Birth of a New Planet

by Venomous Blade

Most of the Lostbelts had been intended to provide something better than normal human history, but this one was fighting for the very right to exist. And as a previous unknown is thrown into the vicious cacophony of war and blood, he will end up fighting for both his right to exist, and to prove his story is worth sharing.

39. Pushing on Forward

Alright, finally done with this chapter. Ended up longer than I thought, though I am pretty sure the next chapter will be shorter. Stuffs happening here, and by the next chapter, the ball is going to keep rolling, both for the past and the presence. Hope you all find this chapter enjoyable.

Without further ado, here is chapter 37, I hope you enjoy :)

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Morgan did not know if it had taken days or weeks, but eventually, they had arrived in Orkney once more. Upon coming out of the ship, she felt an entirely different presence compared to how it usually felt for her. Despite being the Queen, it had always felt uneasy and uncomfortable to her, foreign, and unsafe at times, especially after the loss of Teneu. Now it felt hollow, airless, breathless. A lifeless land devoid of anything, save for eyes that watched her ominously. With her arms bound and chained behind his back, she was led back through the land by the guards that rode atop by horse all around her, muttering with annoyance as she was pulled by the chains across the streets. She panted as she did her best not to fall without the use of magic.

King Lot rode behind them, not saying a word, not even looking at her or anyone else. The townspeople across the villages and land looked on in shock at what passed through their dirt roads, some looking in horror, others gossiping about what may have happened in Camelot. Morgan questioned how many would get close to the truth as they finally reached the castle. The gates opened and they made their way through the castle bailey. Lot had already had word sent before they had departed from Camelot, given it had taken a few days to assemble everything for the journey home. There were little words to be dispensed then upon entering, and King Lot was never a man who saw time wasted.

"Send word to my advisors to halt their actions and traverse to the throne room. The trial will be held there." His attendants nodded and dispersed.

Just as back in Camelot, Morgan found herself once again in a cell. This one well beneath the castle. It was dark and musky, rats and spiders were about as the cage closed, and she was left in the darkness, where she waited quietly. Wordlessly, she extended a finger towards a little spider scurrying in her, letting it rest on her hand before she tipped her hand towards the door, the spider escaping just underneath the crack between the door and the ground. She sighed, exactly how long was this to take when the predetermined outcome was so obvious? Why continue this pointless formality?

Her eyes looked forward, staring at the wall of earth before her, when her eyes slowly widened. Brown hair and a white dress filled her vision as her daughter sat across from her. Upon her face was the warm smile she would have for her siblings, her mother… and her father. Morgan recalled how an admirer of her eldest daughter referred to her smile as having the tender caress of sunlight, and Morgan agreed, even if it was a memory. The sorceress wished it could have still been real, that she was still here. She wondered what life would be if that were the case, would she still be so desperate to have the rest of her children in Camelot, or would she have been fine with them in Orkney? Would any of this have ever happened? All that was unimportant, she was gone now, there was nothing that could change that.

Morgan quivered and gulped as she stared at her eldest daughter, who was hopefully unburdened by the past. "Forgive me," Morgan said as she began to sniffle, "I-I know you would never have wanted this." She lowered her head to look at the ground, "I should have protected you Teneu, I should have gotten strong back then, but I didn't. I was still in my own childish delusions, that Lot was secretly a good man, that Ywain would move on from you. That we were a happy family."

A tear ran down her cheek, "That day, I'm sorry about how I cheered for my husband as he killed Ywain. You were scared that day, weren't you? You always had such a gentle heart, and Ywain was dear to you, despite what he did. You were scared and just wanted things to stop, you didn't want violent retribution." Morgan shook her head, "But I did, I wanted him to suffer, I wanted him to bleed and die for causing you pain. I honestly do not think I ever fell in love with Lot, except for that moment he was tearing Ywain to pieces." She hissed at herself in disgust, "But that probably only frightened you even more, and I'm sorry that I did that to you. I was so angry at my failure, that I ignored you."

She looked up to gaze at her daughter once more, "I'm going to do it again though, I'm going to ignore what you would have wanted for my own selfish revenge. I know you would not wish for this to happen… but I cannot forgive him. I tried to move on, but I cannot. It is too much, and I cannot rest well… knowing he remains alive. I could let his disease kill him… but I want to do it myself, I need to, or I will never know peace." Morgan began to cry, "I'm sorry, I love you Teneu!" She whispered painfully, "Your brothers love you; your sister loves you!" She stopped for a moment, "Your aunt and uncle, Artoria and Kay, they would love you too had they gotten the chance to meet you." She could not stop herself then from chuckling, "Although I hope you would have adjusted to having an aunt younger than you, on top of being a king." Somehow, she found it in herself to laugh, perhaps as a means of coping, or perhaps because her mind had weaved that possible memory, and now it was impossible to not laugh at how funny it would have been.

…

Elsewhere, on the castle main floors, the trial was nearly done regarding preparation. Lot was about to order the guards to go to the lower levels and bring Morgan, when he was approached by 2 figures. One was his 2nd son, who was doing all he could to maintain composure before his father while he arrived dressed in armor and a sword at his side. His mind was swirling chaos, filled with worry and fear over what was about to happen, what he was to do, and how/why this had to happen in the 1st place. On the other hand, there was Lord Dura, whose mind was as resolute as his form appeared, with total clarity and focus, a shield in one hand and a sword at his side, ready to follow his liege's command.

For now, Lot looked at Agravaine, "You will be present at the trial, and witness what happens." That was not an order, it was a statement told with absolute clarity. It was a cold fact that Agravaine, despite his troubled face, would ultimately go along with his father's word.

Lord Dura smiled and nodded, "That is a wise decision my liege. It's important for him to learn what occurs in a trial, and what his responsibility is as a king should the time come when-"

"Dura, you will not be present at the trial." King Lot interrupted, leading to the surprised face of both his son and his heir. Lord Dura was essentially Lot's right hand, most loyal lord, and heir to the throne. It was surprising that Lot would not allow him to attend the trial.

"M-My liege… why?" Dura asked, a bit confused as Lot motioned for Agravaine to head for the throne room, leaving the 2 men to converse alone. "I have presided over trials before, even conducted them in the land which you gave to me when dealing with criminals and lawless parasites. What is the harm in me in me watching over this one?"

Lot looked at him and sighed, "You know full well why Dura, do not pretend otherwise." He looked at his heir firmly, "It is for your own wellbeing, as well as that of the kingdom, that you do not attend this trial."

Dura's eyes widened and he shook his head, "My liege, we cannot bow down to infernal magic. With the boy there, she would not dare to act! Your knights and men will defend you!" He replied, to which Lot shook his head, "But, my liege!"

"You will not attend this trial, Lord Dura. You will not be present for it in the slightest." Lot stated. Struggling to say something, Dura rescinded what he was about to say, and bowed with respect. Lot walked away from his heir, "Farewell Dura, may justice be at hand."

Eventually, the guards came down for their Queen, and Morgan gave no resistance. Before she was taken out of her cell, she looked upon it one more time… the only other living things noticeable were the rats and the spiders. As such, Morgan was brought out of her cell and was led to her throne room… alone. She wondered if there was some invisible force tugging her forward, her stops were at times unconscious, and she did not know if that were because her natural instincts guided her without thought, or because fate itself was pulling her forward to the unavoidable. Oh well… such things did not matter to her right now.

Upon entering the throne room, Morgan felt how different the atmosphere was. In Camelot, the people were gossiping in surprise, wonder, and anxiety over what may happen, it was rather tense. This time however, it felt cold, soulless, and chilling. The anxious and guessing observers replaced by those who did not but stare at their Queen as she entered her own trial. She quietly glimpsed Agravaine standing with the other knights at the side, watching her. Guilt and fear swarmed through her. Did this have to happen in front of him, could he not be deprived from seeing this? It almost made Morgan question if she truly wanted to do this in front of Agravaine. Did Lot bring him to watch the trial to discourage her, or did he want their son to witness and hear what her punishment was to be. Maybe Morgan could find some way to escape this, even if it were too late.

A few minutes after all had arrived and were ready, the priest who had come to oversee the trial spoke, "We are gathered here today, in the name of the Lord, to exact his judgement on vice and sin that still runs rampant in our land, as well as in the very rulers meant to ensure that-"

"Let us dispense of this nonsense and get on with this farce. We are all aware of what is going to happen." King Lot interrupted, leaving the priest stuttering for a moment. Lot then turned his eyes to his wife, "Is that not right Morgan?" Morgan said nothing as they stared at each other for a moment or 2, Agravaine's mind racing in terror as the rest watched with uncertainty or grim apathy. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Morgan blinked as she looked at him. "Waiting for what my lord?" She asked with mock innocence, as if testing him as much as he was testing her, "Is there something I am required to do right now?"

