The Last of Avalon

Summary: For years, Merlin had been trapped within the Tower of Avalon, only able to watch the human realm. She had long since given up escaping, now content to just watch the shining stars of humanity. The Fae have moved onto other pastures, leaving her the last one within Avalon… Until one day, the door opens, and she finds a note. "Find Arthur." SI/OC Crossovers, Genderswaps

II: No Choice

"Get back here!" An annoyed male voice called out, his heavy footsteps sounding on the grass.

"You'll have to catch me, Kay!" I laughed in delight as I ran through the grassy fields near the house, the forest surrounding us and allowing us to live somewhat in solitude despite the fact the Kingdom wasn't too far away.

"Damn it, stop running!" Kay groaned. "Damn it, how are you so fast!? I'm bigger than you are!"

"You're always eating too much, you glutton!" I jeered at him as I suddenly turned back and ran at him, ducking under his swing and running past him.

"You trickly little shit!"

"I'm gonna tell Ector you called me that!"

"Wha- no!" Kay began to run faster, now more fearful than angry. "Wait, please don't tell him! He'll make me do a thousand swings as punishment!"

"You could use the exercise; you can't even keep up with me!"

"You-!"

I laughed in delight as I continued to run around the fields with Kay chasing me frantically before I finally decided to just stop and wait for him.

He ran up, panting heavily as he put his hands on his knees. "Finally… Caught up… To you…"

"You need to train more," I told him. "How can you expect to be a Great Knight when only some running like this makes you tired?"

"Don't you talk… Like that… To me…" He breathed out. "Regardless… I was trying to tell you… That Ector has an important guest… Who wants to meet you today… So, we need to get home… No more running, please…"

"Oh, I didn't know," I blinked in surprise. "Sorry for making you run around so much Kay, let's go home then."

He sighed and slowly got his breath back, patting my head. "You're a good kid, but you need to be patient sometimes, you know? You just started running when I had something important to tell you, try to be a bit more patient in the future."

"I'll do my best," I nodded in agreement, and the two of us made the short trip back home.

Ector was standing in front of the house, though he looked amused rather than annoyed or angry that we took so long. "I see he gave you the run around, didn't he Kay?"

"He sure did," Kay sighed. "If he keeps being a stamina freak like this, he's going to be a monster in the future when he becomes a knight."

"I'm gonna be the best knight ever!" I gave them both a wide grin before the door opened, and I looked over.

My breath was taken away by how pretty the woman was.

Her hair was long and white, her eyes looking pretty like wine, and she almost seemed to sparkle. Wherever she stepped, flowers bloomed underneath her feet.

"This is him, right Ector?" The woman asked in a gentle, kind voice.

"Yes, it is, Milady," Ector nodded. "Arthur, this woman is a powerful mage. Along with learning how to be a knight, she's going to be teaching you how to use magic from now on."

"Really?" My eyes sparkled in delight. "I thought knights didn't use magic!"

"Not quite," the woman said with a smile. "It's more that Knights use a more specialised kind of magic that mages like me don't touch upon very much. If you'd like, I'll teach you their magic, and my own kind of magic."

"That would be so cool! Thank you miss!"

"What's your name, little one?"

"My name is Arthur!" I smiled at her happily. "I want to be a great knight in the future!"

She smiled and crouched down to be eye level with me. "It's lovely to meet you, Arthur. My name is Merlin, and from today forwards, I'll be your teacher."

~~The Last of Avalon~~

My eyes slowly opened, and I stared up at the ceiling tiredly… It was weird, my body felt so much more tired than usual, was it because of the paper run I went on yesterday? James asked me to cover for him, so maybe I pushed myself too hard…

I slowly sat up in bed… And realised quickly, this wasn't the Orphanage. I quickly looked around, trying to take in my surroundings…

I appeared to be in some sort of Hospital-like room, but there was a symbol painted on the wall that caught my attention… It was of a golden sun with a slight red haze around it and two clouds parting to make way for the sun.

I frowned… Why was I here…? Did something happen during my paper run…? I remembered dropping off James's bike, and then making my way back to the Orphanage… I cut through the park, and then-

"Oh, you're awake," a female voice said, making me look over to see a beautiful woman with crimson hair dong in exceptionally long, big braids, a kind expression on her face. She was wearing a female business suit, with leggings, a tight skirt that hugged her hips, high heels, a tight shirt that was partially unbuttoned to show off her breasts, and a jacket that was unbuttoned.

