Shadow Of The Past [Private/Mythica/Merlin]

"AUH!" Mythica let out a terrified yelp as her body quickly blasted from the sheets underneath her. Her red eye was wide open as she stared directly in front of the bed she had been lying on. A sheet held over her chest as she breathed heavily, the terrified expression still glued to her face. Her brow sweated as she stared at the empty wall. Then she realized... Another nightmare.

After a few seconds, her heavy breathing receded and her muscles slightly relaxed. Her pupil returned to it's regular size from after its brief dilation. Mythica gave a depressed sigh before slumping back on the bed. The room was dark, and dead quiet. It was still night. She shifted over trying to get in a more comfortable position. He black hair continued to hang over her left eye, only revealing her right one. However, she couldn't feel any desire to sleep at all. With that, she slowly reached to the bedside table. Her had fumbled in its drawer until it felt the familiar shape of a small, cold metal object. She pulled it out and flipped it open. The small golden pocket watch clicked as time continued to pass by. It was 2:00 AM.

They were coming back again... This was the fifth night in a row Mythica had gotten little sleep. The nightmares kept coming. It was always the same dream... A dark forest. One she could swear she had never seen before, but it felt very familiar. Then she heard an equally familiar voice call out for her to run. Then, the sound of a monster... A shapeless, nameless fear chasing her through the wood. She'd always run into the same clearing, where a gigantic golden clock floated, lighting up the night. Its ticking burrowed into her mind as the monster seemingly behind her grew even louder. And then it ends. Every time.

Knowing all to well she wasn't going to gain any more sleep, Mythica slowly got out of her bed. Within the minute, she put on her usual black gotila dress, and put her hair in two elegant twin tails. Her bangs continued to cover left eye as her right one stayed open. She sighed before exiting the wooden door. The hallway was lit with dim candles as she walked down its wooded floors down a narrow stairway. The Inn was quiet as usual. Only illuminated by a dying fire in the far corner, Mythica took on the appearance of a ghostly figure in the dimness. She left a few jewels on the counter for the cost of her room, and walked out the door into the city of Talonia.

It had been a week since she had left her mother near Crocus. It was time Mythica discovered the world for herself. The mansion was nice and all, but she needed to experience Fiore more then the large property next to the capital. She took a deep breath and walked down the quiet street, holding a small bag in front of her...

Was time ever an ally in the first place? No, time was always faction less, its everyone’s friend and its everyone’s foe, nobody is certain when time will bite. Its been years since he entrusted Lily to take care of Mythica along with the twin homunculus, at present the magus was no longer part of the magic council, and for what reason did he quit? Nobody knows not even the author can say. In talonia was a small alleyway, by the end of that small alleyway, a door that says “Dream interpretation and Forecast”. To those who lived in talonia, the door was never there before but some remains curious as they have not known any construction going on between buildings, it is certain that door leads to somewhere but anonymity scares the gutless.

If one were to go inside, they’d enter a small old room, the walls were dry, so was the floor a bit dusty, some part of the room were covered in old curtains that smelled that of lavender, across the room was a table with a scrying orb, the only illuminant object across the room, behind that table was a man, fully cloaked in robes, and somehow a warm feeling would envelop anyone who comes into contact with them. There wasn’t hostility rather the aura was relief and comfort. Was this magic?

The Magus was hoping that today Rekka Lawless, one of his former clients return so that he’d tell tale and fortune of her fate, the child born to a demon, hers was an interesting tale but then regardless he should not expect rekka coming anytime soon, the magical device forecasted that he’d be meeting someone in his small establishment. It was because of this magical device alone that predicts incoming customers, notifying the magus, Mejai Kaijura to attend to his small business. Was his business ever set up in talonia before? Who knows? One thing for sure according to the rumors, the certain store tends to “disappear” after it had served its customers.

The streets were rather quiet at this time of the night. Mythica couldn't spot anyone around, and most of the lights in the houses were dim, or not a lit at all. She sighed, not actually knowing where to go from here. She hadn't planned her journey out yet, but she had heard Talonia was the place were many guildless mages would congregate. She'd figure it'd be a decent place for guilds to come and recruit members. Although, was that what she wanted? She didn't know anymore. When she was a child, she remembered all she wanted to do was learn magic and become a member of a magical guild... However, now she thought different. Her feelings were divided. Living isolated for the majority of her life, she found herself somewhat... Awkward is social situations...

