"I'm Voira Opuselle. It is an honor meet you, Master Merlin."
Merlin's breath hitched as her gentle and smooth voice reached his ears. The bluish pale silver of the moon spilled across his workshop, illuminating the marble figure that now breathed in front of him.
She had not moved from her place on the pedestal. Her silver-white hair shimmered faintly in the light. Her deep, and impossibly alive golden eyes met his with a calmness that only unsettled him further.
Voira.
The name had slipped from her lips the moment she awoke, as though she had heard him bestow upon her that name. Merlin had barely took a proper breath, his mind tangled in wonder, and the strange warmth that had taken root in his chest as he looked at her.
Voira stirred as she stepped down from the pedestal, her golden spear gleamed under the light of the moon.
"Hmm.." She let out a quiet hum as she looked around Merlin's room with curiosity.
Still staring at her with widened eyes, Merlin activated [Guide]. Blue lines once again shimmered into existence, but this time they weren't 'guiding' him towards anything.
Merlin focused his gaze towards Voira, hoping that it would give him some sort of clue or sign that might help explain the situation. The wiggling blue line in his vision didn't help much.
Immediately, blue lines emerged from his body, reaching out towards Voira. But even more surprising was the white lines that flickered into sight, emanating from Voira's body.
Blue and white strands of light filled Merlin's vision, almost blinding him with their radiance. As if alive, the lines inched closer to each other, trying to connect.
Only a few moments later, the lines touched. Blue and white converged, forming a tether between him and Voira.
Merlin felt it, a thud deep in his chest, like a heartbeat that wasn't his own. The tether pulsed softly, each beat resonating with light.
His knees weakened for a moment, and he steadied himself on the workbench. The sensation was unlike anything he had felt before, it touched his soul.
Her golden eyes stopped exploring his room and focused to the glowing strand between them. "Ah…" A faint gasp escaped her lips.
"Uh Voira..?" Merlin called out with hesitation.
Voira's eyes immediately locked on to his. "Yes, Master Merlin?"
Her quick response caught him off guard but he recovered quickly. "I don't know if this is rude to ask, but.. what are you?"
"Actually, nevermind that. Explain everything to me."
She tilted her head, moonlight glancing off the smooth curve of her cheek. "You called to me. I answered. Now, we are connected. Master and creation. Sculptor.. and sculpture."
The words sank into him like stone in water. Sculpture. He had carved her from the cold, lifeless marble, but now she stood before him, warm and alive.
A thousand questions burned on his tongue, but only one found its way past his lips.
"Is that all you know?" Merlin inquired.
Voira took a step forward, the golden spear in her grasp shimmering faintly. She did not brandish it, nor hold it as a weapon, but carried it like an extension of herself.
"Yes master." Voira said softly, sensing the deep curiosity within his eyes. For some reason, she felt a sting from within when she thought of how she didn't have most of the answers Merlin wanted.
Her existence in this world was just as unexpected for her as it was for Merlin.
For Voira, everything was dark and quiet, until she felt something pull her.
Slowly, information flooded into her comprehension, as her body started to form from the nothingness.
The information she received consisted of only a few things: basic speech, knowledge of magic, spear mastery, her name, and what innately felt the most important to her, Merlin.
Then came her first physical sensation in this world, a cold, lifeless solid shell was encased around her form.
The shell started to rapidly fade away into particles, and she could finally move.
The darkness that was once the only thing she knew was immediately swept away by the moonlight as she opened her eyes for the first time.
All around her were unfamiliar objects, in an even more unfamiliar room. Everything could be considered a subject of her curiosity.
However, the only thing that caught her attention, the only one that felt familiar, was the man in front of her.
His back was turned to her, as he walked towards the rather large and soft looking object.
Voira's own existence screamed at her to call out. And call she did.
"Master Merlin...?" She granted the world the grace of hearing her speak her first words.
And now she was here, eyes locked onto Merlin's.
Merlin slicked his hair back. His breath came uneven. This situation was far beyond him. He doubted that even Edward and Dahlia could give him satisfactory answers.
Slowly, the glow faded until the strands of blue and white became faint wisps, like smoke curling into the air before vanishing. Only the weight of what had just happened remained.
Voira's indifference to the situation, like she didn't have anything to do with it at all, only made Merlin sigh in resignation.
Merlin rubbed at his temple, his mind racing through possibilities. A statue come to life. His magic reacting with her. The Garden of Magic would demand to study her. Edward and Dahlia would support him but the rest of the Cyanal Family would press him for answers. And he didn't have any. Not yet.
He glanced at Voira again. She was still taking in the room, head tilted slightly, eyes following the shelves of roughly-finished clay and stone sculptures and scattered tools. Her calmness only sharpened the storm of thoughts in his head.
"Master?" Her voice broke his silence. Noticing. "You look… troubled."
He drew a breath, forcing steadiness into his tone. "It's nothing. Just… this is a lot to take in."
Much like most of the things that happened on this day, Merlin didn't know why he was comforting her with his words, but the way she looked at him, the innocence and curiosity in those eyes, gravitated him towards her.
She was perfect, his magnum opus.
Her golden eyes returned to him, unwavering. She didn't seem bewildered, only curious.
Merlin crossed the room to close the curtains, dimming the moonlight. If anyone walked by, the last thing he needed was someone seeing a figure move inside that was not him.
When he turned back, his decision had already settled. "For now… no one else can know about you. Not until I understand why this happened and how I'm going to explain this."
"Why hide me?" her voice was soft, carrying a melodic cadence.
"Because…" Merlin swallowed. How could he explain it? He barely understood it himself. "They wouldn't understand. I don't even understand."
"And.." He trailed off. His heart pulsed, a desire from within that he knew [Guide] was not responsible for.
For a moment, Voira said nothing. Then, she reached out, her fingers brushed against his wrist. Warm. Not cold stone, but warmth that spread through him like fire. He froze, caught between panic and awe.
"Master brought me here," she said simply. "Doesn't that mean I belong?"
Merlin had no answer. His pulse quickened, he gently held her hand. He turned instead to his tools, pretending to organize them, but his thoughts were anything but orderly. He needed time to think. Time to plan.
Voira blinked, then nodded once, as though the silence didn't concern her. "Then I will remain here, Master Merlin."
The simple acceptance made him pause. He opened his mouth, then closed it, shaking his head faintly. There would be time for pondering later.
"Good." Merlin said at last, more firmly than he felt. "We'll… figure this out." His violet hair shimmered in the moonlight.
He pulled the drape from a nearby shelf, stepping toward her. "For now," he whispered. "You can't be seen. Not yet." Carefully, almost reverently, he drew the fabric around her shoulders, cloaking her marble-white skin in shadow. She tilted her head, curiosity flickering in her expression.
"I'll look for answers in the library tomorrow."
Voira's gaze lingered on him, thoughtful and unreadable. Then she nodded once.
Merlin exhaled, relieved yet unsettled. He had hidden her for now. But the real question gnawed at him like a shadow in the back of his mind:
How long could he keep a secret this alive?