"You're a complete idiot if you think I'll tell you what you want!"
The leader's voice echoed through the underground chamber, harsh and filled with rage. The rope binding his wrists cracked as he twisted violently, trying to break free. Every movement only tightened the pressure, cutting off his circulation.
Merlin barely turned his head.
His large, black eyes fixed on him with an unnatural calm, as if he were looking not at an enemy, but at a defective object. There was no anger in his expression. Nor any haste. Only absolute focus.
In his mind, twisted thoughts began to align, fitting together with unsettling precision.
"I recommend you talk."
The smile that followed wasn't broad, nor exaggerated. It was minimal. Subtle. And for that very reason, disturbing.
"And if I don't... what?" the man spat, raising his chin defiantly.
The leader scanned the group, one by one, assessing them. His knuckles paled with tension, as if his body still believed it could launch an attack.
Merlin let out a laugh.
It wasn't an ordinary laugh. There was no humor in it. It was dry, shrill, laced with pure contempt. It ricocheted off the stone walls and returned distorted, like a mocking echo.
He crouched slowly until he was level with the man's face.
"Listen carefully. We only want to know where your leader is, how they operate… and where rats like you hide."
A few steps away, Nero activated his aura. The air barely vibrated as two cards took shape between his fingers: one of spades, the other of clubs. He didn't throw them. He simply held them, a silent reminder that he was ready.
Sunday and Kōri readied their weapons. They said nothing. They didn't need to. Their postures spoke for them.
Lux remained motionless, his hands relaxed, observing every detail. His calm contrasted sharply with the tension in the air, as if he had seen scenes like this far too many times.
The leader reacted abruptly.
He spat in Merlin's face.
The sound was brief. Humiliating.
For a moment, no one breathed.
Merlin stood still. Then, with calculated slowness, he wiped his face with the back of his hand. Merlin didn't seem upset. But something in his gaze changed, a shadow settling deep in his eyes.
Nero didn't see the entire movement. He only perceived the result.
The cultist's body was sent flying, rolling several meters before coming to a stop with a thud against the stone floor.
"Tell me your name…" Merlin said, advancing with measured steps.
"E-Edgard…" the man replied, his voice trembling.
Merlin stopped at a precise distance, neither too close nor too far.
"Give me what I need. Give me my information."
"Never!" Edgard shouted, forcing a courage that was already crumbling.
The weight of Merlin's foot left him breathless. The pressure on his chest was precise, enough to remind him how fragile his body was. Merlin leaned down and placed his hand on his face.
"Are you going to kill him?" Nero asked, flipping one of his cards with apparent nonchalance.
"Nah."
A blue smoke billowed from Merlin's palm. It wasn't thick or violent. It filtered gently into the air, and Edgard reflexively inhaled it.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then, his breathing became ragged. A tremor ran through his body. At first, it was just an internal discomfort, something difficult to identify. Then, that sensation transformed into an unbearable urgency.
Edgard began to writhe.
How many powers does this guy have…? Nero thought, watching him without looking away.
"If you talk, I'll make it stop."
"Okay! Okay! I'll talk!"
A sharp click.
The pain vanished as quickly as it had come. Edgard was left panting, drenched in sweat, as the blue smoke dissipated as if it had never been there.
"H-his name is Reveli…" he said, his voice breaking. "Our leader."
Merlin didn't react. He just watched.
"He's hiding in the Catacombs of the Wind… an ancient underground cemetery. He's not alone. He's with his most loyal subordinates."
Catacombs of the Wind…? Nero thought, feeling a faint tingle of intrigue.
"Continue."
Edgard swallowed.
"The Echo Brotherhood kidnaps people. Vagrants, travelers… anyone who leaves no trace. The sacrifices are necessary to…"
He hesitated.
"…to awaken a fragment of Zephyr. Reveli promises power, blessings… control over Vickmolt."
Sunday tightened his grip on his weapon.
"A fragment?" he murmured. "That's no minor ritual."
The group exchanged quick glances. The information was too specific, too coherent.
"How many are there?" Kōri asked. "How far along is the ritual?"
"The fragment has already been located," Edgard replied, desperate. "And the ritual has begun. If it isn't stopped… it will awaken, even if incomplete."
Nero tossed a card into the air and caught it between his fingers.
"That explains the recent wind movement," he said. "Too intense for a simple anomaly."
"And how do we know you're not lying?" Lux asked flatly.
"Trust me!" Edgard pleaded. "I'm telling the truth!"
Lux exhaled slowly.
"So it's not just a cult. It's a ticking time bomb."
Merlin took a step back.
"Good," he said with a dangerous smile. "That was all I needed."
Edgard stared at him in pure terror.
"And... and now what?"
"Now," Merlin replied with absolute calm, "you know too much."
The movement was swift. Too swift to follow.
Edgard fell to the ground and didn't move again.
Sunday opened his eyes, shocked. He hadn't expected this outcome. Yes, he was a criminal... but still.
Nero watched silently.
Nero didn't like it, but he wasn't surprised either.
Lux and Kōri didn't react. Their expressions betrayed habit. Experience.
"Uhm…" Kōri murmured. "We already have the information. There's no reason to stay here."
"Exactly," Merlin agreed.
"Merlin," Nero said, putting away the cards, "what exactly are the Catacombs of the Wind?"
Merlin turned slowly.
"They're more than just old tunnels."
Silence fell over the group.
"Before Vickmolt existed, this place already buried things the world shouldn't remember. The entire city rests upon them."
"Shouldn't a cemetery be sealed?" Sunday asked.
"It was," Merlin replied. "Until it was no longer enough."
"Why isn't anyone going in now?" Kōri asked.
Merlin smiled slightly.
"Because not only the dead lie down there."
He paused deliberately.
"There lies Zephyr's mortal body."
Lux opened his eyes.
"A god... buried beneath the city?"
"Not whole," Merlin corrected. "A shell. A remnant. But still capable of responding."
"And the fragment?" Nero asked.
"It's the key," Merlin said. "They want to use that body as a focal point. To channel the wind on an absurd scale."
"That could wipe out half the city," Sunday growled.
"If they succeed," Merlin replied, "Vickmolt will cease to exist as they know it."
Kōri looked at the body one last time.
...
The group dropped into the void. The wind enveloped them, dragging them away from the torches and the darkness they left behind.
The light returned with a jolt. One by one, they reached the stairs.
Kōri vomited and clung to Nero's arm. Her acrophobia was unforgiving.
Merlin stretched as if nothing had happened.
Without speaking, they ascended to the chasm. An inaudible murmur, and the ground closed in on them again.
"Now what?" Lux asked.
"Inform the Fillius dei and collect," Merlin replied.
"And if this has already started... we'd better prepare for the worst."