Merlin let his eyes close for a moment. Just a moment.
Then opened them again.
He stood.
Slow. Controlled.
His legs didn't shake this time. But only just.
He crossed to the desk in the corner, pulled open the top drawer, and retrieved the folded parchment waiting inside.
The paperwork Vivienne had mentioned. Academy logistics. Formal reassignments. Medical reports stamped with seals he didn't recognize.
'Dorm reassigned. Course deferments filed. Mana access reviewed. All very official. All very meaningless.'
He set the forms down without signing.
Instead, he turned back to Keryx.
The blade rested across the chair now, gleaming faintly in the overcast light.
He reached out.
Gripped the hilt.
Nothing.
He tried again. Slower. Focused.
He reached inside himself. Not into the system. Not into mana.
Just… into the place where it used to be.
Nothing.
It was like screaming into a vacuum.
No echo.
No resistance.
Just empty.
His fingers curled tighter around the hilt.
