Marvel: I Wish To Be One Above All

While Aife was having a bit of a mental breakdown. Corvus turned to Merlin and asked a question that was on his mind. He was sure that he'd be able to get answers from his parent, but it never hurt to have a second opinion.

"Who is Oblivion? I thought that there were seven Primordial Gods. One-Above-All's representative, and then six manifestations of the primal forces of existence, Eternity, Infinity, Order, Chaos, Life, and Death. So who is Oblivion and is he/she necessary?"

Merlin's eyebrows rose in shock. "Thou mean, thou dost not have an equivalent for Oblivion?" Corvus shook his head. "I see. That is most fascinating. The implications are staggering, I hope thee can regale me with thy experiences at some point in the coming days, perhaps over tea. Well, to answer thy question, Oblivion is the embodiment of nothingness and emptiness. It it his entire purpose to return the entire multiverse to the nothingness of the beginning or counteract the expansion of the universe. Some say that it is another aspect of Death, but Death and Oblivion are not one and the same. But little else is known about this ancient god."

Corvus paced and thought on his words. The concept of Oblivion was still a little lost on him, but he was trying to resolve it. After a few minutes, his thoughts reached the following point.

'Well, he doesn't seem necessary. Otherwise, Unova would have included it when I was forming the others. Besides, if I need to return things to nothingness I can just do that myself. It doesn't make sense to have something that does that automatically. Then why... hmmm, maybe she uses him as a whetstone for the other Primordial Gods? That way, they never become complacent in their creations. The constant destruction and reconstruction would make better and better creations over time, becoming more solid and harder to destroy, eventually making the resulting thing much more stable and enduring. That's it! He's probably not even a true Primordial at all, but a lesser creation that is programmed to keep the Gods on their toes. If I have one of my own... I think my own power will be more balanced and built on something more solid foundations. And with both him and Baihu causing trouble, it would be doubly effective. Baihu doesn't want nothingness, just chaos, so... wouldn't he be a perfect sometimes ally sometimes enemy for her? And Siwang! She also would treat him the same way!'

With that flash of inspiration he turned to Merlin with a wide smile on his face. "Thank you!... Uh I mean I thank thee for thy assistance."

Merlin chuckled. "There be no need to stand on ceremonious language with me. As a wielder of the Time Stone I am very much aware of how our language will develop as time goes on, and have taught as much to Aife as well. I would suggest keeping up thy practice of the language in public or at official gatherings, if thee so wish to join us during such things, but with Aife and myself, thou needest not keep up appearances."

Corvus' shoulders sagged in relief. "Thank goodness. Seriously, I don't understand how you all can talk so stuffily all of the time."

Merlin smiled wryly at this comment and coughed a bit to clear the air and try to snap Aife out of her ruminations. Like magic (hah) she snapped up and stood in front of Merlin once more.

"Now, I suppose it'd be best to work out living arrangements and daily schedule." Corvus raised an eyebrow at this.

"Excuse me, but I was just thinking that I'd go out and explore the world? There's not really anything that can kill me anyway." At this, Aife turned a look at Corvus like he was a freak of nature. Merlin laughed boisterously at his statement.

"Nay, thou art quite mistaken. Thou may not be able to cease to exist, but at thy current strength and level of control discorporating thee or sealing thee would be a simple matter. Granted, neither effect is permanent. Thee would eventually reform if thou lost thy physical body, and the seal would eventually fail as thee grew in power. However, neither experience, I believe, would be pleasant. Wouldst not thee agree?"

After comprehending what exactly 'discorporating' meant, Corvus took an audible gulp. "No, I don't think I'd enjoy that at all."

"Nay, I don't believe anyone would. Then it's settled. Until thou cometh fully into being with thy current powers, thine training will be here with me and mine apprentice. What sayest thee, Aife?"

