"It's an artifact that lets you establish geis."
Merlin slightly raised her eyebrows.
"Geis?"
"Inviolable magical contracts established between two people. Once the terms are accepted and the contract is concluded, both parties are bound to respect them."
She turned her attention back to the stele.
"Oh, interesting. The concept isn't unknown to me, but it's the first time I've heard that term."
"Yeah, I figured."
Merlin stayed silent for a few moments.
She observed the stele again.
"I've never heard of such an artifact."
"That's not particularly surprising."
"Is it one of your creations?"
Emrys turned his head slightly toward her.
"Not really."
"Not really?"
"It's complicated."
Merlin waited a few seconds, hoping he would continue.
He didn't.
She ended up sighing.
He really has no intention of telling me more.
She could have tried questioning him about the artifact's origin, the nature of its making or the conditions required for it to work. But she had already understood that those questions would probably bring her no useful answers.
Might as well get straight to the point.
"Fine. What will the terms of this contract be?"
Emrys sketched a slight smile.
He set the stele down on the nearest table, then turned to Merlin.
"Here's what I propose. I'm willing to answer all your questions, on the condition that they only concern me directly. You can ask me about my abilities, my history, my particularities or any other subject that concerns me personally."
Merlin nodded.
It was already a major concession. She would finally get answers to several questions she had accumulated since their first meeting.
"However, I reserve the right to withhold specific information on a subject three times."
"Three times?"
"Yes. If I don't wish to answer a question or if I consider the requested information too sensitive, I can refuse to answer you. But I can only do it three times."
Merlin thought for a few seconds.
"So even if you refuse to answer three questions, I can keep questioning you on other subjects?"
"Yes."
"And you can't simply refuse to answer every question concerning a particular field?"
"Not if it goes beyond the limit I just set."
She slowly nodded.
The restriction seemed acceptable to her. Three refusals left him enough margin to protect the information he absolutely did not want to disclose, without allowing him to systematically dodge her questions.
"And in exchange?"
"In exchange, you won't have the right to reveal the information I give you to anyone without my authorization. You also won't be able to use it against me."
Merlin nodded once again.
"Fair."
"If you break either of these two conditions, your soul will dissolve."
A silence followed.
Merlin looked at him.
Her expression had become perfectly neutral. She stayed that way for a few seconds, as if waiting for Emrys to add something that would make that last sentence a little less absurd.
But he said nothing.
She finally asked:
"Are you serious?"
"Absolutely."
"The dissolution of my soul?"
"Yes."
Merlin stared at him a few moments longer, then slowly put her hands on her hips.
"Don't you think that's a bit excessive?"
Emrys thought.
"Originally, I had thought of a less radical punishment."
"Oh?"
"I was going to say that you'd lose all your memories of the information I'd entrusted to you. But I realized you could simply store them somewhere before losing them."
Merlin stayed silent.
"Then I thought about making your heart explode."
She blinked.
"But once again I realized that it wouldn't necessarily guarantee your death. I don't know all the precautions you may have taken to ensure your survival, and I wouldn't want you to find a way around the penalty."
He paused briefly.
"So I settled on the least avoidable punishment I know."
Merlin looked at him without saying anything.
She finally sighed.
"I find that reasoning a bit exaggerated."
She crossed her arms.
"But I understand your logic. I wouldn't do any less in a situation like yours. And rest assured, I don't intend to either reveal your secrets or use your information against you."
She briefly observed the stele before turning her attention back to him.
"I approve the terms of the contract."
Emrys nodded.
"Perfect."
A faint light suddenly enveloped the two of them.
It spread out from the stele, then ran over their bodies like a thin luminous film. Merlin felt a slight pressure around her, but no pain. The magic didn't seem to seek to impose itself on her body. It merely marked the agreement concluded between them.
For a few seconds, the light remained visible.
Then it disappeared.
The geis had just been established.
Emrys reached out toward the stele.
The object dissipated at once, as if it had never existed.
"Good."
Merlin didn't give him time to speak again.
"So, how do you detect your surroundings?"
Emrys turned his face toward her.
"Observation Haki."
"Observation Haki?"
"That's the name I give to this ability."
Merlin stepped slightly closer to him.
"Explain."
Emrys took a few moments to organize his thoughts.
He wasn't particularly good at explaining his abilities. But since he had just concluded a contract obliging him to answer her questions, he figured he would have to make an effort this time.
"By using my mental energy, I'm able to perceive the aura of living beings."
"Their aura?"
"Yes. To put it simply, it's the mental energy that permanently resides inside them. Each person has an aura of their own, and I can perceive it thanks to my Haki."
Merlin listened attentively.
"And you can determine a person's position thanks to that aura?"
"Among other things. I can also perceive their movements, anticipate their actions and certain variations in their mental state."
"So you can tell what a person is feeling?"
"To a certain extent. I can't read their thoughts precisely."
Merlin paused briefly.
"How does the anticipation work?"
"By observing the variations in their aura, I can deduce their intentions and predict their actions before they carry them out."
"That sounds like a form of intention reading."
"It's fundamentally the same thing."
She thought for a moment.
"That's already more credible than the story you told me earlier."