I felt a blush rise to my cheeks as I was able to see a hint of her black bra due to just how many buttons were undone on her shirt.

But my blush quickly faded when I realised that I recognised her… Just like yesterday with Marissa, I recognised the woman in front of me from an anime in my past life.

Irene Belserion, the Dragon Queen and Mother of all Dragon Slayers.

'What the fuck is going on!?' I screamed in my mind.

"You seem a bit confused," she noted, taking a seat. "I'll get to that, but firstly, are you okay?"

"I- I'm fine…" I told her. "… I mean, I feel a bit more tired than usual, but besides that…"

"A classic case of magic exhaustion, likely the stress of what you went through too," she noted, writing it down on a clipboard. "What do you remember from yesterday?"

"Huh?"

"Please, just humour me."

I frowned, not really wanting to talk to a woman who was a stranger to me but… "I did my part time job, delivering newspapers and magazines and stuff… I returned to my friend's house and dropped off his bike, then I cut through the park for the scenic route back to the orphanage and…"

"And?" She prompted.

"And…" I felt my stomach churn, my vision getting blurry as my head began to hurt. "A- And…"

Har… ry… Ru… Run…

I held my stomach, feeling sick. "And… I saw… Oh… Oh god…"

She handed me the glass of water on my bedside, along with a pill. "Take this and drink. It will make you feel better."

Normally, I wouldn't just take a mysterious drug someone handed to me, but I was feeling so sick I just listened, putting the pill in my mouth and drinking it down with the water.

Instantly, my stomach began to settle, and I felt myself calming down. I wanted to be distraught and let my feelings out, but my brain just didn't seem to be capable of it. "What was…?" I began to ask.

"Calming Pill," she told me. "Variation of the Calming Draught, people often take it before exams."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"My apologies, this is going to be hard for you to hear, so let me introduce myself first. My name is Irene Belserion, I am a professor here at the Golden Dawn, a Magician's Institute."

My eyes widened when I heard that… Golden Dawn… I knew that name, specifically from DxD. It was a real organisation that existed once, but in DxD it went underground and stayed strong, a famous Magician Organisation in the Supernatural world.

'But… Does that mean I'm In DxD…? There WAS a fallen angel, and he mentioned a Sacred Gear too… But why is Irene Belserion here then? I don't understand at all…'

"Magic is… Real?" I finally settled on asking.

"Quite real," she nodded. "I will… Try to explain things simply for you, given you're new to this. There are two sides to the world, the 'Mundane' World, and the 'Supernatural' World. The Supernatural World does its best to stay hidden from the Mundane World, as you're likely aware that humans fear that which they can't understand. It's happened all throughout history, so I'm sure you've covered some of it."

"Yes, I know that much," I nodded.

"Well, tired of the mundane world treating the supernatural poorly, we mostly went underground, hiding from them, and making them forget we ever existed. We change memories and information where needed in order to stay hidden… However, occasionally, a 'normal' person ends up stumbling into the Supernatural. In this case, you."

"Oh…" I nodded slowly. "But then…"

"However," she continued. "Sometimes, we mistakenly categorise someone as a normal person, but in actuality they are FAR more than we expected… Again, in this case, you. Without being rude, by all means you should have died to that Fallen Angel. You have no magical lineage that we know of, and we didn't register you as having a Sacred Gear…"

"Sacred Gear?" I interjected; I didn't want to make it out I knew too much.

"A Divine Tool bestowed upon humans by the Biblical God," she explained, not minding the interruption. "As I said, you were supposed to be a normal human… And yet, despite that, you somehow proved us wrong. Not only did you awaken a Sacred Gear- even if it was just a Twice Critical- but you have an abnormally huge amount of magical energy, some of our top students at this institution can't even boast half of your magic, and some of the teachers can't boast it either… Then there is the matter of the technique you used?"

"Technique…?" I asked her. "I… Remember suddenly being able to punch much more strongly, and I remember suddenly being able to move really fast, and dodge really well…"

"The dodging might just be up to your natural reflexes," she told me. "Enhanced by magic, of course. But the technique you used is a High-Level technique modelled after Dragon-Kind known as Mana Burst…" She pursed her lips. "However, this is an issue."