Lot groaned, "So, we are playing as fools again." He looked to the priest, "Inform my foolish wife what exactly her crimes, her words and actions during the trial in Camelot. I would rather the conclusion come sooner than later."

The priest seemed happy to continue as he looked at Morgan Le Fay with a cold and smug face, "Queen Morgan of Orkney, as thou have been convicted of in Camelot, thy stand here now due to having been discovered committing adultery with the then vassal of King Arthur, Guiomar. That thy were not coerced or forced in the act and initiated such dreadful sin of thee despite thou vow before God himself. Thou even were possessed by the will to curse thy husband's name and proclaim everlasting hatred of him before the court of Camelot. How does thy plead in response?"

Morgan did not even give the man a glance, her eyes locked firmly upon her husband, "I admit to complete and guilt in that regard. I offer no apology to thee, nor God himself for that matter." Lot gave no response while Agravaine tried to stop the shaking in his arm. The punishment for such a crime was to be burned at the stake. H-He knew he had no place to argue about such actions, but he did not want to lose any other family. Hadn't Teneu's death been enough?!

He tried to blink back tears and remain focused, none of the other knights showed any noticeable changes regarding the sentence as the priest described the necessity for judgement and the importance of ensuring God's will was not defied. It was ironically King Lot once again who motioned for the priest to stop with a rather bored voice. In fact, rather than being angry over being cheated on by his wife, his face was ultimately a mix of bored annoyance with a haggard expression. It was as if he were just going through the motions before reaching the exciting part of the event.

"Alright, now that all has been stated, what exactly are you waiting for?" Lot asked Morgan, extending a hand to keep his soldiers from moving towards her. "Well, are you going to do it or not?" For a few moments, Morgan said nothing at all, causing him to groan, "All those fiery words in Camelot, withered away to impotent ash now, how pathetic. And here I assumed something was to happen, not another tantrum."

Morgan just stared at him without any expression, "Do you ever even think about her? Do you feel anything, anything at all?" She asked. One last time, one last chance… some reason… to not go through with this, not in front of their son.

Lot looked at her unbothered, "About what? You will have to be more specific."

Morgan just stared at him, her eyes beginning to twitch, "You know exactly what it is I mean. Do you feel anything, for what happened to her?" Her face became contorted in rage and fury as she glared at him, "Say her name." He did not say a single word, "Don't be quiet, just say her name." She slowly lost patience as he refused her, "say her name! Why won't you say her name?! You've never said it for years!"

"For what? What purpose would it have ever served; the dead are dead." Lot responded. He then shook his head, "Still trapped in such a delusion, how pathetic you truly are." He remained without hate or joy as he stated, "There is no more reason to drag this on. Have her taken away to the dungeons, prepare her to be burned at the stake for her sins." He motioned towards his guards, who carried out his will as they approached their Queen without hesitation. Agravaine did not think his heart could beat any faster until what came next happened.

Before they could even touch her, a dark blue aura surrounded his mother as she growled, "SAY! HER! NAME!" With a vicious scream, she ripped out of her chains while sending a shockwave that tossed the guards back by a dozen feet. Many drew out their swords, a few brought out crossbows, but Lot simply stared at her with the same cold look he always had and did not see intimidated in the slightest even as Morgan's arms were now free and she was glaring at him, an aura of magic radiating around her, "say her name right now, right now. Do that, and I promise I-"

"Promise what? That you are not going to kill me. Why is that when you've done all the rest?" Lot said, unafraid even as his men formed a tight formation around him, ready to protect their liege. "I know what you have been planning Morgan. Gawain and Gaheris were easy for you, but do not think I never knew the reason why Gareth was sent there, or why those raiders attacked us while I had taken Agravaine to assist me in helping Angusel." His eyes did not flicker at all as he stared back at her, "You planned that attack, you and Merlin, just so you could have an excuse to send Gareth to Camelot by way of that knight, Lancelot."

This came as a surprise to Agravaine as his head turned to both his mother then his father, feeling as though they were all trapped in a whirlpool about to fall in its grip forever. His mother had assisted in orchestrating the attack on Orkney, He had been terrified upon hearing that and had worried for Gareth's safety, a few knights having died, as well as commoners whose houses had been torn through by the raiders. Yet now supposedly, his own mother had played a hand in this, along with the wizard Merlin! What was even going on?!

"Your main failing was your inability to provide a substantial lie. It was so easy to dissect, that honestly, I could have charged you then for treason, something you are to be tried for anyway. I assume that was your idea, because I would assume that the wizard was smarter than that. Or maybe it was his, I do not know." Lot shrugged, "To be frank, that wizard is not nearly as smart as he may believe himself to be. His main advantage is the fact that he is tied down to nothing… he feels nothing for anything or anyone… and he has the power to escape consequence. He knows how to appear wise even when he is not." Lot looked down on Morgan, "That's the difference between you and your teacher. He may boast his desire to help humanity, but he is free of consequence and is detached from all, so nothing may harm him. You are the opposite, still for some reason hanging by a thread to a pointless sentiment you refer to as an ideal, and yet you question why you are still so pathetic, why you failed back then…"

Morgan shook violently, a dark miasma cascading around her body, causing all save her husband to move back in terror at her present. She took deep breaths as her fists tightened, trying to contain the ruthless deluge that writhed within her. Breathing in and out, she eventually found some form of evenness in her heartbeat, as hard as it was. She shook her head before Agravaine swore she glanced at him with sadness and remorse, before she looked back at her husband, "Just say her name. Just say her name and that is all. You are guilty of evil, as am I, so let us part ways. You can banish… I will leave Orkney, and I will never bother or meddle in its affairs, or with you. Just please, say her name, and tell me the truth." She seemed to almost beg, "Do you feel anything, anything at all, for what happened back then?"

"What would it matter if I did or did not? As I said, she is dead. As dead as all others are." King Lot stared at his wife, unimpressed, "What do you wish to gain by holding onto that worthless sentiment? Haven't you learned by now how delusional it is to have? I would have thought you would have seen that, but it appears I was wrong." He laughed mirthlessly, several lords and knights staring at him as he did so, for he never laughed, "Do you think they'll be safe there? Is that it?!" A wide smile appeared on his face, "They'll be no safer there with King Arthur than she was here, with her cousin," He saw as Morgan shook before he then said, "No safer than she was with me." He then glanced at Agravaine among those watching, and the color drained from Morgan's face as she realized what he was about to reveal. No, she wanted to know how he felt, she did not want him to reveal the truth to their son!

"Stop it!" She shook her head violently as the air around her swirled, light particles forming around her, "Stop it now! Don't say another word!" Around her body, swords of light materialized as more men drew their blades and ran at her. With a growl of anger, she blew them back with a wave of magic before launching a sword of light at Lot. Not even surprised or afraid, Lot merely unsheathed his sword and cut through the attack, mentally noting how it felt lighter and hollower than a child's clothing. An attempt to scare him, and a miserable attempt at that.

"You know, I never told you to lie." He told her bluntly, "That was your own choice that you made of your own free will." Lot stared at her with disdain, even when she had other magical swords ready to attack, more soldiers at the wings to attack her while the more foppish nobles attempted to reach the exit. "And yet you never see the repercussions of this meaningless thing you call an ideal. You still live in a fantasy, one you try to force to become a reality, when it has never been true and never will be and look at what it's led to." He pointed his sword at Agravaine, who was still frozen in place, "A pathetic and ignorant child unable to make any choice of his own will, coddled by you so as to never see the gruesome reality of the world, unable to act even now." He laughed sardonically, "There are no noble knights or fair ladies, only those who have survived and those who died, with fortune and strength being the main factors. To hold on to such notions, such meaningless beliefs, only leaves one weak and unable to do anything."

Morgan glared at him, "I am strong enough to defeat you and every abled man in the room, in this castle even. Do not mistake my kindness for weakness, I am giving you one last chance!" She once again to a glimpse at Agravaine, whose face was the definition of anxiety. He had always known things had been tense with his parents ever since… no, he could not think about that day… and yet, why was there such a sinking feeling in his stomach that began the moment they had spoken… that there was more too it than… could… no it could not be, there was no way.

Lot scoffed at her, "Do not make me laugh, you think you are strong. You personally held back Vortigern, yet I have no need to fear you, because you haven't changed at all, still clutching to falsehood, that you yourself wish was the truth." He walked forward from his throne, pushing his knights aside as he felt the magical wind bristle at his body, Morgan's eyes a storm as her blades shined even brighter.

