Round Table, Monarch's attitude, and Merlin's Prophecy

AN: This chapter marks the temporary end of plot related to the Order of the Immortal Lotus and Avalon. If you have any doubt related to the last 15-16 chapters (excluding spoilers), then you can ask in the comments or on Discord. In the next few chapters, we will see Kai's interaction with Lethifold, and something that we had put on hold for a long time...

(A break tomorrow)

Enjoy!!!

PS: To read ahead, you can try Patre0n. From next month, a new tier will be added, giving readers access to upto ~45k words ahead of WN.

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As the two witches took the Portkey back to the ministry, a Golden Snidget fluttered its way into the white tower built in the middle of Avalon.

Chirp!

In one flutter, it crossed the distance between the tower's entrance and the high-back chair, where Blue Seat should have been seated.

Then it spun and collapsed onto itself, transfiguring to its original shape; the Staff of Merlin!

A thin strand of blue mist stretched out of the staff, and Merlin appeared on the chair with his blurred appearance.

The Round Table came to a silence, then.

The Six had vast powers in Avalon. They could see everything, hear everything, and sense everything. Nothing could be hidden from them. Not on this mythical island.

"A Lethifold…" Hermes T. dared to break the silence.

And suddenly, all looked at Abdul Alhazred for some reason before breaking off their gazes.

"It should not come as a surprise to us," Abdul said, his voice fading as if it was coming from very far.

The other five shared a nod of understanding at that.

"Astute awareness in early childhood is as much a curse as it's a blessing," the Witch of Endor told them. "Rumors, whispers, questions about her birth, and endless criticizing looks… There's a limit to how much a young girl can endure, burying and piling up the anger within her, donning a mask of calm and composure. Add a touch of an incomprehensible magical might to top it off… Do you still question if this was the same girl who had almost become an Obscurial even before the accident on her last birthday?"

No. They didn't.

When a magical child was forced to repress their talent through physical or psychological abuse, they developed a parasitic magical force inside them called an Obscurus, resulting from their powerful emotions of distress.

These magical children were termed as Obscurials.

If Kai were to hear these insinuations now, then not only he would have been shocked, but he would also have to nod in agreement with them after mulling over it for a while. After his reincarnation, Kai had inherited Darcie's memories, but he couldn't know what had happened to the little girl subconsciously. And there had been many times where he had to accept his ignorance about the psychological field. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed Rintaro's help to come up with a plan to deal with his growing disorder, especially when the Character himself had no experience in this field.

It wasn't like Kai had overlooked such a possibility. More accurate would be to say that with his ever-fluctuating plans, the matter of Acting, and his sheer busy schedule, he just had put little weight on how Darcie's past must have influenced her subconsciously. To him, as long as he could Act like her, think like her, and live like her, it already meant he was heading toward the right destination.

But the Six weren't as ignorant as Contestants. And, unlike Kai, they had countless sources of information spread in the wizardkind for them to see a clear picture of the situations.

"Such psychological abuse is absolutely intolerable by someone of her age," Hermes T. added, his tone indifferent. "It made her repress her magic unknowingly, turning it into a dark and parasitic force. If it wasn't for Snape's brilliant and timely action of calming the chaotic magic within her, then she would have truly become an Obscurial. She could have even erupted into an Obscurus on the spot, causing unprecedented destruction. Instead, it seemed to have granted her greater powers, letting her cast non-verbal and Wandless magic. Her actions, behavior, and changes in personality are not without basis. Nor the matter of a Lethifold being her Spirit Companion. This was how it all should have played out, to begin with."

"Snape's a good seed," Abdul Alhazred commented.

"Tch!" Circe tsked, sending a scornful look at Yellow Seat. "Like Albus will ever let him go."

"Enough!" Green Seat brought an end to a budding scuffle. "We all know Wandless magic would run out, eventually. Why bring it up, then? More important is, there are no Golden Snidgets in Avalon. Madam Villanelle must have figured out who impersonated it, causing the subsequent chain of events. She wouldn't appreciate it."

"Does it matter?" Red Seat, Circe, spat. "She's your reincarnation. Let her deal with it. It's not like she would be the one to bear the wrath of this Karma. Heh!"

As Circe mentioned Karma, all looked at Merlin.

"For how long will you have to go into hibernation?" the Witch of Endor asked Blue Seat concernedly.

"It's greater than I expected," Merlin answered. "Around 10 years."

What?!

"Didn't you say it would not exceed 10 months?" Hermes T. asked, confused. "All you did was to bring a young Thunderbird out of the Valley, and did not even interact with her…"

This truly stupefied the group of eminent figures.

"Sigh!" the Witch of Endor's sigh was full of untold answers. "What were the results, Merlin?"

Blue Seat took a moment to collect his thoughts. "Not simple," he said, describing Darcie. "There are irregularities in her soul, and it's full of fluctuations that just erupt and vanish as if they had never happened."

The Round Table didn't dare to ignore these words.

"Just search her mind and be done with it," Circe demanded cruelly. "What's the need to give this matter so much time and such thoughts?"