"Why is it an issue?"

"Because that technique was lost," she told me. "The last known users of that technique were Knights under the leadership of King Arthur, as well as the King himself. And yet you, someone who should have been just a normal human, has unquestioningly managed to use a technique lost to the world with brutal efficiency. This goes far beyond just natural talent."

"I'm sorry, I don't know what to tell you," I shook my head. "I really thought the world was just a normal, boring place… But magic, fallen angels, magicians, divine tools, God being real… I don't…"

"Well, it is understandable," she nodded. "That being said, on behalf of the Golden Dawn, I would like to extend an invitation for you to become a student here."

My eyes widened as I stared at her. "W- What? You want me to stay here and learn magic?"

"Among other things," she nodded.

"I…" I didn't know what to say, how to think, how to feel. "But… What about my life?" I asked her. "The orphanage, my friends… Will I just… Have to leave them behind?"

"Sadly, yes," she nodded. "Golden Dawn is a boarding school. We do let people go home on Weekends, but that often requires teleportation magic, and it's dangerous to do so just anywhere. If you accept this offer, then you have two choices. We will either modify people's memories so that it was like you never existed, or we will modify memories to believe you were adopted by a rich couple and moved to live with them."

"And what happens if I refuse?"

"Then we will return you back home, and you will have to try your luck in the mundane world with no training and no idea on how to get stronger," she shrugged.

Harsh, but I shouldn't have expected any different… And it wasn't like I had no ideas on how to get stronger, I knew Sacred Gears were based on the user's will and could grow and evolve depending on that. The real issue was magic. I had no idea how to use magic, all I recalled from DxD canon was that magic was something to do with 'reading the flow.' And even then, just my meta knowledge probably wouldn't be enough…

"Can I have time to think about it?" I asked her. "This is a big decision for me, so I'd like some time to think it over."

She nodded in agreement. "Acceptable, I can give you three days. We'll give you a tour of the school today, if you like, so you can get intimate knowledge of all the facilities and learn about the full experience so you can make your choice."

"Can we have it tomorrow?" I asked her. "I… Really need to think about things."

She nodded once more. "Very well. For now, I'll at least show you to the cafeteria. You've been unconscious for at least two days."

"Thank you…" I was about to move to take off the blanket, but I hesitated. "Just to check, I'm not naked under this, right?" I asked a bit cautiously.

She finally showed some emotion, smiling in soft amusement. "You are not naked," she chuckled. "We used magic to clean up your clothes and body, so there was no need to remove your clothes, especially since you weren't injured, just magically exhausted."

I sighed in relief and removed the covers, slowly climbing out of the bed. I still felt tired, but besides that the soreness in my body had faded away… "Did that pill you gave me also remove the soreness in my body?" I asked her.

She blinked in surprise. "Oh, you noticed. Very astute of you, I'm actually rather impressed. Most people don't notice until their third or fourth time taking the pill."

"No, it was kind of obvious," I told her. "I assume this is a pill usually taken for exams and stuff?"

"You are correct," she nodded. "Though most people prefer the standard version of the Calming Draught, the pill tends to be taken when people start to stress out right before or during an exam. There's no rules against it since it's not like it improves brain activity, it just keeps you calm."

"Oh, I see," I nodded slowly. "Well, um, please show me around then, Professor Belserion."

"… Yes, I'm never going to get used to being called Professor Belserion," she muttered. "Just call me Miss Belserion, it feels weird to be called Professor."

"Okay then, Miss Belserion," I agreed without issue.

She nodded. "Now, as I said, I'll show you to the cafeteria. Once you've had something to eat, I'll lead you to the guest room you'll be staying in while you think over your decision. You'll be free to explore the school as you like, just please try not to cause any trouble or disturb classes. Should you decide to join the school, you'll be given an official dorm room."

"Uh, how do dorm rooms work?" I asked. "Is it, like, a multiple person thing, or a private dorm?"

"It depends," she told me. "There are a few options when people sign up for the school. Standard boarding is free, coming with meals and such, in which you'll share a dorm with one other person. If you want other options like a private dorm room or room service, those cost extra," she looked at me. "Given your status as an orphan and given the fact of what you could mean to the advancement of magic, we're willing to give you enhanced options to a certain extent free of charge, but those will be taken away should you not produce results."