He smirked, "I could walk forward and kill you right now, and you would not be able to stop me at all." Lot then chuckled, "Just as I killed her before your very eyes, while you just watched." At that point, Morgan stumbled back, her hands on her head as she cringed in pain, "You know I am right; you could have stopped me back then, but you didn't. You let my guards pin you down." He stared at her with cold anger, "Did you think they would stop their king? Did you think that she would have had any worth alive?" Morgan answered his question the only way she could.

"GRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!" The air seemed to change at that moment, growing as hot as flame as the walls and floor cracked, the pounding of footsteps from soldiers ended as the wave of power blew all back away from the witch. The nobles were alarmed, and they, along with several guards, raced for the only exit. Agravaine grimaced and rose his head, having been thrown back against the wall, the blast hitting him as well. He rose his head towards where him mother stood, her arms at her side as a dark aura engulfed her body. A hand was offered by the soldier that had managed to get up next to him and he took it, staggering to his feet. While some had escaped from the throne room, Morgan's attention lay before her.

Armed with crossbows, several guards shot at the witch from a distance, but no avail. Morgan's dark aura stopped and disintegrated the arrows before they could even touch her. Ethereal blades were laughed at them, along with others who got up and attacked her, skewering their bodies to the wall, or killing them instantly. With what little self-restraint she had left, she attempted to stop herself, but then she heard it, amidst the voices of groaning men, she heard it…

"I did her a favor on that cliff…" Her husband's voice whispered as he struggled to get up, amidst the coughing fit he started to have again. Morgan became so angry, she wondered if she heard him right…

"What did you say?" She said oddly quiet amidst the demonic depth her voice seemed to gain, her breath quickening as she began to twitch, "I am not sure I heard you right?" With a flourish of her arms, the knights that stood in her way were tossed against the walls, leaving none to stand between herself and her husband. She walked towards her husband at a leisurely pace while he coughed blood as he coughed blood, currently on all fours. Her face gave no pity or compassion, only hatred was etched on it, "Say. That. Again. RIGHT NOW!" She yelled as she grabbed his head with her 2 hands and forced him to look at her in the eyes, blood leaking out of his mouth.

He grinned like a wild animal as he then snarled with all his strength amidst his disease, "I DID HER A FAVOR ON THAT CLIFF MORGAN! SHE WOULD HAVE CONTINUED TO LIVE ON FOR NOTHING! I ENDED HER PAIN!" He then began to chuckle as her eyes bulged, her blood about to burst from her body as he felt the very air burn his skin, "I THREW OFF THAT CLIFF WHILE YOU WATCHED! THANK YOU FOR THAT, MY DEAR WIFE!"

Both were so wrapped in the heat of that moment, neither noticed their son. In that moment, Agravaine felt those words wash over him, and felt something inside of him break as he fell to his knees. Morgan roared as she tore into her husbands, his armor useless as ethereal blades manifested and tore into his shoulders and legs. Her eyes glowing gold, she set Lot's body aflame with dark fire, a magical fire. A fire that did not burn the body, but the soul, and the body was in turn damaged by the pain the soul.

Morgan watched with a smile as her husband snarled at her, feeling freer in this moment than she ever had before. Yes, burn and suffer, you took her away. All I ever asked from you was to be good to us, and you never were. So, burn, burn, and suffer. Burn forever and burn brighter than the son. A few guards tried to stop her, but she did not even bother to look at them, their bodies hit the wall as they were impaled by ethereal swords.

Not wanting any other interruptions, she snapped her fingers and brought magical blades on the bodies of all the knights surrounding her, stopping them before they could even attempt to defend their king. She knew he had been right then; the guards had done nothing to stop their king from killing Teneu, but they would not stop her either, she had made sure of that. She was strong, stronger than all of them. How could she let herself be intimidated by this dying corpse she called a husband, when his very soul had ben at her mercy for so long. All she ever needed to do was… act, and she never felt better in the throes of darkness, her body sweating as she panted, almost carnal in her delight. She laughed and laughed louder after that. How long she had wanted to do this, waited to do this, and now…

"Stop." The words did not reach her. "Please stop." Agravaine begged as he covered his ears with his hands. He felt himself beginning to revert to his childhood days whenever he got panicked or felt stressed, as if by covering his ears, he could block out those surrounding him. Usually, that was when she would… he croaked. That day, when mother had returned… he did not believe… it was not true, it could not be true.

"It's not true! It's not true!" He found himself shouting despite himself, his mind that of his 12–13-year-old self the day she had passed, "IT'S NOT TRUE!" None of it, none of this could be true… please, it was not true.

At that moment, Morgan stopped laughing, and took a small look behind where her son was kneeling his eyes closed, hands on his ears, a few guards by him, staring at her in horror. At the sight of her son, her dark joy fizzled out, her eyes widening as she stared around her. Blood was flowing on the ground, forming puddles around her from the bodies of over two dozen guards she had killed, another dozen staining the walls with their unmoving corpses. Her head turned to that of her husband, who body was unrecognizable as he was scorched, quiet rasping being all he could muster. Her golden eyes faded to green as she fell back, the ethereal blades pinning her husband and the soul burning fire dissipating. As she stood there amidst the carnage, she felt her voice come to her quietly.

"It was him." She said painfully to Agravaine, "It was your father who killed her that day Agravaine." How long she had kept that hidden, buried from her children, and now that it was revealed, she felt everything else that she had buried within her come out as she began to cry, falling to her knees, "I'm so sorry!" She cried as tears streamed down her face.

Morgan did not hear him sit up, but she did feel the wind whistle as she heard the unsheathing of a knife as well as it being thrown through the air. Morgan lunged to the side as the knife shot through where she had been kneeling just prior, her eyes widening when she noticed it was her golden dagger. It had been confiscated by the guards in Camelot when she and Guiomar had been discovered. Lot must have taken it back.

No longer bothering to prolong this anymore, Morgan materialized an ethereal blade and shot it at Lot's body. Lot felt the blade penetrate his heart as he fell back down once again, the arms of death coming to embrace him. His eyes were burned, he could no longer see, he had acted on other senses to aim that dagger at his wife. However, why did he see her in this last moment? Why did he see her, in her white dress, her dark hair she had received from him, her face just like that of her mother's, staring at him, not with rage… but grief… for him?!

"Teneu…" He croaked out with his last breath…

Morgan heard him so her name at long last since that faithful day and felt something break within her. Unable to contain herself, she felt the agonizing scream be ripped right out of her, as the castle itself rang with her voice.

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Chapter 37: Pushing on Forward

Sir Bors was surprised, "I did not know that the Saint Thamates even had a son. Who would be your father, boy?" He asked the youth.

Kentigern shook his head, "I do not know him. It was my mother and Father Serf who raised me." He then looked at Agravaine and Gaheris, "Um, are they alright?"

Agravaine blinked several times before shaking his head. What was he doing? So, what if this boy looked just like his older brother when they were children, it was not like there were not many children who had similar facial features. Why was he so surprised? "Sorry, you just reminded us of someone, right Gaheris." Gaheris caught himself and nodded, before Agravaine continued, "In any case the real question here lies on you Percival?" He turned to the fellow member of the Round, "What are you doing here?"

It was a fair question, back when they were working on the Seyfert, before the witch had betrayed them for the last time, Galahad had been the only one to object to it. He felt that morally, it was wrong to erase one time for another, and wanted to depart to find where he stood on the matter internally. Percival had gone with his friend to keep him company, for out of all the Knights of the Round, Percival was the only one Galahad ever seemed truly at ease with, and the Pure Knight had accepted it. In the months after this, they had received word of Percival wandering through Britain alone, but no word on Galahad. After the Seyfert's near complete destruction however, it was not exactly easy to try and track him down, though they had hoped he was alive. Now Percival was here, and stranger still was the fact that apparently Sir Bors had known their comrade was here. They needed to know the truth.

Percival scratched the back of his head, "Well Galahad and I were traveling, helped a few villages, and then apparently Galahad had vision or something, so he said we had to split up while he went for answers. After that I just, kind of went out on my own. Talked to some people, a nice old lady, one of the lords of the northern Isles, a sickly man in a dark cloak carrying a scythe and-"

Segwarides interrupted, "Wait, hold right there. A man in a cloak carrying a scythe. Who was this?" He asked, everyone staring at the absentminded knight.

Percival thought for a moment, "Well like a said, he seemed kind of sickly and was wearing a cloak. Poor man probably gets ridiculed by others, must be lonely. We talked for a few minutes, he asked me some questions and then we went our separate ways."

