The empty feeling in his stomach began to irritate Merlin a little. It hadn't been long since he had last eaten, at least, he didn't think so. Checking his watch, he realised breakfast was several hours ago and he had been lost again in the words before him. Sighing, Merlin snapped the book shut with one hand and stood up with a groan, stretching his muscles as he did so.

It was growing chilly in his apartment so with a flash of his eyes, flames ignited at the fireplace. He felt if it weren't for the temperature, he could have fallen straight to sleep. But Merlin was careful not to simply sleep his days away, like he had done before.

Rubbing the sleeves of his woolly jumper to gain some warmth, he made his way into the kitchen. The room was not well illuminated; the grey sky outside did nothing to light up the room, but Merlin hardly noticed the lack of light. Heading to his cupboard, he quickly scanned the collection of tins, looking for something quick and simple. He eventually chose some simple baked beans without much enthusiasm, and lit his gas cooker with another flash of his eyes.

While the beans were slowly heating up, Merlin leaned against the counter, staring out the window. The view consisted mostly of brick, industrial buildings, not a busy part of London. There were times when he could handle the bustling streets below, being a good distraction, but sometimes he longed for some peace and quiet, and then eventually solitude when he would move even further away, back into the wilderness. But he felt he ought to stick around for a bit longer.

The main reason for this happened to walk into his apartment at that very moment, with a jangle of keys.

He didn't bother turning his head as he heard her approach; it hadn't been that long since Merlin had seen her – was it a few days? Or maybe even weeks.

"You look as delightful as ever," came the sarcastic drawl. He decided to watch her busy herself putting away groceries she felt the need to buy. Of course, what she bought was always fresher than his choice in food but it made no difference to Merlin what he ate. "I was in the neighbourhood; thought I'd visit," she muttered as she stored some chicken in the freezer. "Thought we'd catch up over dinner."

"Catch up? Didn't we catch up last week?" Merlin replied, rubbing his eyes with weariness.

She stopped what she was doing and gave him a somewhat irritated look. "It's been six months."

"Oh," Merlin said with a hint of apology. He owed her that at least.

Perhaps he looked even more weary than usual because she seemed to suddenly give him her full attention. "Listen, I know you don't always care what's going on with me. But I have exciting news." Her face broke out into a smile as if she'd suddenly lost the composure she'd been carefully maintaining since she'd arrived.

Merlin wasn't sure that what he would deem exciting was on the same level as hers but he merely raised his eyebrow, took the beans off the heat and left. She seemed to lose her excitement a little, but only a little, and she quickly finished putting the rest of the groceries away before following Merlin into his living-room.

She seemed almost disapproving at him eating the beans from the pot rather sloppily but he really couldn't care about it. She was waiting for him to meet her gaze but when he gave her not even a glance, she sighed in defeat.

"So… I thought you might like to know that the others and I have noticed certain… anomalies," she told him, choosing her words carefully. "Magical ones. Certain spikes of pressure and… Surely you've noticed?"

Merlin paused his eating and laid the spoon in the pot. "They happen all the time, Anna. I hope there's more to this."

A little crease appeared between her eyebrows but she seemed to maintain her patience. "Not this powerful or concentrated at the same place," she continued. "The others didn't seem to think much of it and I was careful not to tell them anything. But they seem to be concentrated around Glastonbury."

Merlin stared into his pot.

"That's where it happened, isn't it?" Anna asked, a glint of intrigue in her eyes. "Have you been there lately?"

He began to stir the beans with the spoon, losing his appetite. He couldn't look up at her as all he could feel was irritation, bordering on the edges of anger.

Anna seemed to lose a bit of her excitement at Merlin's lack of reaction. "Don't you understand what this means?" she asked, timidly.

Merlin stood abruptly, entering the kitchen and dumping the pot, half-full with beans, into the sink. He grasped the edges with a steel grip, staring out the window. He marvelled at the anger coursing through him; he hadn't been this animated in a while. He could almost thank her.

