A/N: I wanted to thank you for all your kind reviews. I like to read them but I'm open to criticism as well. I'm happy to see my work got some favs and I hope to write more of this fic for you. Enjoy reading!
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The past.
As long as Merlin learned to walk, he took advantage of the occasional circumstances and roamed around the house on his fragile feet. Ensuring, of course, that his mother was not present. It wouldn't do him any good if his parents saw their barely year-and-a-half-old child walking around the house as if it were nothing.
Humming softly, his childlike voice rang out down the hallway as Merlin surveyed the rooms.
The intention to gain some insight into the brand new world to which he was reborn was starkly expressed in his motions. However, there was one thing that infuriatingly interfered with his attempt for new knowledge.
O curse those frail things! He jerked his legs, making his displeasure known in how incapable they were of climbing the steps. His age wasn't helping him with his pre-planned activities.
"Hmm."
"Master Rudeus?" The voice came from behind and Merlin inwardly grimaced, pretending to be a child was something that pricked at his pride, what a true magus won't do for science.
It was a woman of eye-catching features, she was beautiful almost rivaling his mother. Once Merlin wondered how she looked without glasses.
"Did you get lost?"
"Mn."
"Ah, I see." The red-haired maid nodded cordially like she understood the babbling spewing from his lips, "Were you perhaps looking for the way upstairs?"
"Yes~! Lilia help?" Smiling adorably was the way. Dealing with adults while being stuck in a child's body is nothing short of annoyance. Briefly, Merlin looked out the corner of his eyes at the woman. His orbs perceived stoic patience, understanding, and what he imagined might have been fear?
"Very well." With the flick of her dress, the maid amiably captured his hand and slowly led him up the stairs, "Please be careful in the future. Lady Zenith would be displeased learning I failed my duty while she was away." She said sternly.
"Careful."
"That's right. Master Rudeus must be more responsible otherwise he will hurt himself." Lilia chided, "Falling the stars without supervision hurts. Please remember what I said."
Merlin nodded slowly and raised a brow at this. Was this woman thinking that a child knew words like 'supervision'? She conversed with him on almost equal grounds of confidence that he could understand. Her unusual behavior made it difficult to maintain the composure of his pretense.
He began inspecting the upper rooms, trying to keep a semblance of childlike curiosity while the maid began her routine of cleaning the nearest room.
To his disappointment, there was nothing noteworthy on the upper floor. The only things he found were the typical closets of clothes, household utensils, and dust.
There was still one room left to check, the only one without the unlatched door. Merlin discovered it was closed. Shame. He still tried to open it but couldn't reach the handle, even so, he kept trying. Using his magic proved to be a fruitless effort as most required reconnection with the Garden. Something he would rather do when he got older as the risks were too great.
Unfortunately, it turned out that the room was locked from the beginning so all his work and fatigue from jumping was for nothing.
"Are you trying to open that door Master Rudeus?" All sounds suddenly stopped, and Merlin discovered it felt like getting caught in a crime scene, "Do you wish to find out what's inside?"
"Yes!"
The handle moved but the door didn't budge, "Hmm, it's locked it seems."
"Key?"
"I have it." The way she looked at him suspiciously made it no easier for him to stay calm. Merlin felt his heart rate spike, "Lady Zenith keeps there her dear possessions. But I'm sure the clean-up is needed there as well."
He entered excitedly, the maid observing his back carefully.
The lock was opened and the first thing Merlin saw was how dirty it was. Hanging on the wall was a rather fancy outfit for the trip along with a breastplate and pants. This was not equipment for fighting but rather made for protection in case of attack.
Which led to the implication that his parents were most likely warriors. Knights perhaps or exiled nobles? This couldn't be dismissed considering they had a maid who clearly knew her job well.
In the corner of the room was a chest, Merlin peeked inside, noting with barely restrained glee the presence of books. Pure treasure! With rash swiftness, he picked up a book that had the title: A Textbook of Magic. Magic, not magecraft! A book possessing knowledge such as that couldn't have a mistake in spelling so in other words it must be true!
What secrets could lie there?
"Ah!" The object proved to weigh too much for his childlike strength and Merlin shortly found himself pinned underneath. Oh dear.
"Master Rudeus!" After his irresponsible show, the maid Lilia lectured him not to try it again. Merlin sat through the scolding in silence, feeling uncomfortable when an adult admonished him.
Eventually, he managed to defuse the situation by saying, "promise to never do that again!"
Of course, he lied blatantly.
"Master Rudeus wished to hear a storybook?"
"Book."
"Huh. Let me see... there is a tale about Hero Perugius. It was read to me as a child. I will tell Master Rudeus about him then."
She began narrating The Legend of Perugius.
A fairy tale was not something Merlin wanted to hear especially when a magic book lay a few feet away from him, but he swallowed it and forced himself to listen as the maid began.