I gulped. "I'll uh, think about it once I make a decision."

She nodded. "Any other questions?"

"Um, yeah… Let's say I'm given a test that requires some optional materials if I want a better grade, how do I go about getting those materials with no money?"

"This school works on a merit-based system," she explained. "Given your age and how some boys are… Are you aware of the anime Classroom of the Elite?"

"Huh?" I blinked, more in surprise that Irene Belserion was about to talk anime with me… "Yeah, I do… Are you saying the school has a Merit System like that?"

She nodded. "Yes. Not quite the same, but similar enough. Good grades, proper attendance, and handing in work on time results in more merit points, which you can use on campus to buy whatever you like, so long as you have enough points. Instead of a classroom-based system, it's an individual based system, so that way others don't suffer should you choose to be a fuck up."

"Should a teacher be talking that way?"

"We're teaching magicians here, not how to win a Nobel Peace Prize."

… You know what? Fair enough, I couldn't even argue against that.

"What are the mandatory classes?" I asked her finally.

"Math," she told me.

"… And?"

"And nothing," she shrugged. "Math is an important foundation of Magic and the world, so it's the only mandatory class. All other classes are optional, given there's so many branches and Systems of Magic. Like Norse, Greek, Japanese, Egyptian, Biblical, Defensive, Elemental, Spatial… I'm sure you get the point."

"Yeah, I uh, I get the point," I nodded, a bit blown away… I suppose it made sense, that way people could pick and choose what they wanted to specialise in, rather than needing. "Okay wow, this pill is really good, I'm amazed I'm still not freaking out…"

"Exams last a long time," she told him. "So, the pill works for about 8 hours."

If that was the case, I wanted to absorb as much information as possible before the pill started wearing off. "What other magic schools are there?"

That was the wrong thing to say.

She turned her gaze to me, her eyes narrowing, and I felt a cold chill run through the body. "Are you planning to join a different magic school if we don't meet your requirements?"

"No, no!" I shook my head. "I'm just curious, given I just learned what magic is. If I don't join this school, I probably won't join any!"

She studied me for a moment before she nodded in satisfaction when she deemed that I wasn't lying. "Well, there are a few across the world. Grauzauberer is a leading organisation that was formed by George Faust and taken over by the devil Mephisto Pheles after his death. Then there's Rosenkreuzer, also called Rose Cross, which was founded by Rudiger Rosenkreuzer. He became a devil under a Mammon, I believe. There are also magic schools that aren't official organisations, instead training up students so they can then join other organisations or go independent, like Mahoutokoro, Beauxbatons, and Hogwarts."

I stumbled.

'Did she just say Hogwarts!?' I screamed mentally. Hogwarts was real!? No wonder the Harry Potter books were missing then, Harry Potter actually existed!

It was a good thing the pill was keeping me mostly calm, or else I would have been freaking the fuck out.

I asked her a few more questions like class times, other mundane subjects before we finally arrived at the cafeteria.

It was huge, I was talking Hogwarts Great Hall, maybe even bigger. Though unlike the great all, the tables were all smaller and strewn about in various places so groups of people could sit together, and there was also an outdoor area for people to eat if they wanted.

"This is the cafeteria," she told me. "Though that's obvious," she gestured to the tables. "The tables have magic circles on them that will give you food made by the chefs once you place your hand on the circle, channel a bit of magic and clearly state what you want. Basic foods are provided free of charge, but if you want something fancier like steak, or if you want junk food, it will cost merit points. The circles will know your magic signature and deduct the appropriate amount of merit points."

"What happens if students need larger portions of food due to extenuating circumstances?" I asked.

"We'll work out something," she shrugged. "It depends on the circumstances. You can ask for as many of basic foods like sandwiches as much as you desire though."

"But I don't know how to channel my magic right now."

"That's fine, I'll just use mine for now," she shrugged. "Teachers are exempt from the merit system, teachers have a separate system that determines our pay checks," she took a seat at the table, prompting me to do the same. She placed her hand on the table. "Pork chops and mashed potatoes with carrots and gravy, with a pint of Strongbow Darkfruits."

The place she put her hand glowed for a moment before a steaming hot plate of food appeared in front of her, exactly how she asked for it, her drink sitting nearby.