He could hear her unsure footsteps behind him. It was times like these, when her gap of understanding was so apparent, that it reminded him how young she really was. He let her have a taste of his life and she acted like she understood; was so sure she did. It made him forget that the length of time between Anna and Camelot was far too long for them to connect, for her to empathise with him. She was almost like all the others, and if it weren't for the fact she was his responsibility, he sometimes thought he would be quite happy never seeing her again.

"What's wrong?" she asked, attempting to exude confidence but he could hear the impatience, the longing for a mere simple conversation between them. He hadn't managed to do that with her for a long time. She left and became invested in the world instead of his stories and he simply couldn't care about everyone else.

Sighing again, he surmised he should at least reply or she might never go away. "It won't be what you think," he said with absolute surety.

"Perhaps," she agreed. "But why don't we find out? Surely you're interested? If magic is acting strangely in that area, surely you would want to investigate?"

"I have," he assured her. "Thoroughly and plenty of times before. It's never him."

There was a slight pause. "I don't understand why you wouldn't want to find out."

He whipped around facing her. "Because – Anna! If I go there one more time with even the tiniest inkling of hope…!" He clenched his forehead with his hand. He hadn't raised his voice in so long. "I can't do that again," he muttered, eyes closed. He needed to calm himself, sink into the mentality where time moved fast, where he could function and not lament.

Anna gazed at him with sympathy and if he had been younger he might have lashed out at her again for it. "I understand it must be hard. But you said he would return. It has to happen eventually."

Merlin chuckled in derision. Yes, it had to happen but it had already been over a thousand years. Why shouldn't he wait a thousand more? He was almost convinced it would happen after he forgot all the tales of Camelot and he became useless, because he could feel himself reaching that point, slowly but steadily. Sometimes he tried to shake himself of his cynicism, to rejuvenate his longing for the prophesied return, but feeling that was too akin to his hopes being dashed in previous years, when he was almost sure he had to return, would wait beside the Lake of Avalon with his eyes scanning any sign of movement. He still held Camelot in his mind but they were now stories, ones he told to Anna and he found himself almost on the brink of disbelief about them. It felt too good to be true to have a purpose to this long, drawn-out life. Maybe the whole thing was merely a fabrication to make himself feel better.

He realised he hadn't spoken for a significant period of time when Anna cleared her throat and continued. "Listen, I can investigate on my own. I just thought that if I told you-"

"What?" he interrupted. "That I would suddenly become a loving father?" He almost laughed.

She just stared at him, eyes full of hurt. "No. I just hope that if it happens," Anna spoke, her eyes suddenly turning to stone. "That I'd see at least half the man you were in your stories."

She stormed out.

Merlin, sighing again, glanced at the now cold beans in the pot. He gave some thought to what he could do for the rest of the night, but spent so long deciding, he ended up just going to sleep. His mind needed rest anyway, even if his body wasn't weary – there was now a constant tiredness and ache to his bones.

He was reading once more, a few weeks after he'd last spoken to Anna. A faint ringing interrupted the passage – one he'd read numerous times – but he still huffed a little at the distraction. He belatedly realised it was his mobile, which was stuck inside his couch.

Merlin considered ignoring it but it was probably Anna, seeing as how she was the only one with his number. With a sigh he answered and mumbled a greeting.

"Father," came the cool voice, although he sensed a hint of suppressed anticipation.

"What is it?"

"I thought you should know. I managed to anticipate one of those magical anomalies. It was… weird."

He gave a grunt for her to continue.

"It's hard to explain. I really think you should see for yourself."

Once again, Merlin sighed.

"It's definitely of importance," she assured him. "Even if it's not to do with… you know. It's… strange."

"Okay, I get it, it's strange," he muttered. "I can meet with you…?"

"Tomorrow."

"Fine, text me when and where," he replied, hanging up.

At least it'd be a break from routine.