Perugius' tale was about a summoner and his companions who slayed demons in an epic battle to save the world. A classic Heroic Spirit candidate, he thought. Merlin was sure there was more to the tale than meets the eye however there were greater things at hand.
Merlin listened as Lilia's soft voice was slowly fading into the background. In the end, Merlin felt overly tired, a sound similar to a yawn leaked from his throat, the human mind was getting tired all too quickly, he grumbled. The world and the illuminated by sunrays room began turning black, with something warm that started pulling him from within.
The reincarnated magus promised himself that at the next opportunity, he would explore the secrets of the magic book.
As his eyes closed he recalled how the maid looked at him when he tried to reach for the book. Her look one of fright was clearly seen through his sharp senses.
It stayed with him until the next day.
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In the Present.
"Um. Have you seen my glasses, Lady Zenith? I may have left them somewhere while going to bed." The maid asked looking immensely uncomfortable doing so. It was probably showing a lack of professionalism that was getting her down.
"Oh dear, I can't say I have Lilia. Did you look around the house? Maybe they are lying somewhere and you haven't noticed. You seemed pretty out of it after all."
The maid's shoulders slumped though her face remained unchanged, "I shall look around some more then."
"Don't overwork yourself!" His mother worried, "I don't want Lilia to feel pressured. You still have a pale face."
"I'm well My lady. After yesterday I cannot find them. It's quite distracting but I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?"
Well, for Merlin it was answered that Lilia was quite a beauty without them. His mother remained unconvinced, offering Lilia that she would take care of today's tasks, which the other woman strongly denied.
"There is no need to worry. I'm doing everything within my capabilities."
"Well, just look around more then." His father said, eating the remains of the chicken.
"Shut up Honey." The man was excluded from the argument because of his horse sense.
"Lilia's glasses are under the bed in her room." All eyes were focused on the young boy, meeting his amethyst gaze.
"Master Rudeus knows?" Despite not wearing glasses, Lilia's sharp eye was still capable of raising a few hairs on his neck.
"Eh?" His father dumbly asked, "How would you know that Rudy?"
Merlin blinked, entertaining the thought of telling them the truth.
Looking back at yesterday.
Lilia was exhausted after finishing work last night. In the morning she hung the laundry outside to dry but it turned out later that a terrible storm had come, it was faster than anyone had anticipated.
As a result, the woman was forced to take off the soaking clothes in the rain, much to the detriment of her health. As a result, she was unwell during the rest of the day.
After cleaning herself in the hot tub, entering her room she stumbled, not noticing that the bedside table on which she had left her glasses shook. This caused the object to fall somewhere nearby.
Lilia never would have thought she'd lost them in her own room, since that's the last remaining room where she could have made a mistake when she worked.
This was the truth of the story.
Of course, Merlin didn't know this himself, watching the maid's activities enough to witness her boring duties was impossible.
To answer the question.
"I have seen it." Everyone looked at him with surprise and confusion. After all, how could he see it if he wasn't there?
"Did you see Lilia's glasses that day Rudy?"
"No, I tried to think where to look."
Lilia went into the room to check while Zenith made a confused expression.
The words that fell, Merlin said truthfully. Without knowing the location of the place or the preceding reasons, the only way was to glimpse using his Clairvoyance. By the time Lilia asked the question Merlin already knew the answer.
A mild pressure on his mind surfaced. Merlin felt a growing throbbing sensation. He would rather spare the use of this ability. The magus learned the hard way that using Clairvoyance in a human body was a bad idea.
There was no holding back, however, the human brain and eyes were not adapted to seeing multiple images simultaneously. When a person closed his eyes and tried to imagine looking at an object from all angles at once the image that would emerge was blurry. The more objects one added the more difficult it became to envision such a phenomenon.
The human brain often tries to create simulations from a person's mind. Creating something similar to a true image.
In Merlin's case, it was different. As a partly phantasmal being, he could even see multiple sceneries happening simultaneously. It didn't take a toll on his brain. As a human, the repercussions associated with his current state were more powerful than he could have guessed.
The current limit of Clairvoyance consisted mainly of single visions per day and the range was at most the area of the Greyrat household. If Merlin used more, he would likely be in a coma.
"Lilia?" His mother called out loudly, the maid was gone for a while now, "Have you found your glasses?"
Lilia came out in a hurry, holding said object "I... Yes, I found it. They were under the bed."
"Really?" When Zenith saw the circular glass, her eyes widened and she ran up to her seated son with a big smile, "Rudy!" She tossed him into her arms and then kissed his forehead.
"M-mother!?" It completely threw the magus off guard, any mask he could prepare was shattered. His eyes widened considerably at the sudden show of affection. The warm, lovely sensation made his human heart beat like it was about to burst.
These cuddles were deadly, Merlin thought as his face gained a pink hue, "S-Stop please."
"Nope~ Mommy loves Rudy and he is a good boy so he deserves a prize. Is that right Lilia?"