"And who among us will bear that Karma?" Merlin asked, leaning forward on the table. "You?"

These Six stood at the top of this world, their magical might still unmatched, despite losing their true bodies. They feared nothing. The only thing that made them think something a hundred times over was Karma.

Only when someone reached their level and attained such heights, did one get to know the absolute dread hidden behind this word. There was no resisting Karma, and there were no spells to obstruct it, either. The only thing one could do was to avoid it.

Merlin interfered with Darcie's fate when she couldn't find a Familiar, but gave nothing to her to maintain the balance, and hence incurred the wrath of Karma, losing his powers for over 10 years on the spot. These Six didn't belong to this era, to begin with.

Karma was the embodiment of the blade of eradication for them.

"Let someone from outside handle it, then," Circe said, at last, her tone still edgy, but calm.

"No." The Witch of Endor shook her head. "Exactly these actions from our side had driven away both Albus and Voldemort. Need I remind you all this twice? Even if Darcie wouldn't get to know it now, what about after becoming Indigo Seat? How would she feel if she were to know that we had taken such actions against her? How can we expect her full support in our plans after infuriating her so much? Tell me… Kekeke! Her anger will burn us all, then."

This instance of her low cackle sent a shiver running down everyone's spines.

There was no one leader of the Order of the Immortal Lotus. But who was the Witch of Endor? Not only was she the oldest of this group, but it was also she who had imparted the magic of creating Imperishable Artifacts to others.

Her words carried weight. Her presence demanded respect.

Circe was the dagger of this Order, but she knew when to sheath herself. Green Seat had voted out her suggestion, and none in this group would go against her reasonable words, especially with history serving as a hideous example.

"Your royal excellency," Hermes T. called out at last. "Please guide us."

King Solomon had remained quiet until now. With such figures discussing among themselves, there was no need to stand out, anyway. There was the Witch of Endor, her magical prowess unknown. Hermes T. and Circe together could topple the world up and down as they desired, bringing creation and destruction. Merlin had proved himself to be the soul of this Order, bringing timely prophecies and direly needed actions.

And Abdul Alhazred… Well, he was the author of Necronomicon. Nothing more needed to be said about him.

Even then, all turned to look at Violet Seat at this moment, their blurred appearance expectant.

For the monarch possessed one thing that one could not just have by gaining knowledge and power.

Attitude!

A monarch had the right attitude to overlook many things, and yet not forget about them. A monarch had the right attitude that was apt to take decisions for the greater good.

A monarch with the right attitude symbolized eternal peace and prosperity.

When King Solomon said something, it carried wisdom and sovereignty. He was one of the greatest monarchs of this world; the Sealer of Demons and the Protector of Faith.

Now, all needed him the most, for this would very well turn out to be the night when it all began.

"Abdul," King Solomon said, his voice hard, "what is the worst case possible?"

Yellow Seat took a moment of silence. "Darcie Malfoy is possessed by an Outer One."

The Round Table trembled slightly at the mention of the Outer One.

"Indeed." King Solomon leaned back in his chair, his posture straight and mighty. "The question is, will Death tolerate Darcie's existence in that case?"

Absolutely not!

They all knew this answer and, perhaps, could see where the monarch was going with all this.

"Darcie Malfoy, along with Harry Potter and his likes, are the face of the Present," King Solomon told them, his tone full of warnings. "Any carelessness will bring us back centuries. Conferring Indigo Seat to someone… This must be our top priority. Only then can our plans come to fruition. As long as it's not the worst case possible, Darcie Malfoy may as well have been the evil incarnate, it should not matter to us. To fill the 7th Seat had remained our priority and must remain now as well. Nothing else matters. Nor should it ever."

Thus, the Order came to a unanimous decision. Lethifold, Nundu, Voldemort, Dumbledore, and Darcie were nothing to these Six figures. What had they not seen and gone through? Their worries transcended the world itself. Much less needed to be said about the scuffle of power and authority outside.

"Merlin," King Solomon said when everyone thought the matter was finished. "You don't share your prophecies with us. We know the reason for it as well. I can even guess that your last prophecy must have been about Darcie's arrival here. Before going to hibernation, I want you to use all your powers to do another prophecy holding nothing back. Can you afford it?"

It was a monarch's request. At different times, it could have been his command. Who dared to ignore or reject it when it could be carried out?

"I will be honored to do it, your royal excellency," Merlin said.

All became quiet, their gazes coming to rest on Blue Seat. Even among them, the number of times when Merlin had done a public prophecy could be counted on hands.

The Staff of Merlin stirred and bobbed up and down.

In the next moment, a burst of blue flash exploded out of it, and the entire white tower trembled. Even the clouds in the sky burst apart, the air whistled, and the sleeping terrors shuddered in the vast fields.

Creak!

The crack on the wooden staff widened, and all Imperishable Artifacts shook in fear.

Merlin's projected figure broke apart, and only a few words escaped his vanishing figure like the rings of a bell heralding the apocalypse.

"Death… Destruction… Madness… Doom!!!"