CHAPTER 329: THE SQUAD

Merlin exhaled slowly.

Of course he was.

The story was changing.

The plot shifting.

The timeline bending around him.

And every step he took was pulling the cast deeper with him.

Morgana pointed to the door.

"Return to your dorms. Together. Stay alert."

Then, with a voice that echoed through the warded chamber:

"This academy will not lose a single student. Not this year. Not to them."

Merlin swallowed hard.

He wasn’t sure if it was reassurance

or a declaration of war.

The walk back from the warded chamber should have been loud.

Normally, Nathan and Adrian would already be bickering, Liliana would fret over every tiny detail, Ethan would complain about the lighting, and Elara—well, she’d pretend none of it concerned her while staying clearly within arm’s reach of Merlin.

But now?

Silence.

A heavy, thoughtful silence that clung to the group as they stepped into the empty corridor. The hallway lamps cast long, even lines of white light across polished stone, and every footstep echoed too sharply.

Merlin felt their eyes flick toward him, not accusing, not fearful—just... recalibrating. Trying to understand how close they’d come to something none of them had even sensed.

Nathan walked beside him, arms crossed tightly—not defensive, but tense with protective energy. "Merlin," he said quietly, "if you’re in danger, we’re in danger. That means you don’t get to deal with this alone. Again."

Merlin swallowed. "I wasn’t planning to—"

Nathan shot him a look that needed no words: Don’t lie to me.

Elara moved slightly ahead to hold the lead position. Her spear wasn’t summoned, but Merlin could tell from the subtle shift of her shoulders she was ready to bring it out in an instant.

"You’re too calm," she said without turning around.

Merlin blinked. "Me?"

"Yes, you," she said, voice cool but low. "The Cabal marks you, a specter gets close enough to lay a hand on you, and you’re walking like nothing happened."

He exhaled slowly. "It’s not that nothing happened. I’m just... processing it."

"Merlin," Elara said, stopping abruptly so the entire group had to halt behind her, "processing looks different from pretending. You’re pretending."

Liliana nodded nervously. "She’s right... you look like you’re putting on a face."

Adrian scratched the back of his head. "Merlin, buddy, you’re strong, yeah. But that thing in the simulation? It wasn’t something you punch or cut. It’s the creepy soul-stalking type. You’re allowed to be freaked out."

Ethan muttered, "Especially since I’m freaked out and it didn’t even touch me..."

Dorian stepped from the back, silent until now. When he finally spoke, his voice echoed slightly in the corridor.

"You saw it. We didn’t. That alone means this isn’t normal."

Merlin paused.

He hadn’t thought about it that way.

Nathan nudged him with his elbow. "We’re not judging you. We’re trying to figure out how to keep your stupid face alive."

Liliana gasped. "Nathan!"

"What? It’s true."

Elara rolled her eyes. "He has a point."

Merlin let out a strangled laugh despite himself.

The tension thinned a little.

The group continued walking, but slower now, more deliberate. Merlin could feel their presence around him like a protective barrier: Nathan to his right, Elara ahead, Adrian to his left, the others forming a loose ring. Not perfectly coordinated, but instinctively cohesive.

A party formation.

Just like the novel always described them—minus one difference:

Merlin was in the center, not Nathan.

They reached the mouth of the grand stairway leading to the dorms. Warm light filtered down from the overhead skylight, making the marble steps glow gold. A view that normally felt safe and familiar suddenly felt different.

Vulnerable.

Elara stopped again, turning to face him directly this time. Her eyes—violet and sharp as cut amethyst—studied him.

"You need to tell us exactly what you sensed," she said. "No filters. No downplaying. No keeping things to yourself."

Merlin hesitated.

Not because he wanted to hide things.

But because the truth was hard to phrase.

Nathan stepped closer. "We’re not asking as classmates. We’re asking as..." His voice softened. "Your people."

Merlin’s chest tightened.

He didn’t deserve that level of trust. Not with all the knowledge he carried. Not with all the things he couldn’t tell them.

But he could tell them this.

He took a breath. "It wasn’t just a specter. There was something behind it. Someone directing it. The fog felt... guided. Like someone was giving commands from outside the array."

Dorian nodded once, confirming what he’d sensed too.

"The illusions had a central anchor," Merlin continued. "That’s why they were able to force the simulation to create a separation field. Instructor Hale’s illusions don’t anchor that aggressively."

Elara’s jaw tightened. "They targeted you specifically."

"I don’t know if it’s because of my magic or something else, but—yes. They targeted me."

Liliana hugged herself. "But why? What would they want from you?"

Merlin didn’t answer.

He couldn’t.

Not without revealing pieces of the original plot, of his origin, of everything he was keeping contained.

So he gave the safest truth he could.

"They think I’m important."

Ethan snorted. "Well, you are important to them. You blow things up. You ruin plans. You’re a menace."

Adrian grinned. "Yeah, if I were a shady organization, you’d be the last person I’d want alive."

Elara stepped closer, her voice dropping to a softer tone. "It doesn’t matter why they want you. What matters is this—you’re not dealing with it alone anymore."

Her hand brushed his.

Just a small touch.

Barely noticeable.

But the warmth in it hit Merlin harder than any illusion.

Nathan slapped a hand onto Merlin’s shoulder. "Right. So. We’re sticking to you like glue. Annoying, overbearing glue."

Dorian added, quietly, "And if they come for you again, we’ll bury them."

The statement wasn’t dramatic—it was a fact.

Merlin exhaled, the tension in his chest loosening.

"Thank you," he said softly. "All of you."

Elara smirked faintly. "Good. Because you’re not getting rid of us."

Liliana brightened. "We’re a party now! No, uh—team. Group? Squad?"

Adrian slung an arm over Ethan. "We’ll work on the name."

"Don’t touch me," Ethan deadpanned.

As they began heading toward the dorm corridor, Merlin felt something he hadn’t expected after the specter incident—

Safety.

Real safety.

Not from the academy’s wards.

Not from instructors or barriers.