"Dracula is finally beginning the All Chaos Plan." Sitting on the table, Agnes carried a smoke pipe with her, sucking on its end. "With Elaine, the Misfit, he will be able to access the Multiverse and spread my origins without interference."
Merlin, standing before Agnes, raised her head.
"So sealing King Arthur was your idea? To stop him from getting involved?"
Agnes crossed her leg over the other in her kimono, grinning.
"So you were aware of that, hm? Of course, Merlin! Arthur Pendragon is a powerful man, Excalibur is a blade forged from the three primordials, it's not something to scoff at."
Merlin widened her eyes.
"Forged from the three primordials?" She asked.
"Yes." Agnes inhaled from her smoking pipe, seemingly annoyed. "Chaos, Creation, and Destruction; the Atamon's that governs over everything in existence. Once reality was formed, our natures clashed. Beatrice, the Atamon of Creation, wanted to fill the world with life, Grimhild, the Atamon of Destruction, wanted to fill the world with death, and I, Chaos, wanted to bring disorder upon everything."
Merlin took a seat before her superior, intrigued by her story.
"And then?"
Agnes stretched out her bare foot, placing her sole against Merlin's shoulder with a smirk.
"What's this? You seem so eager to know. Perhaps I can take advantage of such curiosity."
Merlin widened her eyes before straightening up.
"M-Mam?"
"If you want to know the full story, then you'll have to become my plaything for a few hundred years." Agnes suddenly leaned forward, removing her foot from her shoulder to get in her face with a grin. "You think you can handle that? It is an honor to most. Surely you won't decline me; time doesn't exist in the Bifrost, after all."
Merlin seemed anxious at her request, but nodded nonetheless.
"I'll be whatever you wish of me… Lady Agnes!"
"Good girl." Agnes leaned back with her usual grin. "You're always so loyal, Merlin, like a dog that I don't need to leash." Amused by her power over the Great Mage, the Lady of Chaos furrowed her brows once more. "After our clash of natures, we brought one more Atamon into existence…"
"A-Are you talking about Excalibur?!" Asked Merlin, widening her eyes.
"Yes… Excalibur… the Atamon forged from the original Atamons."
Unlike the original Atamons, who were abstract forces beyond the totality of all dualities that formed existence, Excalibur was different; it was a physical Atamon, given form from the clash of the original primordials.
"Excalibur is the Atamon of Equinox. It is a blade of absolute balance that transcends origin and end. It is the still point beyond Chaos, Creation, and Destruction, embodying perfect neutrality and severance. It exists outside of our cycle, and thus, can unmake us all."
"Such a blade exists?! I was… unaware of its true power…"
Agnes seemed annoyed talking about such a weapon.
"Yes… Excalibur was the blade that sealed away the Gods and stopped me and my sisters in the past. It even changed Grimhild into the woman she is today."
Merlin stood up in shock.
"B-But if it's so powerful, then why isn't King Arthur free from his constraints? Dracula sealed him away with his Chaos Magic, but such a blade can deny that!"
"Excalibur's strength varies depending on willpower. That's its only source of fuel. Currently, Arthur lacks that willpower thanks to Cielero, who convinced him that breaking free from the cocoon of darkness will be detrimental."
"I see." Merlin looked down in thought. "So it's all a mind game right now?"
Agnes exhaled a long breath from her pipe as violet smoke coiled like serpents into the air.
Her grin deepened as if savoring the aftertaste of her own schemes.
"Once Excalibur rejects him, Arthur will no longer be the Paragon of Equinox. He'll simply be... a man. And men, as you know, are so very easy to break."
Merlin clenched her fist as a sliver of unease ran through her eyes.
"But if Excalibur can defeat you, and if it's truly that dangerous, what if someone else reawakens its essence? Like Grimhild?"
Agnes released a sharp, melodic laugh.
"Grimhild? My sister is a fool, nothing more! No one will awaken Equinox unless I allow it."
She leaned forward again.
"You forget, dear Merlin. I am the origin of the web. Even the flies who believe themselves spiders dance to my rhythm."
Merlin looked up at her.
"And Dracula?"