It wasn't long however, until something caught her eye. As she walked passed a darkened ally way, she saw a sign. "Dream interpretation and Forecast" It read. She stopped dead in her tracks and observed it for a moment. This is exactly something she needed. The nightmares had made her eyes hang with tiredness, but she couldn't fall asleep after them. Without giving it much thought, she figured it could be worth a try...

Mythica slowly knocked on the door, but found it already open. She silently opened it and gazed upon the room. It was very dark, the only light coming from the center, where a large orb sat dormant on a table. She could tell it was a very old place, the dust in the air gave that factor away. Across the table, she saw a man who seemed to be wrapped in a cloak, so she could not make out his face. Her own was hidden by the shadow of the room as well, but barely. However, something about this place felt... Familiar... Like something she had seen before, but forgotten when it was. She turned her attention back to the figure.

"You interpret dreams?" She asked rather quietly, assuming the room was small enough for her voice to carry.

Who would have thought? That he’d see her again, wasn’t Lily supposed to account for her? Perhaps she deemed that the little bird was ready to fly and leave the nest, dear Mythica if only you knew the person right in front of you. The place, it was the place the elder magus tutored Mythica every day to learn more about magic. The place took this appearance not because he simply wanted to hide but rather it was the effects of a powerful spell that distanced his office from the rest of the world, only to exist as a phenomenon.

Indeed the magus was capable of that but it’s something Mythica didn’t know about.

“Yes I do interpret dreams little girl, dream interpretation tells us everything about the dreamer itself, whether they are aware or not we can read what can’t be perceived by natural means.” The scrying orb starts to glow as there’s nothing more than mist and smoke. “Come sit..” he said as he fluttered his hands around the ball.
“Now I want to phase your hands over the crystal ball and try remembering the dream you have.”

Mythica felt uneasy. This man had a very strange aura... Somehow it also felt familiar... But she couldn't figure it out. A soon as she heard him speak however... A strong force in the back of her mind pulled. It was trying to warn her. Her chest grew heavy as if someone somewhere begged her to run away from this place. However, these thoughts were foreign to her. She only followed his instructions.

Mythica sat down across from him without saying a word. She stared deep into the crystal ball, before taking a deep breath, and slowly lifted her hands in front of it... They shook with fear of what she knew she was going to see.

Darkness... Then a dim light. The girl awoke, breathing heavily on a dry surface filled with dead, grey leaves. She slowly got up, and looked around at her surroundings. A forest. From as far the eye could see, it stretched ever onward, obscured by fog in the distance. Mythica felt cold and weak as she shook the dead leaves from her... Dress? What was this outfit she was wearing? It was orange and black. It laced around her chest where she noticed a black collar around her neck. Her hair was tied into two uneven twin tails. Wrapped across her head was an orange and black bonnet to match...

However, she didn't have much time to react, before the already dim forest got darker... Her eyes widened in fear, as a yellow low casted off one of them. That's when she heard the all too familiar howl of the beast that haunted her nights... She turned in the direction to see nothing but darkness, as the fog crept closer. Then she heard it again. The blood curdling roar of a beast gaining speed on her position. Then a voice called out to her. "Run Mythica! Run!" Not knowing how to react, Mythica did as the voice told. She sprinted through the wood, holding her dress off the ground to keep it from snagging onto the the thorns... That's when she found the finish line... She burst from the canopy into a large clearing, and at its center floated an gigantic golden clock... Its yellow glow completely lit up the night as she stared up in horror. Its ticking so loud, it blocked out the sound of the beast behind her.

"Auh!" Mythica yelled as she ripped her hand away from the crystal ball, and seemed to have lost some of her balance in the process, leaning against the ground on one arm as the other gripped her bangs around her left eye. It burned. She panted heavily as her body sweated furiously... Her eyes filled with fear. The fear of a little girl that had taken possession of her body so many years ago...

"D-did you see it?" Mythica whimpered quietly as her hand continued to grip her eye.

