AlexNos
Resident Asshole and Sorcerer
Room thirteen was perfectly symmetrical. Two beds, two lamps, two nightstands, two sinks, almost two of everything, each one a mirror of itself.
Merlyn hated it.
He understood the concept of order, but trying to enforce was merely people deluding themselves into thinking they could control the Universe. Which was impossible, though the Illuminati and Templars believed otherwise. Whether you were one man or a gigantic organization, no one can control the Universe. It's just too vast and unknowable. Another reason Merlyn didn't like the other organizations. Do not misunderstand, he liked a few people in them. One such person was the Gunslinger. Yes, they were on separate sides of a conflict. But Merlyn still had an extraordinary amount of respect for the man. Very few people would choose to prolong their life so that they might continue fighting, battling death. Most prolonged their life simply to hide from Death. That was cowardly. The Gunslinger... was not.
He popped his neck and stood, reaching out his hand. His trench coat flew into it and he slid it on before going over to the window and peeking out the blinds. There, he saw him. The Frenchman. How can being cyborg, prolonging your natural life-span, bring you closer to god? Wouldn't being a cyborg make you god-like, and therefore make it hearsay?
Merlyn shook his head and stepped out the door, snapping his fingers to turn off the lights behind him. He had never met the Cyborg, but he had heard some stories. The Templars had done a fine job, yes. But, in doing so, they attempted to imitate the god they worship? Wasn't that a sin in their culture or religion or something? He sighed and began walking towards the front office before suddenly stopping, right in the middle of the parking lot (in full view of rooms six and seven,) and staring up at the sky.
A flock of birds, flying overhead. No, not a flock. So many that the noise was like that of a thunderstorm. All of them fleeing from... something. It was over as fast as it had begun, but it still left a bad feeling in the pit of Merlyn's stomach. Rats were always the first to flee a sinking ship. The same could be said for most other animals. On a hunch, Merlyn opened his senses and looked around, carefully turning in a slow circle, making sure not to miss a single detail.
He sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose. It was as he had feared. The animals were gone. All of them.
But, before he could dwell on this discovery any longer, he was blown backwards, off his feet, flying through the air a good ten feet, before landing on his back and whacking his head against the asphalt, successfully dazing him. As he tried to focus his eyes, the most primal part of his mind quickly registered what had happened. He had been attacked by an unseen combatant. No... not a combatant. It was something else. Something much more powerful...
Merlyn focused his eyes as he sat up and looked around. There it was, going along as if nothing had happened. A thin layer of magic laid about the whole town. Thin enough to where he hadn't seen it before. It was spread out, like a net, covering nearly everything. As he followed it to the source, he found one of the focal points being the diner across the street. Actually, to be more exact, the people inside the diner across the street. Merlyn reached out and grabbed a handful of the magical net, pulling on it. It made his hand go numb and so he instantly dropped it. He knew what it was though. He had had to use it many times before. A selective amnesia spell. But this... this covered the whole town. He doubted even the most powerful Mages in the world could do that.
This was bad. This was very, very, bad.
Merlyn hated it.
He understood the concept of order, but trying to enforce was merely people deluding themselves into thinking they could control the Universe. Which was impossible, though the Illuminati and Templars believed otherwise. Whether you were one man or a gigantic organization, no one can control the Universe. It's just too vast and unknowable. Another reason Merlyn didn't like the other organizations. Do not misunderstand, he liked a few people in them. One such person was the Gunslinger. Yes, they were on separate sides of a conflict. But Merlyn still had an extraordinary amount of respect for the man. Very few people would choose to prolong their life so that they might continue fighting, battling death. Most prolonged their life simply to hide from Death. That was cowardly. The Gunslinger... was not.
He popped his neck and stood, reaching out his hand. His trench coat flew into it and he slid it on before going over to the window and peeking out the blinds. There, he saw him. The Frenchman. How can being cyborg, prolonging your natural life-span, bring you closer to god? Wouldn't being a cyborg make you god-like, and therefore make it hearsay?
Merlyn shook his head and stepped out the door, snapping his fingers to turn off the lights behind him. He had never met the Cyborg, but he had heard some stories. The Templars had done a fine job, yes. But, in doing so, they attempted to imitate the god they worship? Wasn't that a sin in their culture or religion or something? He sighed and began walking towards the front office before suddenly stopping, right in the middle of the parking lot (in full view of rooms six and seven,) and staring up at the sky.
A flock of birds, flying overhead. No, not a flock. So many that the noise was like that of a thunderstorm. All of them fleeing from... something. It was over as fast as it had begun, but it still left a bad feeling in the pit of Merlyn's stomach. Rats were always the first to flee a sinking ship. The same could be said for most other animals. On a hunch, Merlyn opened his senses and looked around, carefully turning in a slow circle, making sure not to miss a single detail.
He sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose. It was as he had feared. The animals were gone. All of them.
But, before he could dwell on this discovery any longer, he was blown backwards, off his feet, flying through the air a good ten feet, before landing on his back and whacking his head against the asphalt, successfully dazing him. As he tried to focus his eyes, the most primal part of his mind quickly registered what had happened. He had been attacked by an unseen combatant. No... not a combatant. It was something else. Something much more powerful...
Merlyn focused his eyes as he sat up and looked around. There it was, going along as if nothing had happened. A thin layer of magic laid about the whole town. Thin enough to where he hadn't seen it before. It was spread out, like a net, covering nearly everything. As he followed it to the source, he found one of the focal points being the diner across the street. Actually, to be more exact, the people inside the diner across the street. Merlyn reached out and grabbed a handful of the magical net, pulling on it. It made his hand go numb and so he instantly dropped it. He knew what it was though. He had had to use it many times before. A selective amnesia spell. But this... this covered the whole town. He doubted even the most powerful Mages in the world could do that.
This was bad. This was very, very, bad.
