Chapter 304 - 304: Merlin Miscellany: An Investigation into His Origins

Merlin.

Merlin Ambrosius?!

Crack!

It felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck him.

Inside the wooden cottage, Dawn's eyes flew open as he sat bolt upright.

The bed creaked beneath the force of the movement, but he paid it no attention.

His mind echoed with nothing except the name he had heard within the darkness.

Merlin Ambrosius.

The legendary wizard renowned for his mastery of Transfiguration and prophecy.

The adviser who had helped King Arthur ascend the throne.

A figure immortalized in Muggle legends.

A man whose very beard had become a wizarding expression still spoken a thousand years later.

But the problem was...

Why had someone who lived over a millennium ago appeared in a dream meant to reveal the truth of his own past?

And why had that person spoken to him?

Pressing his fingers against his temples, Dawn felt his thoughts dissolve into complete chaos.

This was absurd.

It was like waking up one morning to discover a dinosaur—extinct for countless ages—peacefully curled up in his dog's kennel, wagging its tail at him.

This simply wasn't something that belonged in reality.

His thoughts became a tangled mess.

Had the Castle Consciousness somehow malfunctioned? Or had that truly been nothing more than an ordinary, nonsensical dream?

Countless bizarre possibilities flooded his mind until they blended into an indistinguishable blur.

No.

Calm down.

Dawn shook his head.

Drawing a deep breath, he leaned back against the wall beside his bed, pressing both hands against his forehead as he forced himself to think.

At the very least...

One thing had become undeniably clear.

If the Castle Consciousness had truly been functioning correctly...

Then he could now be certain.

His memories.

His past.

Neither of them was entirely real.

And judging from Merlin's sudden appearance...

The falsehoods ran far deeper than he had ever imagined.

Dawn bared his teeth in frustration.

Truthfully...

He had considered countless explanations for the inconsistencies in his memories.

Because of that, he had believed that no matter what strange scenes his dreams eventually revealed...

He would greet them with nothing more than quiet acceptance.

But now...

A single name had shattered that confidence completely.

What exactly was Merlin Ambrosius?

Again and again, Dawn repeated the name under his breath. His expression shifted constantly.

The sheer unpredictability of it all left him deeply unsettled.

No.

Two lines of dialogue weren't enough.

He needed more information.

With that thought, he lay back down and closed his eyes, hoping to return to the dream.

Unfortunately...

His mind remained consumed by Merlin.

Sleep refused to come.

Only after climbing back out of bed, finding a sleeping potion, and forcing himself to drink it did exhaustion finally claim him.

Slowly...

The familiar darkness returned.

"Sweetheart, wake up!

Look at the sun! It'll roast your little backside if you stay in bed any longer.

Didn't we promise we'd go to the aquarium today to see the giant turtles?"

A woman's unfamiliar voice echoed through the darkness.

Dawn guessed she was playing the role of his mother.

Although the voice sounded nothing like the mother he remembered... He no longer cared.

Instead...

He concentrated completely, hoping to hear more about Merlin.

Fate, however, had other plans.

As soon as the woman's words ended... He felt himself waking.

His eyes opened.

The wooden ceiling appeared above him once more.

Another dream...

Had ended.

Dawn clicked his tongue.

He slapped his cheeks lightly to steady himself. Then he uncorked another sleeping potion.

Moments later...

He collapsed back onto the bed.

Again... The darkness came.

Again... Only a handful of meaningless conversations drifted through it.

And once more...

He woke.

Still unwilling to give up... He repeated the process.

Again. And again. Until over a dozen empty potion bottles lay scattered across the floor.

Even then...

He hadn't heard another single word about Merlin.

Finally... With his stomach uncomfortably full of potions... He admitted defeat.

"Fuck!"

Dawn couldn't help cursing aloud.

The randomness of these fragments from the past was infuriating.

It reminded him all too much of the Prior Incantato spell.

After thinking for a moment... He climbed out of bed and walked toward his bookshelf.

With no better leads...

Perhaps a book might offer some inspiration.

[Curses and Counter-Curses: How to Outsmart Your Enemies]

[Death and Poison]

[Introduction to Alchemy: The Composition of Inanimate Matter]

One title after another passed before his eyes as he searched for something useful.

Thinking about it...

His current collection had come from only three sources.

The curse-related books from Harris's house. The Dark Magic collection inherited from the Avery family.

And Nicolas Flamel's alchemical works.

None of them seemed particularly likely to discuss Merlin.

Dawn frowned.

He wasn't expecting much.

Yet unexpectedly... Before long, he found exactly what he needed on the second shelf.

[Merlin Miscellany: An Investigation into His Origins]

He paused.

Then immediately pulled the volume free.

A glance at the spine revealed the author's name.

Nicolas Flamel.

Personally handwritten.

