Chapter 2: Ready
Merlin had instructed the bartender to throw things at him at random time during the next hours.
Due to his ability to generate currency with magic, the bartender was happy to comply.
It worked, too. Every time an object was hurled at him, Merlin instinctively slowed time, giving himself enough to react.
Merlin got used to the feeling; he explored the raw power of time in an attempt to make it familiar. It was much like getting to know a friend. Each time, he felt more of the power; each time, the power was more connected to him.
They stayed in the tavern until dawn. Merlin paid the bartender a generous sum, then left.
He felt different, somehow, as if this newly recognized force was a larger part of him.
Merlin awoke early the next morning. He looked around, his home (a tree house in the woods) still dark.
He was about to fall asleep again when he noticed the body that lay next to him.
Fighting the urge to scream, Merlin got out of his bed and looked at the unwelcome guest.
It was himself.
Immediately, Merlin realized that he had gone back in time.
Afraid of what would happen if he was to meet himself, Merlin quietly left the house.
How did I do that?!
By Merlin's estimates, he had gone back about a week.
Suddenly, he began to remember a fuzzy memory, almost like a dream….
He was standing in a clearing in a forest, alone. Suddenly a shining woman appeared. She was so bright that he could not tell what she looked like.
She spoke with a voice as vibrant as the light.
"You want to go back, Emrys?" she asked.
He responded, "Yes, yes I do."
Her voice was clear but warm. "I am the power that controls time."
Merlin was confused. "But who are you?"
She laughed, a sound so beautiful that Merlin felt shivers run down his spine. "I am," she said simply.
Merlin squinted his eyes. "Will you not show yourself?"
She laughed again. "My shape does not matter, Emrys. I can take any form I like. I am neither man nor woman nor human nor creature nor anything of this earth. I am that I am."
Merlin did not completely understand, but he knew that her words were wholly true.
"Will you take me back?" he said.
"Perhaps," she said, "but do you really think it will bring you happiness?"
He didn't hesitate. "I know it will."
The woman—the light—emanated an inscrutable emotion. "I will send you back, but only a little. If you remember this tomorrow as a dream, then you will be mentally ready for the journey back."
And the light faded.
Merlin's eyes widened as he remembered the experience. Not only had he met the power that controls time-she had said he was ready to go back!
Merlin looked up as the sun began to appear.
The next time he saw a sunrise, Merlin thought, he would be in a time where dragons still lived, where magic was banned, where Arthur was an alive prat, where his father still lived, and where Morgana's heart was not yet destroyed.
He couldn't wait.