Chapter 5

So, they were back.

It felt different this time, like some variable that had always been there before was suddenly missing.

Merlin and Lance figured out what it was quickly: animosity. Nobody hated each other on this boat. In fact, most of them weren't even aware of anyone else's presence. Morgan and Morgouse were traveling as siblings, and Arthur and Gwen were on their honeymoon, but everyone else was detached in their relations.

Everything felt off, which was not a good feeling for a luxury ship. Lance was speculating on such an idea on the second morning of the trip.

"Does something feel- wrong to you?" He was combing his hair in a small mirror, paying more attention to the wall than himself.

"Yes, and it's making me jumpy," she sat on the bed. "why don't they hate each other?"

Lance shrugged. "Beats me. I've seen some of them as other passengers, but they don't notice each other. Do they seem a little…" He trailed off, unsure how to end the question.

"Distant?" She answered for him. "Yeah, they do. I haven't spoken with any of them yet except for Morgan that one time, which makes me even more uneasy. Have you seen all of them?"

He shakes his head. "For what it's worth, I suggest we don't get involved this time and just see how it plays out."

"But Lance, it is our job to-"

"Protect Arthur? How's that been working out for you so far?" He begins to sound more agitated. "Everytime they all die, and every time I start to care about them again. Maybe, just this once, we see what happens."

She sighs, unhappy with the suggestion. "They'll only die again."

"We actually don't know that to be true. Based on how last time ended, I have a feeling things will be different this time."

Merlin simply shook her head. "You can stay out of it if you like, but I won't."

"What do you mean? You want to re introduce yourself again?" Lance shot her a sideways glance.

"Well," she began pacing, "I've been reading up on a type of magic that can manipulate relationships. If I can do it right, the gang will be together with no introductions needed."

He looked skeptical. "But will it work?"

"It has to. It just has to."

There was a huge mess in a discreet closet after the spell was cast. A huge blast had sent supplies flying everywhere, but that mess was for the staff. Right now, Merlin had to go see if she had succeeded.

Since all the people in this game were made first-class passengers, they were lounging about in the hall, laughing around a round table.

Arthur, who was sitting next to Gwen, noticed her first. "Merlin, there you are!" He exclaimed, as if he had known her his whole life. "Come on, sit down a while."

A little shocked her trick worked, Merlin slid into the chair between Gwen and Morgan. Almost everyone was there, immersed in their own conversations. She soon found herself discussing the new fashion trends with Leon, who was now going by her first name, Reyna.

It was eerily nice, being able to be with everyone without them trying to kill each other constantly. But something else felt off, something more ominous and underlying.

"Something's going to go terribly wrong on this boat," She thought to herself.

Suddenly, a second voice appeared in her mind.

"Well of course something will go wrong." the voice said, "nothing ever really goes right."

"Who the hell are you?" She subconsciously replied quickly.

The voice let out a spine-chilling laugh. "Are you so quick to forget me? The gears are already in motion, my friend, you can't stop this one."

Merlin was beginning to panic. "What do you mean? Tell me who you are!"

"In time, all in due time. For now, call me Conscience." It responded with a quiet sense of apathy.

It was around this time that Arthur noticed his friend's unpleasant expression. "You okay?" He asked quietly, so not as to alarm the others.

"I'm fine," She answered quickly. "just tired. I think I'll go to bed."

She made her exit swiftly. She needed to talk to Lance, whether he wanted to be involved or not.

"So your little party trick worked, but then you started hearing voices?" Lance quickly recapped back in the room.

She nodded. "But it was only one voice, and they said I knew them already."

He massaged his temples, trying to concentrate. "Who do we know that could do that?"

"I'd automatically count out anyone who doesn't have magic," Merlin replied almost immediately. "so that counts out a huge chunk of people."

Lance smirked. "Do you think it's Morgan?"

"It didn't sound like him, and I don't see why he wouldn't have just told me upfront if it was him."

They sat in silence, pondering the issue for a minute.

"Merlin," Lance said suddenly. "have you seen Moria since she was impaled at that circus?"

She thought for a split second, then looked at her friend sharply. "I haven't. Have you?"

"No. It's like she's not on this boat. Could-"

All of a sudden, a loud knock sounded on their room's door.

The duo glanced at each other, wondering what someone would want with them in the dead of night, and approached the door with a bucket of apprehension.

Lance carefully opens the door to reveal a familiar-looking girl in simple clothes and her signature smirk.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear, right?" Moria laughed to herself, ignoring the other two's look of surprise. "Come on. We gotta go."

Despite their better judgement, Merlin and Lance followed Moria to a deck that had two lifeboats sitting out. The sea was calm and the boat felt abandoned.

"What...how..." Lance tried to ask.

"Word of advice: never sew up your own intestines. The infections that come with it really hurt," she shook her head. "and don't set your own bones. Especially in the arm."

Merlin stepped forward. "Why weren't you with everyone else?"

The girl shrugged. "I wanted to know what was wrong with the ship. It feels weird, doesn't it?"

The duo nodded. "But I found something," Moria continued. "or, something found me. Bottom line is, this ship's sinking tomorrow. I was told to get you two out, so here we are."

Lance found his silver tongue again. "That's great and all, but what exactly found you?"

She looked out to the sea, as if the answer were deep under folds of foam and inky waters. "He's called The Conscience, and he knows all. That's why your self-insertion trick worked, isn't it?"

Merlin stepped back. "How did you-"

"So you can hear him? He has great plans if we will comply." She looked almost excited. She hadn't looked excited since the Middle Ages.

"No."

Both Lance and Moria look at Merlin with confused expressions. "What do you mean 'no'?" He asked.

"'We' will not be doing anything of the sort. There is no 'we' in this situation. Ever."

"What the hell do you mean?" Lance sounded irrationally angry. "This voice you two are hearing could give us answers we've been looking for since the Tudors!"

She stopped herself from laughing. "Lance, I'm not working with her. She's a killer!"

"So are you." Moria cut in.

"It's different. I'm a good guy, you're a bad guy, and there's no way we'll ever be on the same side."

An uneasy silence settled around the three people. Finally, Moria broke the tension.

"Something he told me," she started with a quiet tone. "Something you might want to know. This ship's hitting an iceberg tomorrow, and everyone's going to die again. You two have a lifeboat, and I have mine. We don't have to keep contact for a long time."

Lance nodded for the two of them. "Thank you."

"One more thing," she stopped them suddenly. "You might want to stay in the States for a while."

Merlin found a way to speak without strangling the other girl. "And why is that?"

"Just... Just stay in the US for a while. It's going to get bloody."

And with that, she disappeared, taking the second boat with her.

"Well," Lance sighed. "This marks the second time we've left everybody to die on the open sea. Shall we?"

The War to End All Wars was terrifying to experience, even away from the action. The Conscience had yet to make a reappearance, which was peaceful yet unsettling.

Finally, after one of the worst decades in American history, Merlin and Lance found everyone again at a high school in a small town.

Little did they know that the War to End All Wars was about to face a horrifying sequel.