Hiya everyone! How are you doing? If you're still here, let me tell you that I thank you for not giving up on this story yet. Truly grateful. On that note, may I present to you: chapter five.
Disclaimer: Do I own BBC Merlin…? (laughs wickedly) Now that is a good joke, thank you for making me laugh.
"The knights." Soul Arthur said and then he ran out the door, the one that wasn't currently being hogged by the black smoke. Soul Arthur's flickering shadow snapped Merlin out of his stupor. Merlin retrieved Excalibur, tucked the book under his arm, and ran after his king. He followed him down a narrow corridor and into a grand hallway. There was a large wooden door on the right, slightly ajar. And Soul Arthur was creeping behind it. By now, the cries died down, returning the castle to its unnatural silence.
"What are you doing?" Merlin hissed, but Soul Arthur put a finger to his lips and pointed at the door. He also peered through it.
It was the throne room. Surprisingly, it was very bright compared to the whole castle. Grand pillars upheld the entire space, lining up on either side, as if waiting for a king to seat upon the empty throne. The throne itself was just a simple silver chair. Nothing special about it at first glance, but Merlin could feel power – the magic – radiating off it in waves. A hooded figure stood in front of the throne with their back facing towards them. Wide-eyed, Merlin looked at Soul Arthur, who was breathing heavily from the running.
He mouthed, "Sorcerer?"
Soul Arthur nodded.
The warlock turned back to watch the sorcerer, but he was a statue. Never moving. Not even a twitch. Merlin opened the blue book and scanned through the pages about the soul-splitting spell. Should he do it now? Or should he find the knights first? Were they even in trouble? Were the screams an illusion? If they were, then clearly, everything was a trap. However, if everything were real and the knights actually were in danger, defeating the sorcerer now would make their lives much easier. He could also wait for Morgana to obtain more information before deciding. Merlin groaned. But then the sorcerer might not even be here anymore, so vulnerable and easy to attack. Wait, why was the sorcerer so vulnerable?
Then the screams started again. Louder. Clearer. And it was coming from inside the throne room. Merlin wanted to curse every deity in the world. Could they give him a break?
He could try contacting Morgana through telepathy again. "Morgana!"
No response. He tried again. Same result. Of course, the world loved inconveniencing him. He quickly memorized the soul-splitting spell. Scearp sharp slitan, it read, meaning "soul split". Such simple words, yet it yielded horrific consequences.
Trap or not, he would have to take his chances.
"It's going to take a toll on your magic." Soul Arthur commented quietly.
Since when did Arthur know anything about magic? But it was a question for later times. Now, Merlin had to concentrate on the task at hand. He knew that if the spell needed raw power, it would drain him. That was the consequence of using dark magic. Like mind-controlling enchantments or illusion spells. It sucked the life energy out of the user and transform that life energy into an evil deed. Would he succeed? Merlin never casted such a powerful spell before and if he needed practice for simple spells, what made him so confident about his abilities?
"I believe in you Merlin," he said. Merlin smiled. It wasn't everyday he heard that from the king.
"We'll attack on three," Merlin whispered. Soul Arthur's silver eyes glowed brightly.
Merlin peaked through the crack. There he was. The sorcerer. His back was turned to them. All Merlin had to do was blast him with dark magic. His heart raced. His fingers showed the countdown.
One.
Two.
Three.
End of chapter five. Ohhh, another cliff-hanger! What will happen next? Will this end the way Merlin wants to? I love cliff-hangers because I think it's a cool and mysterious way to end a chapter. I may be overusing them though… haha. Guilty as charged. Also, I legit translated "soul split" using an Old English translator. Hope it's accurate.