Palomides stared at him, "What did he ask you?"

Percival shrugged, "He was surprised that a Knight of the Round was so far away from Camelot, so I just told him I had been with Galahad before, and then he asked me where Galahad was. All I knew was that Galahad felt he had to go somewhere, only thing he said to me was that he had to check on an 'Albion,' not sure what that is. And then the old man shook my hand and thanked me, told me to keep up my journey and that death was far from close. He was a really nice man to be honest, aside from the rasping really?" He then looked around to see his comrades staring at him, "Is something wrong?"

Gaheris stared at Percival, "You met a sickly old man with a scythe and black cloak?" Percival nodded. "He asked why you, a Knight of the Round, were away from Camelot?" Again, he nodded. "You told him about Galahad, and the man then asked you where he was?" Percival nodded, deciding to be patient despite already telling them this. "Then you told him a clue as to where he may have been?" When Percival nodded with a smile, Gaheris sighed, "Percival, do you tell him you were a Knight of the Round when you greeted him."

Percival thought for a moment before shaking his head, "No actually, he already knew who I was. It was honestly rather surprising if I'm being honest." They all stared at him in utter shock.

"Percival, my good friend, did it ever occur to you that this man may have already met you?" Percival was confused at the statement, shaking his head. Sir Bors then sighed, "Percival, that was the Grim Reaper."

Percival blinked, "Who?"

"Remember the one who was with that fiendish man Beryl Gut, the one who always carried a scythe and wore a black cloak?" Bors asked him, causing Percival to think, "One of the 3 who introduced us to the Seyfert?" Percival got even more confused, "THE GIANT TREE THAT WAS GROWING IN THE FIELDS BEHIND THE CASTLE OF OUR KING?!"

Recognition illuminated Percival's face, "Oh right, that man." Sir Bors groaned, recalling having explained the Seyfert to Percival before in the past, to no avail as well. "But that can't be right? How could they be the same person?" They all looked at him dumbfounded, "I mean they both look the same, carried a scythe, and now that you mention it, they actually sounded a lot alike, but so what, it's not like they're the same person or anything?"

Lucrecia looked down on him and wondered aloud, "How is this man even alive?" No one had an answer for that. She shook her head as she swooped down, "Regardless, let us leave discussions for later. The 2 of you could not have taken all this purely for yourselves. There are more people here, aren't there?"

Kentigern nodded, "Back at the church, let me show you." He lugged the sack behind his back as they made their way carefully back to the church. The youth huffed quietly, "We have to go in small groups in order to get food for everyone, we should have returned earlier."

Noticing the strain on his back, Gaheris lent him a hand, "I'll carry that for you." Kentigern gratefully thanked the knight and handed him the sack. Gaheris was impressed, the sack had a bit of wait to it, the youth was strong for his age. It was not filled with fish or meat, this was more solid and hard, the shapes of the fruit felt more basic. Perhaps it was fruit then, yes that would make sense. While he carried the sack, Agravaine and Bors were carrying the dead deer and squirrels. Upon entering the church while the faeries kept watch from above, Gaheris looked around, "Exactly where are you even keeping everyone else?"

Kentigern merely went to the largest cross that was on the wall and removed it. The knights noted how it was merely hung there rather than attached to it completely. Kentigern then moved the stones that sat right next to the legs of the tables, revealing holes in the ground that they had been covering. To all their surprised, the youth pulled at the top of the cross and unsheathed the sword it kept hidden, having also functioned as a sheathe as well as a cross. The blade was 5-6 feet long, and was somewhat thin, a weapon that did not seem quite useful to them on the battlefield. He inserted the blade into a whole, moving it a bit until he felt it enter something. Grinning, the youth turned the sword and the mechanism in the hole clicked. He then proceeded to do the same with the sword for the other holes, before beckoning for the knights to move the table. Upon that being done, Kentigern and Percival pulled part of the floor up, revealing it to be a trap door, stairs leading underground. The 4 stones had been covering the holes that lead to the locks that kept the trap door locked.

Kentigern and Percival led the way, the knights followed suit. Gaheris was careful so as not to drop the sack while Palomides cringed as his bad leg occasionally hit the narrow walls that now surrounded him and his brother. Bors and Agravaine went last as they found a way to bring the dead animals into the staircase, closing the trap door behind them for good measure. Fortunately, there were lit torches scattered throughout the stairway for them to be able to see.

"This church was built over the remains of a battle fortress." Kentigern explained, "The lord of it designed the underground to have secret passageways and a bunker beneath what had once been his fortress. It was destroyed and abandoned some many years ago or so during a war, at least that was what Father Serf told me." Eventually, the stairs ended, and the group found themselves walking through an underground tunnel, he grabbed a lit torch by the side of the wall to illuminate their path. "When this church was built, Father Serf repurposed that passageway to use it for emergencies. We were able to save the people of Glasgow by going underground where those monsters would not be able to find us. For the last month or 2 since these beasts began appearing, we have had go in small groups to find food and escape."

"Where would you go to escape?" Gaheris asked as they continued through the tunnel, the torch's dim light creating a somewhat ambient atmosphere despite Kentigern being utterly nonthreatening.

"I will tell you shortly, but first," Kentigern grinned as he heard the sound of voices from the end of the tunnel, "We are here!" The tunnel opened to a larger bunker, where the knights found 20 people, men, women, and children sitting on the floor of the bunker in prayer. An old looking man sat on the far end, holding a cross in his hands. Several torches were lit surrounding them all, providing warmth and vision in the cold underground without light. There was an exit on the other side of the large room, possibly leading to another room or the surface. Kentigern called out, "Father Serf, my friends, Sir Percival and I have returned, and we have brought help with us!"

The old man opened his eyes and smiled, "Ah, then it seems God has answered our prayers." He stood up along with the rest of people, and bowed towards them, "Good wanderers, it is we great gratitude that we welcome you to our refuge."

Sir Bors bowed in return, "Such gratitude is unnecessary. We are honored to meet you, Founding Saint of Glasgow." The rest of the knights looked to each other before deciding to bow as well. It was not as if they were hurting themselves by doing so.

Serf looked up and smiled, "Well then, I believe we have food to prepare." He said as he went forward and took the sheathed blade in the form of a cross from Kentigern's hands while ruffling the youth's hair. Gaheris placed the sack in the corner of the room, smiling when he saw that it was fruit, seems like he was right.

Using wood that he had in the room, Serf lit up a fire while the knights got started on skinning the animals. After that was done, they dumped the skins and inedible outer parts away in the flames as the fire rose in might before they cooked the meat. After an hour or so, the dear and squirrel meat had finished in cooking, and were now ready to be eaten. Passing deer and squirrel meat throughout the room, Gaheris smiled as he handed it to a little boy who wolfed it down, his mother and father by the boy's side as they ate in harmony. Apparently, another group had arrived earlier after collecting water, and passed small wooden cups around for everyone to drink out of, the barrel they had filled with water available to anyone who had wanted a refill.

As they all ate, Palomides looked at Bors, "So, how exactly did you know Percival was here?"

Bors sighed, "While Titania, me, and the rest of the faeries and knights who came with us were transporting the people of King Urien and King Angusel to Camelot, we ran into him. As he told you all himself, he had been wondering on his own after separating from Galahad, and ended up traveling to Scotland, helping people wherever he could, though he had no idea where the monsters were from." Bors shook his head, "It was a busy and anxious day, so I didn't get to explain to him what has happened in his absence, but I did mention how it was a tragedy we were not heading to Orkney, so he volunteered to come here and visit." The older knight then glared at Percival, who was eating a leg of deer meat innocently before he noticed that his comrades were talking about him. "I said that such a journey was too dangerous to undertake alone, but he decided to go anyway before I even had a chance to explain, and it was so hectic, I didn't have a chance to go after him." Bors glowered at Percival, causing the younger knight to cower, "Quite a relief that he is not dead."

Saint Serf looked at them all, "Why exactly were you transporting them to Camelot in the 1st place?" He asked quietly, "And when has King Arthur established an alliance with the rulers of the faeries?" All the knights except Percival stopped talking and looked at one another, Percival staring at them with curiosity. They had forgotten that none of these people were aware of what was going on outside Glasgow, just how desperate the state of the world was.

"We will explain to you later, Good Serf, when there are, less people around." Agravaine stated as he eyed the other citizens of Glasgow who were eating peacefully, the rest of the group nodding in response.

Serf eyed him for a moment, before accepting. "Now that I think, I never got any of your names. Would you care for me to know?"

