anything good about this man outside his questionable life choices, and her own, it's that his love for his niece is no different from her love for Daniel.
For that reason...
"Let's trust them, Marlin. We'd only get in their way otherwise."
Marlin's brows tenses before shutting his eyes. "Fuck... Fuck!"
By the second curse, there's no more delay. They follow the slime mother out of the lounge, taking the books with them in their swift steps. While unable to look back at hallway as the rear exit door expands in their view, their hearts pound while their Italian visitor would soon step through on his own.
Anne's eyes narrow, her gelatinous body squeezed. 'Daniel...'