The Wandering Sage of Paradise, a prophet and advisor who made his entrance into Arthurian legends as the court magician. Sometimes he guided, sometimes he tormented, and sometimes he aided King Arthur so he could overcome his enemies and overcome numerous difficulties. However, even as a wise man, Merlin was fundamentally inhuman. As can be seen, he is a mix of blood between an incubus and a human. With illusions as his forte, Merlin could transform into various forms — including a beast whose insides were not human — and his true appearance was unknown.
Merlin's life is shrouded in mystery. It is said that his mother was a princess of Wales, but it is also said that his father was supposedly a supernatural incubus who lived in the gap between Earth and the moon.
Merlin is said to have made many prophecies from a young age. Among the many predictions that made him famous was one in which he correctly predicted the existence of two dragons, one red and one white, sleeping under Mount Emrys and fighting each other upon waking. Merlin's words referred to the red dragon as Britain and the white dragon as the Saxons, ensuring that under the rule of a great ruler, the country would finally unite its forces and reign over Gaul and Rome. Other of his numerous prophecies were related to wars and the death of the king.
Merlin served Uther Pendragon, who, due to his love for Igraine, the wife of the Duke of Cornwall, secured Merlin's help at the price of leaving his son under his care. Merlin helped arrange the marriage between Uther Pendragon and the princess and watched over King Arthur from before his birth. He told Uther that his son would become his successor during times of war and helped imbue him with the "essence of a dragon" for that purpose. Although as a woman she could not officially become the kingdom's successor, Merlin was delighted and believed that her gender did not matter. Confident that separating her from the castle until the prophecy was fulfilled was proof that she would become king, Merlin entrusted her to the king's vassal, Sir Hector, and raised her as the daughter of a knight. Merlin visited her at some point during her childhood and made Sir Kay swear to keep her gender a secret. According to anecdotes, Merlin taught Artoria many things during her youth in a similar manner to a foster father.
Merlin prepared Caliburn for the selection of the next king, but no one could remove it from the stone. While the other participants prepared for a fair fight to decide the successor, Artoria approached and prepared to draw the sword. Merlin appeared before her at that moment and told her that she would cease to be human the moment she became king. Warning her that she would be destined to die miserably, Merlin showed her the end she would face in the future, but she, who had prepared for that day since her birth and firmly believed in the smiling people she saw in the vision; disregarded his advice and obtained the crown. After this, Merlin predicted that Artoria would lose what was most important to her in exchange for the realization of that miracle. Because King Arthur had trouble revealing his gender and producing an heir, Merlin used his magic to turn her into a pseudo-man for a while, allowing the creation of Mordred from his sperm.
Artoria lost Caliburn at some point and obtained Excalibur and Avalon from the Lady of the Lake. It is said that during a lesson, Merlin reprimanded her for choosing the sword and not the scabbard, as the scabbard was more important. Despite having foreseen everything about the collapse of the Round Table and the crises in Britain, Merlin left the country without telling King Arthur anything just before the final battle. He claimed that a woman of cold manners had been trying to kill him, so he took refuge in the Reverse Side of the World where he crossed the border and stumbled upon a foreign land called Avalon. Merlin had thought that the evil witch could no longer reach him, but he found a door built with rough stones, on which was inscribed the phrase "Only the innocent may pass."
Merlin realized that the door was a trap and was imprisoned upon entering. Massive stone walls emerged from the ground in front of him, and the walls that seemed to stretch vertically endlessly trapped the wizard inside. The place was like a tower without a roof. There are many theories as to why Merlin never told King Arthur about the fate that awaited him, but it is often said that it was because he was not interested in people, but only cared about destiny. Having transcended death, Merlin went to the utopia of Avalon and locked himself inside a "tower" for all eternity. Witnessing the human world until the end of the universe, unable even to die... that was the fate of a foolish man, who playfully meddled with the destiny of a single girl.
These facts also mean that it is not possible for him to become a Heroic Spirit, as even if people worship him, he cannot die so that his soul is registered in the Throne of Heroes. He who declared Arthur as the "King of Britain" and then led him to the lake and to obtain Excalibur. Merlin guided, aided, and prophesied greatly to Arthur, who began to walk the path of a king who dreamed of good ideals. However, Merlin himself could not continue walking alongside his beloved king. Due to the terrible sorcery of Vivian, the Fairy of the Lake who had been his student according to some legends, Merlin was trapped inside the tower. And so, even he, who possesses the powerful ability of foresight, despite having foreseen everything about the collapse of the Round Table and the dangers within Britain, was unable to convey his regrets when King Arthur approached "that moment."