The scent of food made my stomach grumble, a blush rising to my cheeks from minor embarrassment.

"Now, what would you like?" She asked me.

"Oh, um…" I held my stomach. "Er, how long has it been since I suffered from magical exhaustion?"

"About two days," she told me.

No wonder I was hungry, I'd been out for around 48 hours. I really needed to eat, or else it would have a negative effect on me.

"I'll um… It might be a lot since I haven't eaten in two days, are you sure?"

"I'm sure," she nodded. "Go ahead, you must be starving."

"Okay… Then… A rare sirloin steak and fries with fried mushrooms and peas, with pepper sauce, with a glass of cold water."

"That's… Oddly specific," she noted.

"No more specific than your own order."

"Point to you," she agreed, repeating the order as a plate of food appeared in front of me, steaming hot… My mouth watered as the scent raced up my nose. God, I was hungry.

"Let's eat," she told me, picking up her cutlery as she began to eat with manners befitting of royalty.

I wasn't a slob with my manners, but I ate quickly. In this life, I hadn't gotten to eaten food like this ever, plus I hadn't eaten in two days, and I always ate quickly to begin with. I was setting down my knife and fork, done eating with a content smile before Irene was even halfway done with her own food.

She even paused eating to stare at me in surprise. "… I've never seen someone eat so fast but still have appropriate table manners," she admitted. "Then again, you must have been starving, so it makes sense."

"Well, I've always eaten a bit fast," I told her. "I probably would have finished before you anyway, just a bit later though. I sped up a bit because I was so hungry, sorry if I embarrassed you at all."

"Not at all," she shook her head. "Just surprised. You kept the appropriate manners, so I have no reason to be embarrassed about eating with you. Just let me finish eating if you please."

I just nodded, resting my hands on my lap as I waited for her patiently, doing my best to not make myself seem impatient or like I was intentionally waiting for her, that would just be rude.

It didn't take long for her to finish her meal, dabbing her mouth with her napkin, before she stood up. "Come along," she told me.

I slowly rose up and followed behind her, feeling the gazes of students on us… Well, mostly on Irene. After all, Irene was a beautiful woman, it was only natural that she'd have many admirers.

"Mother," a voice said, making me pause briefly at the familiar sound of it. Irene paused in her walking and looked over, and I did the same.

I had to stop my jaw from dropping.

Her clothing was simple, a black long-sleeved turtle neck and jeans that hugged her hips, but by god did it look amazing on her. Her long red hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her brown eyes were warm and welcoming.

Erza Scarlet, one of the strongest mages of Fairy Tail… So, she did exist in this world after all! She was a bit younger than at the start of canon- probably around fourteen or fifteen- but it was unmistakably her.

"Yes Erza?" Irene asked, her calm voice turning warm and gentle as her daughter came up to talk to her.

"I was wondering if you'd like to spend some time together later," Erza told her. "You've been rather busy with work, I thought it might be nice if the two of us could do something."

A smile spread on Irene's face. "I would love that, dear. I'm just showing around a prospective new student, I'm free after that."

Erza looked at me as if noticing me for the first time. "A prospective new student? Who is he if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's rude to talk about him like he isn't here," Irene chastised her gently. "Ask him directly."

Erza's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "You're correct, sorry," she apologised, her gaze focusing on me more firmly. "Hello there, my name is Erza Belserion, may I know your name?"

Belserion? So, she had Irene's last name in this dimension… It made sense, actually. If a similar timeline or history was followed, Irene's husband must have turned on her. But unlike usual, Irene gave birth to her daughter normally, so she took the last name Belserion instead of Jellal giving her the name Scarlet.

"My name is Harrison," I told her. "Harrison Blacksteel, but I go by Harry."

"Harrison," she tasted the name on her lips. "It's nice to meet you, Harry."

"Likewise, Erza."

"I'll leave you both to continue the tour," she smiled. "I hope to see you around sometime, Harry."

"Perhaps," I responded, not wanting to promise anything as I gave her a polite smile.

"Come along," Irene told me. I gave Erza a quick nod before I followed behind Irene. "I would like if you'd get along with my daughter should you choose to stay here," she told me.

"If- If- I decide to attend this school, I promise that I'll consider it," I told her.

