As we kept walking, the buildings I saw at a distance started to grow larger. The larger they became, the closer we got. The closer we got, the more jittery I felt. After Saya's revelation about there being something here that is worse than anything we have ever seen, I didn't feel right about being in this world at all. Neither did Merlin. I knew that his magic didn't work the same way in every world, so it was possible that he couldn't use it in this world either. So the fact that he hasn't even said anything that would cause his eyes to light up as they usually do, meant he was conserving his magic for when he needed it. Saya, meanwhile, seemed to shiver more visibly. So much so, I could hear her sword rattle inside her tube. Our usually fearless warrior suddenly became so afraid, I couldn't believe it. Nothing about the situation made me feel any better.
"What do you think?" I heard Merlin ask me.
I turned my head to listen, "We know we're headed for certain death, and yet we're going anyway. And I thought Arthur was foolish for acting that way."
Arthur? Who was he talking about?
"Oh right, you wouldn't know this." Merlin tried to laugh, "Arthur was our king, and I had the pleasure to serve him. Not a great pleasure, as I'm supposed to say, but a pleasure none the less."
His talk almost made me forget that where we were heading. I could actually feel my face trying to form a smile, and I almost didn't mind the constant rattling of Saya's sword. A sound which, I then realized, had stopped. I looked in front of me. There was Saya, standing still, dead in her tracks. I stopped walking too, and Merlin followed suite.
"What's wrong?" Merlin asked.
Saya didn't say anything. Slowly, she turned her head. But to my surprise, she wasn't looking at Merlin, she was looking at me. I didn't say or do anything to get her attention, so why was she looking at me? As I thought about this, I saw her reaching for her tube. As soon as I wondered what she was up to, I heard something snap behind me. I didn't shiver this time. My body was already frozen.
"GET DOWN!" Saya shouted, and I did as I was told.
With face down on the ground, I couldn't see what Saya was doing. However, I did feel her step on my back as she charged toward what was behind me. I heard something cutting through flesh, followed by something splashing itself on my legs. I rolled around, trying to see what was going on.
"What... is that?" Merlin asked as he too saw what Saya had just slain.
I saw her small body, still holding her sword, which was still stuck inside the body of what looked like a tree-trunk. Except, what kind of tree-trunks has arms, with bat-like wings, red-glowing eyes, and blood oozing from where Saya stuck her blade?
Saya pulled her sword out of this thing and turned back to us. The thing fell on its back, but Saya didn't look swayed by this. She was about to open her mouth, when I saw something else. Behind her, two red lights started to glow. Her own eyes widened, but at something that happened behind me. I sat up and turned my head. Somewhere in the shadows behind me, there were two red eyes. Within seconds there were two more. More kept lighting up, until we were surrounded. I heard Merlin whisper a few words. I didn't know what he was saying, but as he did so, clouds started to form above our heads. As I got to my feet, I could see Saya wiping the blood off her sword with her sleeve. In the corner of my eye, I saw something coming out of the shadows. I slowly turned my head, and saw something that looked like what Saya just killed, only smaller, and without the wings. Its glowing eyes dimmed, and it took small steps as he approached the three of us. I could hear Saya taking one step closer, just when this thing fell down to his knees and bent down, like he was bowing to us.
"I am sorry he was unworthy!" it said, speaking with a voice that sounded strangely human.
Merlin stopped mumbling his words, and the clouds above us started to disappear. Saya stopped her pace, as she too looked confused at this development.
It wasn't done. "Please forgive us, your majesty!"