Emrys shrugged slightly.
"There is still something I don't understand, though."
"What's that?"
"If your Haki only lets you perceive the mental energy of living beings, how do you detect inanimate objects?"
Emrys nodded.
"Good question. There are two things to take into account."
He raised a finger.
"First, objects that are in contact with a person, or that a person is using, end up covered by their mental energy. Thanks to that, I can perceive them."
"Oh, good to know."
He raised a second finger.
"Second, Observation Haki also lets me see, in a sense, magical energy. Whether it's the energy present in the air or the energy found inside living beings and objects."
This time, Merlin took a few seconds to absorb the information.
Then she sketched a smile.
"Fascinating. Tell me, is this ability your magical power, or is it a spell you learned?"
"Neither."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't use magical energy to activate Observation Haki. I only use my mental energy."
Merlin tilted her head slightly.
"You mean you could use this ability even if you were deprived of your magical energy?"
"Yes. Even if I could no longer use my magic or any of my other abilities, I'd still be able to use Observation Haki."
"And could someone else learn to master it?"
Emrys shook his head.
"As far as I know, I'm the only one capable of it."
Merlin didn't answer right away.
For the first time, this ability truly exceeded Merlin's mind. This power had absolutely nothing to do with the existing system.
It's almost as if he came from another world, she thought.
Oh, if only she knew how right she was.
"I see. And does your ability to move instantly over short distances also work with this mental energy?"
Emrys, who had been distracted a few seconds earlier, turned his head sharply toward her.
"How do you know about that ability?"
Merlin didn't answer right away.
She had asked that question a little too quickly.
"Forget it, let's get back to Observation Haki..."
Emrys stayed silent.
He could have insisted.
He could have pressed on, but he didn't want to risk a headache even more atrocious than the one she was already giving him.
He finally gave up.
"What else do you want to know?"
Merlin immediately regained her smile.
"Is your Haki only capable of perceiving auras and magical energy?"
"No."
"What other function does it have?"
Emrys thought for a few seconds.
"I'm also able to see a few seconds into the future with Observation Haki."
Merlin blinked.
She hadn't expected that answer.
"Are you talking about your ability to anticipate movements?"
"No."
He shook his head.
"I can really see the future. I'm able to see what's going to happen in the next few seconds."
Merlin stayed silent for a moment.
"And can you see what will happen even if the person changes their mind at the last moment?"
Emrys thought.
"Once again, seeing the future doesn't depend on reading someone's intentions. Even if they change their mind at the last moment, it will still be an event of the future that I'll be able to see. Unless the person is also able to see the future."
Merlin put a hand on her chin.
"How is that possible? Sorry, but I don't really see any link between what you told me about Haki and seeing the future."
"Honestly, I don't see it myself, but I have a theory about it. However, I can't guarantee that it's correct."
"A theory?"
"Yes. And I'd rather warn you: don't take it too seriously. I have no way of verifying its truth or its validity."
Merlin stared at him.
Her expression clearly indicated that she had no intention of letting him stop there.
"Understood. Now, talk."
Emrys sighed.
"Very well."
He crossed his arms.
"So far, I've explained Observation Haki to you using the concept of mental energy. It's the simplest and most concrete way to describe how it works. But if I had to explain it from a more esoteric point of view, I'd say that Observation Haki is the ability to perceive the will of others."
Merlin listened attentively.
"The will?"
"Yes. Mental energy does exist, but it's not something as concrete as magical energy."
At least not in others.
He paused briefly.
"So when I use future sight, I wonder whether I'm not perceiving a will, but not that of an ordinary living being."
"Like what?"
"The will of the universe."
Silence settled in.
Emrys continued, aware of how strange his explanation was.
"If Observation Haki lets me perceive a person's will, maybe its most advanced form lets me perceive the will of the universe itself. And if I'm able to perceive it, maybe I can anticipate the actions that follow from it. Which would explain why I'm able to see what's going to happen in the next few seconds."
He finished his explanation.
Merlin was looking at him.
Her expression was perfectly blank.
All the excitement that had animated her until then seemed to have disappeared.
She stayed silent for a few moments before speaking.
"I think I've never heard such a pile of nonsense before."
Emrys shrugged.
"I warned you."
Merlin shook her head over it.
She had asked the question hoping to get an explanation of how this future vision worked. What she had ended up with was a hypothesis resting on nothing verifiable.
She couldn't say she was satisfied.
"Well."
Emrys turned his head slightly toward her.
"Are you satisfied now?"
"No."
He sighed.
"Of course."
Merlin didn't give him time to add anything.
"I have one more question."
"I figured."
She stared at him for a few seconds, then asked:
"What's your real name?"
Emrys stayed silent.
The question was simple enough that he had no reason to think long about his answer.
"Emrys."
Merlin waited.
"That's all?"
"Well, legally, in my kingdom, it's Emrys Muramasa."
"Muramasa?"
She repeated the name, as if to appreciate its sound.
"I never really understood the point, but someone close to me asked me to adopt a family name to improve governance."
"Well, that's not exactly a common name."
"I won't lie, I regret not spending more time thinking about it. It doesn't go with my first name at all."