His curiosity immediately flared.

Opening the book, he discovered every page had been written entirely by hand rather than printed.

That hardly mattered.

Leaning against the bookshelf, he began reading.

[Merlin.

A name familiar to every one of us.

His stories have been passed down for centuries.

Both the Muggle world and the wizarding world largely agree on those legends, so I won't repeat them.

But regarding this legendary wizard... One question has troubled me for many years.

Why is it...

That someone so influential throughout magical history has left behind almost no verifiable trace whatsoever?]

[Great wizards always leave something behind.

The Four Founders left countless enchanted creations.

Herpo the Foul left Horcruxes. And yet... Merlin seems to be the sole exception."

I searched records throughout the wizarding world. I even traveled to Brocéliande Forest in France.

I carefully investigated both the Fountain of Barenton and Merlin's Oak.

In the end... I discovered they were nothing more than Muggle legends and later inventions.

Where did Merlin actually go? What magic did he create? What theories did he leave behind?

Every answer remains shrouded in mystery]

Dawn rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Now that he considered it... He really had never heard anything concrete about Merlin.

The legend felt omnipresent only because everyone constantly swore by Merlin's beard.

Beyond that...

Almost nothing remained.

Could the voice in his dream really have belonged to Merlin?

Or...

Was someone simply playing an elaborate joke on him? The uncertainty was maddening.

Taking another slow breath, he continued reading.

[Driven by curiosity, I recorded my questions here.

I attempted to analyze Merlin from the very beginning.

If we assume Merlin truly existed...

Then according to the surviving legends, there are two widely accepted stories concerning his origins.

The first claims Merlin was the son of a nun named Carmelis and an elf.

Merlin's birth, according to the tale, was not consensual.]

[The second claims Merlin was born from the union between an Incubus and a Muggle woman.

Though no evidence exists... My instincts tell me the second explanation is more credible.

Throughout wizarding history...

No race resembling the beautiful elves described in the first story has ever existed.

Goblins exist. But they are obviously something entirely different.

By contrast...

After countless fruitless investigations... I unexpectedly discovered references to the Incubus within the tomb of a Pope]

A tomb?

Dawn blinked.

He immediately remembered the treasures he'd acquired from the Cemetery of the Holy Sepulchre.

Once again...

He became convinced Flamel had enjoyed a glorious career as a tomb raider.

[Incubus.

A male demon from medieval European folklore said to visit women in their sleep, gaining power through intercourse.

It is traditionally paired with the female demon known as the Succubus.

For a long time... I believed the Incubus to be an extinct magical creature.

No records could be found.

Until... I discovered a church manuscript within that tomb. There, the Church defined the Incubus quite differently.

It described a phenomenon occurring exclusively among witches and wizards.

Under certain conditions...

A black mist-like being resembling a demon child would emerge from within the host]

A wizard? A black mist?

Dawn suddenly froze.

For some reason...

The description felt strangely familiar.

His eyes immediately dropped to the next paragraph. The answer waiting there was exactly what he had begun to suspect.

[Yes. You have probably guessed already.

The so-called Incubus never truly existed. It was simply the Church's description of an Obscurus.

The black magical creature born when a young witch or wizard suppresses their own magic.

In that case... If the second legend is true... We may arrive at another conclusion.

Merlin's mother was not a Muggle.

She was a witch who suppressed her magic so completely that she appeared to be one.

That suppression gave birth to an Obscurus.

The rumors of an Incubus were merely misunderstandings.

Therefore... I propose the following hypothesis.

Merlin... Was not a human child. He was an Obscurus born from a witch.

One that somehow developed human intelligence and successfully became an independent being]

Merlin...

An Obscurus?

Not even an Obscurial... But the Obscurus itself?

Even after mentally preparing himself... Dawn found the conclusion staggering.

Merlin...

And an Obscurus.

One was the greatest legendary wizard in history.

The other was merely an unusual Dark magical phenomenon.

Claiming they were one and the same...

Was like insisting that the dinosaur fossil in a museum had once been someone's pet dog.

Fuck.

This was becoming more ridiculous by the minute.

Dawn's eyelids twitched.

He reread the sentence several times.

Once again... He couldn't help marveling at the wizarding world.

Anything seemed possible.

Although Flamel admitted this was only speculation... The very fact that he had recorded it suggested he secretly believed it himself.

Following Flamel's reasoning... Dawn realized it wasn't entirely impossible.

The legends claimed Merlin excelled at Transfiguration. He could alter both his appearance and his age.

Though usually depicted as an old man...

He possessed no fixed appearance.

An Obscurus, naturally lacking a stable physical body, could explain that.

Furthermore...

An Obscurus was born from wildly unstable magical power.

Its destructive potential perfectly matched Merlin's legendary strength.

Even Merlin's preference for avoiding people and living among wild beasts in the forest...