Aife was coming to terms with the fact that there really wasn't anyway to kill Corvus permanently. As that sunk in and she heard the words of her master, she thought about the naivete he just showed and felt that it would be most prudent to stay close to him to make sure he doesn't get into trouble or cause any damage. She knew he said that he didn't want to cause harm, but she still hardly knew the man... god... thing. While she felt inclined to believe in him, especially after learning that he was the son of the being that created all of reality, she had been betrayed many times in the past and would not let her guard down completely. Keeping him close would enable her to completely learn his temperament, study his existence, and keep him under surveillance. A single stone for several birds.

"I believe that is an excellent course of action, master."

Merlin nodded approvingly, knowing his apprentice's thought process. He turned again to Corvus and inclined his head to hear his thoughts on the matter. Aife also looked to him. Feeling the stares, Corvus took a deep breath and released it slowly.

"Alright, I'll stay for a while. However, only until the next sorcerer supreme comes into their full power, then I'll travel the world." Merlin's eyes shifted almost imperceptibly. Aife didn't notice this change, but Corvus definitely did, since he was looking for it. The elderly wizard mused for a moment and then nodded.

"That is more than acceptable." Merlin then shifted to his apprentice, who was once again thinking on what was said. "Aife, please escort Sir Rigel to the place where he shall be living for the foreseeable future, and explain to him the training schedule. He will be following your regimen, and shall start on the morrow." Aife nodded. Seeing this Merlin then addressed the two. "Well, I must be going, I may not have much to do with the administrative affairs of Camelot, but the King will be expecting my presence for council. Therefore, until next time." Merlin then created a portal and stepped out. Corvus watched this and posed a question.

"Hmm, is Camelot so far away that he has to use portals?"

"Nay, master just has a flair for dramatics and enjoys making an entrance. Camelot is close to where we had met, it is under magical wards that make it indistinguishable from the surrounds. In this way, it is safe from its enemies."

"Enemies... Like Morgan le Fey? or Mordred?"

The young woman shuddered at the mention of the names. Fear emanated from her in waves and Corvus' eyes widened. He started to regret mentioning them. She turned to him and asked shakily, "What dost thou know of them? How?"

Seeing her discomfort he was hesitant to speak. However, he eventually said, "Ah... uh.. well. I am a being outside of your time, I guess, is the best explanation I can give for now. But from what I recall, Morgan le Fey is an immortal half-faerie half-human who is also half-sister to Arthur. To take away his kingdom and plunge it into chaos and then rule over the known world is her utmost d.e.s.i.r.e. At one point, she magically disguised herself as Guinevere, and...well, had relations with Arthur, giving birth to the bastard Mordred. Both of them are adept with magic and would stop at nothing usurp Arthur's throne and rule the world. Is... that accurate?" He could see her state worsening as he spoke. So he had cautiously raised his question and looked upon her with concern.

She lowered her head, and in a small voice, whispered, "...yes." Then, Aife's mind went somewhere else, she was a young girl again. Bodies were strewn all around her in so many pieces, viscera and bone litter the once lush green fields of her village, smoke and ash in the air, blood flowing like rivers. A woman's cackling laughter approaching her as a shadow approaches. The only thing standing between her and death a valiant spearswoman wielding her famed weapon Gáe Bulg, Aife's elder sister. With a mighty war cry the Gaelic maiden rushes into the darkness, flashes of light denoting each swing and thrust of her indomitable spear. Then... silence. The darkness dissipates and there is no more presences around save for herself. Young Aife weeps and cries for her sibling, searching, before eventually collapsing from hunger and exhaustion.

"..."

"...-fe!"

"Aife!"

Broken from her waking nightmare, she realized she's now on her knees, being shook by the shoulders as an emerald gaze filled with worry sought a confirmation of her well being. Startled, she got up and dusted off her robes. She wore a stoic expression on her face as she turned to Corvus and spoke.

