Thea dismissed her duplicate, suppressing a chuckle, and recounted a rough version of events.
Naturally, her story was a mix of truth and fiction. She only mentioned being chased all over by Grundy, then suddenly awakening some abilities in a moment of crisis, with memories deep within her bloodline providing partial answers.
"Merlyn?..." Malcolm murmured the surname, one he knew intimately yet suddenly felt completely foreign. It was like living in the slums for thirty years and abruptly being told your land was slated for redevelopment.
Excitement, confusion, and astonishment mingled, thoroughly unsettling Malcolm, who usually prized composure above all else.
"Can I... gain abilities like this too?" Malcolm, desperate for power, couldn't hold back the question any longer.
Thea had anticipated this. She believed most people harbored some fascination with the supernatural, especially a man like Malcolm, who had suffered immense psychological trauma.
Should she just crush his hopes outright? Tell him he had no potential, no chance in this lifetime, and he should stick to his archery?
No, she couldn't say that directly. Kinship needed maintaining; she couldn't just spout nonsense...
Besides, Thea didn't actually know if someone like him could awaken the bloodline. Her inability to sense it didn't mean it was completely absent.
It was like... comparing aptitudes. She might have a high potential, needing just a bit of luck or opportunity. Malcolm and Tommy, on the other hand, might have very low potential, making progress incredibly difficult, but perhaps not impossible. She just didn't know the method.
She couldn't let his hope die completely. Thea chose her words carefully. "I'm not sure about that either. The memories in the bloodline are too fragmented. I haven't even mastered the basics myself. All I can say is... there might be hope."
Malcolm paced back and forth like a caged animal for a few moments, then pointed at the necklace in her hand. "What effect does this thing have? Or rather, what have you discovered?"
Thea felt a little proud mentioning this. Through guesswork and deduction, she had managed to figure out a small portion.
"Based on what I understand, the world is composed of four fundamental elements: Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind. After creation, Light and Dark were added. This necklace contains the powers of Wind and Water. My personal affinity leans towards Fire and Wind, so I could only decipher the Wind aspects."
Malcolm listened with his arms crossed and eyelids half-lowered as she spoke. Isn't the physical world made of atoms? Wouldn't your physics teacher have something to say about this? But recalling the startling duplicate trick from earlier, he held his tongue and let her continue.
"The main Merlyn bloodline primarily has a Wind affinity, so that part is explained most clearly in the memories. Let me give you a taste," Thea said. She grasped the necklace with her left hand and traced complex inscriptions in the air with her right.
The complexity of this spell was beyond her current level. The seven inscriptions took a full thirty seconds to complete, instantly draining her own magical energy. This was even with drawing power from the necklace; her current reserves were far from sufficient to cast this spell unaided.
Malcolm watched the swirling green energy around Thea's fingers. Before he could ask, Thea pointed towards him.
Pale green energy instantly enveloped him. If he hadn't trusted Thea not to harm him, he would have leaped back.
He raised his hands, watching the transparent light flickering across his arms. "Is this... magic?"
You haven't seen anything yet... Thea grinned mischievously. "It's a Wind Walk spell! Try taking a couple of steps."
The usually stern Malcolm ignored her teasing tone and took what he intended to be a steady step forward.
Clang! The step didn't cause injury, but his foot moved far lighter and faster than expected. His left foot found empty air. Trying desperately not to embarrass himself in front of his daughter, he used all his skill, planting his right foot firmly to regain balance.
But putting force into that right leg was the mistake. He lost control of his balance completely and shot upwards like a rocket, slamming headfirst into the ceiling five meters above with a loud thud.
Rubbing his head, Malcolm felt his face ache from the impact. Seeing Thea laughing so hard she was practically doubled over only added to his frustration.
Fortunately, his skills were genuinely impressive. After moving around the office for a few moments, he gradually adapted to the change. "It's so light! I can barely feel my body's weight."
He began running swiftly around the spacious CEO office, occasionally managing a few steps along the walls – something impossible for him before.
This experience intensified his longing for such power.
"How long does this spell last?" Malcolm was clearly enjoying himself, a rare smile even touching his usually gloomy features.
This speed is nothing, Thea thought with mild disdain. If you saw the Flash, you'd lose your mind.
"On myself, it lasts about half an hour. Used on you... I'm not sure..."
"Why the difference?" Malcolm couldn't help but wonder. Is it because my own aptitude is particularly poor, thus consuming more magic?
He wasn't far off, essentially correct. Thea didn't plan to explain in detail, vaguely implying that's just how the spell worked, like it or lump it.
"Fifteen minutes," Thea noted as the green glow around Malcolm completely faded. She mentally recorded the data. It seemed casting the spell on someone other than herself halved its duration.
With that, Thea naturally moved to the main topic of her visit. I didn't come here just to perform tricks. "Do you have any specific leads on the Merlyn family? Any records about our heritage or legacy?"
Having personally experienced the wonder of magic, Malcolm was now even more eager than she was. He wracked his brain, trying to recall anything his father – Thea's never-met grandfather, dead for thirty years – might have entrusted to him before passing.
The harder he thought, the more jumbled his memories became. His father had died decades ago. All his grandfather had taught him was the trade of shoemaking! He hadn't paid it much mind back then, getting into the shipping business instead. Blast it, could there be a clue related to that?
He vaguely remembered being given a shoemaker's toolbox just before the old man passed away. But that was thirty years ago; heaven knew where it was now.
Thea watched Malcolm's expression shift through various shades, worried he might push himself too hard. She interrupted his frantic thoughts. "You need to think further back. When did this branch of the Merlyn family arrive in Star City? Were there relatives before that? Can any be contacted?"
Her string of questions pulled Malcolm back from his desperate search for the memory of a shoebox.
He had never cared about these questions before. Who knew how many relatives he had? How many in the Americas? Easily thousands. And in Europe? Likely even more. Spanning over a thousand years, the task of tracing lineage was immense.
Seeing Malcolm lower his head in contemplation, Thea felt a secret satisfaction. Good, let the workload be huge... It would keep him busy, stop him from constantly plotting destruction. She couldn't let him undermine her mother's political achievements.
It was the same principle as dealing with Bruce: give him something to focus on, keep him from brooding or overthinking. With Bruce, it was channeling his sense of responsibility; with Malcolm, it was the lure of power.
Whether it would work remained to be seen, but for now, at least, they were both hooked.