"A blade." Agnes said flatly. "A useful blade with dreams of ascension. He wants to unite this world with Chaos, and I need him to remain loyal for that to happen."
Agnes inhaled deeply from her pipe.
"Chaos must spill across the branches of the Yggdrasil and its multiverse like a virus; infecting every iteration. The All Chaos Plan is just the first step."
"And the end goal?" Merlin asked quietly. "If Excalibur is sealed, Arthur broken, and the multiverse drenched in chaos… what comes next?"
Agnes gazed at Merlin, as if staring at her nucleus.
"The unraveling of reality."
"The unraveling of… reality?" Merlin repeated.
Agnes stood, towering despite her grace.
"Every realm." She said. "Is built on the fact that good and evil are opposites. That light saves and darkness corrupts. That Creation creates and Destruction destroys."
She turned to Merlin.
"Existence is perfectly balanced. Creation needs Destruction, and Destruction needs creation. But I… am the bridge to ending all of that."
She began walking, slow, barefoot steps across the floor.
"If I can erase the balance of this world and make it all a contradiction…" She smiled with grace. "Then the Great Silence will realize its dream is nothing of what it hoped for, and then it will awaken and dream anew."
The Great Silence; the ineffable thing beyond existence. Even the Atamon pales in comparison. It is a blank existence that has no form that defines its true existence, as it dreams all concepts, laws, and all logically possible worlds.
It was the pinnacle of everything.
"When the Great Silence awakens, reality will vanish before a new one is formed."
Merlin seemed baffled.
"Reality… a dream?"
"Mm." Agnes nodded, chuckling. "But there is a way to get around the Great Silence's awakening, and not perish."
Merlin widened her eyes in question.
"The Outer Gods, my dear. I've learned much about this world, but the Outer Gods are the only creatures uninfluenced by the Great Silence's dreams. They're unshackled and mysterious; even I am unaware of their origins."
"The Outer Gods? Like Nyarlathotep?"
"Indeed." Agnes said, nodding.
"I've been studying them since the beginning of creation, and even tamed them like good little dogs. They now have access to my Chaos, and in return, I have access to their profound state of being." Agnes chuckled. "Without the risk of being eradicated, I can bring chaos upon this world and have the Great Silence restart it all, and bring a new world. One where I'll remain, and can bask in the joy of disorder without the interference of my sisters!"
"And that is the true goal you speak of, Master Agnes?"
Agnes was smug.
"Yes, my dear. I want this world to be destroyed so I can live in the next one for my own benefit! That is why spreading chaos is important. Dracula merely wishes for the same."
Merlin stood frozen with her heart racing beneath her composed exterior.
"You… plan to outlive all of existence?"
Agnes gave her a slow, pleased nod, swirling the long pipe between her slender fingers.
"Why wouldn't I?" She asked. "This world, Merlin, is far too perfect. Worn thick by balance. By rules. By sanctified symmetry. I wish to break it... not out of hatred, but for my own good."
She stepped forward.
"To be a creature of chaos is to reject structure. To reject stagnation. What's the point of eternity if it only ever dances to the same notes?"
Merlin bowed her head, almost kneeling before the weight of it all.
"But… the Outer Gods. You claim to have tamed them. What if they turn? What if they betray you?"
Agnes tilted her head.
"Nyarlathotep, Azathoth, Shub-Niggurath… I've fed them my essence. I've taught them want, and in doing so, I've made them predictable."
She grinned,
"They cannot betray what they now need."
Merlin's voice was almost a whisper.
"Then I will join you, Lady Agnes." Merlin lifted her head. "The killing of Grimhild Yorgana and Arthur Pendragon is a must in order to destroy this world. Chaos must infect all."
Agnes inhaled from her pipe and walked to the castle's window to stare out into the Bifrost.
"In return for your loyalty, you'll be brought with me into the next world after this one ends. You'll see the wonders I'll create, and the anarchy I'll spread."
Her words ignited a fire in Merlin's chest.
"I cannot wait to see what world you bring, Lady Agnes." The Great Mage bowed. "For your guidance and lessons of life, I am eternally indebted to you. Even my former teacher, Grimhild, cannot compare."
Merlin lowered her head, smirking.
"Naturally, Merlin, I am the oldest sister after all."