 During his time in college, Merlin made friends with a fellow student Luke Reynard who was, unbeknownst to Merlin, his cousin Rinaldo, son of Brand.Merlin combined his magical and computer skills to create Ghostwheel, a powerful artificial intelligence with the ability to move itself and others through Shadow.Though Merlin was targeted for many years by an unknown antagonist, he was content to remain on the Shadow Earth.