The chaos weapon glowed red as it sensed the great power within this man. Merlin stood on the table, his eyes filled with more sorrow than anger.
"I asked you a question, Perseus. What are you doing here?" Merlin asked.
The man he was talking to seemed unfazed by the sword pointing to his neck, as if he knew Merlin would never kill him.
"I’m the headmaster here. I don’t know what you are doing here," Perseus said.
Merlin didn’t believe anything Percy said. All he saw was a man who worked for the gods.
"I’m not in the mood to deal with you or the gods. Remember what will happen if they try to attack me or my friends. The universe does not take lightly to those who break a binding contract," Merlin said.
Perseus let out a little chuckle. "That contract does not apply to me. It only cursed those who carry the blood of gods, and I never took their blood," Perseus said.
Merlin was shocked by this revelation. He lowered his sword and asked, "What do you mean you never took their blood? The gods don’t trust any mortal enough to not subdue them using their blood. So how were you not given their blood when you are one of the 10 great kings?" Merlin asked, curious to know what deal he could have made with the gods.
Perseus stood up. He looked at Dante and Alexander, who were just as curious about him as he was about them. "So this is the kid the gods wanted to destroy? The one marked by Lucifer?" he said as he looked down on Dante.
"You still haven’t answered my question, idiot, so why should I answer yours?" Merlin said, sounding more like a child throwing a tantrum.
Sigh. "Okay, I didn’t drink their blood because it wouldn’t have worked on me, as I carry the blood of the first men," Perseus answered.
"Thank you for answering. And yes, Dante is the one that bastard marked, and he doesn’t call himself Lucifer now, he goes by Heylel," Merlin answered. "But what are you doing at this school? Aren’t you supposed to be a king?"
Dante and Alexander just stood there, confused by what was happening. They had never seen Merlin casually chatting with someone like this.
"I always had a passion for teaching, so I became a teacher here before they promoted me to headmaster, and we haven’t seen each other in a long time, Merlin. And life doesn’t stop when you stop visiting," Perseus answered. "I have a son now, and he is the one that rules over my kingdom."
Merlin’s head dropped. He felt shame and sadness as he looked at the man he once called brother.
"I’m sorry I never reached out to you after Ademus died," Merlin said, as tears filled his eyes. "But I couldn’t bear watching you work for the gods. Why do you still work for them, Percy?"
"Just like you chose to save the world and let Ademus die by the hands of the gods and the Anunnaki, I chose to save my people, my family," Perseus said with anger.
Merlin didn’t have anything to say. He just stared at the floor, thinking about his failures. "I’m sorry I failed you guys, I’m sorry I failed Ademus, and I’m sorry I failed the world," Merlin said.
Perseus smiled at Merlin for his genuine apology. He placed his hand on his shoulder and said, "I know Ademus chose to sacrifice himself for this world. I’m sorry for blaming you for his death, and I’m sorry that the world made you feel guilty for saving them."
Those were the words Merlin had waited hundreds of years to hear. The blame he had placed on himself ate away any happiness, connection, and will to live. But those words said by Perseus gave him hope, and tears poured.
The darkness that followed Merlin seemed to slowly fad away. He had met two kids that looked up to him like an older brother and a woman he truly loved.
The two of them continued catching up on lost time. They told Alexander and Dante the stories of their adventures, and how they liberated countless kingdoms throughout the world.
A BATTLE OF HEROES
"So what did you come here for?" Perseus asked.
The conversation had drawn out so long that they had forgotten the reason they came to the school. "Oh. I came here to enroll Alexander and Dante into this school," Merlin said, with an awkward smile. "Apparently it’s illegal for kids to not attend school in this kingdom."
Sigh. "Yes, it’s illegal, dumbass. Every child in this kingdom is given the chance to attend school," Perseus said.
Merlin’s expression changed. "Apparently not all kids. So the young girls I rescued from slavery aren’t considered children in this kingdom?" Merlin asked, visible rage could be seen in his eyes. Perseus paused for a moment, feeling ashamed to even answer Merlin’s question.
"The gods...the gods allow certain nobles to have slaves. They say the nobles are the ones that push the common people to keep believing in the gods and pray to them," Perseus said. "So they are given more power over normal mortals."
The cracking of Merlin’s knuckles was heard by everyone in the room as he clenched his fist. His rage was futile as he couldn’t even fight the gods because of the deal he made with the Anunnaki, but he knew someday a child would come that will put the gods and the Anunnaki in their place.
"I hope the world rejoices the day the gods finally fall. I hope the people who will bring them down are as cruel to them as they are to mortals," Merlin said, as he laughed like a maniac.
"When that happens, the world will cease to exist, you know," Perseus said to his friend.
"I believe in the prophecy of the child of the end, and I believe he will carry us in his ark when that happens," Merlin said, but Perseus just placed his hand on his face.
He couldn’t believe his friend still hadn’t changed. "You still haven’t changed, huh? You still have that childhood wonder," Perseus said with a laugh. "Come on, Alexander, Dante. I have to show you the classes you will be attending," he said as he walked through the door.
Everything about this school looked majestic. The classrooms were all uniquely designed, and each class had kids of different ages.
"This is the junior alchemist class, where kids the age of Dante go," Perseus said as they stood at the door of the class. All the kids stood up to look at the strangers with glowing eyes. "Let’s move on to the advanced classes."
They continued their tour of the school. From the alchemy labs to the library with thousands of books, each class had its unique structures.
They finally stopped at a room with an arena inside, and students were dueling each other using magic and swords.
"Let’s go a few rounds, Merlin, or have you become rusty?" Perseus said as he tried baiting Merlin into fighting him.
"Alright, kid. I will fight you. Alexander, Dante, watch as I take down a king," Merlin said as he summoned his staff.