Suddenly seemed easier to understand if he hadn't originally been human.

Pressing a hand against his forehead...

Dawn knew the argument largely amounted to drawing the target after shooting the arrow.

Even so... Its plausibility had increased dramatically in his mind.

Taking another deep breath...

He continued.

[Naturally... Everything written above remains unsupported speculation.

I personally believe it.

But you are free to ignore every word.

After all...

I cannot explain how an Obscurus born within a wizard could develop an entirely independent consciousness.

Nor can I explain how it might survive after separating from its host.

For those reasons... I include these notes merely as miscellaneous musings.

Nothing more]

Snap.

The book ended.

Closing it gently... Dawn suddenly found another question surfacing.

Normally...

An Obscurus and its host lived and died together.

But if one somehow separated... Could the Obscurus continue existing forever?

If it could...

Then Merlin interacting with his younger self... Didn't seem quite so impossible anymore.

Still thinking, Dawn slid the book back onto the shelf. He immediately began searching for anything related to Obscuruses.

After combing through the entire collection...

He found nothing.

Then again... That wasn't surprising.

None of the three people from whom he'd inherited these books had specialized in magical creatures.

Returning to his desk...

Dawn sat in silence.

Trying to decide what he should do next.

After considerable thought... He realized something unexpected.

Perhaps...

There was nothing he needed to do.

Yes.

Discovering that parts of his memory were false was disturbing.

Merlin's involvement was even more unbelievable.

But... No matter how extraordinary it all seemed... Those events had already happened.

Beyond glimpsing fragments through his dreams...

There was little he could change.

If anything deserved investigation... It was only one question.

If Merlin truly still existed...

Where was he now?

He sat there for a long while.

Eventually... Seeing no better answers, he forced the tangled thoughts aside.

For now...

He would continue living according to his own pace.

The bright morning sunlight streamed through the window.

Dawn pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment. He intended to continue researching special trait patterns.

Yet...

Although ink slowly dripped from the tip of his quill... The pen itself never touched the page.

Not a single word appeared.

"...No."

He sighed deeply.

Trying to focus proved impossible.

Today...

His mind simply refused to cooperate.

Running a hand irritably through his hair...

He reminded himself that this year was supposed to be devoted entirely to secluded research.

But after everything that had happened... Remaining completely indifferent simply wasn't realistic.

"...Fine. One more day.

I'll investigate for just one more day.

If nothing turns up... Tomorrow I'll return to studying the special trait patterns."

He muttered the promise to himself.

The situation made him feel strangely like a Muggle student.

Someone who had carefully planned an entire holiday schedule... Only to endlessly postpone actually following it.

He couldn't help it.

His thoughts simply wouldn't settle.

Putting the clean parchment aside... He mentally organized today's objectives.

First...

Create a duplicate of Dumbledore and extract his memories.

Second...

Visit Hogwarts to search for books related to Merlin.

While there...

Ask Lupin about the Marauder's Map.

Finally...

If time permitted...

Investigate whether an Obscurus could exist permanently after separating from its host.

Rubbing his chin...

Dawn remembered hearing something.

If he wasn't mistaken... Newt Scamander supposedly possessed a fully separated Obscurus.

Perhaps...

He should pay the famous magizoologist a visit.

Taking one final breath... Flames engulfed him.

Moments later...

He returned carrying an unconscious Muggle. This person would serve as the foundation for Dumbledore's duplicate.

That way...

The copy would possess Dumbledore's memories.

But without personal magical power... It would be incapable of resisting.

The process was routine now.

Within moments... The Muggle had transformed into an elderly man with a long white beard.

Dawn had no interest in listening to the confused imitation Headmaster.

Ignoring the bewildered look in the old man's eyes... He immediately forced the memories out with his wand.

Ten minutes later...

The duplicate had outlived its usefulness.

A Killing Curse ended its existence.

Meanwhile... A crystal vial filled with swirling silver memories now rested in Dawn's hand.

Holding it by the neck...

He gently shook it.

The silvery strands drifted lazily inside.

Having no desire to examine them immediately... He simply stored the vial away.

Then...

Carrying the body outside his hidden refuge... He reduced it to ashes with enchanted fire.

Immediately afterward...

He Apparated directly to Hogwarts.

Crack!

With a sharp report, Dawn reappeared before the towering castle overlooking the dark waters of the Black Lake.

Classes were currently in session.

The grounds were unusually quiet.

Only a handful of owls circled overhead, hooting softly.

Looking up at them...

Dawn suddenly remembered the snowy owl he had kept at Hogwarts during his time masquerading as Professor Hickman.

He wondered how the ungrateful little creature was doing these days.

Shaking the thought away...

He calmly turned toward the castle.

Without bothering to conceal himself in the slightest... Dawn walked straight through the front entrance.

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