"...Gahaaak!"
Lancelot slumped forward, coughing blood in violent spasms.
The arena exploded in chaos—shouts, screams, the crash of steel as guards and Archmagi were shocked.
"Grimhild!!" Elizabeth's cry cut through the noise as she vaulted the railing, only for Kyto to catch her wrist mid-motion.
"Wait!" He yelled, dragging her back.
His eyes blazed with fury as his voice trembled.
"If you jump in there now, you'll die before you reach her!"
"Let me go, Kyto! This is Grimhild! She needs our help!"
"You idiot! If someone is strong enough to do that to Grimhild… then what makes you think it won't happen to us!?"
The truth was worse than any of them could have imagined.
Grimhild stood still with her staff trembling in her hand, and the blood from her lips dripping down her chin.
Even the Witch of Destruction couldn't have predicted this outcome.
Agnes leaned closer with a voice that was honeyed poison.
"Did you really think you'd get to reclaim Velgrathis… without me finding out, sister? The moment Merlin planted my spell on you, I saw everything. All of your plans are exposed. And now, I'll crush that Yorgana System of yours and banish you to the Oneireic!"
Grimhild's lips curled back into a bloody grin despite the weapon in her chest.
"…Even if I fall here, there are many who can take my place… and stop you, Agnes…"
Merlin laughed—her laughter carried above the screams of the crowd.
She yanked the chaos-forged blade free from Lancelot's neck, watching as the once-great king fell flat on his face
The sound was deafening to many who watched from above.
"You should thank us, Grimhild." Merlin sneered, pointing her sword toward the witch. "We're simply finishing what was started long ago, during the Mystical Age!"
"Monster!" Estrilda roared from the stands as her voice boomed over the crowd.
She slammed her fists into the railing as if she would tear the whole arena apart to get down there.
Jean's teeth were gritting as he stood up next to Fhiron who did the same
"I'm not gonna wait, I'm going in!"
"I'm right behind you lad." Proclaimed Fhiron.
Grimhild staggered as the bloodied Arondight still protruded through her body.
Agnes merely stood behind her, grinning.
"I've planned your downfall from the very start, master. I've watched the Yorgana System, and discovered its weakness, and so I engraved Arondight with a piece of Excalibur, allowing it to cause actual harm to your body." Merlin stepped over Lancelot, approaching Grimhild in a menacing stride. "Excalibur is the only weapon capable of breaching the Yorgana System by damaging your nucleus… but that's not what shut it down."
Grimhild looked up at Merlin, her grin vanishing.
"I've created a spell—a powerful one—I've worked on it for many years, planning your downfall."
"…"
Grimhild remained silent.
"Ever since that day, when you cast me out, I've been planning my revenge! Don't you remember, master? When you threw me out like trash?!"
Grimhild furrowed her brows, blood still pouring down her lips.
+
[10 YEARS AGO]
A small child with short blue hair, purple eyes, and wearing a long mage robe, ran through the forest, escaping from a pack of Hexbeasts.
"S-Someone help me!"
The small child suddenly tripped over a branch, falling face-first into the ground.
"Unff!"
She buried her face in mud, now crawling forward with all her strength, but the sound of vicious snarls came closer, causing her to scream louder.
"Helpppp!"
Unable to see through the mud in her eyes, she suddenly crawled into something… or rather… someone.
"Emil Dronta Hades." A deep, feminine voice cast a spell as black flames launched from her magic circle, incinerating the pursuing Hexbeasts.
They all met their end, leaving the small child trembling in both fear and confusion.
She lifted her head, wiping the mud from her eyes to meet face to face with a white-haired witch, carrying a staff.
"Go home child. It's dangerous to wander a forest alone." Muttered Grimhild, turning away to leave her.
"Huh? W-Wait! Wait a second, missus!" The blue-haired child stood up, stumbling to the witch. "M-My village, it was destroyed! My mama… and papa… are gone!" Tears started welling in her eyes as she chased after them.
The white-haired witch stopped in her tracks, turning around to face the young girl.
"What is your name?" She asked.
The crying child lowered her head.
"M-Merlin…"
"Merlin?" The witch repeated with a flat voice, but her red eyes studied the trembling child with an unreadable expression. "My name is Grimhild Yorgana."
The girl's tears streaked through the mud on her face.
