Merlin awoke with a start. He breathed in deeply and exhaled, trying to calm himself down. However, his efforts were fruitless and futile for his respiratory system could not handle the pressure. His breathing continued to be laboured. His heart rate was erratic as his cardiovascular system desperately tried to catch up with the level her neighbour was currently working at.
Suddenly the wooden door burst open and a grinning Balinor walked in. Merlin eyed him suspiciously. Naturally, the older man simply waved his accusatory glances off and said what was currently on his mind.
"Merlin, glad to see you're awake." Balinor made a few steps so that he was now standing in front of the boy's bed. "Come observe something with me."
"Wh-what?" Merlin managed to ask as he unceremoniously hoisted up and carried to the deck hanging from Balinor's shoulder. The latter soon put him down after having heard the hundredth protest scramble from Merlin's mouth.
"Tell me, if you please, why the hell was that necessary?!" Merlin exclaimed.
Of course, as always, Balinor ignored his outburst and instead grasped his shoulder and turned the boy roughly around. Merlin glared angrily at Balinor for having interrupted his dusting his clothes off, but his furious glance was interrupted once he his eyes landed on yet another mesmerizing sight.
Before him translucent being were flowing through the air. Some of them adorned a beautiful gentle lilac colour, whereas other had adopted a soft gray hue, while third were gifted with a fleeting white. Needless to say, the creatures reminded Merlin of a peculiar type of sea animals. However, he could not pinpoint which one.
Merlin's eyes widened once his gaze connected with one of theirs. His mouth gaped open. He found himself looking into the clearest blue skies he had ever seen. Radiant yet gentle. Silent and mysterious. Fleeting yet memorable. Two polar opposites that had connected to create a masterpiece, Merlin concluded. Sometimes nature truly did manage to outdo herself once more.
"They truly are unique, aren't they?" Balinor suddenly uttered, jerking Merlin back to reality. Much to the boy's dismay the man's deep voice had scared the creature off. As a result, Balinor earned himself another glare from a very pissed off Merlin.
"Oh, don't you go and sulk. Where we are going you will see plenty of them." Balinor chastised as he turned around and headed toward the wheel.
Merlin's eyes widened. Then they narrowed when he noticed that a fog of clouds appeared in his line of vision. The clouds were so thick that Merlin could barely make out the lines of Balinor's slightly bulky figure.
"If you have not realized it yet, we are almost there."
Merlin choked. Had they really come this far? They had been traveling for a few days now and yet he had not had the sense to ask Balinor whether they had reached their destination yet simply because the man had warned him the journey was relatively long and gravely dangerous.
Suddenly Merlin gasped. He bent forward, then backward, then forward once more. His eyes watered and soon started becoming red. His lungs began burning and he desperately grasped his throat, as though that were going to put an end to the surprisingly numbing pain. Quite soon it abided as fast as it had come.
Just as the pain disappeared so did the clouds. As a result, Merlin could breathe again. He whirled around once he felt a powerful source of energy behind him. The boy was ready to strike, but immediately halted once he noticed that the man before him was none other than Balinor. The older of the two looked shocked. Merlin could not understand the reason for Balinor's frozen stance. He could only stare at the captain of 'Magic' and hope that the man would get out of whatever stupor he had gone into.
"Why didn't you tell me you were Emrys?" Balinor asked as he took a few shaky steps back and started breathing in and out erratically.
It was Merlin's turn to freeze. How had Balinor found out? Was it something Merlin had said or done? Had he somehow given Balinor a clue as to his other identity, the one which was, quite frankly, a lot more dangerous than that of the prat's servant? Impossible, he concluded as he mentally replayed their conversation from the previous day. Then what had caused such a revelation on Balinor's part?
A sudden jolt passed through Merlin's body. The boy was speechless. Had he actually managed to feel Balinor's… energy spike up? He was suddenly starting to realize why you had to be a creature of magic in order to have at least heard of the Caves of Nymphia. It was not a simple island, it was or at least had been a center of magic, a powerful one at that.
