[7 YEARS LATER]
The Midland Forest was alive with countless beasts that Grimhild protected from poachers and Vrunemir's men.
Unicorns and deer ran across the clearing where two figures stood.
One was Grimhild, unchanged by the years with her pale white hair falling like winter snow, and her staff steady as a monument.
The other was Merlin; no longer a trembling child, but a young woman grown tall and sharp-eyed, her once-clumsy body hardened by years of discipline.
Her long blue hair spilled down her back, tied loosely into a ponytail.
"Again." Grimhild's voice cut through the air like steel.
Merlin grit her teeth, sweat dripping down her brow as a magic circle in front of her manifested. She raised her hand, incanting with force.
"Emil Dronta Hades!"
Black fire erupted from her magic circle as the wave of deathly flame surged forward until the spell shattered, dissipating into harmless smoke.
Grimhild was the cause of this, nullifying her magic.
Merlin stumbled forward, panting heavily.
"T-That was perfect! You didn't even give me time to stabilize it!"
"Because an enemy won't either." Grimhild said coldly. "Do you think your enemies would wait while you gather your focus? Do you think Hexbeasts will politely stand still while you steady your breath? You cast slow, and you die. Again."
Merlin lowered her head before glaring at her master.
"I've been at this since dawn! Don't you think I've improved at all?! Every day it's the same! 'Again, again, again!' Am I just your puppet to burn out in training?"
Grimhild's red eyes narrowed.
"You still speak of your pain like a child. A true mage does not seek praise for what is expected. Your progress is nothing more than survival. Again."
Merlin's lips trembled, fury and shame boiling in her chest.
"...One day, I'll surpass you!"
Her words hung in the air.
Grimhild said nothing for a long moment, then turned slightly, her expression unreadable as always.
"You may try. But until then, you will do as I command. Cast again."
Merlin bit her lip until it bled.
Her hands trembled as she lifted it once more, but her eyes hardened, no longer those of a weeping child.
"...Fronyir!"
A small sun ignited in front of her, launching forward until it evaporated.
It was perfectly controlled by years of training.
Grimhild nodded.
"Good, keep that up. If you can't master basic magic down to its fundamentals, you'll never be able to learn Destruction Magic."
Merlin closed her eyes.
"You told me that it would take even the highest-ranking mages thousands of years to learn a single spell from your Destruction Magic. Am I really capable of learning such a thing in these last seven years?"
"It seems you don't understand, Merlin." Grimhild gazed at her, stoic as ever. "You're special; by far the greatest mage I've come across in all my years of living. You have the potential to even become stronger than me in terms of magic casting."
Merlin lowered her hand.
"Are you saying this out of pity, Master Grimhild?"
"I never lie to you, Merlin, you should know that by now. I've told you my history, and the person I used to be. What I say is the truth."
Merlin's skeptical expression soon contorted into a grin as she lowered her head into a smile.
"Thank you, Master. That means a lot coming from you."
Grimhild nodded her head as a small smirk tugged at her lips.
"When the time comes, I'll teach you my Destruction Magic, and not the sealed version of it."
Merlin nodded her head, smiling.
"I'll be waiting until then!"
[5 MONTHS LATER]
Some time has passed, and Grimhild's words motivated Merlin more than ever. She strived to be on the level of the Witch of Destruction, dedicating her life to training and learning the infamous Destruction Magic.
She did everything in her power to master all categories of magic. Water, Fire, Air, Earth, Lightning, and the countless others created by magicians across the years of Yggdrasil.
But now, it was time.
Now, Merlin has stepped into the domain of the Primordials and could wield their power.
She was ready to learn.
Merlin stood in the center of the clearing with her chest rising and falling as she tried to calm her racing heart.
Her frame was lean and strong, and her eyes were sharp with determination.
Grimhild stood before her, staff planted in the soil like a pillar of judgment.
"It is time." Grimhild's voice carried the weight of inevitability.
Merlin's fingers curled into a fist.
"You mean... Destruction Magic?"
Grimhild nodded.