"My apologies... Now... I'll show thee to thy quarters." She almost flew from the room to escape from the inevitable questions, at least for now. Corvus, however, was not so ins.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e as to bring it up again and filed it away as something he should ask Merlin about rather than her. He sighed, rose, and followed her out of the door. Once he caught up to her he walked with her in silence.

Seeing no d.e.s.i.r.e to converse on her face, he sighed and instead took in his surroundings. The hall they were walking in was made of stone, with polished floors and metal braziers at regular intervals, there were breaks in the left wall large enough for an archer to fit his bow and snipe at an approaching enemy, but small enough to make a retaliatory shot rather difficult. On the right wall were larger windows facing a rather large courtyard, within it was a small grove of topiary and flowers, each shaped like a different mythological creature. Unicorns, dragons, a satyr, one was a nymph with it's legs dipped within a water feature. In the small pond were several fully bloomed water lilies. Further in the center of the courtyard was a raised platform. Upon which he could see several figures doing what looked to be martial arts forms, every so often a flash of sparks or a magical circle became apparent.

After a few minutes of walking, Corvus refocused on his companion. He decided to try to break the awkwardness that has lasted since her previous collapse. He thought and smoked his pipe. With a start he seemed to come to a decision and then tapped her shoulder. She turned to him to then be faced with a flourish of his hand. A rainbow materialized above his palm which then swirled into the aurora borealis. It flashed many brilliant colors and then, with another flip of his fingers, a flower with petals of the same colors as the aurora materialized. The colors shifted around gradually and brilliantly. Holding it between his thumb and forefinger, he handed it to her.

Stunned, she looked at the flower with caution. He continued to hold it to her and seeing his insistence, she took it in her hand and stared at it. A few moments passed, she looked to the mysterious being at her side and raised an eyebrow in question. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, took a drag from his pipe, and then stated a prepared excuse. "I would like your help with an experiment. I don't know how long my constructions can last, so I would like you to keep this in your room. Please let me know if it ever disappears."

Aife then furrows her brow in thought. 'Is he... trying to console me? If so, it's a rather blunt attempt, and unnecessary... but.'

"I shall, if for no other reason than to study thy capabilities." She constructed a small portal and placed it in a vase on the other end of it. She looked upon it once more before she closed the portal and lets a small smile flit on her expression before returning to her professional demeanor. Significantly more composed now, if her aura was any indication, she spoke once more.

"Now, as we walk, I'll tell thee of the schedule. In the morning, before first light, we shall convene at the training grounds, that raised bit, over there." She gestures to the platform where other disciples were practicing. "There, we will do physical exercises and I will show thee how we do magic which may give thee inspiration on how to use thine own abilities. I believe thou stated that thee dost not know the extent of them?" At a nod from him she continued. "Then we shall find thy limitations together." She then muttered under her breath, "if thee hast any..." then in a regular tone, "After that thou shall follow me to the mess hall. After a meal, we will continue with a spar until the midday meal. In the afternoon, I shall show thee to the library and thou can read from our tomes to study areas of interest. I will also be available during this time for questions. However, I expect to be reciprocated with the ability to ask questions of mine own. Following that is the evening meal, and then individual study and rest. Dost thou have any questions?"

"Actually, yes. What is this place? The way you said it makes it seem like Camelot is in a different place?"

Aife nods at his question. "It is. This is one of three sanctum sanctoriums that form a barrier around the world to defend it against beings of other dimensions who may wish to harm it. Another is on a separate continent to the east, and the last in the west. They are that far from each other to reinforce both one another and the barrier."

'Interesting,' Corvus thought, 'than this will become the London Sanctum, which means that at some point in the future it will be moved south I suppose. I wonder how that is accomplished while keeping the barrier intact? I suppose if I'm still in this universe at the time I'll see it for myself. Still, it's a lot bigger than it was in the comics. This is pretty much a fortress. Different times I suppose. Right now, magic is largely recognized as real so there should be more enemies who would attack among the regular humans and otherwise.'

