"Midday was approaching when Yuuto slowly closed his eyes, took a breath, and felt three warm pulses inside his dragon heart—three different streams meeting, pushing against each other, yet ultimately blending together in harmony.
The phone in his hand buzzed softly.
"This is quite surprising, Yuuto." Merlin's voice came from the other side—gentle, yet carrying a hint of restrained astonishment. "You only needed six hours to discover your Affinity."
Yuuto wiped a bit of sweat from his temple. "Is that considered fast?"
"Fast?" Merlin chuckled lightly. "Even with Arthur's body, I expected you to need an entire day. Normally, a human needs years to reach this point."
Yuuto swallowed. "So… what exactly are my Affinities?"
There was a pause. For a moment, only the sound of wind brushing through the empty warehouse answered him.
Then Merlin spoke.
"At first I thought you had only two… but it turns out to be three. This is truly unexpected."
"Three?" Yuuto straightened.
"Yes, you possess three: Earth, Sky, and Void."
"Earth—understandable, as your body is still connected to it. Sky—also predictable, that belonged to Arthur. And…"
Merlin suddenly stopped.
Yuuto frowned. "And…?"
Several seconds of silence followed. Merlin's voice shifted—flatter, more cautious.
"…It's nothing for now. You don't need to think about it yet. What's important is that you rest. Your sensei wants to eat first."
"Oh… okay, sensei."
Click.
The call ended.
Yuuto lowered the phone slowly, letting his thoughts drift in the aftertaste of Merlin's explanation.
---
Merlin stared at his crystal screen, now dim after the call ended. He twirled a strand of his hair, eyes narrowing with both curiosity and wariness.
"Earth and Sky, that makes sense…" he murmured.
He rested his chin on the back of his hand.
"But Void…?"
Void.
A concept Arthur never possessed.
A concept humans should not have.
A concept often associated with— the origin of nothingness, the beginning of creation, or even existence outside the system.
Merlin bit his lower lip, suppressing a mix of curiosity and faint anxiety.
"Did it come from Yuuto himself…? Or did something else come with him…"
He looked at the timeless sky of Avalon outside his tower window.
"Whatever it is… I need to watch him carefully."
A smile returned to his face, but the seriousness in his eyes remained.
"Yuuto-san… you really are an interesting student."
Yuuto sat on a cold, rusted metal slab, his back slightly hunched after a half-hour break. The sweat on his forehead had dried… yet warmth still lingered in his body from the earlier training.
Suddenly— TRRRT—TRRRT.
His flip phone vibrated.
Yuuto picked it up. "Hello, Merlin-sensei. Is it time to start again?"
Merlin's cheerful voice greeted him, lively like a teacher excited to teach again.
"Yes, my student. We're moving on to the next stage—using your Affinity. We'll start with the most stable ones: Earth and Sky."
Yuuto nodded slightly, rising from the metal seat. "Alright, sensei. What should I do?"
---
"First, Earth," Merlin said.
His tone turned soft, steady—like calming a child.
"Earth is the element of grounding, stability, and foundational strength. It's the element unchanged by time. And your body—because of your growing dragon factor—reinforces that connection."
Yuuto closed his eyes, waiting for the next instruction.
"Channel mana toward your palms. Imagine the earth— not as dirt, but as foundation. Orderly. Solid. Unmoving unless you command it."
Yuuto raised his hand. The pull of mana felt like a heavy stream moving slowly.
"Once it stabilizes… use your trigger."
Yuuto inhaled.
Click.
The snap echoed softly through the warehouse.
The ground around his feet vibrated faintly.
Not an earthquake—more like the earth itself exhaled.
Merlin's gentle voice came through the phone:
"Good. Earth doesn't require a grand reaction. It simply needs to acknowledge your presence. With this element, you can reinforce your body, create footing, or alter the weight of objects."
Yuuto opened his eyes, a bit surprised. "I… can feel it. Like a heavy flow… but tame."
"That is Earth."
---
"Next… Sky," Merlin continued, voice brightening.
"If Earth is stability… then Sky is direction, motion, and freedom. It's the element Arthur mastered better than any other magecraft."
Yuuto closed his eyes again.
"This time, don't weigh yourself down. Imagine the sky—vast, limitless, flowing without obstruction. Let your mana become light… rising."
The heavy mana from earlier shifted—faster, smoother, easier to move.
"Now, focus it on the back of your hand. Let it ascend rather than expand outward."
Yuuto extended his hand.
"Use your trigger."
Click.
As his fingers met, the air around his hand rippled like heat waves. Not fire—just pressure shifting as if bowing to his will.
Yuuto opened his eyes.
"…This feels lighter than Earth. More… agile."
Merlin chuckled.
"That is Sky. With this element, you can boost your speed, create air pressure, or enhance mobility in battle."
Yuuto observed his trembling hand, still tingling from mana.
"I can… distinguish them. Two elements with different personalities."
"And both respond well to you. That's rare." Merlin sounded proud—and a bit smug.
---
Yuuto took a deep breath, his body warm and lighter than before.
"Well then, my student… you've felt Earth and Sky. Practice them a bit more to let your body adapt."
Yuuto nodded even though Merlin couldn't see it.
"Alright, sensei. I'll repeat the exercises."
"Good~. Once you're done, we'll discuss your third element."
There was a pause.
Merlin's voice lowered.
"…But not today. Void must never be touched carelessly."
Yuuto lowered his head a little and asked quietly:
"Sensei…
You haven't explained what Void is.
What exactly is it?
And why can't I touch it yet?"
On the other end, Merlin exhaled. His usual playful tone disappeared entirely.
"Alright, my student. Listen carefully."
His voice became deep and sharp—not the teasing wizard, but the court magician of Avalon, the strongest in the land.
"Void… is not an element. Not a substance. It is a nothingness directly connected to the root of all magecraft."
Yuuto frowned.
"The Root…? You mean Akasha?"
"Yes."
Merlin's voice dropped, like whispering a forbidden truth.
"Void is a path to the source of all knowledge. A gateway to where the past, present, and future overlap. And it is not something a normal human should ever touch."
He paused before continuing, heavier:
"You, Yuuto… with Arthur's body and your growing Dragon Core… have the qualification to touch it." "And that is precisely what makes it dangerous."
Yuuto tightened his grip on the phone. "…Dangerous how?"
"Because Void erases the boundary between you… and the world." Merlin sounded direct, as if staring right at him.
"No human can gaze into emptiness without risking their identity. You may… forget who you are. Your soul may erode. Your mind may split."
He added softly — unexpectedly gentle:
"And I don't want that to happen.
I don't want you to lose your 'self'."
Yuuto stayed silent. Merlin continued, voice closer, warmer.
"There was a girl in our world…
Ryougi Shiki. She possessed a 'Void Personality.' A being that was neither human, nor spirit, nor anything. Empty. Silent.
She erased herself."
Yuuto swallowed hard.
"I don't want my student ending up like that." "I don't want you to become something that can't even be called human—or king."
Then, with a soft tone:
"So listen to me.
Your Void will be studied last.
Only when your soul is stable.
Only when you are ready."
Yuuto nodded slowly, even though Merlin couldn't see it.
"…Alright, sensei."
"You are my student." Merlin smiled—this time sincerely. "I will not let you get lost in the Void."
"I'll be watching over you."