"My apologies, Good Serf. I am Sir Bors, Knight of the Round Table. Along with Percival and I, these are Sirs Palomides, Segwarides, Agravaine, and Gaheris. Under the rule of King Arthur, we aim to save all people of Britain from calamity." Sir Bors finished before looking to the saint, "Is there a problem, my friend?"

Serf stared at both Agravaine and Gaheris before he said, "What were your name, again?"

Gaheris spoke, "I am Gaheris, Spear of the Serpent, and he is Agravaine, Warrior of steel, and also my older brother, one of them anyway."

Serf eyed him before looking to Agravaine, "I see, the resemblance is just uncanny." A few of the knights chuckled as he gave the 2 knights a smile, "Oh do not be so sensitive to the comment, I was merely poking fun."

Agravaine did not bother to look at the man, "I took after my father, he and the rest of our siblings took after our mother." He angrily bit into the deer meat and wolfed it down before swallowing, "As of right now, I do not know which of us was more fortunate." Gaheris was not smiling either as he ate without a word. Serf looked at the other knights for a moment, and they shrugged and looked away. Problems in the family. Serf was aware what that looked like in the many people who would come to the church and prayed for guidance, forgiveness, or vengeance. Just from the mere look at the 2 brothers, he could tell that there was quite a bit of tension between the 2, a lack of communication, possible arguments and fights, and other issues that dampened and strained bonds that should be strong and everlasting.

When all were done eating, the people in the bunker dispersed to smaller rooms within it. Serf and Kentigern guided the knights through the exit tunnel and showed them how it branched into different corridors and rooms where the rest of the people of Glasgow took refuge in to sleep and rest, as well as retain some. Gaheris took notice how some rooms were obviously to hold weapons, another may even be a kitchen, he was not sure. It was astounding how detailed and mazelike it was for those inexperienced with it, one could easily get lost.

Once everyone was away in their own private abodes, Serf and Kentigern brought the knights back to the main room to talk. Serf placed his weapon beside the sack of fruit before turning to them and asked, "Now please, inform my son, your comrade, and myself about what the source of these creatures and ominous warnings from the heavens truly is."

The 5 knights looked to each other, before Palomides tentatively, removed himself from his brother's support and took a step forward. Taking a deep breath as he stood on both good and bad leg, he told the old saint everything. The arrival of the Seyfert, the changing timeline, the Foreign God and the vile emissary of it, Beryl Gut, and the reason why 'King Arthur' was allied with the faeries. He then explained the reason for the Seyfert's destruction, their desperate attempt to contain its remains, the current merging of their world and Avalon, and their desperate fight to save all they could. He said all he knew, while not adding any part that did not relate to their plight.

When he was finished, Kentigern was blown away with shock, the older Serf having an inquisitive look on his face. Percival exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, I had no idea all that had been happening since I was away!"

"Percival, you and Galahad left after the Seyfert had begun growing, why are you surprised?" Gaheris asked him.

"Well, no one ever told me it had been destroyed and Avalon was coming to us!" Percival replied with.

Serf thought for a moment before sighing, "Well, this is… quite a tale."

Palomides grimaced, "I understand why you may think us mad, good saint, but I swear upon the lord himself," He fell down on his bad leg as Agravaine and Segwarides caught him, "I speak nothing but the truth."

Serf stared at them, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath in. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and breathed out. "I can see that you are all being honest, as mad as it sounds." He groaned, "This adversary may not be the devil himself, but it is a similar oppressive force. One that could be just as damning to us all." He looked at the knights, "So, you said that you have faerie companions who came with you, is that right?" When they nodded, he went on, "Then we must make haste while we can. We will leave by daybreak. One of the paths here leads to the surface. From there, we will have to travel to the abandoned stronghold made by the same man who built this bunker."

"Why must we go there?" Sir Bors asked.

"That stronghold is even safer than here. For the past few months, we have been letting the people of Glasgow travel there in small groups. There are many fruit trees there, plenty to eat. Thamates and 30 other citizens of Glasgow are there, a few sell swords that were in the land when these beasts attacked are there as well, hopefully protecting the land, but not all of them were of true faith so one cannot tell." He sighed, "Kentigern and Percival arrived back here from that stronghold a few days ago. We were planning to take a few more people in a day or 2, but we must not waster this opportunity. With yours and the faeries' help, we may be able to all reach the stronghold safely."

"How far from her from said base?" Agravaine asked.

"4-5 days on foot, depends how quick one is." Serf replied, glancing at Agravaine and Gaheris, before looking to Kentigern, "My son, you and those 2 knights should go up to the surface and find the faeries. Inform them of this plan and tell them to prepare. Be careful heading up. After that, return down here at once and prepare for rest. We will need to proceed with the utmost of caution."

And so, Kentigern took Agravaine and Gaheris with him back to the surface in the church, where an annoyed Lucrecia and Vendru had been waiting for them. After explaining all to their faerie companions, Vendru agreed to be ready in the following morning, before the 2 knights and the youth headed back into the bunker.

When they reunited with Serf and the rest of the group in the main room, the man said, "Kentigern and I will retreat to 2 of the side rooms for rest, the 6 of you may rest here. Be ready, we will be leaving in the morning." The knights nodded as Serf and Kentigern left to go through the halls.

After informing the rest of the residents of Glasgow what would come about the next day, the old man and his surrogate son went down an underground hall until they reached 2 rooms, "Well, I cannot say this was what I had expected." Kentigern told Serf.

Serf looked at the boy, "And what had you been expecting?"

Kentigern sighed, "Not this." After a moment of the 2 standing still, he sighed, "Goodnight father."

Serf watched as Kentigern entered the room on the left, "Goodnight son." He said quietly, before leaving to the room on the right. It was time for them to rest.

…

…

Eventually, morning came for the Emperor of Rome, though it was hard to notice since the sky was a misty pink for some odd reason. Why the slow merging of Britain with Avalon was causing the sky to change in color so oddly was beyond anyone's guess, but what could they do. After the fiasco that was yesterday, Tiberius wanted them to get back on the move as soon as possible, and the abled Roman soldiers, mystics, magi, elephants, and magical creatures were all ready to go. Only a few people were still injured or in no condition to fight, and Tiberius had half a mind to leave them behind, one witch in particular, to not bring about any more interruptions or setbacks for himself again.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, for him, green eyes slowly opened as a sorceress groaned into consciousness. Her mind felt like it had been dumped into a swampy lake, fuzzy and unfocused. Sitting up unsteadily, Morgan wavered for a moment. By Avalon, what had happened? Last thing she remembered was walking with Lucius Tiberius into his tent and then… well actually she could not remember anything after that. She was sure she must have used magic for some reason, perhaps they had been attacked and she was knocked unconscious during battle… no, not knocked out, but choked. Morgan placed a hand on her sore neck, something must have grabbed her, but what? Her sight was fuzzy, but she could feel the rustling of grass and the sounds of voices around her, so she was not alone.

Out of those who would possibly want to capture her, she knew it was not her sister. All forces of Camelot had adopted a kill on sight mentality when it came to her, so Morgan would have already been dead by now. If not them though, then who? She shook her head as she tried to clear out the fuzziness in her brain. She felt like shit that a horse had run over, and then promptly pounded with its hooves. The sorceress Pendragon had never possessed her sister's appetite, but she was also hungry and thirsty, possibly explaining why she felt so light-headed. She hadn't felt this tired since back during the more intense training days she would have with Merlin during her childhood in that nunnery, which would exhaust her to the point she would be out for over a day. It was probably why she did not choose to develop her combat skills in magic until well over years afterwards.

Closing her eyes, she drowned out all noise and focused on her breathing. In and out, it went slowly. See not with mere vision, feel the magic surrounding you. Morgan's surroundings stabilized, the sky was an unholy rift, magic pouring out of Avalon and into Rhongomyniad, acting as a valve for the power to flow into the Seyfert, the wood surrounding it had grown to cover all its sides, branches once again forming out of the top of the edges. The roots were sucking the land outside of Camelot dry, they had even reached part of where she was now, though many near the area had been uprooted and destroyed, likely thanks to Tiberius. Men were assembling around the camp, there was a mage, a girl, and a man with a powerful sword entering the tent. Lying only a few feet away from her was a youth, likely in a coma, and he felt very familiar, with something dark and intense swirling within him. She opened her eyes as 3 people entered the tent. Groaning, she turned her heads towards them. One was a European looking mage with green eyes and blonde hair, the other 2 she recognized as the servant girl Lena, and Lucius Tiberius. Lena was carrying some robes and other clothing in her arms, Morgan wondered who they may have been for.

Lena was surprisingly cold as she spoke, "It is good to see that you are awake, Lady Morgan?" Morgan stared at her rather harsher look with curiosity while the mage whispered something into Tiberius's ear.