"Careful not to make any promises, are you?" She chuckled. "Good, it will serve you well in the future."

The walk from the cafeteria to the dorms was rather short, leading me down the hall for a while before we eventually came to a door.

"This will be the guest room you shall be staying in for now," she told me with a gesture to the room. "Usually, you would have to channel your magical energy in order to open the door to your dorm room, to make sure people can't just enter as they please. However, Guest Rooms do not require as such."

"Oh uh, thank you," I told her.

She gave a nod. "Inside the dorm room, you will find basic necessities like a toothbrush, towel, and so on. The fridge has been stocked with food, so you may cook for yourself if you don't desire to come to the cafeteria. There is a book on the table talking about the basics of how to channel your mana so, if you don't end up taking our offer, you can at least have a starting point. Do you have any questions?"

"Uh, yeah… What if I make my decision sooner and need to contact you?"

"There is a magic circle on the table beside the book in bright red so you cannot miss it. Channel mana into that, and I will know you have come to a decision and come to hear it."

"I see… I don't have any more questions, thank you for your help, Miss Belserion."

She nodded. "Enjoy your stay here, temporary or otherwise," she turned and walked away, and my eyes couldn't help but trail down to her hips…

I quickly shook my head and looked away. She wouldn't be interested when I was only thirteen physically, better I grow up first before I start thinking about stuff like that anyway.

I turned to the door and pushed it open, making my way inside. The room was big, an absolutely huge studio apartment with a bedroom area, a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, and bathroom. It was more like a regularly sized apartment but set up as a studio one.

I closed the door behind me, making my way through the space and flopping onto the bed rather than reading the book that Irene said was on the table.

I was still under the effects of the calming pill, but if I wasn't then I knew I would be freaking out right now. But the fact I wasn't meant I could try and think things through calmly and determine my next move.

Option 1: Stay at the Golden Dawn

Doing so would provide me with protection from Supernatural Factions that had poor intentions for me like Devils, Church, Fallen, etc. I'd also be able to learn how to use magic and learn more about the differences in this world compared to the 'canon' world of DxD that I knew, because this very clearly was not going to be like anything I'd seen before.

Option 2: See about joining one of those supernatural factions. The devils leapt to mind due to my meta knowledge, but most devils weren't as kind as Rias. In fact, they were downright assholes for the most part given how the elders reacted to Sona's dream of opening a Rating Game School for all devil classes. The church was an obvious no given their feelings towards magic in general, and the Fallen were an option, but given one had attempted to kill me, I wasn't feeling very willing to join them.

There were also a bunch of other options like Greek, Norse and such, but if I were to join one, I'd rather the devil I know than the devil I don't.

Option 3: Strike out on my own and try to figure things out. This was by far the dumbest of my available options without question because I was now aware that this world had elements of at least 3 worlds: DxD, Harry Potter, and Fairy Tail, given how Irene and Erza were present, and I now knew that Hogwarts existed. I was out of my depth entirely, so this option was unrealistic.

There were other options, but Options 1 and 2 were my best bets at my continued survival within this world… But Option 2 was unrealistic, given I had only just joined the world, and I recalled the Fallen had said my Sacred Gear was just a Twice Critical. If this was DxD then Issei, or some variant of him, should exist within this world which meant that my Twice Critical was certainly not the Boosted Gear. I'd have to be exceptionally powerful if I wanted a recruitment from the devils or any faction, save maybe the Hero Faction. And I had no interest in becoming a villain, funnily enough.

Which really only left Option 1, staying at the Golden Dawn. It was the best option, letting me learn more about the world as well as learning magic, and about key players. I'd also be able to learn about any changes to the world and any new beings that had been inserted.

I would have loved to live a normal life, but the instant I awoke my Sacred Gear that basically became impossible, so I was going to have to make the most of a bad situation.

I took a deep breath as I sat up in bed… Eat or be eaten, that was the world. As I was now, I would be devoured and spat out by even the smallest fish of this world. So, what if I'd killed a Two-Winged Fallen? I was acting on pure adrenaline and rage, I had no clue on how I'd done anything at that time…

"Mana Burst…" I murmured under my breath. That was what Irene and the Fallen had said, that I had used Mana Burst. That meant there were elements of the Fate franchise in this world too…

If I had used Mana Burst like that, was it possible I had a Magic Core? Mana Burst wasn't like normal magic as far as I knew. For me to use something like that on pure instinct and adrenaline, a magic core was the most likely answer…

I shook my head, suddenly feeling like an idiot.