Storming into the café, he caught the sight of Anna's bright blonde hair in the corner. Clenching his teeth, he moved past the youngsters and sat down with a slight glare.

"You had to meet me here?" he growled.

"I thought it might do you some good," she replied, clearly not intimidated.

Merlin composed his face, masking the irritation when it obviously didn't bother her. He was definitely in an 'anti-people' phase. "Now what did you want to tell me?" he asked, wanting to get it over with.

Just as Anna opened her mouth to respond, a male barista appeared with a tray of coffee. They engaged in some mindless chatter Merlin blocked out but even doing that it was obvious that the barista definitely fancied her. He could almost roll his eyes but Anna didn't seem to move into the realm of flirting herself. He just had to ask about Merlin though.

"Oh, this is my brother, Leon," Anna explained to the barista, giving him a wide polite smile.

Merlin attempted the same but only managed an awkward half-smile.

The barista seemed to sense he was unwanted and quickly went back to work, leaving Anna with a wide grin.

Merlin gave Anna a hard stare.

"Sorry about that," she quickly said, although she clearly wasn't sorry.

He shook his head, staring into his coffee. "He really likes you." He wondered how he should feel about that. A father should feel protective about their daughter in this case, shouldn't they? But Anna was certainly old enough to handle herself and he couldn't bring himself to care that much.

"Really?" Anna seemed genuinely surprised. "I see him a lot when I come here. I thought he was just being polite."

Merlin almost rolled his eyes. At least she didn't question his judgment on it, she knew how well he could read people. "Anyway," he said, clearing his throat. "You were saying…?"

Anna took a sip of her coffee. "Yes… I noticed a pattern in the occurrences. I had to actually travel there to find it, me and a couple of friends."

Merlin knew about Anna and a few of her magical friends, but they were more superstitious rookies than anything else, incapable of learning more than flashes of visions and instincts. He was sure that Anna hadn't even shown them her true potential. But if she felt she could fit in somewhat, he wasn't about to object.

"It was obvious where they were occurring; I could feel the magic in certain spots around the place, some in the town and some in the wilderness. It felt powerful."

Merlin nodded for her to continue. Sometimes magic was randomly concentrated in certain places, but most of the time it was put there by someone else. If there was a pattern to it, he could bank on the latter.

"It seems to be going round in a spiral, with a certain distance between each one," she explained, but she grew hesitant with what she had to say next. "If it continues… It looks like it'll end at Glastonbury Tor."

He nodded wearily, still staring at his coffee. He didn't have the energy to have this conversation again so when she didn't continue, he impatiently waved his hand at her.

"I mapped it out. It's happening very slowly. I estimate another few months before it reaches the centre. But it's what happens at these sites that's strange."

"I see." He looked up at her when she didn't continue. "What happens?"

"I told you, I have to show you," Anna insisted rolling her eyes. "Let's finish our coffee first and catch up."

Merlin took a sip from his coffee and carefully set it down, tempted to slam it. He wasn't blind, this meeting had a dual purpose. He thought he'd made it perfectly clear that he couldn't be to her what she was expecting, but she just couldn't resist. A figure like him had an interesting past and he was her connection to that past. She would probably keep in contact with him the rest of her life, no matter how indifferent towards her he appeared.

But although he would never be the first to make contact, he would remain available for her to do so. He owed her that much at least, and if anyone understood a lonely existence, it was him. He could understand her need to relate to another magical being.

He listened to her prattle on about her new job and her progress on her spell book. Magic didn't come naturally to her as it did with him, but it was present as she grew older, in a way it wasn't with most people in the modern age. Merlin hadn't met another magical being like Anna for centuries. At least with this subject, he could offer some advice and genuine interest.

