Chapter 228: Meeting (1)
They left the apartment together not long after, Merlin tugging on a simple black coat while Elara walked at his side in her usual elegant stride. The city air was brisk, filled with the scent of bread from corner bakeries and the faint hum of enchantments woven into carriages rattling past.
Merlin kept his hands shoved in his pockets, head tilted slightly toward her. "...So where exactly are we meeting them?"
"The gardens behind the academy," Elara answered. "It seems they wanted somewhere quiet. Away from the sparring grounds."
He snorted. "Quiet. With Nathan there? Good luck."
That earned him a rare, quiet laugh—soft, almost hidden. Merlin found himself staring, more startled by the sound than by anything else.
"...What?" she asked, noticing his gaze.
"Nothing." He looked away quickly, though his lips twitched. "Just didn’t know you could laugh like a normal person."
Her violet eyes narrowed, but the corners of her mouth betrayed the faintest upward curve. "...Careful, Merlin."
By the time they reached the academy gardens, the rest of the group was already there. Nathan spotted them first, waving both arms like he was signaling a ship from across the ocean.
"MERLIN! You’re alive!" Nathan’s booming voice carried across the grass.
"I was alive last week too, idiot," Merlin muttered under his breath, though the corner of his mouth tugged upward despite himself.
Liliana and Seraphina stood near a stone bench, chatting quietly, while Ethan lounged against a tree with his usual half-bored expression. Dorian stood apart, arms crossed, his crimson eyes cool as ever.
When they noticed him, the chatter died almost instantly.
For a heartbeat, Merlin felt the weight of their gazes, their surprise, their relief. His chest tightened.
Nathan broke the silence first, charging forward to clap Merlin on the back with a force that nearly toppled him. "You look way better, man! Not like a half-dead skeleton anymore!"
Merlin wheezed. "Still... recovering... thanks for the reminder..."
Liliana stepped forward, her eyes bright. "We were so worried. You vanished after the exams, we thought..." She trailed off, biting her lip.
Seraphina’s silver gaze sharpened, but her voice was calm. "...We’re just glad you’re here now."
Merlin swallowed, suddenly unsure what to do with the warmth pressing against him from all sides. "...Yeah. Me too."
Elara stood beside him, silent, but her presence was steady, anchoring him as always.
For the first time since waking up, Merlin let himself exhale. The world felt... normal.
If only for now.
The garden was brighter than Merlin remembered it. The tall hedges framed neat stone paths that wound through beds of late-blooming flowers, fountains bubbled quietly, and the sun warmed everything in a golden glow.
It wasn’t a battlefield.
It wasn’t a test.
It wasn’t an illusion.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Merlin stood among his peers without a blade in his hand.
Nathan hadn’t stopped grinning since clapping him on the back. "So, what’s the plan? I say we raid the kitchens and—"
Liliana smacked his arm with a sharp glare. "You’ll get us all detention before the second year even begins."
Nathan rubbed his arm with mock pain. "Ow, Liliana, you wound me!"
Ethan, still leaning against his tree, muttered, "You’d survive a war but not her right hook."
Seraphina chuckled quietly into her hand while Dorian simply shook his head, crimson eyes narrowing at Nathan’s antics.
Merlin found himself... smiling. Just a little.
He hadn’t realized how much he missed this, banter, laughter, the clumsy rhythm of friends being friends. After months of gods, trials, and endless silence, it almost felt unnatural.
"...So what are we actually doing today?" Merlin asked, his voice low but carrying enough weight to silence Nathan’s ramble.
Seraphina straightened, her tone calm as ever. "We thought we would... simply spend time. Together. Before the break scatters us all."
Liliana nodded eagerly. "A picnic, maybe? The weather’s perfect."
"Food," Nathan said immediately, raising a fist as if declaring war. "Yes. I vote food."
Ethan rolled his eyes but pushed off the tree. "Fine. Better than standing around listening to you complain."
Elara glanced at Merlin, her expression calm but questioning. "You up for it?"
Merlin exhaled slowly, scanning their faces. Nathan’s boundless energy. Liliana’s enthusiasm. Seraphina’s quiet smile. Even Ethan and Dorian, pretending to be too aloof for it all but still here.
"...Yeah," he said finally. "Let’s do it."
The tension in the group eased instantly, the air filling with chatter as they began moving toward the lower courtyard where the gardens opened into a wide grassy slope.
