They were at the third floor landing when Nathan stopped outside the apartment door and dug for the keys.

Merlin glanced down the hallway, eyes brushing over the chipped paint, the faint smell of fried oil from someone cooking, the muffled argument coming from two doors over.

Nathan finally unlocked the door, pushing it open with his shoulder.

"Don't track dirt in," Elara's voice called from somewhere inside.

Nathan grunted. "Yeah, yeah."

Merlin stepped in behind him, scanning the room automatically. The balcony door was closed, curtains drawn, but the faint ripple of fabric told him they'd moved recently.

Nathan threw his bag down. "I'm hitting the shower before Elara tries to interrogate me about training."

Merlin didn't respond. He crossed the living room and slid the balcony door open. The air outside was warm, a slow breeze drifting past. The street three floors below was alive with footsteps and chatter, and somewhere a cartwheel squeaked.

The white-haired man was gone.

'Figures.'

Merlin stepped out, resting his hands on the railing. No trace of him. Not even that faint, heavy presence he always carried. It was like he'd never been here at all.

"Merlin?" Elara's voice was closer now. "You didn't say you were back."

He turned, and she was standing in the doorway, arms crossed. "Got caught up in something."

Her eyes narrowed. "Like what?"

"I don't remember," Merlin said easily.

She stared at him a few seconds longer, then sighed. "Whatever. Dinner's in an hour. Don't vanish again before then."

When she left, he turned back toward the street.

[System Notice: Gate Reopening – South District: 2 Days]

[Warning: Boss-Class Entity – Containment Failure Likely]

'Two days. Perfect.'

—

The next morning came without anything unusual, unless you counted Nathan's breakfast cooking, which was borderline dangerous. They left early, heading south.

They were halfway to the south gate when Nathan finally slowed his stride. "You're doing that thing again," he said.

Merlin didn't look at him. "What thing?"

"Eyes everywhere. Like you're expecting something to jump out of the shadows."

'That's because I am.'

"Habit," Merlin said.

Nathan gave him a sidelong glance but didn't push. His pace quickened again, and the conversation died there.

By the time they reached the main street, the crowd had thickened. Merchants shouting over each other, kids weaving between stalls, the smell of fresh bread mixing with the sour tang of spilled ale.

Nathan kept pace, still grumbling under his breath about their last sparring match.

"You really didn't break a sweat," he said.

Merlin smirked. "I told you—leagues ahead."

Nathan groaned. "I hate you."

Merlin didn't answer, but the faint ping of his system was louder now, pushing at the edges of his thoughts.

[Status Update: Energy Differential – 743% Advantage Over Target]

[Projected Outcome in Direct Engagement: Target Defeat in ≤ 15 sec]

'Fifteen seconds is generous.'

They cut through the market square, took the side street home, and the familiar shape of the apartment block came into view. Nathan went ahead, muttering about a bath and a nap. Merlin's eyes drifted upward.

There, on the balcony, he saw him.

Not Nathan. Not Elara. Himself.

Standing still. Watching.

For a heartbeat, it didn't make sense, until the sunlight shifted and he realized it wasn't a reflection in glass. It was him.

No… it was just him there, like he'd been the whole time, waiting for them to arrive.

Nathan didn't notice. Didn't even look up.

'Guess I'm not the only one keeping watch.'

Merlin didn't call out. He just climbed the stairs behind Nathan, already wondering what the white-haired man was doing here again. And why he'd chosen to make himself visible this time.

—

Nathan kicked off his boots the second they were inside. Elara was still out, which suited Merlin fine. He closed the balcony door and leaned on it, scanning the street below for any lingering trace of the man. Nothing.

He didn't see him again for the rest of the day.

The system pinged late that night.

[Status Alert: South District Gate – Instability Rate Increasing]

[Time to Critical Breach: 47:13:06]

Merlin's eyes narrowed at the clock.

'So much for two days.'

—

Morning came with overcast skies and an unsteady wind. Merlin was already awake when Nathan stumbled out of his room.

"You're dressed already? What, we training again?" Nathan asked.

"Later," Merlin said. "We're checking the south gate."

Nathan groaned but didn't argue.

By the time they reached the southern quarter, the city guard had already cordoned off the plaza around the gate. The massive structure loomed ahead, thick stone archway, faint shimmering barrier stretched across its opening. That shimmer was the problem. It pulsed unevenly, rippling like fabric in a storm.

A guard captain spotted them. "You two here for inspection?"

Merlin nodded once. "Just passing through."

They walked the perimeter. Nathan muttered about how it didn't look that bad.

Merlin didn't bother correcting him. He could feel it, pressure leaking through the barrier in waves.

'This thing's going to blow wide open.'