She didn't bother asking him about his own life, as she knew that it was pretty much the same all the time. Changes, if they ever occurred, happened slowly. If he decided in a change of venue, he took a long time to do so. It was merely force of habit; Merlin had learned not to rush things a long time ago. The sooner he completed anything, the longer his life seemed to have left to go. It was only if he had regular contact with people (which was rare) that he'd decide things a little quicker – like how much to age. Otherwise, he was perfectly content with remaining rather young looking. Sometimes he would allow himself to grow to be an old man, watch as people took him more seriously as his age grew until they declared him senile. He would feel rather comfortable with his hair white and skin dry and wrinkled, as it was the closest form to his real age. But he would soon grow tired with the ache and slow body. He would never gain release. The only thing he could do was to turn young again. At the moment, he didn't look much older than Anna.

As Anna finished her last drop of coffee, it was finally time to leave. He couldn't get out of there fast enough. As it turned out, he also had to follow her through the busy street to get to her own apartment so she could use her car. He knew she liked to drag out whatever time they spent and she liked to remind him that it shouldn't bother him with his vast supply of patience. He had to agree; he had plenty of patience to last him through decades of doing nothing but lately he found he had little to spare when involving people, even Anna. He knew it was just a phase which would pass. Merlin wasn't as opposed to them when Anna was born but it was bad timing, he supposed. If she wasn't around, Merlin would have definitely been living in seclusion for another few decades or so by now.

He felt marginally better in the car and they escaped the busier parts of the city. In fact, he would've been perfectly content riding the whole way there in silence except Anna felt the need to fill it. It became easier when Merlin realised she wasn't expecting him to speak, just to listen.

She talked more than Merlin felt he had in ten years, but he found it wasn't mindless chatter. It was the only time Anna had to tell him things he would know if he was around her more, like how she went to a restaurant a few months ago and discovered her favourite dessert, or how she learned that she was terrible at ice-skating. He found that he didn't actually mind listening.

It happened every now and then; he spent a little more time with Anna than he intended and the realisation that she was his own flesh and blood came speeding back to him. It made his mind become a little less guarded, his hands a little less clenched and he stopped disregarding her small talk, instead he absorbed it.

They were delayed a little by slow traffic and Anna's insistence on getting something to eat in the town when they finally arrived, as if that one-time interference would permanently improve Merlin's eating habits. He could ignore his basic human needs if he wished, and there had been times in his long life he was without food and other luxuries, but he obliged her. He found that a sort of tranquillity was instilled in Anna from spending so much time with him, like they used to. It was also obvious she was hesitant to breach the topic of Glastonbury Tor, and Merlin gave her no excuse to either.

Despite the darkening sky, Merlin insisted Anna show him the next magical anomaly as soon as possible and there was one due to happen later that night. So she began to lead him out of the town.

Merlin could see the lake more clearly out here, and the mythical tower at the centre. It used to bring him a sense of comfort, coming here, but only at certain points did he feel like it. This was definitely not one of them, so he averted his gaze as much as he could.

"You've lived here before, haven't you?" Anna asked a little quietly as they marched through fields.

"One of the many places," he muttered in response. He looked around. "Even now it's peaceful. Reminds me of back then."

Anna turned and smiled. "I wouldn't mind moving out here. Getting away from the city." She turned back, marching onwards. "I can see why you like it."

Merlin grunted amusedly. "Oh, there is something wrong with every place, I assure you. What I couldn't stand was the people, mostly. They kept getting the legends wrong."

"I can see why that would be annoying," Anna chuckled. "Being the only one who knew the truth."

He managed to smile a little at her words but the rare inspiration to talk suddenly fled him. He wasn't even sure what was truth anymore – whether the stories he told Anna when she was young were correct or just embellishments.

Merlin quickly rid himself of such thoughts. He didn't want to lament over lost memories and a long-forgotten past.

Anna seemed to sense his mood-swing and remained quiet as they neared the site.

She was certainly right about the magical pressure. As soon as he arrived in the town he could feel the magical aura engulfing the town in a way it hadn't in a long time. But he wouldn't call it unusual – that had happened before and he had subsequently gotten eager over nothing. He could feel the sites around him though, attempting to draw him in even though there was nothing left to see.