Within the hour, Nathan had bullied the kitchens into parting with half their stores—or maybe Liliana had sweet-talked the staff, Merlin wasn’t sure. Either way, baskets of bread, fruit, roasted meats, and bottles of sparkling water were set out across a broad checkered cloth.
Nathan was the first to plop down, immediately grabbing a loaf and tearing into it. "Finally, real food! None of that academy slop."
Liliana huffed, swatting at his arm. "You’re supposed to wait until everyone’s seated!"
"Too late," Nathan said around a mouthful.
Merlin lowered himself to the grass more carefully, his muscles still carrying traces of fatigue. Elara sat beside him without hesitation, her posture perfect even on the ground.
Ethan sprawled lazily on his back, one arm behind his head. "This is the first decent idea Nathan’s ever had."
"Hey!" Nathan protested, waving his bread in offense. "I have great ideas. Remember the fireworks?!"
"That almost burned down the west wing," Dorian muttered.
"...Details."
Merlin let out a breath that almost became a laugh. Watching them argue over bread and past disasters was surreal. These were characters he once read about, whose fates he thought he knew, and here they were, bickering like children.
He picked up a slice of apple from the tray, turning it between his fingers before biting into it. Sweet, crisp. Real.
As the afternoon stretched, the group settled into easy rhythms. Liliana passed out plates, Seraphina poured drinks, Nathan kept stealing food from everyone else’s portions.
Merlin caught himself relaxing. For once, no one was asking him to fight, to prove himself, to endure.
He leaned back on his hands, eyes drifting to the canopy of blue above. The sun filtered through the leaves, dappling light across Elara’s silver hair where she sat beside him.
She noticed his glance and raised an eyebrow. "...What?"
"Nothing," Merlin said quickly, looking away. But his ears burned, and he could feel her watching him for a moment longer before she returned to her food.
Nathan broke the silence with his usual volume. "Alright, confession time!"
Liliana groaned. "Not this again—"
"Yes, this again," Nathan interrupted, grinning wildly. "We all say one thing we’ve wanted to do during break!"
"I want to sleep," Ethan muttered immediately.
"Boring."
"I want to read in peace," Seraphina said softly.
"Also boring."
"I want to train," Dorian said flatly.
"Predictable."
Nathan pointed a dramatic finger at Merlin. "Alright, Mr. Miracle Recovery. What about you?"
All eyes turned to him. Merlin blinked, apple halfway to his mouth. "...Me?"
"Yes, you!" Nathan leaned forward eagerly. "What’s your big break-time wish?"
Merlin hesitated. He could have said rest. He could have said nothing. But looking at them, all of them, alive, laughing, real, something else slipped out.
"...I just want to spend it with people I care about."
The words hung there, heavier than he meant them to be.
Liliana’s expression softened. Nathan froze for a second, then slapped him on the shoulder with a grin. "Good answer."
Elara’s lips curved, just slightly, though she said nothing.
Merlin bit into his apple, trying to mask the warmth that crept into his chest.
By the time the sun dipped closer to its afternoon peak, the picnic was reduced to crumbs, empty bottles, and Nathan rolling dramatically on the grass like he’d eaten himself into a coma.
Liliana sighed, hands on her hips. "You’re impossible."
Nathan groaned, "I regret nothing..."
Ethan muttered from where he lay sprawled under a tree, "We regret you."
That earned a weak chuckle from everyone, except Nathan, who sat up indignantly. "Hey! You’re all just jealous of my stamina."
"Stamina?" Dorian’s scarlet eyes narrowed. "You’ve been lying down for twenty minutes."
"Strategic digestion break," Nathan corrected with complete confidence.
Merlin, seated cross-legged on the grass, shook his head. ’Somehow, this is stranger than fighting gods...’
Liliana clapped her hands suddenly. "Fine. If you have all this energy to argue, then let’s put it to use."
Nathan perked up immediately. "You mean—?"
"Yes," she said firmly. "A spar."
Ethan groaned again. "Of course."
Seraphina adjusted the sleeve of her uniform. "It’s reasonable. We’ve all been cooped up with exams. A controlled sparring match will ease the tension."
Elara glanced at Merlin. Her voice was even, but there was a faint curve to her lips. "All against one?"
Merlin blinked. "...Against who?"
The silence that followed was answer enough.
Nathan grinned. "C’mon, Everhart. You’re the academy’s golden boy now. Let’s see if you can survive the dream team."
Liliana corrected, "More like the chaotic disaster team."
"Same thing," Nathan said, already bouncing to his feet.
Merlin sighed and rose slowly, brushing grass off his uniform. "If you insist."