"Lena, are you alright?" Morgan asked, "What has happened?"

Lena remained cold, "Perhaps you can tell us that yourself?" She walked across Morgan Le Fay wordlessly, before stopping by the one still unconscious and kneeling, "But first, perhaps you could heal Prince Malphas?"

Morgan turned her head to stare at unconscious form as her eyes widened in horror. Half the body must have been singed badly, for head had lost half its hair, skin on the arms, torso, and legs had been burned and flesh left raw! Armor may have once protected the body, but it seemed part of it had even melted and was now stuck on the skin! That was Malphas?! With a painful heave she jerked her body towards him, shrugging off the fatigue and pain her muscles still felt, burning her insides. She breathed heavily as she stared at the boy, shocked that he was still breathing. "How did this happen?!"

Tiberius scoffed, "Why don't you tell us, O mighty witch." Morgan had no idea what he may have meant before he continued, "My mages managed to stabilize his parts needed to keep him alive. Surprisingly, he holds together quite well, much more durable than I had believed initially. The youth have the heart of a warrior, you need to truly kill him before you can be sure he would be dead." He shrugged, "As compensation for your crimes, you'll be tasked to heal him, as well as other men and creatures you injured in your little rampage." Morgan turned her head and opened her mouth as she began to ask him what he was talking about, but he left, leaving only the mage to stare at her intensely.

She shook her head, she did not have the time to deal with the arrogant warlord, or the energy to as of right now. Morgan had to focus on saving the youth who had become her unwitting pawn. Taking a deep breath, she placed a hand on her forehead before jolting it back for a moment. It was awake, the cursed power within him, it was awake and alive. What on Britain had woken it back up, she thought she had sealed it better this time?! Had whatever injured him so terribly caused it to break the seal and awaken in self-defense? And what had Tiberius meant when he told her she had been on a rampage?

She was not able to ponder any further when Lena glowered at her, "Are you just going to sit there like some absentminded fool forever, or will you help Prince Malphas? My Queen asked of you an important responsibility, and as the one responsible for our involvement, you have a duty to keep your word to her." The maid stated with a shade of anger, one that surprised the witch. She had not paid to much attention to the servant, a mistake on her part, and the younger woman was right. Morgan may have been using them, but she did not want Malphas to die.

Closing her eyes, she once again placed a hand on the youth's forehead, a light blue, misty light appearing on her palms before enveloping the youth's entire body. She may not have been at her maximum potential right now, but she was plenty skilled in the healing arts, and she knew for a fact that she could heal these injuries. Though Tiberius was right, the youth had a very tough constitution. Still, she had to know what had happened. So, as she continued to heal him, she asked Lena, "Please, tell me, what happened to him?"

Lena sighed as she looked at Morgan somewhat suspiciously and sympathetically, "You did, Lady Morgan. For some reason, you lost control of yourself and unleashed your magic on all of us, and almost killed us all." Morgan did not say anything as Lena continued, "Prince Malphas was badly injured by one of your magical attacks, but he managed to survive and stop you, bringing you out of consciousness with the last of his strength to save us all, before he fell into the depths of slumber out of exhaustion." She looked at him sadly, "Please, save him."

Morgan nodded, "I will." For now, anyway, but what the servant girl did not know would not hurt her. As the sorceress stared at the unconscious form of her bastard kin, she wondered just what was going on within the recesses of his mind.

…

…

It was an odd thing to say that you were being whisked through a river of darkness, but that was how Malphas felt as he was carried through… wherever this was. Even so, he wondered if this was how fish felt going through a river, as the shadows that washed over his body carried him on a twisted and rapid journey. Where that journey was leading him, he was not sure. His body felt so heavy, and almost inanimate. With a grunt, he raised and arm out of the water, his hand latching on to a strong rock that stopped him from being carried of by the water.

Gripping it with both hands, he pulled himself closer to land before heaving himself out of the water, gagging and coughing from the strain as he pulled himself onto the dirt. The grass seemed to crackle under him, being dead and hard rather than flexible and healthy. As he stood up, he looked around at his surroundings, trying to see where he was. In front of him were walls, a large hole and opening showed the youth that there were fragile houses inside. The ground around the area was also ripped up, as if it had been torn apart by something. Wind buffeted his body, howling like a wolf, stinging his face and hands.

What caught his eyes the most was the fact that the land was barren of anyone else, that is, anyone but him. He was the only one here, with no source of light available. The sky was black, there were no stars out, and he was surprised he could see anything. But he could see, and strangely enough, all that he could see possessed a golden hue, allowing him to notice its shape and form. It was thanks to this that he knew where he was. This was his kingdom, his home, the land his family would return to, whole. They had to, and they would.

As he thought that though, he heard breathing, deep breathing, and it was close by, really close even. He turned around to find the source, but there was nothing there to see, nothing but the flowing river, and the deep breath of the unknown. He stared down into the river, and found something staring back at him, but he saw 2 golden eyes staring back at him, their light gleaming into his own. It was the source of the breathing he had heard, or rather, he was the source. This unknown form in the water, it stared at him, and he stared back. Neither said a word, neither made any movement for several moments.

Finally, Malphas spoke, "Who are you?" He asked the one in the river cautiously. The figure noted his words, and seemed to want to talk, but it seemed afraid, "Please, tell me, who are you?" He asked again.

The figure stared back before speaking, "Who are you?" It asked back to Malphas. Surprisingly, their voices sounded almost identical, like an echo that had been warped just ever so slightly.

Malphas sighed, fine, he would play along, "I am Malphas. Malphas of Lahia." He said with confidence, "Son of King Guiomar and Queen Julia of Lahia."

The figure stayed quiet for a moment or 2 before it answered, "I am Malphas… of Lahia, as well." After another moment, it spoke again, "But my mother, she… she is a sorceress, is she not?"

The youth decided to humor the golden eyed shade, "Lady Morgan gave birth to me, but I was raised in Lahia, by my father, and his wife, Queen Julia. She, is my mother."

The figure did not speak for a few moments, before saying, "I do not remember. I only remember slumber, for so long. Awakening, it happens, and then I remember, but it is brief, and only happens when I am in danger. But I do see her, my mother, Morgan."

Malphas thought for a moment before his eyes widened, "You are my darkness, aren't you? She told me of this." The deepest, unchained, and hidden aspects of his being he was not even aware of, drawing out his innate potential, and pushing himself to his limits. But it was also a danger, a force that could drive him to become something he hated, and one that could destroy him. "You are the Pendragon within me, the thing Lady Morgan warned me about."

"Is that why she keeps sealing me away?" Malphas was puzzled upon what it asked. Sealing it away, when had that ever happened? He was not sure what the voice meant. "She keeps trying to seal me for some reason and keep me encaged in sleep." At that moment, Malphas's vision changed rapidly as he saw something else in the water instead. Submerging himself in the vision, he saw that it was himself standing over the body of that faerie captain or something of the sort.

He saw Lady Morgan and Olved calling for him to spare the faerie's life. He did not know why; he had finally awoken after such long slumber only to have to fight for his life. Yet even so, he recognized them, and something within him, told him that they were not enemies, and he relented. He had recalled killing someone in a similar manner in the past and had come to regret it. After passing out from exhaustion, he had felt himself being locked away, shoved into deeper sleep by the familiar voice of the witch, fighting to be allowed freedom until he had given in, not knowing how to overcome her.

The vision then changed, and he found himself painfully struggling to regain conscious as he lay upon a fallen tree, having been blasted into it due to some, battle, but he was not sure what. As he attempted to rise, he recalled the witch and the emperor, and his purpose, the need to reunite him family as one. But when the witch arrived to heal him, she forced him back again to slumber, forcing back within the mind, wanting to wake, but unable to. He did not know why.

At the end of that, Malphas found his vision end, and he was again staring at the figure within the river. The voice seemed to be taking in their surroundings as it asked, "Where is this place?"

Malphas responded calmly, "This is Lahia, this is my home." It was where he had grown up in the 8 or so years of his life, it was a life he had struggled with at times, but one he enjoyed. A life that he was fortunate to have, with a loving father and mother, a good brother, loyal servants and teachers, and a better standing than most illegitimate children would ever have in their entire lives, let alone a witch's son. It was a life that he now cherished a great deal, and it would be a life that he would have back.