Merlin is said to have lost his life when he was trapped inside the tower. A life born in mystery and died in mystery. However, there is an anecdote that says that he is still alive, even now, watching over people; and that after the era of King Arthur, he helped the twelve paladins of the era of Charlemagne.
A formidable mage, no matter how you look at it. Just by being there, Merlin exudes an aura as refreshing as if flowers filled the surroundings. He was not a really important character in the legend, but all the Knights of the Round Table agreed that he was an irredeemable person. Merlin's role was the same as Gandalf's in The Lord of the Rings; add the feeling of a young prince, and you have the gallant entrance of a cute boy from Middle Earth.
Merlin wears a tunic woven with the finest fabrics. Although he still looks modest, his long hair reflects the colors of the rainbow in the sunlight.
Merlin is not necessarily an ally of humans. A young man who is like the wind blowing on the meadows. Before him, anyone would end up releasing the tension from their shoulders, a slightly fair person. Still, because he apparently lacks seriousness and a sense of responsibility, one can see that Merlin can also appear as a shady swindler. A rhetorician who, even when perceiving things objectively and accepting the cruelty of the human world, turns it into something bright by saying things like, "But otherwise, it wouldn't be fun, right?" Despite being a hybrid being, Merlin has never hated humans. Rather, he appreciates them to such an extent that it is more than natural. He loves the world of humans, loves jokes, and loves women. Overall, he is the Flower Mage who responds to most things with a refreshing smile and a calm expression.
Openly so, he tends to show a perfectly happy personality, a perfectly happy guy, without a single worry, but as Merlin himself is aware that he is a foreign body when it comes to human society, he never crosses that last step... the wall called friendship. Ultimately, like a child enjoying a tasty meal, Merlin is always watching and protecting the world so that humanity can achieve a happy outcome.
...So, if one is only looking at the end result, Merlin is a good man and a wise one. But inside, he is an incubus, a being far removed from humans. A being that consumes dreams and can essentially understand human emotions, but cannot truly sympathize with them. He is a being akin to an alien, who only excuses himself within a dream, a human mental activity, and consumes it before leaving like an insect. Because of this microscopic evaluation criterion, perhaps he is simply unable to understand the human heart, as he cannot even know the actions of a person or sympathize with them. Normally, he would be a being identical to beasts, a form of life of a higher order that is certified as an enemy of humanity.
Merlin is very boastful of his abilities as a mage, claiming that he incites jealousy and envy in all other servants, especially casters, by being of a second category in comparison. It is a fact that Merlin was able to see through the identity of the mastermind behind the Grand Orders incident. It is also a fact that he remains silent about it. The human protagonist must fight with their own power; it is only fate, because otherwise, they would only perceive their enemy as one they cannot defeat.
Not even Merlin can overcome the final boss — the King of Sorcery —. In reality, no Heroic Spirit can surpass him. The one destined to do so is none other than a human who lives in the present. Therefore, he will watch over his master, just as he would have watched over many kings in the past.
Merlin will believe in his master, the hope of human history; he will lend his power to the fullest; and then he will quietly entertain himself. Merlin's wish is to open a path for the protagonist's own destiny, watch over him as he walks towards the future, and contemplate that "beautiful sight." "After that, I'll do what I always do; completely disappear from everyone's memory. Most other things I can do without much fuss. But I can never get used to this."
Merlin is one of the highest-ranking casters and the most feared mage in the country of Britain, rivaled only by Morgan le Fay. Since he is still alive trapped in Avalon, Merlin generally cannot be summoned to fight in a Holy Grail War except under certain circumstances. If he were to manifest as a servant, his consumption of magical energy would be incredibly high, as demonstrated by leaving Gilgamesh almost completely exhausted just to maintain his summoning. Reinforced by his incubus heritage, Rin Tohsaka describes that being able to disguise Artoria's gender or "make possible the creation of a child that should never have been born" would be an extremely easy task for him.