What the fuck was I doing, acting like I knew everything?

I knew nothing. Assumptions and guesses would only get me killed faster. Maybe I had some innate knowledge of Mana Burst, maybe I was lucky and had some kind of dragon blood in me. I had no way of knowing and guessing and assuming things would only lead me to an early grave. I had to assume I knew nothing about this world besides some of the people, lest I let my meta knowledge go to my head and die as a result.

I took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly.

Yes, I would take things cautiously, carefully… James wouldn't want me to get myself killed after managing to survive.

James…

Despite the calming pill, I felt a pang in my chest as I recalled that my friend- my best and closest friend- was now dead, and that I had watched it happen.

Honestly what made it worse was that his last words hadn't been pleading for his life, begging or crying for his family… His last words had been him trying to save me by telling me to run. Run and live.

All the things he and I talked about… They seemed almost silly now that he was gone. All those paper runs where he just wanted to save up enough money to buy a phone, me working alongside him so that I could buy a laptop… It seemed so silly now…

I lifted my hand to my face, feeling tears starting to flow down my face. I sniffled softly, closing my eyes and burying my face into the pillow.

James was gone. My life was turning upside down and now, even if Irene had tried to make it seem like I had a choice, I was being forced to join a Magical Institute and abandon my normal life.

I had no choice if I wanted to treasure my life… My life that James had tried to save with a feeble warning.

I had to live on for both of us.

~~The Last of Avalon~~

"I'm a fool!" Merlin cursed, glaring at herself in the mirror of her bathroom.

After having Arthur slip through her fingers, it didn't take her long to realise someone must have taken him away. She was quick to figure that a fallen angel attacked him, the feeling of a fallen's magic was obvious, but she didn't know the after.

She did know a few things.

Firstly, the fallen had killed a family, one of the members of the family being the boy that usually delivered her papers to her in the afternoon and evenings. She felt bad the boy had been a target of the fallen, especially given he had no Sacred Gear.

But the second thing she knew was something that infuriated her.

Arthur was the one who had delivered the paper to her the day that the boy had been killed.

He had been right in front of her! How had she not noticed!? She felt like a fool, the signs were there! The blonde hair, the blue eyes, the face that was budding into being handsome even at such a young age! Plus, he was able to talk to her normally. Any man would find it difficult to talk to her thanks to her half-succubus nature, you needed a decent magic resistance in order to avoid such a thing.

Yet the boy, merely thirteen or younger- not nearly enough of an age to develop such a strong resistance to magic- had been able to talk with her normally as if he had been doing it all his life!

And it was no wonder, she had thought Arthur's magic would have been awakened from birth, but it wasn't. It was locked away tightly, restrained so that it wouldn't damage his body. His Magic Core would be too powerful for a young boy, he'd need to hit his teen years before it would let him use its full power. Even now, he was only accessing a small portion of its power.

Arthur- 'Harry,' she chastised herself mentally, needing to get used to the new name- had been taken by a Magician Institution, and the issue was she had no idea which one!

It honestly could have been any of them, though Golden Dawn was most likely… Or perhaps the partial awakening of the Magic Core had drawn the attention of the Pendragons?

The main issue now was how she was supposed to get to Harry. If she took him away, then there would be suspected foul play, and it might lead to an outright war between Magician Organisations. And given she was the founder of the Magic System that modern mages tended to use; she really didn't want to end up causing them to go to war.

She could perhaps apply to be a teacher at one of the institutes…? But which one? She was pretty sure it was Golden Dawn, but he could have been found by Hogwarts for all she knew.

'At times like this, I do wish my Clairvoyance really WAS all-seeing!' She mentally cursed.

While her Clairvoyance was a powerful tool, it did have some limits, and it wasn't absolute and all-seeing. Otherwise, she would have just looked into Harry's future found the next time he'd be alone outside of wherever he'd been taken, and just lie in wait for that time.

"Calm down, Merlin," she took a deep breath. "It's not over yet… I just have to move covertly and carefully. I know Arthur- Harry, damn it- is alive, and I know he's likely in a Magician Institution, a Magic School, or the Pendragon Family… I'll just have to check them one by one until I find him… Then, I will make my next move."

