Emily watched the two figures walk through the dome from the safety of her room.

A faint, instinctive recognition stirred within her the longer she looked at the beautiful dark-haired woman with those piercing ocean-blue eyes.

The stern man walked with calm, measured steps while casually surveying the sprawling mansion around him with detached indifference.

Then, suddenly, his gaze shifted.

For the briefest moment, his eyes landed directly on the window where Emily stood hidden.

Her breath caught in her chest.

In the next moment, the man turned away again, his attention returning to the woman walking ahead of him as though nothing had happened.

Several moments later, the two disappeared deeper into the mansion.

Emily remained standing silently by the window.

"...Strange," she murmured.

"My name is Cla—"

I know who you are, Clara Brewer..." Merlin interjected, his silver eyes glinting with a hint of amusement in them. His voice cut smoothly through hers before she could finish.

His silver eyes glinted faintly with amusement as he regarded her from across the chamber, thin arcs of pale lightning drifting lazily around him like living threads of light.

A faint smile touched Merlin’s lips..

"What I’d like to know is why you’re here?"

The silver glow within his eyes sharpened slightly.

"Of course, I could browse your mind for that information but I’d rather not resort to such discourteous methods even taking into consideration the massacre you perpetrated on your way here. "

Clara stared at him silently for several long moments, her ocean-blue eyes meeting Merlin’s silver gaze without the slightest trace of fear.

"We’re here for the girl. But you already knew that, didn’t you?"

Slowly, Merlin drifted off the floor with effortless grace, silver currents of light swirling faintly around him before he descended once more, landing elegantly upon his feet.

"The girl you speak of, is now my apprentice.

And from the information I gathered, her only benefactor was Gregory Whizen. The Brewer family has no claim to her."

The atmosphere subtly shifted the moment those words left his mouth.

" As such, I see little reason to entertain your demands."

He smiled faintly.

The temperature in the chamber seemed to drop several degrees.

Then Merlin’s expression changed slightly.

"Now for the damages you’ve caused..."

Clara’s eyes ignited with azure radiance, her hair floating eerily behind her in the air.

A wave of ice flowed from her fingertips rushing toward Merlin’s floating figure and freezing everything in its path.

Frost rapidly spread across the polished floor beneath her feet, seeping into the floor itself.

The violent torrent of ice quickly crept up the large pillars supporting the hall, surging around Merlin with terrifying speed and violence.

Outside, the commotion drew Victor’s attention.

The elegant bulter rushed into the hall only to be pushed back by an overwhelming pressure.

A massive explosion followed in its wake, violently rocking the room.

The gigantic doors slammed with a bang, sending cracks through the walls.

For several moments, silence lingered in the corridor.

Outside the room, Victor shook his head in exasperation and then adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses with an elegant flourish.

"Well, at least I tried my best."

He stood then sighed softly staring at the massive doors.

"And to their credit, they’ve lasted longer than the last visitors."

*****

Clara stared indifferently at the man before her even as the room grew colder, the temperature plummeting several degrees.

Merlin stared at her for several moments as the jagged wave of frost steadily crept across the walls and toward him.

The runic circle where he stood slowly dimmed then abruptly went dark completely.

Merlin’s gaze strayed to it for a brief moment, his lips parting in genuine surprise.

"My, my...aren’t you full of tricks..."

A heartbeat later, the wave of ice quickly swept over it.

Crystalline frost and ice surged upward slowly encasing Merlin’s body in jagged streams of pale blue ice.

For the briefest moment, Klein’s expression tightened slightly, his lips drawing into a thin line.

A moment later, the entire chamber groaned from the weight and pressure of the petite woman’s power, the walls creating from the strain.

The ice seemed to freeze time, slowing down everything around it completely.

Merlin lowered his gaze to the frost spreading around him before letting a soft hum.

"Interesting...very interesting..."

"I’m very much disappointed," Clara whispered, staring at the silver-eyed man standing before her.

Her glowing eyes remained fixed on him even as the frost continued steadily climbing and seeping into his body.

"It appears the tales of your power and immense strength are greatly exaggerated. "

Beside her, Klein’s eyes narrowed slightly, his lips curling into a slight frown.