The creation of Invisible Air is attributed to something he might have thought of for Artoria. Merlin has also shown to be able to turn Tiamat's Sea of Life into flowers, exhausting her power even though it had spread to cover almost all of the underworld, if not all. His magic can also be used defensively, as he was able to block Cú Alter's Gáe Bolg to protect Mash even when trapped in Avalon in a dreamlike state. One of his limitations is that he cannot remotely control divine constructions like Marduk's Axe because they repel human magic, so he could only make it levitate a little and then let it fall.
However, Merlin does not treat sorcery as his forte, claiming that he stumbles during incantations and that it is easier to defeat people with a sacred sword. Having been Artoria's fencing instructor, Merlin is an extremely skilled swordsman and has been seen wielding Excalibur, as when he fought several of Tiamat's New Eleven Descendants at once, while even Ishtar's rays were unable to pierce them.
As the legend says, Merlin is very good at escaping. Kingu considers capturing him to be extremely difficult and killing him even more so. The reason he seemed weak for most of the Babylon Singularity is that he was saving magical energy to help Chaldea. Merlin claims that his only true weakness is the Mystic Eyes of Petrification, and as such, he refuses to fight against Gorgon, who had been empowered by the Holy Grail and Tiamat's Authority.
Merlin possesses the proof of being the Supreme Sorcerer; the clairvoyance of "the eyes that see through the world." Eyes that can see beyond while the person stands. From time immemorial, it is the power entrusted to the lands by the gods and the power that shamans needed to protect lives. However deep and capable one's magic circuits may be to perform the most powerful forms of sorcery, a sorcerer who does not possess these "eyes" will not receive the title of the most supreme. Merlin's clairvoyance is said to be on par with Gilgamesh and Solomon, which are both ranked EX. While most uses of this ability allow the user to see the future, or even the past, Merlin can only see the present.
In Konohagakure no Sato, literally meaning "Village Hidden in the Leaves," also known as "Hidden Leaf Village," is the hidden village of the Land of Fire.
Walking through the streets of the village was the wandering sage of paradise, observing his surroundings and the architecture as he walked. After the conclusion of the Fifth Holy Grail War, he remained there, standing still without disappearing for some strange reason. Though intrigued, he didn't question it much and simply stayed in the world, wandering for years.
Things began to change when wars led to the formation of what was now known as the Elemental Nations. He observed the formation of these nations but did not interfere, only watching as they progressed to what they were now as he walked through this village.
In this new era, he learned that prana had transformed into what was now known as chakra — the vital energy of the body, essential for any jutsu, even the most basic. It is a mixture of physical energy (shintai enerugī) present in every cell of a living being's body and spiritual energy (seishin enerugī) acquired through exercise and experience. Once mixed, it can be channeled through the chakra circulatory system, similar to the blood circulatory system but with chakra, to any of the 361 tenketsu in the body.
Through various methods, the most common being hand seals, chakra can be manipulated to create effects that would not otherwise be possible, such as walking on water, climbing trees without hands, exhaling fire, or creating illusions. By mixing different proportions of the two energies, new types of chakra can be formed. The most common product is elemental chakra, which is used to perform elemental jutsu. Most ninjas have a natural affinity for a type of chakra but have the ability to create elemental chakra separate from their own affinity. There are six basic types, each stronger and weaker against another; five have been shown so far, but their relationships, weaknesses, and strengths against each other are explored, with the sixth being Yin and Yang and the balance of mental and physical energies. In addition to these six elements, some kekkei genkai can blend two types of elemental chakra to form new elements, such as Ice (wind and water), Wood (earth and water), among others. It has even been shown that more than two elements can be combined, as in the case of Dust Release (wind, fire, and earth), which is a kekkei tota. While many ninjas can use more than one type of elemental chakra, they cannot be used simultaneously or at the same time, as it requires great concentration and is therefore very difficult to achieve.
This was interesting to him, but in a limited way, so he didn't dwell on it too much. Continuing his thoughts, he arrived at what seemed to be a large building where several children were playing.
Upon quick deduction, it was an orphanage, nothing special to see but something that piqued his curiosity. Looking beyond, under a tree, he saw what seemed to be a ghost from his distant past — a child with golden hair of "fine texture" that seemed to have been "sprinkled with gold dust." His face showed signs of childlike innocence and elegance.
He remained silent for a few seconds, just staring at the child who was the spitting image of someone from his past. Unable to move, he continued to gaze at him, and the only thing that came out of his mouth was a whispered name that only he could hear.
Merlin: Artoria...
And thus ends the chapter.