The maid let out a light sigh, "I'm... grateful to Master Rudeus. Thank you very much." She spoke somehow awkwardly, eyeing him with a hesitant gaze followed by moving closer and embracing him in a hug as well.
Ah! Merlin found the sensation of being suffocated between two mountains a very interesting experience.
"My son is too humble!" Zenith declared not noticing how red Merlin's face became every second.
"My lady, Master Rudeus can't breathe."
Paul gaped at them with petulant jealousy, his jaw dropped with a chicken piece falling to the floor.
"Maybe he really is my son." He muttered something Merlin couldn't hear.
A big smile stretched across his face.
Meanwhile, Merlin wondered why Paul suddenly stared at him with pride.
As soon as Magus managed to get out, he wished to get some air outside. Paul approached him with a huge smile.
"You know I love you son."
Before Merlin could answer, his father cut him off. The unusually serious expression on his face made Merlin take a step back.
Perhaps he had something important to say.
"Oi Rudy, were you looking at Lilia like that?" Paul asked when he got close, wiggling his brown brows suggestively, "I didn't know she was your type." He whispered while putting his arm around Merlin's shoulder.
What are you implying to a three-year-old kid? Merlin wondered, whatever expectations he had, they were gone. He easily maintained his facial expression. Still...
Trying to make me embarrassed? Merlin grinned mischievously at the audacity of this man, "Just like Father stares from a hidden spot every time Miss Lilia quits bath?" He whispers back smugly.
"Agh!" Paul immediately shrinks like a balloon, spreading his arms on the chair and announcing his surrender.
"Mother would be mad."
"Okay, okay! W-wait! Let's calm down! R-Rudy!"
"Father wouldn't do something stupid, would he? Miss Lilia is beautiful so I worry."
"Rudyyy!"
'Rudy' laughed while holding his belly.
Merlin wondered if one day when he woke up, all he would see again were the Garden's flowers.
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Zenith woke up during the night, something mysterious rousing her from a deep sleep. The blonde-haired woman blinked her eyes and rose from the bed after which she pushed for leave. She held the lantern and let that intention pull to its destination.
The door from the next room was open, entering the room Zenith felt different emotions while seeing her only child curled up in the cold staring at the wide window.
"Rudy." She saw her beloved child flinch, his curious eyes seemed to glow under the moonlight. Instead of scorning him for not sleeping, she did something opposite. Walking up to him and taking a sit, her gown moved with a subtle push of cold wind, "Did you have a nightmare?"
"I'm scared." He stated and Zenith's heart hurt seeing that his usual easy smile was not present, "Scared I will not wake up here."
"Rudy did seem sad today." The woman saw her son leave today. Behind his layers was a form of sadness and anxiety. Zenith didn't know the reason for this pain, but did she need one to soothe her child?
"Mother noticed?" Rudy's voice was one of surprise.
Her child, no matter how perfect he seemed, was hurting.
"That's how mothers are supposed to be. We have to act accordingly when our children are in pain." Her memories drifted to how she sought to be treated by her mother. Zenith would be gentle with her children. She had always promised herself that the moment she bore a child, "Do you know what familian love is, Rudy?"
"I certainly love Mother." He answered immediately, "When Mother looks in pain I feel the same. When Mother is sad I am as well. When Mother is happy I smile. How can it be anything other than love?"
"I'm proud of Rudy for this. He is already so mature. So much that I wonder if I'm doing good enough. Rudy seems so far ahead at times that if I look back there is fear he will disappear."
There was a moment of silence in which they both looked up, seeing the dots radiantly shining. One of them was in the center of her vision, it reminded her of Rudeus. Burning so brightly that it was hard to miss.
The cold didn't bother her, she hugged her child close, giving reassurance that he wouldn't get cold.
"Do you want to pray with me, Rudy?"
"I wish to watch the stars together." He proposed instead.
Zenith agreed easily, deciding to stay close to him through that ordeal.
"Father says monsters gather around the village and may attack. He will go to meet with someone tomorrow to bring this up."
"Is Rudy worried about them?" She asked, "Paul won't be beaten by them."
"Mother can get hurt." He conveyed before saying unsettling words pierced her heart, "If there is a chance Mother can be hurt, I won't watch by and observe. I won't accept a fate where there is such a possibility. Never." It sounded more like he was making a vow to himself than Zenith. She eyed her son and found him completely immersed in the night sky. With his eyes glazed over, it was hard to tell he wasn't sleeping.
Rudy eventually fell asleep and Zenith picked him up gently. She put him to bed and joined. They both fell into a blissful dream.
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A/N: Thank you for reading. I wanted to somehow explain why Merlin's Clairvoyance with comparing something to it. I don't know if I did this good but that was the only thing I came up with. Honestly, I think it's a good explanation for why he can't use it.
I really like to read stories about people learning love. Writing the Merlin and Zenith scene was very pleasant.