She let out a heavy sigh at the amount of work she was making for herself… But, at the same time, she couldn't help but smile.

After so many years, she had seen Arthur again. Even if she hadn't known, she'd seen him and his cute blush again.

She felt hope, and she had no intentions of failing.

'Arthur… No, Harry. I promise you; I'll find and teach you once again. And this time, I won't let you die because of jealousy. For you, I will endure anything, even a harem… So, please wait for me. Your teacher is coming soon.'

She splashed water on her face, eyes hardening. It was time to get to work.

Right, time for the part of the day where I respond to reviews.

Ozilla says: "Good story and premise! Though I have 2 complaints. 1st Clarent is the Excalbits (those fake Excalibars!) it would have made more sense if they were pieces of Caliburn since Caliburn was broken due to Arthur breaking the knight's doctrine in a duel. 2nd Harry having a sacred gear (or is it his dragon core?) since it would have been more badass seeing Harry fighting against people with broken sacred gears (since they were created after Arthur's death) with just the skills of his past life of Arthur and new ones he is bound to learn in this new life. Question: Can I use this premise?"

I agree, it would have made a bit more sense if they were pieces of Caliburn. However, it's an established fact in DxD that Caliburn is whole and used by Arthur Pendragon, and is a sword strong enough to cut through space and dimensions. A lot of authors choose to have Caliburn replace the Excaliburs, but I feel like that then leads into the issue of 'what weapon does Arthur use?' Clarent is not an established sword in the DxD universe as far as I'm aware, or if it is then nobody uses it, and it makes more sense for Clarent to be broken at Camlann and then re-forged into the Excaliburs.

Second, yes, Harry DOES have a Sacred Gear, just a twice critical. He's not the RDE or anything, it's just a twice critical... For now. I thought about giving Harry a more broken Sacred Gear, but so many people give characters broken Sacred Gears, I decided to go with a weaker Sacred Gear and have some fun with it.

And while I'm flattered you'd like to use the premise of this story- for now at least- I'm going to say I'd prefer you not use the premise of this story, at least until it's further along. IF you decide you want to try this premise for yourself and write something, I have no issues with that, so long as you credit me as the original idea or your 'inspiration.'

Kolt999 says: "I can't lie, I'm with Merlin. That ending really pisses me off. SO CLOSE! SO CLOSE YET SO FAR! Why is it always right when stuff is getting good that it just STOPS? sigh... Good job."

I'll address this for everyone while I'm here now. I do fully plan for Harry and Merlin to meet properly at some point, but I plan for that to be a very interesting confrontation, you'll see when we get there. I intend to have Harry go through his own adventures and growth before properly meeting Merlin. And for those wondering why Merlin didn't realise he was Arthur upon meeting him, it's because her Clairvoyance is something she can turn on and off, the only time she can't control when it's on is in her sleep when she gets visions of potential futures. But her Clairvoyance is not omnipotent or omniscient, as shown by her being trapped in the Tower of Avalon to begin with. Yes, she admittedly deluded herself- intentionally- into entering the tower, but she could have easily avoided it had her Clairvoyance truly been all powerful.

So for those hoping for their reunion sooner rather than later, you'll be a bit disappointed, but trust me. This will all be worth it for what I have planned.

King0fP0wers says: "Also, would you consider adding Mash Kyrielight as a descendant of Sir Lancelot? Or even better, she could the daughter of Lancelot Du Lac, a subordinate of Uther Pendragon, and has a very frosty relationship with him due to his womanizing habits."

An interesting premise, and one I'll definitely consider delving into. With the return of Arthur, the 'return' of the Knights of the Round is certainly something I'll be looking into. I won't lie, I'm not great at writing platonic male relationships just because most of my friends are girls, so I don't have a lot of examples of good relationships between guys. For that reason, it's highly probable I'll go with genderswapped versions of KoR for the most part like Barghest, Baobhan Sith, and Melusine. I'll definitely look into adding Mash too, perhaps as an inheritor of Galahad's will? I'll think of something.

As of writing this chapter, I've only got about 1k of words written for the next chapter, but I'm working on it, so it should be ready for posting on time. Until then, see ya