"You have mastered the fundamentals. Your control is sharp enough to prevent your own death. Barely."
Merlin laughed nervously, though it quickly died under Grimhild's stare.
"Do not mistake this for permission to grow arrogant." The witch continued. "Destruction Magic is not an element, nor a tool. It is an absolute force beyond this world. It erases not merely matter, but the concept of matter. If you falter for even an instant, you will be unmade."
Merlin widened her eyes as anxiety was evident.
"For your sealed variant of Destruction Magic, I'm assuming Emil Dronta Hades is a spell derived from it?"
Grimhild closed her eyes, nodding.
"Destruction Magic is the power of the End of all things, sealed in the form of magic. Its sealed power was later researched by mortals and incorporated into their magic system, becoming a form of common magic that is used by mages of this current era. I was the one who introduced it to them."
"W-Wait, you were the one who showed mortals how to use Destruction Magic? Why?" Asked Merlin, baffled.
Grimhild opened her eyes, staring at Merlin. "It was the only magic capable of destroying the Great Old Ones." She said, as if she regretted the past. "During the Mystical and Legendary Age, Agnes was responsible for manifesting the Great Old Ones; beings created by the mating of Other Gods and Voidbounds; which are chaotic entities derived from Agnes herself. This created the Great Old Ones—and now they're a common species among Yggdrasil, hidden in plain sight. They're parasitic, and act as a hive mind." Grimhild averted her gaze. "I couldn't let humanity live with the creations of the past, so I decided to help them."
Merlin couldn't talk at first, she was too shocked to even speak.
"I-Is that really why? The Great Old Ones…?" She lowered her head in thought. "Without it, mortalkind would've likely been wiped off of Yggdrasil."
"Mm." Grimhild nodded. "King Arthur would've been the only man capable of saving them. But he's done enough. It's time we try to save the world instead, and not put such a responsibility in the hands of one man."
Merlin nodded hesitantly.
"I understand."
Grimhild turned to face her again.
"Now. Let me describe the basics of my Destruction Magic." Grimhild lifted her hand, manifesting a magic circle in front of her.
In the center was the symbol of black and purple flames; a representation of Destruction.
"The End of all things, or in other words, Destruction—has no true form—it is a complete nothingness with the lack of all things. However, with the usage of the collective unconscious, I gave it form. The collective imagines the concept of destruction as fire, therefore, my Destruction represents fire. That's why it manifests this way. If they thought of Destruction as water or lightning, then it would manifest those ways as well. It's all based on a collective view."
Merlin crossed her arms, staring at her master deep in thought.
"I see. But why purple and black?" She asked.
"Because I choose it to be that way."
"Eh?" Merlin widened her eyes.
"Aesthetic purposes."
"Seriously?!"
"But that's besides the point. You understand its basics, correct?"
Merlin nodded her head.
"Y-Yes."
"Good." Dark and purple flames slowly protruded from the magic circle. "Then allow me to explain its limitations. I placed three seals on this powerful magic. In its sealed state, it is capable of annihilating all things in the physical world, which includes matter, and physical laws that govern the Nie'mada."
Merlin narrowed her eyes.
"I see."
"If you were to break its first seal, Destruction Magic would have the power to destroy abstract forces. Take for instance, Spirits from the Spirit World, or beings from the Collective Unconscious."
Merlin nodded her head.
"It's like a hierarchy of power for certain situations. I should've expected this from you, Master."
Grimhild slightly nodded.
"Correct. These seals were placed on this magic to deal with certain threats. When the second seal is broken, one would have the power to destroy entire realities, including Prime Spheres and even the laws of the Elohim."
Merlin nearly jumped out of her skin from such a drastic claim.
"The final seal is dangerous. It's barely magic at that point, and acts as the actual manifestation of the End of all things. It will not be taught to you." Grimhild closed her eyes. "You will only learn the first seal of Destruction Magic. And that's that."
Merlin nodded her head, visibly worried, but excited nonetheless.
"I'm ready, Master!"
"Very well."