The figure in the river seemed to ponder this for a moment, before replying with sadness, "I don't remember… I can't see it." It sounded pitiful really, nothing like the insidious and corruptive force Morgan had described it to possess. The voice only had loneliness inside itself, one that did not know anything Malphas was speaking of. Taking pity on the poor thing, Malphas reached out with his hand, and beckoned for the creature in the river, upon touching the water however, it rippled, and Malphas realized the creature in the river had never existed. This being, it was simply his own reflection. Morgan had described it as a trait possessed by those of the Pendragon lineage. From his father's side, he had inherited brown hair, and skills with the blade, as those who knew him would say. Those were not separate from him, they were him, a part of him, and so was this. That breathing he had heard, Malphas realized it had been his own, he had just not noticed.

He stood up and looked back at his homeland, and through his eyes, the shadow saw their memories, his memories. Practicing being a knight with his father and teachers, learning to read and write with the aid of his mother, and mentors she would pay for him. A little brother who would sit on his lap as they read stories about famous knights, about dragons as well. He recalled his father telling him of the world beyond Lahia, an uncle he had in a land called Camelot, who was a member of the Knights of the Round. The one who led those knights, was King Arthur, who his father had served under at one time. He recalled a loyal horse who had grown quickly along with him in their short life, riding of the hills as they dreamed of being knight and steed. His younger brother John would ride with him, and they would dream together. Despite being older, he would never have a throne. But his father had told him not to be upset, for that meant he was free to explore the world around him without being saddled down by too much responsibility. A king may seem greater than a knight, but it was far more trying, a good king was far less free, than a good knight, a good man.

Suddenly the sky was sparkling blue, the sun casting light upon all it touched, the grass green and the wind playful. The memories almost made the shadow cry, "This is my home." It said warmly. Yet as it looked upon this place of memory, it noticed that something was wrong, "What happened to the wall?" It asked, "It was not always like that." Malphas took a deep breath, realizing what he was truly about to let in, He felt himself quiver, choke, and gag, the shadow struggling to come to terms with the memory. It saw itself begging the armored knight, no, the king. The King of Britain, to stop the death of Lady Morgan, stating she did not deserve to die, disregarding the escape plan to do so. In turn, the King had attempted to kill him, and he and Lady Morgan had barely survived. The excess from the conflict had broken through the walls. And his father… the shadow… no… Malphas cried out as he witnessed his father being cut down from the head by the King's right-hand knight, the one he knew now to be Lancelot, before finally escaping. Shame, anger, and confusion once again filled him as the shadow roared.

"WHY?! WHY DID THEY ATTACK US?! I MEANT NO HARM!" The shadow roared, its voice, Malphas's voice, now possessed of a dark and deep undertone, a raging growl even more frightening of a Chimera!

"HOW COULD THEY DO THAT?!" The shadow screamed in pained outrage and betrayal, before it seemed to begin to cry, "H-HOW… How could I…" Painful sobbing rang out as the land returned to one of darkness, Malphas allowing the shadow to cry uninterrupted. After all, it was simply himself, how could he blame it for crying. "H-How, how can I-"

"There's a way to get everything back." Malphas told his shadow, "The Seyfert. If we destroy it, time shall rewind, and our family will be reunited once again. Lady Morgan showed me." He watched as the shadow gained the memory of all that happened since after his father's death, what Lady Morgan showed him, and what he had to do. After a few minutes, all of Malphas was now caught up. "With help from her, we are doing our best to assemble a force to reach the Seyfert and destroy it."

The shadow questioned this, "She tried to kill us, didn't she?" Malphas recalled the magical blast that hit him, his body erupting in pain like a volcano as he hit the ground. He then saw himself choking Morgan Le Fay unconscious as the shadow, it must have taken control of his body, and called her mother as one last ditch effort, and she finally gave out. It seemed like his shade was rather suspicious as he said, "How are we sure we can trust her?"

Malphas shook his head, "That was not intentional. Something was wrong with her, hurting her, and she lost control. You felt it, didn't you?" The youth stared ahead, "Besides, Lady Morgan has saved my life more than once, and she helped Lahia and its people. Without her, plenty of us would not be alive right now. I know we can trust her."

His shade did not seem convinced, "But does she, care for us?" Malphas pondered its words, "She looked at me with disdain, from the very beginning." Before Malphas could say anything, another vision entered his brain, the scenery around him changing. It was now nighttime, in a forest, he thought. He heard the chirping of crickets and the rustling of grass. But more than that, he heard crying, like that of an infant. It took him a moment before he realized, it was his own. Above him was a familiar face, with pale ivory hair and green eyes. But her face was cold and distant, her eyes did not reach him, not even bothering to give him a glance as he wailed. When she did finally look down at him, she almost seemed as if she did not know what to do, her face exhausted and empty, and she even looked annoyed at him…

Malphas shook his head as the scenery returned to normal, "So what? That does not matter. Morgan Le Fay already told me that she gave me to my father for my own good, and all things considered, I was quite fortunate. Few get what I had, let alone bastard children." He scoffed, "I already know this, and you can't twist it to make me doubt myself. Why would you even bother?"

The shade waited for a moment before answering, "Because how can we be sure we can trust her?"

"Who would you have me trust? The woman who has saved me more than once, or the King who has tried to kill me, as well as his forces?" The shade gave no counterargument, and for a moment, they were quiet as one. "It's not perfect, but I cannot change how others act, I can only do what I have to do." He whispered quietly, "I will destroy the Seyfert."

The shade reaffirmed his statement, "No matter what, I will destroy the Seyfert." In that sense, they were of one mind, which was not unique, for they were just one mind. The shade shared his wishes, his memories, his emotions. They were one and the same. Malphas noticed her felt bigger for some reason, his body larger and tougher, the shadow he cast far greater. Moving his arms, he was surprised by the sound of the wind. Since when were his arms, wings?!

He could not think much on that as he felt himself lurch and fall to his knees, the area around him began to swirl as he felt the wind and earth close in around him. His body shook and vibrated, an angry snarl ripping out of his throat. The shade roared, "NO, MAKE HER STOP, SHE'S TRYING TO CAGE ME AGAIN!"

Malphas choked as his head spun, "I-It's because… she told me you would corrupt… twist me…"

"WITHOUT ME YOU'LL DIE!" It shouted, "You have to make her stop! Wake up! Wake up!" The wind swirled like a hurricane all around him as his vision blackened.

STOP!

Stop!

Stop!

…

…

"STOP!" Malphas woke up with a shout as he felt himself hit something as he sat up quickly, Lena crying out in pain as she massaged her chin. He turned to see Morgan placing a barrier between the 3 of them and a male mage whose eyes were glowing orange.

"Don't try to stop me, slave of Tiberius!" She shouted as the man was then sent flying back out of the tent, panting with exhaustion as she turned back to Malphas. Morgan still needed time to recover her energies and she was not in the mood to waste any more of her powers. "Now stop struggling and interfering and let me finish this." She said to Lena and Malphas.

"He was crying for you to stop, and you wouldn't listen!" Lena shot back, "I thought you were supposed to be healing the prince, not hurting him?!"

Morgan groaned, "Does he look injured to you, of course not!" She grumbled, "I did heal him, I just needed to make sure that curse inside of him was sealed up again, it broke loose yesterday." But before she could continue, the other mage returned with 2 Roman guards, each carrying a shield and sword, "Oh what now, can't you see I am busy?!"

"You've healed him, that's enough. His excellency has others that require your attention. If you possess any complaints, you may take them up with him, he is on his way right now." The mage extended a hand as his eyes once again glowed orange, "Now, we should not cause any more trouble than has already been done. Leave the boy, he is fine now." He glared at Morgan Le Fay quietly, the guards ready to take her.

Morgan turned her head to look at Malphas with a worried look and he nodded, motioning for her to leave. She sighed and stood up, "Very well." Turning away from them, she walked with the other mage and the 2 guards out of the tent, their footsteps growing lighter as they left to see the emperor.

Watching the witch leave, Lena sighed with relief, "Well, at least that is done." She picked up the clothes she had brought for Malphas, "Emperor Tiberius handed me these robes for you to wear. Some new armor will come later he said." She helped him up and handed him the clothes, "My apologies that Sir Olved and the rest of our friends are not here. They are either assisting in preparations to continue traveling or are training right now with good Albus. He has offered to do whatever he can to assist you in training for saving his life a 2nd time, although I wish everyone here shared that sentiment for what you did. You saved us all yesterday." At least, she thought it had been yesterday, but the sky was still not exactly giving them any clues.

She turned around as Malphas changed up, giggling quietly as she heard him lightly complain about some of them. "What am I supposed to do with this?" Lena turned around to look at Malphas holding a toga, "This is just a drying cloth." At that moment Lena started to explode with laughter, "What's so funny?!"