"Lady Clara..."

The chamber trembled once more, groaning under the immense strain of containing her abilities.

"Growing up, I’d heard the stories about one of the most fearsome Talented in the world, you. And now, you stand here, weak and very much more failed than I could have ever imagined..."

Merlin stared at her coolly, even as the ice continued creeping up his body.

Clara stretched out an arm, holding him in place with her ability.

Merlin stared at her coolly.

"Is this how you repay my hospitality?" He asked quietly.

Despite the quietness of his voice, the pressure inside the chamber grew suffocatingly heavy.

"You killed my guards and yet I spared you."

His silver eyes narrowed faintly and for a brief moment, he peered into her eyes, meeting her gaze.

"I allowed you into my home and yet even then you’ve still failed to see the error of your ways or show me the most basic courtesy..."

Merlin’s smile widened.

"Little children..."

His eyes gleamed with malevolent light.

"What shall I do with you?"

For the first time since they’d entered the mansion, the man, Klein felt an eerie chill crawl down his spine.

"Something’s wrong..."

Clara stood straighter, the light in her eyes growing brighter and colder. Violent waves of frost erupted around her once more battling back the immense pressure the silver-eyed man was exuding.

A small explosion rocked the chamber from the battle of wills sending a violent gust of wind spiralling through the chamber.

Even then, she refused to lower her gaze.

"You speak of courtesy," Clara said coldly," yet you stole away someone with our blood.

The girl is undeniably one of us. You may call her your apprentice now but her blood is undoubtedly ours."

Merlin laughed, the sound carrying Holloway through the frozen hall.

"How can you be so sure? And besides, do you think you’ll be able to sunjugate me and leave this place in one piece?"

Clara’s gaze grew colder.

The ground beneath her feet cracked, and it gave way to a second layer of frost.

"You’ve grown weak old man."

Clara’s voice rang clear with chilling certainty, her radiant eyes narrowing in disdain.

"In the unforgiving world of the Talented, the Praesagius have grown complacent which is why relics like you still wield so much power. But no more. "

Clara slowly closed her outstretched palm into an unyielding fist, gritting her teeth.

Merlin winced as the ice around him tightened, the pale layers cracking under the immense pressure.

Within moments, his entire body was encased in a jagged pillar of ice that stretched towards the ceiling.

"Here and now, the legend of Merlin Halecrest ends."

The melodic sound of cracking ice rang throughout the hall.

"Any last words?"

Within the translucent ice, Merlin remained motionless, staring at her somberly for a while.

A heartbeat later, the light in his eyes dimmed then faded completely.

A jagged shard of ice abruptly exploded through his chest in a violent spray of crimson blood.

The sound echoed sickeningly through the frozen chamber.

Merlin’s expression shifted faintly, not to fear or anger, but to something strangely distant.

Then his body went limp.

Blood slowly dripped downward staining the ice before spreading underneath the pillar in a crimson puddle that instantly froze over.

Silence descended over the chamber.

Clara stared at his limp body for a few moments then gracefully turned.

"Find the girl," she ordered.

Klein remained still for a few moments staring at the corpse for several moments.

"Are you sure you did the right thing?" he asked.

"With Merlin Halecrest gone, the Brewer family will be only second to the Videntis and the Brotherhood of Shadows. Once news of what has happened here spreads, our influence will grow."

"What about the Matriarch?" Klein asked.

"Was she aware of this? "

Clara went silent for a few moments.

"The Matriarch will back my decision once news of my success reaches her."

Klein sighed, then turned around, heading for the frozen door.

A wave of heat incinerated the ice into a cloud of vapor that slowly rolled through the room.

A moment later, he stopped and then turned, staring at the unmoving body for several moments.

A faint sense of unease crept across his face.

"Something’s wrong," he murmured.

The corpse in the ice was real, the blood, the wound.

Everything felt real and yet Klein could not shake the overwhelming feeling that the dead man should not have died so easily.

Clara pierced him with a scathing glare.

"Are you doubting my abilities?"

Klein stared at her somberly for a few moments.

Then—the sound rhythmic deliberate, slow clapping echoed throughout the room.