"Can you tell me what exactly this place is?" Merlin managed to ask as he took a careful step toward Balinor, feeling a familiar jolt, yet not as frantic as the previous one had been, shoot through his being.
Balinor chuckled as he looked at Merlin. "I presume you have not been able to do much research on this place, have you, Emrys?"
Merlin cringed. He still was not entirely used to people addressing him that way. Instead of focusing on his slight discomfort, he opted to concentrate on the questions that had piled up in his head.
"Your presumption is quite accurate. How did you find out?" Merlin replied.
"You ask far too many questions." Balinor answered as he smirked, making Merlin huff slightly. It seemed Merlin had not been able to keep his curiosity in check once more.
"That, plus the way you reacted to entering through the barrier told me enough. You do not know a little, you know nothing at all about this place, do you?" Balinor questioned.
Merlin looked away. He did not want to confirm the man's suspicions as such knowledge could give Balinor immense advantage, while making Merlin feel even more vulnerable. Nonetheless, seeing as he lacked a better choice in the matter, the trapped boy turned his head back, looked directly into Balinor's curious gaze and nodded. The man naturally sighed as he brought a hand up and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I suppose I should fill you in as much as I can in the scarce time we have left." He said as he continued massaging his neck.
Merlin did not say anything. He merely sat on a wooden chest, having a hunch that the dialogue or rather monologue was going to be long.
"What you see now," Balinor began as he gestured to the silver rocks that were protruding from the water, "is just a mere fraction of the dazzling beauty of the Caves of Nymphia. What you will see underwater, if you receive a chance that is, will quite literally take your breath away. However, if you manage to survive the excruciating pain from having almost all of your magic sucked out of you, you just might find the experience worth it. Also, it is important to note that the second you pass through that barrier your magic turns into energy. You cannot lose your energy or acquire energy from nothing. You will have to rest, naturally, in order to recover after you have had a battle or have simply wasted too much of your energy supplies."
Balinor stopped and looked at Merlin, gauging the boy's reaction. To his surprise Merlin was taking this fairly well. The question that followed, however, made the captain of 'Magic' curse the warlock's perceptiveness.
"What happens if you waste your whole energy supply? I suppose each creature has a limit, right?"
Balinor sighed as he cringed, "Normally, you would pass out a long time before you manage to reach your limit. However, if you do succeed in exhausting your supplies to their very end, then you will most likely… die."
Merlin blinked, "Die?" He asked monotonously.
"Yes, die. However, there is a catch." Balinor replied.
"Which is?" Merlin followed as hic clouded gaze met Balinor's darkened one.
"You have a time limit." Balinor answered grimly.
"Oh, of course! There is also a time limit!" Merlin exclaimed as he brought both of his hands and used them to cover his eyes. He then began massaging his temples and asked, "Why can't things just be easy? For once? Is that too much to ask?"
Balinor pitied the boy. He could not imagine what it was like to carry a burden as profound as that of Emrys'. After all, what he chose influenced not only other people's lives and fates, but their destinies as well. His destiny was connected with theirs. His fate was fixed with theirs and he knew. He knew so much and yet most of the time he was helpless to change what he wanted because that could stir events in the wrong direction. How Balinor wished he could help the boy cope with at least a small part of that responsibility.
"It is not. Do you wish for me to continue or would you prefer if I gave you time to rest and clear your head?" Balinor tentatively enquired.
Merlin shook his head. "No, there is no time left. Please tell me how long do I have to accomplish what I have set out to do?"
"Two weeks." Balinor answered as a shadow passed through his gaze for a split second.
Merlin noticed the change and the familiar pattern as well. He remembered what the witch had told him about the time he had to save Morgana. He did not understand how his lapse of time was connected to hers.
"Strange. The one who is responsible for my friend's state told me that I had fifteen days until nothing could be salvaged." Merlin explained.
Merlin's eyes widened and his heart rate became erratic the second he noticed the shock that passed and soon manage to settle on Balinor's face. The boy knew he would be right if he chanced a guess that the culprit was bad news.
"What exactly did this person tell you, Merlin?" Balinor asked.
