A decaying old barn stood on the outskirts of the adjacent settlement. A shrouded figure waited at the barn's entrance from within. The enormous, aged red barn doors had been pried wide just enough to let a flood of moonlight in. As if they were impatiently waiting for someone to return, the shrouded figure paced back and forth with stiff and rigid movements, occasionally stopping to peer through the doors.

"You're successful if you're attempting to dig a trench in front of the entrance." A male's voice could be heard coming from the back of the barn. It sounded kind and soothing as if it was attempting to reassure the frightened person by the door.

The voice belonged to a young-looking male, maybe in his early twenties. His face structure resembled that of a half-elf. One of the ancient hay bales was being prepared as a makeshift bed by the young man. The young man in question was dressed in robes, indicating that he could have been a cleric or a magical practitioner. The robes were plain platinum in color.

However, depending on how the light hit it, the platinum color appeared to have a subtle blue tint to it. He was 5 feet tall and had a willowy frame that he tried to hide behind his robes. He was worried that his current physique would draw undesired attention to him and his other siblings who were accompanying him on the trip.

He belonged to a set of monochorionic, monoamniotic triplets. They all grew in the same amnion, chorion, and placenta, and they all grew in the same amniotic fluid. His brother and sister, on the other hand, starved him in the womb, making his survival a miracle. As a result, this sibling grew up to be feeble, explaining why his height and build were different from the others.

His long, wavy, silvery hair was pulled back into a french braid. On either side, he had a few little braids that flowed within the larger braid. Within the braid, a few dyed strands were a bright blue which contrasted with the rest of the silver. The braids are embellished with little silver beads. In the faint moonlight, his flawless skin glistened. Upon closer inspection, his skin featured tiny scales.

His dragonic blue-green eyes peered over his glasses at his sister, the earlier shrouded figure pacing back and forth. "You ought to take a break from it. Also, you should start making your bed for tonight. Who knows what the future holds. After all, Tetsu, the Great and Powerful, has done it again! He transferred us from the dragon isles to this location, world, or whatever it is. I'm not going to help him make his bed, thanks..."

His tone expressed his displeasure with Tetsu, his brother. "Why can't Tetsu be hit only once by carriage-kun? After all, he is a staunch fan of such fictional works. Finally, these detours will be avoided." As he spoke, he had a tiny set of fangs on his lips. Merlin was only on his second voyage into the unknown, and he was already showing signs of exhaustion.

His sister drew back her hood as she discreetly locked the door and went towards him. "But Tetsu is Tetsu, and he isn't the smartest of the three of us...or of the world. I'm afraid sending him out to get food was a terrible error." His sister responded, her face indicating concern for Tetsu. "Merlin, He may be the knucklehead of our kingdom, but he is still our brother. It's not nice to wish for him to encounter this carriage-kun. Tetsu would not be able to exist on his own, as we all know.''

Merlin's sister had a similar appearance to him. Her appearance, on the other hand, was different. She was six feet tall and had a well-toned athletic physique. However, she had more muscle tone in her legs than in her arms. She was clad in silver-plated armor with a blue tinge similar to her brother's robes. An 8-foot spear was in her left hand. Except for the fact that it had a slabstock large enough to comfortably lay a foot on, it appeared like it was created by elves.

Her long silver hair, on the other hand, was pulled up into a smiling bun. She had one icy blue eye and one golden eye instead of blue-green eyes. Tetsu and Lyra were battling over their eye colors in the womb, which was an ongoing joke between mom and Tetsu. Tetsu desired his sister's icy blue eyes, which she refused to give up in exchange for his golden eyes. As a result, they each received one.

"Pardon my bitterness, my beloved sister, Lyra. How, on the other hand, does the weakest sibling outlive the second strongest? Mind you, who is a complete moron." Merlin responded, his annoyance towards Tetsu still visible. "He'll run out of luck... someday..."

Lyra selected a few adjacent hay bales and began assembling a makeshift bed. "Merlin, our brother is a moron, and I'll admit, I have my doubts...more often than I'd like to admit. Shouldn't we, on the other hand, be devising a strategy? We don't quite fit in with the few farms we've passed. We might not be able to fit in with the rest of the village. The ambience and aesthetic are reminiscent of a classic horror tale."