Eventually, Anna stopped and looked around. It was very dark by now and Merlin was tempted to light a fire. Perhaps they should have waited for the next one, but Anna told him that according to the pattern she had followed, it would happen in a few days. He wasn't willing to wait that long.

"It should happen around here somewhere," Anna told him. "I hope we catch it. I think I was lucky last time."

Merlin could tell how it would be difficult; although magic filled the air, he couldn't seem to pinpoint it in one spot. Anna had chosen a high point in land to survey the area, but he doubted she could see much in the dark.

"Use that spell I taught you to see," he called out to her as he began to head towards a group of trees. "I'll look in here."

"What spell?" she shouted.

Merlin stopped in his tracks and sighed. He faced her and with a flash of his eyes performed the spell that was child's play to him. He watched her surprise at her sudden adept night-vision and then kept heading into the trees. He had taught Anna that spell, hadn't he? Perhaps she had forgotten or he was mixed up. He quickly performed the spell on himself then surveyed his surroundings.

It was the wind whistling through the trees above him and the chilly night air that made him the most peaceful. He sometimes wished he could remain in such a spot for eternity, and although he had tried, he found that even this grew tiresome after a while. He had realised that although this was his favourite environment, it was merely the most tolerable. Everything grew tedious with time.

Merlin trudged through the dry mud and over the thick roots sticking up from the ground. The magic seemed to thicken by the second. It didn't lessen even as he continued. It made him wonder how far this magical energy travelled and what exactly Anna saw. It clearly wasn't dangerous from the way she was acting, merely confusing.

He hadn't realised how far he'd gone, lost in his thoughts until he arrived at a clearing. He seemed surrounded by forest while Anna had brought him to a hilly area. Just how far did this magic span?

It certainly seemed concentrated here though, and Merlin was suddenly filled with anticipation, that something was about to appear. He whisked his head around, waiting for someone to arrive. He was sure it had to be someone causing these anomalies but he couldn't sense anyone.

After a few minutes, it was clear no-one was arriving and he was about to leave the clearing when he heard a sound behind him, one that reminded him of paper-tearing, but long and drawn-out.

Merlin turned, hand raised. He never paid for being too cautious. However, whatever he was expecting, it wasn't this white light, searching his face like a torch. He could tell it wasn't an artificial light but it blinded him with his enhanced night-vision. Once it passed his face, he felt an intense heat surround him but he couldn't tear his eyes away from what was before him.

It shimmered in the air and every now and then, light shone from it, passing his face. A circle of white light glowed in front of him with a distorted view of the trees behind it. He took a step closer, the heat growing more intense, and he realised that what he could see through this window of light differed to his surroundings.

Was it showing him something? His mind cast back to visions from the Crystal Cave, and he was reluctant to experience such a thing again. But if it was a vision of the future, then surely that means that something worth prophesising was on its way. Merlin allowed a sliver of hope that Anna was right about these signs, and took another step forward.

He could see through it more clearly now but it showed him nothing but a forest. Getting a little frustrated, he raised his hand, but as he did, he felt a cool air radiating from the window; a relief to the heat engulfing him. Moving his face closer, he could feel the relaxing breeze better and even hear it through the trees despite the absence of wind around him.

Perhaps it was not a window… But a portal? Merlin had never seen one quite like it. But at this point, he was never one to turn away such a new and different experience. The thought occurred to him that he should turn back and confer with Anna about this discovery, but he felt strangely compelled to stay where he was. Something called to him from beyond the window and an ancient longing began to creep into his bones. The world he was staring into began to feel more familiar than the area around him, and the heat was beginning to disappear.

Then, when Merlin found the window begin to shrink in on itself, he was suddenly submerged in a feeling he had not succumbed to in many years: pure instinct. He had not the mind to curse himself as he plunged into the shimmering, distorted world that called out to him just like home.