And then he felt something else.

Not the gate. Not the boss monster.

The faint trace of that same presence from the balcony.

Merlin turned, scanning the rooftops.

Empty.

'So you're watching too.'

—

The day passed in uneasy quiet. By evening, reports were coming in of monster sightings near the southern farms. The barrier was weakening faster than predicted.

Merlin sat on the couch, staring at the map on his system display.

[Gate Breach Forecast: 28:09:51]

He was already planning the fight when Nathan flopped into the chair opposite him. "You're thinking too hard again."

Merlin didn't look up. "Someone has to."

—

The breach came the next afternoon.

It started with a sound like stone splitting. Then the shimmer in the archway tore open, spilling out a wave of cold air thick with dust. The first creatures through were small, fast, hard to track. The guards moved to intercept, but the air behind them darkened.

The boss came through slow, massive shoulders scraping the stone. It stood twice the height of the gate, hide like blackened steel, eyes burning faint orange.

Nathan swore under his breath. "That's… bigger than I thought."

Merlin's system lit up instantly.

[Boss-Class Entity: Vorik Maul]

[Recommended Combat Strategy: Direct Decapitation]

[Risk Level: Critical – Damage Output Exceeds Safe Threshold]

'Safe threshold for who?'

—

They didn't see the white-haired man again. Not during the breach. Not during the cleanup. Not after the monster was finally down, body sprawled across half the plaza.

It was like he'd vanished completely.

And Merlin knew what that meant.

'You're letting me handle this one on my own.'

—

Nathan collapsed onto the grass, chest heaving. "You're… a demon."

Merlin stood a few feet away, barely winded. "You lasted longer today."

"By two seconds," Nathan shot back, glaring up at him. "And you weren't even using both hands."

'That's because if I did, you'd be unconscious.'

Merlin didn't say it aloud. Instead, he offered a hand. Nathan took it reluctantly, muttering something under his breath about "unfair advantages."

The system pinged in the corner of Merlin's vision.

[Status Update: Energy Differential – 812% Advantage Over Target]

[Projected Outcome in Direct Engagement: Target Defeat in ≤ 12 sec]

'Dropping by three seconds… still not close.'

Nathan shook the sweat from his hair and squared up again. "One more round. I've got a new move."

Merlin raised an eyebrow but humored him. "Alright. Show me."

Nathan lunged, swinging wide. Merlin sidestepped, tapped his shoulder with the flat of his blade, and swept his legs before he even hit the ground.

Nathan landed with a grunt. "That… wasn't even two seconds."

Merlin smirked. "Closer to one."

Nathan groaned, flopping back. "Why do I even train with you?"

"Because you're getting stronger," Merlin said simply.

Nathan sat up, eyeing him. "And you're getting impossible."

Merlin just shrugged, turning his back to fetch their water. 'Better this way. If he ever realizes how far apart we are… it'll crush him.'

Behind him, Nathan was already getting back on his feet.

—

Nathan dusted himself off, still panting. "You're not even breathing hard. You're like—what—part machine?"

Merlin twisted the cap off his water flask and tossed it to him. "Drink. You'll need it if you want another round."

Nathan caught it and took a long gulp, glaring over the rim. "One of these days, I'm going to land a clean hit."

'Not unless I let you.'

Merlin didn't say that. Instead, he adjusted his stance and waited. Nathan had good form now, better than a few months ago, but his attacks were still readable. Too much wind-up. Too predictable.

They squared off again. Nathan lunged, blade low. Merlin parried, slipped inside his guard, and pressed his own blade against Nathan's neck in one fluid motion.

Nathan froze, blinking. "…That was fast."

Merlin stepped back, lowering his sword. "You hesitated."

"I did not."

"You thought about your next move instead of making it."

Nathan groaned and flopped onto the grass again. "You're unbearable."

Merlin smirked faintly and looked up at the clouds drifting past. 'If this is unbearable now, wait until the gap between us really opens.'

The system chimed again in his peripheral vision.

[Status Update: Energy Differential – 845% Advantage Over Target]

[Projected Outcome in Direct Engagement: Target Defeat in ≤ 10 sec]

'Ten seconds. And that's me being nice.'

He sheathed his blade and glanced at Nathan, who was still sprawled out. "Come on. Last round before we call it."

Nathan groaned but rolled over, grabbing his sword again. "Fine. But when I beat you, you're buying lunch."

Merlin let the corner of his mouth twitch upward. "Deal."

'Not happening.'

They took their stances again, but Merlin kept part of his focus on the faint prickle at the back of his neck. It wasn't from Nathan. It wasn't from anyone nearby.

It was the feeling of being watched. Again.

And he already knew who it was.