"She said I had seven days until the body is dead, ten until her soul is lost and fifteen until nothing can be salvaged." Merlin recited, "She also advised me to search for a poison known as Forest Bite. Do you happen to know anything about it?"
Balinor sighed exhaustedly. Merlin felt dread spread through his entire being once he noticed the gelidness and utter hopelessness in Balinor's gaze. Merlin also witnessed darkness pool into those dark orbs, making them seem as though they were almost entirely black.
"Unfortunately or fortunately," Balinor began as he chuckled dejectedly, "I do. Forest bite is a poisonous enchantment. Normally, you would need herbs for such a powerful spell. However, if you are a special type of creature, you might be able to conduct the incantation without their assistance. Would you please tell me more about the woman who dared cast such a spell?"
Merlin nodded. He had not heeded Kilgharrah's guidance so many times, what could overstepping the boundaries the Great Dragon had set for him a little more possibly do?
"I could not see her face. She wore a black cloak. I remember that when she cast the spell, her eyes blazed an icy-blue, not the normal golden hue that most sorcerers adopt. When she appeared, there was a shift in the atmosphere." Merlin explained.
Balinor's eyes narrowed. "What type of shift exactly was it, Merlin?" He asked as he hoped and prayed that his suspicions would not come true.
"I am not really sure. All I know is her appearance screamed danger. I remember that I felt dread, however, I am not certain if I remained fraught with fear during the whole time she and I were near each other. All I can recall is that I had a hunch that she was no ordinary creature and that I'd best be careful." Merlin explained, "I am sorry, but that is everything I can remember."
"Was she careful about not exposing her head?" Balinor suddenly asked.
Merlin frowned. What did that have to do with everything else? He also was not certain where Balinor was going with all of this. Nonetheless, he answered.
"I do not remember such a thing happening. She was cautious not to expose her true nature, however. I could sense that she was holding back. She had this whole arrogant demeanor as though she knew she were better than you, but did not want to shot it firsthand. She seemed like the type of person to let others do the dirty work and afterward bask in the glory. She appeared to be calculating whether it was necessary to expose her powers."
"And you managed to gather all of that from a simple observation?" Balinor asked as he chuckled.
Merlin was slightly offended. Did Balinor not have faith in his abilities? Or perhaps was the man before him truly powerful? Strangely, Merlin did not feel the need to question the man's verity anymore.
"I did not only observe her. As I told you I felt a shift in the air." Merlin answered.
Balinor chuckled once more. He did not know why, but he found the sight of an infuriated young warlock rather amusing.
"I apologize if I have offended you in any way, Merlin. I was simply astounded. It is not every day that you meet a young sorcerer as yourself and hear that he is so strongly connected to his inner voice." Balinor explained.
"My inner self?" Merlin questioned.
Balinor seemed shock once more. "You do not know about the existence of your inner self? Jesus Christ, boy, how on earth have you survived for so long without knowing such simple things?"
Merlin glared at the captain of 'Magic'. "I have not exactly been taught by anyone. I had to figure most things on my own. Luckily, most spells come easily to me. Only when it comes to the more complex ones do I need to practice them several times in order to master them."
Balinor laughed. "You truly are a sight to behold and an endless spring of amusement, Merlin."
Merlin looked affronted. How had Balinor managed to come to such a conclusion exactly? Merlin was not the laughing stock of this entire island, damn it!
"Let me explain, Merlin. You see, your inner self is your intuitive side, the source of all your hunches and pieces of knowledge and skills that just come naturally. Every person has them. However, sorcerers have better access to them, whereas warlocks and witches are naturally connected to them. The stronger your connection to your inner self is, the easier spells will come to you. Hence you are able to learn spells so quickly and are only perplexed when more difficult incantations are involved." Balinor uttered as he hoped that this explanation would help soothe Merlin's slightly damaged pride.
Even though Merlin's ego was still a bit bruised, he could not help but feel a small ounce of satisfaction at hearing about his 'strong connection to his inner self'. Of course, the goofy grin he acquired soon after Balinor's small declaration was enough to send the captain of 'Magic' into another laughing fit.