"Let me help you with that toga." She took the toga from Malphas's hands and wrapped it around him, recalling how Augustus Tiberius would wear his, tying the ends by Malphas's side when she was done, "There, finished." She said with triumph.

Malphas looked at himself, and was just confused, "This is what they wear?" He was fine with the tunic and short pants, but as for the toga, "I look like Vanir on that day when he got so drunk that he came to play his hymns during my training while wearing his cloak around him like a towel, while also wearing a towel." He moved around slightly, "I don't see wearing this underneath battle armor."

She laughed, "You can deal with that when you receive it, for now, we should go find Sir Olved, Varyn, and the others." Lena stopped as she saw Malphas zone out, "Prince Malphas, what is wrong?"

Malphas closed his eyes and took a deep breath, standing still for a moment. Lena was about to say something when he opened his eyes and said, "I need to get armor and a sword 1st. We should head to the tent where they keep the armory. It is a bit of a longer distance from where Olved, Christan, and the other knights are, but I can manage the walk. What about you Lena?" He asked her.

She stared at him for a moment, "How do you know that Prince Malphas?"

He responded, "Because one of the Roman soldiers just went in there to trade in his damaged pike for a new one. I may be able to find weapons there." Malphas stopped as Lena stared at him, "I just heard this, that's all." She shrugged and beckoned for him to lead the way.

As the 2 walked of the tent and headed for the armory tent, Malphas felt the wind ruffle his body and tickle his skin in a way he had not felt since years ago when he was little. He felt different, very different. His hearing was far wider in range, he could feel so much that was around him far greater. Pondering for a moment as he walked, he balled his hands into fists and punched forward, seeing how the air blew back in response. He had gotten stronger. Lady Morgan had not succeeded in sealing away this dark shade within him, though she had come close. He could feel it coursing through his body, just as blood did, and took a deep breath. She had far more experience with this power than he did, but so far it had worked for him. As the 2 approached the armory, he sensed a conversation occurring on the other side of the campsite and gulped. Hopefully, it would go better than the last one those 2 had.

…

Morgan was not looking forward to speaking to the warlord, but what choice did she have? Apparently, she had gone berserk for some reason and laid waste upon the army, it was a miracle most of them had not died, even more of a miracle Morgan had not been killed afterwards. While she was healing Malphas, Lena had told her that Malphas had stopped her, and then she had managed to convince Tiberius to spare her. Lena had done her best to follow Malphas the day before during Morgan's insanity, and had seen him tackle Morgan down, Tiberius and Rosa watching. Lena had admitted that while part of her would have been fine with Tiberius killing her, she knew that Malphas had chosen to save Morgan rather than kill her, and as such, did not want to waste his efforts. Morgan was grateful anyway; she had no idea what she had done.

She found Tiberius standing by a few rocks, 2 cloaked mystics standing beside him as he turned to her, "Ahh, you have finally arrived, and here I thought I'd have to go to the tent and find you." She bowed towards him, and he said, "Let us get to the main reason I've called you hear. Speak honestly, or you will be killed." Ordering his guards to put Morgan on her knees, he unsheathed his sword and began. "Now tell me, why did you lose control yesterday?" He asked her.

She shook her head, "I do not know, I do not even know what happened. I only recall entering your tent by your side and then, nothing."

Tiberius looked to his mystics, and they nodded, "I see, now for my next question. Are you in fact a spy for your family, sent here to eliminate me from within?"

Once again, she shook her head, "No, I came here to you to forge an alliance to defeat them, as I have already told you?"

Tiberius scoffed, "You also nearly wiped us out, so forgive me if I am not convinced so easily." He sighed, "Even if what you say is true, I still need to gather whether I can afford to keep you around. I do not know how reliable you will be." His sword came right next to her cheek without touching, "I will tell you this only once. You will heal my wounded, and then you will be loyal to me, and we shall work together to find victory. If I see any hesitation, any doubt, the slightest reason to believe you will anchor or betray me, then I will eliminate you, quickly and permanently. After that, you may not be able to protect the rest of your allies and friends, or that youth whom you have healed again, can you live with that?"

Of course, he did not know the reason she would accept his request, but so be it. She would play along, she had to, "Very well, I swear, from now on until the end of our journey, I will serve you loyally, and will not act against you, as long as it works to our best interests and the safety of my allies, you have my word that I will follow you, and if not, you may take my head." She then rose her head to look at him, "Now, I heard you still have wounded for me to tend to."

Tiberius sheathed his blade and beckoned for his men to raise her to her feet, "That I do, let us get going." Morgan did not argue, tired though she felt, emotionally drained, and magically as well to a lesser degree. She wondered what did happen yesterday to make her lose control, and why she felt so utterly miserable on the inside, well, even more than she usually did.

'Hypocritical it may be, perhaps I don't like to work with rapists? Just a thought.' Morgan shook as she walked, trying everything in her power not to… not to think of that day… just once. Shaking her head, she pushed forward to follow Lucius Tiberius, pushing past the guards and mystics. She wondered if they had left Lahia by now.

…

…

As Artoria led the people of Lahia across the land, she noticed how the ground was now continuing to be brown, with dying grass and trees. It was not a land most would live on, and it was not the Britain the King of Knights had grown up knowing as a child. That was long ago, but she still recalled the days she would race around and train amidst a field of green grass. It was a tragedy that this was what had to happen now, but there was nothing else to do. Avalon was there only salvation, and Camelot would reach it regardless of the cost. They were getting closer, not just to Camelot, but to the true start of the unification.

Oberon and Titania had explained to her that currently, the fusion had to begin by truly tearing apart the barriers between the worlds, that was what led to the emergence of the monsters and beasts roaming the land. The Seyfert was absorbing energy from Avalon as it was from Britain, but once the true unification began, the magic would spread throughout the land once again, and all land touched by the roots would be infused with Avalon's magic, becoming one with Avalon. Imbibed with magic from Avalon, one with the mighty utopia, the Seyfert would be boundless, and Rhongomyniad would in turn be a power far greater than the Foreign God could even hope to match. Once the Foreign God was dead, there would be none to stand against Camelot, and the kingdom will reign forever. All the sacrifices that came before would not be a waste.

For right now though, Artoria would have another battle to undergo as she saw dozens of gryphons, and she meant 3-4 dozen, fly towards her from above. Coming around from all sides were also an entire legion of 30-4o Chimeras all of whom roared at their presence, The refugees of Lahia cried in terror as the knights readied their weapons, Lancelot unsheathing Arondight while Gareth prepared Ira Lupus. Without saying a word, Artoria unsheathed Excalibur, the sword glowing bright and hot. She could probably vaporize a few dozen with a single sword swing, and she had to end this quickly without endangering the townsfolk.

But before she could act, the gryphons descended on the ground gracefully and stood facing them with respect and a lack of aggression. This puzzled Artoria before she noticed the Chimeras stop as well, staring at them all with calmness and curiosity. Wondering what deception this was meant to be, Artoria held off her assault when she heard it from above her, and she looked up, peering at the pinkish sky from beneath her helmet. Flying above was a faerie who landed gracefully atop a gryphon's head.

"Never fear King of Knights. In the name of Prince Walbert, the son of King Oberon and Queen Titania, I have come bringing aid and support. Several other faeries flew down as well, 1-2 groaning at Mertimo's self-aggrandizing nature. Several knights cheered as they saw their allies and friends descend off the backs of the creatures, Galehaut racing forward to greet his King and his best friend. Plenty of men sighed with relief, realizing the journey back may not be as hard as they had anticipated.

From beneath her helmet, Artoria sighed with relief. Finally, they would get home.

---

Alright, that ended that chapter. For anyone questioning about the flashback in the beginning, the reason Morgan did not make use of any illusion when Agravaine was there was because, well, she wasn't thinking straight. That's a flaw of Morgan I'm pretty sure you've noticed, she can keep up the appearance of a controlled and dignified lady to others, but when something personal gets under her skin, she loses control. Like I said, she's a heartfelt and emotional selfishness to Artoria's at times cold selflessness, the chaos to Camelot's order, even if in this case, she doesn't want to be. And dealing with something like the death of your child in the face of your husband, who also happened to be the one to do the deed, yeah there was little chance for her to be logical.

As for the present, everyone's heading for their destination, but that doesn't mean there won't be bumps on the ways for some compared to others. We're also going to have a visit to Cameliard in the next chapter as well, and have a certain new character appear. Need a hint, let's just say that Artoria and Morgan are not the only ones with a chaotic sibling relationship. I think that Guinevere could relate to that, hehe.

Thank you all for reading this chapter, next one will probably come out next week. Until then, this has been the Venomous Blade, and I hope you have an amazing day.