"P-Please…! I don't have anywhere to go! I was running through the forest for days… escaping the bad men who killed mama and papa! But you protected me!"
Grimhild's gaze lingered for a long, silent moment, then she turned away with her dark cape dragging across the ground.
"I am no protector."
Merlin stumbled forward, grabbing at her cloak desperately.
"P-Please take me in! You saved my life. I'll do anything! I don't want to be alone, I wanna be somewhere safe, I'm scared… really really scared!"
Something was shown in Grimhild's expression; regret, perhaps, or pity. But she did not shake the girl away.
"…Very well." She sighed, lowering her staff until its tip hovered just above Merlin's chest. "But only for a short while."
Grimhild's voice was cold, yet to Merlin's small ears it was salvation itself.
The girl wiped her tears with her mud-streaked sleeves and nodded desperately.
"…Th-Thank you, missus!"
"Don't thank me." Grimhild muttered, turning once more and striding through the trees. "Follow, if you can."
Merlin stumbled after her, tripping over roots and clutching her robe.
The Hexbeasts' howls had long faded into silence, but the forest was still watching, as though its very shadows were alive.
After what felt like hours, they emerged into a small clearing where a cabin was shown.
Moss climbed its walls, and many animals lingered around it; including hobbits and gnomes.
"This is…" Merlin whispered, wide-eyed.
"My dwelling." Grimhild said flatly, pushing the door open with her hand.
The hinges groaned, revealing the interior: bookshelves, dried herbs dangling from beams, a desk littered with parchment, and a single narrow bed pushed against the far wall with an oven and stove on the far left.
Merlin stepped inside timidly as her small feet dragged across a rug.
"You will sleep on the floor." Grimhild set her staff in a corner. "And do not touch anything without my say so. I don't invite anyone into my abode, and you're the first."
Merlin nodded rapidly, clutching her hands to her chest.
"I-I won't! I promise!"
For a while, silence was imminent.
Grimhild lit a lantern as its flame cast her pale face in tired relief before she sat in a rocking chair, picking up a book to read.
Merlin watched the witch as her childlike fear slowly gave way to awe.
"…You're really strong, aren't you? You didn't even flinch when those monsters attacked. You… you weren't afraid at all!"
Grimhild paused as her ruby eyes narrowed.
"It was simple magic, nothing more."
Merlin tilted her head, still trembling.
"T-Then… will you teach me that magic?"
The witch's gaze lingered on her before she returned to her work.
"Sleep, I'll decide tomorrow."
Merlin widened her eyes.
"R-Really?!"
"I suppose." Said the witch.
"O-Okay! I'll make sure to get plenty of sleep then!"
And so, an hour had passed.
Merlin's small body was curled up on the woven rug of the floor with her robes still damp from mud and forest rain.
She clutched a folded cloak Grimhild had tossed at her earlier, hugging it like a lifeline.
She was already fast asleep.
Grimhild sat silently in her rocking chair with the lantern light flickering across her pale face.
She turned the page of her book, but her eyes never truly read the words. Instead, they turned toward the child lying on her floor.
The girl's breathing was shallow and uneven, evidently haunted in her sleep.
Mud still streaked across her cheek, and her small hands twitched as if she were still running, even in her dreams.
"…Foolish girl." Grimhild's voice was quiet, almost a whisper to herself. "How did you even end up in the Midland Forest anyway?"
But when Merlin whimpered, muttering incoherently in her sleep, Grimhild took action.
With a sigh heavy as winter, she set her book aside and stood.
Slowly, and carefully, she bent down, slipping her hands beneath the girl's fragile shoulders.
The child groaned, but did not wake as Grimhild lifted her.
Her body was feather-light, almost shockingly so.
Grimhild carried her to the bed and laid her down.
For a long moment, she stood still, staring at the child's face softened by sleep.
"Do not mistake this for kindness." Grimhild whispered in the quiet room. "I am no mother. I am no guardian. You will walk away when you are strong enough, and I will remain here protecting this forest."
Even with her words, she pulled the thin blanket over Merlin's small frame.
Merlin curled into the warmth, sighing in her sleep, and for the first time that night, her trembling stopped.
Grimhild stood there in silence with her stoic look—but her fingers remained on the edge of the blanket just a moment too long before she finally turned away.
"Ridiculous…"