Merlin inquired, ''Horror novels?''.

"The ones in our library," Lyra clarified. Their father liked reading the books that humans created. Takeing all of our world's tragedies and packing them into their own. It was probably a means for the nobility to get their kicks. "I believe our father was interested in a popular novelist named L.P. Hexcraft."

"It sounds a lot better than those copper novels that most noblewomen enjoy. They used irritating flowery words to depict sex." Merlin elaborated on his sister's response. "I guess anything that floats their boat. However, you are correct when you mention a strategy. I have a feeling we don't quite fit in with the rest of the group. We've just arrived, and we don't have an in...at least not one that we're aware of. Tetsu did manage to track down the strange oil lamp, the kind that is said to house genies. Of course, being the obedient child that he is, he messed with it, and that strange mist spilled out. We were teleported here after it filled up the room. However, we've come to the conclusion that we're awake as a result of our field studies, no pun intended. I'm not implying that I might've exacted my vengeance on Tetsu. He was an excellent test subject!''

Lyra sat in bed, listening to Merlin's conversation. Her own thoughts would sometimes drown out his speech. Her only concern was returning home. She had a funeral and a newborn to attend to, after all. It wasn't the best time to be whisked away again.

"All right, plans and how to fit in..." Lyra's words made her voice sound fragmented from the rest of her surroundings.

Merlin paused when he recognized Lyra's voice. Prior to all of this, he was assisting his sister in preparing a funeral for her Husband, so a quiet sigh escaped his lips.

''When they find out the three of us went missing, I'm confident they'll preserve his remains and come looking for us. Tetsu does have a knack for making things vanish into thin air. Take, for example, a lovely kingdom . . . OUR kingdom. I continue to receive therapy to this day. After all, I visited that universe, dimension, or whatever name you want to give it."

Merlin realized he was going into another rant. Quickly he cleared his throat and apologized to Lyra.

"As for your son, he's in very capable hands. He lives with his siblings and grandparents. I'm sure our mother has a knack for finding a wet nurse. If not... mother also has a couple of spells under her sleeve if need be. We owe it to that one bard."

Merlin did everything he could to console his sister, to the best of his ability. He didn't know how to give her the comfort she needed or desired. After all, he was trying to re-establish contact with his sister after so many years. In comparison to Tetsu, Merlin was still awkward around her. Tetsu, on the other hand, channeled Merlin's snarky side. There were no difficult exchanges, at least not for Merlin...

"Yeah...I recall... That day. I still get nightmares and flashbacks to when the entire kingdom vanished. Not to mention some of the events that occurred when I was attempting to reunite everyone." Lyra whispered as she placed the spear down and took off her cloak. She spread it out on the makeshift bed. "It's just that I'm not mentally prepared for this... right now. I'm just letting you know... I'd never had a moment to myself to think about it all. You know, anything like this necessitates a lot of concentration and energy."

Merlin sat quietly listening to his sister's comments, unsure of what to say or how to respond. Merlin was overly self-aware of his lack of experience in this area of life. What was he going to say to her? He could be like Tetsu and point out how her husband could have been seen as a pet. Because they lived far longer than humans, early death was to be expected. Pulling a Tetsu would simply irritate Lyra and assist no one. Lyra was always there for Merlin when he felt defeated. Even as children, Lyra was continually defending him from other children and adults.

Merlin earned the nickname "hermit of the library" as a result of his condition as a child. Discovering his love for studying and performing the magical arts in their castle's library. It was a means for him to avoid his family and friends. Lyra, on the other hand, was known to frequently enter his personal space. On the other hand, she was known as the rebellious princess who refused to take anyone's nonsense. It was her responsibility to defend Merlin, especially while he was in danger. Their father and Lyra were often at odds over what she did and did not do as a princess.

It wasn't long before the awkward stillness engulfed the room, making Merlin uneasy. After a few moments to psych himself up, he felt compelled to speak to Lyra. Merlin was going to say something when a loud noise interrupted him. The sound of the enormous barn doors slamming open startled the two siblings and caused them to jump out of their skin.

Hermit Link:

books/697319/chapters/1622597

Cover:

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