Of course he was not one to lie, this was his job to predict dreams but in which cases most client's dreams don't really tell all about their personality, usually dream interpretation is used to know what kind of person they are but this was a different case.

"It seems to me somebody has Post-traumatic stress disorder." He stood up and squeezed the scrying orb for it to vanish to mana particles. He walked around the table to help Mythica get up from the ground, though it did appear a bit dusty, in actuality it wasn't. There were times that the old Magus had to refrain her from telling the truth but that was when she was younger and someone who look like they can lose control of their powers. Now she seems as if she had finally come of age, it was inevitable for him to tell her everything.

"That wasn't a dream you've experienced but a memory of the past that had surfaced."

Why did such memory surface? Simple, the Old Magus's spell is wearing off and now she's starting to recall everything.

"Indeed, a memory of the past that you have probably forgotten." He switched on the lights to reveal a book case right at the wall. He summoned books just by activating a rune as books materialized and slowly appeared before him, he searched for the year XXXX and drew it out from the shelf, he sat across the table and flipped the pages of his book.

"Though as scary as it may seem, its a memory that you have dread and wish to have forgotten long ago, however something triggered inside you and you started to recall the past. Recollection of one's life is easy but recollection of a long suppressed memory is a difficult kind of information to recover and resides in the unconscious-subconscious part of our mind." He stopped for a moment and opened his hand.

"If you wish for me to tell me more... pay 500 jewels." And now he continues to jest her but whether she pays him or not he didn't actually care as he'd tell her anyways.

Of course he cannot tell her who he is just yet.

"... A what?" Mythica stared at the man as he elaborated what she had just witnessed within her mind. She looked blankly for a moment. Trying to comprehend what he had just told her. A memory? How could that be possible. I had no memory like this. When could it have possibly taken place? She thought silently as the man continued to flip the lights on, and go through a bookcase on the wall she had not noticed prior.

Mythica continued to be lost in thought until the man spoke to her again. He wanted 500 jewels for more information? "How do I know any of this is true? I have lived near Crocus my entire life, and never once had I ever been in a forest so dark, or encountered any sort of monster..." She told him sternly. Mythica was obviously tired, and wasn't in the mood to get her money stolen for false information. She had no idea if this guy was legit or not...

"I'm pretty sure that's the reading I've manged to get from you. The Wavelength of your conscious is stable but the unconscious wavelength was screaming and its starting to appear in your sub conscious. The choice to believing whether its true or not is yours alone." The old magus drew an old record that contains information dating past more than a decade, probable when Mythica knew how to walk and talk.

He had revealed a clearbook containing pages of a newspaper of how the Rune Knights successfully apprehended the Dark Guild Time shadow, ending their operations to create artificial mages through forceful means (Which is a human rights law violated of course). There was also a report that a village from the northern regions was razed and destroyed and killed because Time Shadow seek the demon dog, Inuki. The one who might be a vessel for the demon dog was nurtured and later taken care off.

It was time for Mythica to know all of this, the seal he put on her has weakened and its power faded. If her Inversion starts from this point of realization, steps must be taken.

Inversion means an altered state of behavior and personality, in the world of magic, Inversion is a case of those who had non-human blood in their veins, turning from human into their primal half for a limited amount of time, sometimes the duration of inversion can go longer, depending on how thick the blood is. Complete inversion is simply the loss of a half blood's sense of humanity and is achieved if they had inverted too frequently.

If they have thin blood or a strong will, they won't make it to complete inversion till they arrived at a specific age no matter how many times they invert. Only 10 in a 100 half bloods have the chance to live a longer "human life" and it is uncertain whether Mythica is one of those.

However she's classified and suspected to be a mere descendant, if she had thinner blood then this won't be a problem.

The only problem the Old Magus would face is her reaction to all this. He revealed to her the contents of the report and have not spoken another word about it until he gets something from her.

Mythica said nothing, but simply stared at the Magnus with her one visible eye... It was full of confusion and fear. Her gaze slowly shifted to his hands as he brought out an old looking book. Inside it contained scraps of old newspapers... Explaining the apprehension of a guild known as Time Shadow. Which according to these pages, they were responsible for creating artificial mages through forceful means. The next page concluded with the destruction of a certain village on a northern island. One where the guild was looking for someone who was acting as a catalyst for the Demon Dog Inuki?