"Any further questions?"

Breaking away from his previous thoughts. He posed his next question. "What year is it?"

"Right now, to the masses, it is the year seven hundred and ninety six Anno Domini. Thou had mentioned the invasion of the Asgardians and their followers, that occured four years ago. Twas a rather bloody affair. However, in the end, with Merlin and the king wielding Excalibur, we reached a stalemate. The warriors three along with Thor, Lady Sif, and Baldur reached a compromise with us conceding that these lands shall remain under our sovereignty. They shall not be interfering with 'Midgard's matters', as they termed it, any more due to the presence of the sorcerer supreme and the extra dimensional barrier. However, they stated in the end that this planet is still under Asgard's protection. Laughable, as if there aren't other pantheons also claiming to 'protect' this planet aside from them."

Corvus showed an expression of disappointment at that. 'That means there's not much chance for me to meet Thor for a while, unless I teleport to Asgard directly. Hmmm... I think I might, eventually.'

Aife then stops next to a door on the right. "This shall be thy quarters for now. Feel free to utilize the space in any way thou wish. However, please refrain from experimenting with anything that might be dangerous. At least not without the oversight of myself or the sorcerer supreme. Then, if thou will excuse me, I have mine own duties to attend." Without letting him reply, she started to walk off.

Corvus watched as she turned a corner ahead and thought to himself. 'I thought she might ask me about some stuff, but I guess she's busy right now. For now, let's see this room.' He opened the door and looked in. It was rather sparse, a small desk, a bookshelf, a small closet, and a twin bed in the corner. There was a candle holder on the desk with a slightly used candle already in place. He walked up to the bed and felt it. It was filled with soft straw but didn't have much give. 'Nope, too firm for me. I wonder.' He waved his hand and concentrated, letting his power flow over the room. Opening his eyes, which glowed black and white, he imagined enlarging the space and filling it with modern amenities. A seam formed in the air and moved over everything in his vision. After passing over an object, that object would be replaced with something more to his tastes. A queen sized down mattress with blue sheets and black comforter in a steel frame, a metal desk with a rolling ergonomic chair, paper and pens on the surface of the desk alongside a lamp, a clock, and a fan turned on high, a tall wardrobe for clothing, a small kitchenette space, and a door leading to a modern bathroom sans toilet. No waste matter meant no need for one after all. However, he was very fond of taking baths, something he took from exposure to Japanese culture during his time at his first duty station, MCAS Futenma in Okinawa, before he was transferred to Kilo Company. Lowering his hand and looking at what he did, he let out a soft breath filled with satisfaction. 'Hopefully, this can stay the way it is for a time. It was good practice and was more fun than I thought. I think powers over reality are my favorite. Aura is helpful, too. Space will be more useful in the future as I figure it out, probably. Strength, well, that's obviously useful.'

"In any case. I think it's time to visit my Primordials. I need to think about introducing an Oblivion equivalent as well."

He walked over to the bed, and sat on it in a meditative pose. It was still early afternoon, but with nothing to do until tomorrow it seemed like the best option right now. 'Let's try speeding up my time in relation to the surroundings, it would be awesome if I was able to make these next 18 hours stretch out into a few days. What did they call it in some books? Time dilation?'

Thus he once again concentrated, his eyes glowed a deep violet. As a bubble formed of folded space and time surrounded him, he floated off of the bed a few feet. After it was formed, he raised his hand and turned it to the left. As he did so, if a person were to be watching, they'd see his hand moving faster and faster until it was a blur. His eyes returned to their original color and he looked to the outside of the bubble to his desk, there, the fan that was once turning extremely fast was now seemingly not moving at all. But as he watched he could see it turning, just extremely slowly. 'This must be how Barry Allen or Pietro Maximoff see the world. Well, I wonder how my Primordials are doing?'

With that he closed his eyes and retreated inward.