Merlin was confused and slightly afraid. Hadn't he been traveling to the Crystal Cave to regain his magic just a few moments ago?
There was noise all around him, hard grey stone everywhere and a grey sky. The shouting and beeping and whatever the other sound was hurt Merlin's ears. What the hell happened?
The confusion got to much of him and he teleported away.
He stumbled upon landing and resisted the urge to be sick. It took a few seconds for the ringing in his ears to diminish.
As he righted himself against a tree, he absently noticed his magic transported him to a forest.
Then realization hit him. He had his magic back!
Merlin didn't know whether to cry or to laugh. His magic was back. He hadn't fully understood how much he had missed it until he had it again.
If felt warm and familiar. It was the home Merlin had always taken for granted.
On the other hand, Merlin had no idea where he was. If he couldn't get to Arthur, it would have all been for naught.
He observed his surroundings better. With his newly retained magic, he stretched his senses- he'd missed sensing everything- and felt magic, natural magic, all around him.
It felt like a blanket of warm over Merlin's shoulders. He sensed creatures of the old religion in the forest, but it was more than that. The forest itself was aware and meld more magic that Morgana could ever hope to.
He stretched his sight a bit further, and began to feel a bit tired as wolks of calm, colorful magic drifted by his vision. It wasn't green, like he had half expected nature magic to be. It was a warm purple and pink, like the sunset clouds. The previously dark forest was alight with color.
In the distance he felt a creature's royal blue magic and a fierce reddish brown from another direction. He turned slowly, drinking in the magic he had missed.
Then he stopped. In the distance, not very far but not in view either, there was a big heaping mix of natural and artificial magic, surrounded by a thick dome of artificial magic.
Frowning, Merlin wondered why he hadn't sensed it before. It wasn't that artificial magic was bad, it wasn't even remotely bad. But the dome around the magic felt off, like it had been tainted and neglected. Some points of magic inside the dome were like this too.
Feeling exhaustion take over, he had to stop the magic seeing for a bit, or he would fall asleep right then and there.
Slightly shrugging, he decided to focus on going back to Arthur. But his magic wouldn't comply.
Frowning, Merlin tried again.
He could feel his magic reaching out to where Arthur was, but never quite making it. It was frustrating to be so close but unable to help him fight.
Irritated, he looked around for something to help him, however unlikely it was.
The only thing he would find was an envelope and a note signed ~Fate.
It would also take some time for him to realize his magic felt younger.