"What are you saying... What does this have to do with me...?" Her voice quivered slightly, as her mind tried to work out the information presented to her. He said what she saw was a memory, and then showed her this information... Mythica didn't want to believe what she only assumed the man was trying to imply. All the while, the minute hand of her clock eye slowly started to gain speed as Mythica started to panick on the inside... Someone had been lying to her...

And for a moment, the Old Magus simply recalled memories for whence he took care of her like his own daughter before having Lily take care of her. He’s afraid that she can no longer smile in the face of this man but he knew this would happen, whether she remembers him or not, erasing Mythica’s memories was easy but surprising them was a far more difficult process.

“Everything that I’ve shown you dear, you were the vessel of the Demon Dog Inuki.”

These words were enough, to overpower the spell that had suppressed her memories and now it was only a matter of time till she became self-aware of her own being. It was to eliminate what she deem as a nightmare but this will change her psychologically. The image of her memory and flashbacks were finally clear.

“If you don’t believe me, perhaps I should take you to the very place itself.”



A few steps, he took, a few steps towards the door that could change Mythica forever.
He cannot hide her own past from her anymore, he knew that this day has finally come, the scrying orb foretold a point in her life that will change her for better or for worst. The door from where Mythica came glowed for a mere second and the Elder Magus held on to the door handle slowly, opening it.

“Step forward and see for yourself.” He spoke, regardless of what she sees in the village, the roots and leaves were green, having finally recovered from the tragedy from a decade ago.

So here it was... The truth.

She was the catalyst for a demon... It's blood ran through her veins. Her entire life she didn't know it. But now it all made sense. The nightmares were memories, and this man had revealed everything to her. Although that still never explained why she didn't remember this before...  Perhaps she was too young? Her mother was not her mother... But simply the girl she was raised by, and was taught to think they were family. She should've known her physical differences were more then just "her father's traits." She had no father. ANd now she realized she was being lied to her entire life. One question still remained... Why?  

Mythica silently stepped out the door,  one of which had been altered by magic. She said nothing, but was afraid to see what was on the other side. The air smelt fresh, and the breeze was cool. However there was no blinding light from the sun that one would expect when stepping outside. It was dim... Then it hit her. This place was the place from her dreams... Also the same place described in the newspapers... She looked around to see old wreckage of wooden buildings, infested with moss and other fungus over many years. Destroyed stone houses we snaked with vines. But what confirmed her suspicions was the stone statue at the center of the village. She had been here before...

After realizing the truth, a painful feeling struck Mythica's head. "Augh!" She yelled before falling to her knees... Her head was throbbing with unspeakable pain, Bu she couldn't even open her mouth to scream. Flashes of memories flowed through her mind, like sharp needles they punctured her skull and burrowed their way into her brain... Her hands grabbed her head as she tried to resist but couldn't... Suddenly a new feeling was felt... One of relaxation, and calmness... ANd the strong desire to perform acts of terror...

A smile started to form on Mythica's lip, and she began to giggle. Suddenly, a black aura surrounded the girl, and her clothes began to change. Her black dress began to shapeshifte into that of an elegant gotila. It was lined with orange frills, and soon a black and orange bonnet appeared on Mythica's head, making one of her twin tails uneven.



"AhA! Finally! It's been FOREVER since I had the freedom to move around again." Mythica yelled, raising her hands outwards, and breathing in the air. "He hehe! Although this is a weird feeling. Kinda. I mean, I've never possessed a human before after all!" She laughed. Her eyes opened to reveal the yellow clock was spinning rapidly. "Ohhh, what a glorious day! I get to experiment with new things!" That's when she stopped dead in her tracks, and turned towards the man. "You... I know you!" A wicked grin fell upon her lip. "You're the old geezer who trapped me inside this tiny little girl aren't you? Merlin was it? Ahhh, how long has it been old friend?" Mythica giggled before rapidly appearing in front of him. Her hands wrapped around his waist, and she rested her head on his chest. Giving him a somewhat childish hug. "It's a shame you left me all alone! Lily wasn't as much fun to watch as YOU were, hehehe." She looked back up at him with her glowing yellow eye. And stood on her tiptoes a moment so her head was level to his, she leaned in next to him and whispered. "I missed you... And I'm sure Mythica does too..."

