Still unsteady on his feet, Arthur looks around. Hundreds of people stare at him with wide eyes. Hundreds of people are still paralyzed. They look up at the King, who stands in the center of the stone circle in the light of torches. Arthur still looks around. He sees their frightened faces. He takes a step towards them, but they shrink back from him. They still fear him. Arthur sighs. It doesn't help. He needs Merlin by his side. Only he can take away their fear. He looks for him. Where is he?

He closes his eyes and calls his friend in his mind: "Merlin? Merlin, where are you? Show yourself!" But the wizard doesn't answer. Arthur tries it again. This time with more emphasis. "Merlin! Show yourself! Immediately! I need your help here!" But Merlin still doesn't respond. Instead, people stare at him now even more anxious than before. So the king takes the floor: "Did you see Merlin? Where is he and why isn't he here with me?" Embarrassed, the people look down on the ground. Nobody dares to look at the King. Now Arthur gets a bit queasy. "What is going on here? Why no one wants to talk to me? I promise that I won't harm you. But I need some answers now!" Slowly angry he continues to walk towards the crowd.

Suddenly, the crowd forms an alley. An old man appears, the People stand in a circle around him. Arthur looks at him. "You?" Havgan nods. "I have bad news. Merlin is .. his soul is lost." Arthur swallows. "I don't believe this. Merlin is so powerful .. " But the silence around him frightens him. He runs to the old druid, who bends down to Merlin again. "Merlin? Merlin! What happened? Come on tell me!" The old man shakes his head. "At the moment as Mordred started to absorb the souls, Merlin's soul is torn by the magic distortion."

Arthur looks at him stunned. "What?" Havgan sighs. "The magic distortion was too big for him. He is a creature of magic. We all have felt the magic distortion, but for him, the pain must have been unbearable. I hope he hasn't suffered too much." Horrified, Arthur looks at him. "You hope that he hasn't suffered too much? You are lying! .. I can't believe it." He kneels down next to Merlin. "He's still breathing. He's not dead. What are you telling me?" Lovingly, he strokes Merlin's face. "Merlin? Merlin, can you hear me? I'll take you home. Gaius will know what is wrong with you. He'll find a way to heal you." A tear runs down his cheeks.

Merlin looks terrible. Every color is drained from his face. He is pale. And his lips are blue. "He freezes. We have to cover him." Arthur looks at Havgan. "I need a blanket immediately. Don't you see that he freezes?" The King takes Merlin's hands in his own. They are cold as ice. "No ... no .." The eyes of the wizard are still open. But they are empty. They stare into the sky without to see something. Every shine is gone. Arthur looks up. "How could this happen? I don't understand."

Havgan rises. "The magic distortion has torn his soul. There is nothing left we can do. He's just a mortal shell which will follow his soul tonight." Arthur shakes his head. "No! No! I won't let that happen. What do I have to do? What do I have to do to save him? The ritual was not yet completed. How can it tear him? I know that he is strong. He's stronger than he looks. There must be something of him left. There still must be something of him in this body."

The old man looks at the people who are around them. "I'm afraid you and I, we can do nothing. Should there indeed be something of him left inside, even we all together aren't powerful enough to find it and bring it back." Arthur shakes his head again. "Does that mean I've lost him? This can't be .. this can't be .." Another tear runs down his cheeks. He looks back to Merlin. "Where is the blanket? He still needs a blanket! He'll freeze to death!"

He looks around at the people. Nobody moves. Hardly anyone dares to breathe. Desperately, Arthur holds Merlin. "I warm you. I won't let you freeze to death." And with a quick movement he pulls the motionless body of Merlin to his chest. He puts his arms around him and holds him. "Everything will be fine. I promise you. Everything will be fine."