Chapter 4

Warning/s: none that I can think of.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

A/N: Sorry this chapter is a little late - my beta has been ill recently so she wasn't able to check this chapter over as quickly as she usually does. I hope you're all enjoying the story so far, and I hope you still like this story! Please leave me some feedback so I know what you think of the story xx

Merlin opened his eyes and stared upwards, expecting to see his ceiling. He saw instead an endless stretch of pure white, which shifted upwards and downwards. It seemed to be suffocating Merlin one moment, and then the next he had an almost despairing sense of agoraphobia. He sat up slowly and looked around him.

He swallowed his fear. All around him were those strange, horrifying creatures from his dreams. They weren't paying any attention to him, but they were there nonetheless. Merlin wondered whether he was in the dream again – but he remembered the agony of getting to this place, and deduced that it was more than likely that this was reality.

Emrys, a voice hissed into his mind. Merlin turned his head so abruptly that his neck twanged in protest. Instinctively he stood up to face the creature that was coming towards him.

Relax, the thing insisted. I mean you no harm. I wish for you to help us.

The creature was composed entirely out of a sand-like substance, and shaped like a deformed deer. It walked in an awkward hobble, but with a strange kind of grace, and it was a dull red in colour. Most interestingly, when the thing spoke, its mouth opened and closed and moved just like Merlin's would, but the words came directly into his mind.

"What are you?" Merlin asked, his breathing quicker than normal and a little panicked. "What do you want?"

Emrys, please, the thing pleaded. You are now in a different realm to your own. We rule your world, your mortal world, and recently…we have suffered. And if we suffer, you suffer.

"How do you mean?"

There was…an uprising, for lack of a better term, the creature admitted. There is a strict hierarchy here and some of those in the lower rungs – though not mis-treated – felt like they were not given a fair deal and mutinied. It created havoc. The order of our world has now fallen into disarray, and if it is not repaired soon, your world will too. The creature lifted a single, blue eye to gaze at Merlin. You, Emrys, are the only one that can help us.

Merlin glanced around himself nervously, swallowing. "What has gone wrong?" he asked cautiously.

When the lower classes revolted, those higher up panicked and instead of keeping a fair hold on the elements of your world, they clutched onto them, afraid of losing them.

"Elements?" Merlin queried.

Such as the weather. We – me and the other Elemental Leaders – control the weather, food, water, and natural order of your world. But now it has started to fall apart.

"Is that the reason for the storm? And why it was so long?" Merlin was beginning to accept what it was telling him now.

Yes, Emrys. I am glad you are understanding. The creature shook itself suddenly and expanded, growing to around three times its size. I must show you some things. Please sit on my back and I will take you.

Merlin stared at it apprehensively. He was only just beginning to give this thing some credit and definitely didn't trust it enough to let it give him a ride. But then again, he didn't see what choice he had, so he walked over to the thing. "Do you have a name?" he asked as he staggered over to the creature. The ground was moving underneath his feet, threatening to dislodge him.

Not in your tongue. But you may call me Erran.

"Erran," Merlin repeated. "Alright, Erran, where are we going?" He climbed onto Erran gingerly and clutched on tightly. Erran had kneeled for him to clamber on, but now it was straightening up and it became decidedly higher and scarier.

For you to bring order to both of our worlds, you must complete a series of tasks, Erran informed him solemnly. There are five creatures, excluding myself, who rule this world. All of them have committed great atrocities due to this panic. It has long been prophesied that this day would come, yet none of us knew when. In order to prepare us for these…events, our elders left us scrolls, detailing what must be done.

Merlin swallowed. This didn't sound like his idea of a fun time. "What are the tasks?"

First, the Shadow Snake. Suddenly, they were in front of a great rock, the grey front of which was displaying an image of a strange, twisted being. It reminded Merlin of his brief time in the Crystal Cave. He is responsible for taking lives when it is their time to go, but he has been harbouring lately, taking more people to keep their souls in case he ever needs them as a bargaining chip.

You must stop him. The Elders did not leave much detail in their scrolls, but the task is clear enough; you must split his soul from his body so that his conscience can see what he is doing.

"That doesn't sound difficult at all," Merlin remarked sarcastically, peering at the Shadow Snake. It was definitely shaped somewhat like a snake, but had a much wider head and a few odd things that hung off his scaly body in bulbous sacs.

Erran made a deep, rumbling noise, one that Merlin assumed to be laughter. You will find a way to do it, Emrys. Next, The Crops' Reaper.

The image fogged over and then cleared, showing a skeletal figure with long talons and a beak like nose. She is responsible for making sure that your world has enough crops left over when we take our share, but people on your world are now starving. She too is harbouring her products, in case she needs them in the future.

"Right. How do I defeat her?"

You must find a way to take some of her own flesh and feed it to her; she will be so disgusted at her gluttony that she will cease all of her selfish acts.

"Again, sounds really easy," Merlin sighed. "I will try, though," he added hastily.

Then we will move on to The Mugger. The image cleared again and showed another creature. This one was scarily human-like, apart from its eyes. They glowed bright red and seemed to stare off into space, unseeing and unfocused. This one is possibly my least favourite. Its job is to ensure that there is enough water spread around the world. A difficult job, and for it, a difficult price. This Mugger – it feeds off human children.

"What?" Merlin asked incredulously.

He would not do his job otherwise, Erran replied sadly. You must stop him, Emrys. You must feed him stones instead of children so that he believes their flesh is making him ill. Only then will he stop.

Merlin gritted his teeth and nodded determinedly. The image faded in and out again. It showed another human-like creature, but with disproportionate limbs and an oddly shaped body.

This one does not have a name, but she is referred to as the One. She is the single deity we have, who rules over all of us. When our world, and therefore yours, fell into disarray, her mortal body began to rot. Her non-corporeal form is not material, and therefore she has taken to stealing parts of humans in order to rebuild herself.

Merlin stared at the image; now he could see the reason for all of the bulges and twists that unnaturally shaped her body. "How do I defeat her?"

You must capture her ethereal spirit in a container of some sort, Erran replied. And then she will be forced to let the corporeal form go. And when you have defeated the next creature, the final one, then she can be released.

"So the next one is the last one?" Merlin asked in relief. He felt tired just from hearing about all of these creatures.

Indeed. The Aeger. It spreads disease over your world to gain energy which it can store. Usually it does this in small amounts here and there, but now it has grown reckless. It threatens many lives. To stop it, you must take one of its own stored illnesses and unleash it on him. Only in this way will it stop.

"And then everything will be restored to order?" Merlin asked nervously.

Yes, Emrys. And if you do not succeed – then we will all perish.

A/N: Cliffhanger :O