Watching her suffer was just as painful to him, she should be in the right age to confront it but he didn't expect she'd be overrun so easily, the seal tore off completely and the worst case scenario has finally happened, he knew this would happen and he was prepared for it.

"Unfortunately for you, I miss Mythica, not you, for someone who cannot overpower the Demon Iniki, an anomaly like you disappoints me greatly and I wasn't the one responsible for putting you in her, you held her soul hostage like a terrorist."

Its true, even if the old magus wanted to remove the time demon from her, it will only to irreparable damage or kill her as a human being.

The term "kill her as a human being" simply means killing off her humanity and turning her into a monster with no proper cognitive functions and would simply gnaw on anything in order to "Feel" there's something in the world for it. However this was prevented because Merlin had fully suppressed Mythica from inverting, and the recurring dreams of her memories were "leaks" that bits of the influence would seep from the unconscious to her sub conscious.

This was her first inversion as Mythica had not inverted before. He erased Mythica's memories but not of the demon's.

"You just enjoy seeing me blowing myself up it seems, I thought there was something strange to Mythica's reactions but now my assumption is validated, I did not keep you in check and you were not supposed to share the same memories as her, how come?"

Mythica giggle again. "Hehehe.. Oh? You weren't the one? I'm sorry, my memories a little hazy." She laughed. Mythica suddenly disappeared. However, she reappeared not far off, sitting on the mossy statue with one leg crossed over the other, looking down at Merlin. "Can't overpower the demon dog you say? Look at me! Do you see HIM in control? No? That's right! I'm in control!" She laughed again. After a moment she took to calm down, she stared down at Merlin again. "Heheheh, damn right! I've been with Mythica the WHOLE time! you see, MERLIN, your great wizard incantation you placed on her to keep me quiet did just that! Mythica and I do not share the same mind... I may have not been able to control her back then, but I could still see and hear everything that was going on around her... And.. Heheh.. the best part was when you left! The seal had weakened, and I was slowly gaining influence inside her. And now my plan has worked! the seal is broken! And Mythica is mine!" She gave out a burst of maniacal laughter, holding her stomach and kicking her legs. Before she dissapered again...

"You see Merlin... You've helped me greatly... and I applaud you for your efforts. You have no idea how much fun tormenting your little daughter for the past decade has been. And now we're going to have even more fun! So much more!" She smirked at him with a devilish smile. Reappearing only a few feet away from him.

"Fun is something I don't do with the likes of you, a pathetic discarded fragment of the real thing that was implanted to a little girl."

First inversions were usually like this but he expected Mythica inverted into the Demon dog Iniki, if her inversion would root to the sub conscious then the trigger of Iniki should be...

"Perhaps the real you had discarded you because you were of no use and so he cut you off from his body and left you for dead, latching on to existence only to find meaning to live, I pity you more than anything, Mythica will come around and will eventually control you. You are robbed of your real power and its inevitable that you and Mythica will succumb to the demon lineage your influence is one thing but a discarded fragment's power won't even be a threat...."

The grounds were rigged, Merlin had planned this all along as an invisible boundary field was projected.

"If you think I didn't brought you here unprepared, think again..."

"Dissimuler et sceau, faire bouillir mon sang, sous le nom de Nostradamus, purifier, sceller et dissimuler. Révélez et à proximité. Serrure, serrure, serrure et verrou, descendre et monter et silence."

(Conceal and seal, boil my blood, under Notradamus's name, purify, seal and conceal. Unravel and close. Lock, Lock, lock, and lock, descend and ascend and silence.)

Mythica doesn't see the spell but the time demon does, there are two spiritual bodies residing in Mythica, one was herself and the other was the time demon. If they share the same power and wavelength, then it must be hard to unbind them and separating them may prove to be a fatal consequence.

"So I'm giving you what you wanted, to become part of something but never shall you take lead and if Mythica dies, death doesn't come to your being, death comes for your existence, if you ever fail to create the perfect synergy then both of you will die." It was a cruel spell a blessing and a curse but this would hurt the Magus even more so. If there's no balance between the two of them, that fate awaits them.

Both mythica and the Time Demon's souls were found falling down towards a huge magical eye and disappearing, a flash brought them back to reality.

"No, no, no. You still don't get it! I'm not a piece discarded, I am the whole entity! You weren't there, heheh, but both me and Mythica were. Chained to a pedestal for my taking, she was so little and fragile. The fear in her eyes as I was summoned by my worshippers to purge her blood... It was astounding! Hahahah! This was my plan all along. Although I wasn't expecting you to show up, and seal me from control.." SHe flipped one of her bangs smirking as Merlin began to retire his incantation.

The light that came from him blinded the demon for only a moment, before the vision was snapped back to reality. She felt different. Then the Magnus explained. "Heheheh... Do what you must, but I will always find a way. NOthing is immune to the flow of time my friend, NOTHING! Something Mythica will learn soon... And soon I won't need to guide her down the path to my victory. She'll learn for herself of the power she possesses. And one day she'll have the potential to destroy..." She gave a dark grin before putting on a innocent smile. "ALthough, you are not my biggest concern for the moment... When I battled Inuki for the blood of this girl, he told me something. He already has plans for her, Unkown to me. SO now I'm trapped with her soul, it is my best interest to protect her. Don't worry Merlin, I will do just that. She won't die by my hand, but I will prepare her for the battle with the demon dog when that time comes..."

She teleported again, appearing right in front of Merlin, with what seemed like a flintlock pistol under her chin. "I'll let you relax for a bit shall I? I'm sure you miss your daughter after all these years. Heheh, but there is a catch. She's going to remember EVRYTHING... Now the seal has been broken, she will recognize your face, and remember all the days up until she awoke in the hospital bed, seeing your face for the first time. I suggest you get to know her a bit... See what she's become since you abandoned her. This will be most entertaining, after all I'll be watching." Her grin became a crooked smile, and she pulled the trigger on the flintlock. A yellow explosion came from it and a blinding flash followed for a few moments. That's when the sound of heavy breathing was heard, and Mythica's hands on Merlin's chest. She was still dressed the same as when the demon took control. She wheezed silently before looking up at the person her hands were on... Both eyes widened when she recognized his face...

"Merlin....?"

He had not believed in a single word that the time demon said, a mere fragment believing they are a separate and a complete entity is ludicrous, perhaps the insanity of the demon itself was a form of sadness, it’s funny how Mythica and they synchronize so well since they are both discarded people, one was treated differently from her hometown and the other was a mere fragment of Laplace, becoming a new minor entity that controls time a bit better than most time mages would have. They were compatible that it frustrates him. Time shadow must have known that from the beginning or it was a coincidence? When she mentioned “protect” it only confirmed his assumptions to be true, with or without the binding.


But that was the saddest thing and to think he had separated from Mythica, now that she remembers, she’d be given the same feeling again. This was cruel, her fate is sealed and tampering it will only kill her in the process as a “human.” He cannot do anything for her even if he wanted to and to think that he could at least try to save her, it only turned out for worse.

Such as the past mistake he had with his niece, thinking they could go on their own but met a future they wish they haven’t. Nothing escapes the distortion of time, that’s a fact but if this is how it’s supposed to be, Merlin will just have to accept that.

“Hello, Mythica.”

Then the memories hit. Whatever the demon had done, it had restored her memory completely. Up until the hospital anyways. Beyond that it was still a blur. But Mythica recognized this face in front of her. And his reaction only confirmed it to be true. "Y- You came back...? After you left..." Not paying any mind to her outfit, or where the two were situated, Mythica silently put a hand on her head and shook it. "Lilly... I remember now. You left me with her. So many years ago..." A look of deep sadness washed over her face, and Mythica silently slumped to her knees in the dark ruins. She faced the ground, tears slowly enveloping her eyes. She looked up at him again. "Why? Why did you leave? Why did you alter my memory?" She said in a rather unexpected tone. She didn't seem at all angry... Only saddened by the truth.