"So, Morgan le Fay failed to bind herself to Britain's national destiny, and you, Ancestor, were severely weakened by Divination and trapped here by her?" Dana asked cautiously, the weight of revelation pressing in on him.
Merlin chuckled softly, a knowing glint in his eyes. "You're close, but there are details you haven't yet grasped."
Dana leaned forward, trying to piece it together. "Let me guess—you separated your magic from your eternal heart, hid them in a secret vault, and, using your ability to foresee the future, realized you would be trapped here. So you wove the locations of your tomb, the treasury, and the secret vault into that tapestry…" He paused abruptly, his expression shifting to one of sudden curiosity. "How far into the future can you actually see?"
Merlin's smile was faint but tinged with melancholy. "A maximum of one year. Beyond that, I see only fragments, scattered glimpses of what might be."
Dana's voice lowered. "So, the moment you decided to stop Morgan le Fay, you had already accepted death—because the tapestry recorded your tomb."
"Exactly, child," Merlin replied, his tone carrying both sorrow and pride. "Eternal life is not a blessing—it is a curse. Fortunately, I possess the ability to separate the eternal heart from the rest of my being."
Merlin's gaze lingered on Dana, affectionate and assessing. The old mage's eyes sparkled with approval; the more he looked at this descendant, the more he felt a connection, a rare warmth reserved for those who could truly comprehend his plans.
"As for my magic," Merlin continued, "I separated it so that any descendant who comes after me could have the power to defend themselves. Using Divination drains a sorcerer almost entirely, and when Morgan trapped me here with this oak tree, my magic could no longer recover. Had I not extracted it, all that power would have been wasted." He winked. "But to deal with Morgan, I never needed my full strength; even retaining a mere one percent was enough."
Dana's mind raced as he calculated. The magic Merlin had once wielded was almost incomprehensibly vast—thousands of Lucius, hundreds of Snape, nearly a hundred Dumbledores. Even one percent of that was still formidable, enough for any general threat.
"So you severed Morgan's connection to Britain using Divination?" Dana asked, trying to follow the old wizard's intricate strategy.
"No," Merlin replied. "That alone would not have been sufficient. I altered my own destiny, making myself the Lord of Avalon. Then I permanently banished Morgan from Avalon, ensuring she could never harness its power again."
Dana's brow furrowed. "Then could the Emrys family members live peacefully on Avalon after death?"
Merlin shook his head slightly. "Even if I had waited on the island for two years until my body recovered, Morgan would still have exploited Britain's chaos. The Witches of the Avar Coven, enraged by Morgan, tore the land apart. Had I not intervened, the empire Arthur painstakingly built would have crumbled."
He chuckled, though there was no true mirth in it. "And I foresaw another factor: Morgan knew I had separated the eternal heart, so she trapped me, hoping to force me to reveal its location through torment. But I turned her plan against her, using Avalon's own power to create a time-bound magic. Once a descendant meeting the right conditions arrives, the spell activates, bringing them to me. I did not expect it would take over a thousand years for someone capable like you to appear."
Dana nodded slowly, understanding the magnitude of Merlin's foresight. "So I should rescue you from this oak tree now."
There was an unspoken continuation to that thought: Dana would have to kill Morgan le Fay. Not to prevent her from harming the world, but to protect the Emrys family and their legacy. Morgan coveted the eternal heart and the tapestry, which had caused unspeakable suffering for Dana and his ancestors. She was the root of their family's tragedy.
Merlin raised a hand, stopping Dana from acting too hastily. "No hurry, child. This oak tree has preserved me. Were it not for its life-sharing magic, I should have died of old age long ago. Now, what you must do is study magic with me—and then, together, we will eradicate the Avar Coven."
Dana listened intently as Merlin explained the threat. "The Avar Coven's goal for centuries has been to help Morgan achieve eternal life and establish a kingdom in her name. They are a great danger to Britain. Yet they worship her as a deity, thinking eternal life would bring them fortune. The truth is, Morgan is just an ordinary sorceress, her power amplified only through deep sleep to prevent aging. You will not face her directly yet; you have time to search for her hiding place."
Merlin's eyes hardened with memory. "She was once my student, her skill immense. The Coven inherited that magic, too. Even with my power, you would not stand a chance now. Many branches of magic are not about raw strength—conceptual magic, curses, things that can bypass mere power. If you encounter them unprepared, even I could be trapped."
Dana's resolve solidified. "Ancestor, please teach me everything!"
Time passed in a blur. Days turned into months as Dana's training intensified. He learned to float, to semi-fly, and eventually to stand firmly on solid ground. The exact duration was uncertain, but by his rough calculations, over half a year had passed. By then, Dana could wield the immense magic Merlin had extracted and had absorbed knowledge lost to later generations—ancient, exquisite, peerless.
Merlin's next test came suddenly. "Dana, how many animals can you transform into now?"
Dana responded instinctively, demonstrating his mastery. Ordinary creatures posed no challenge, but magical creatures were a true test. He shifted into the forms of a Black Dragon, a Basilisk, a Unicorn, a Zouwu, a Thestral, and even a Graphorn Fire Spirit.
Merlin's eyebrow lifted in approval. "Ah, Graphorn Fire Spirit! Passing the second layer of the secret vault grants you this naturally. Well done."
He paused, then asked, "Dana, what do you think is the upper limit of our bloodline's ability to transform into other creatures?"
Dana considered the question carefully. "Combining the advantages of all magical creatures to create the strongest possible biological form."
He began transforming: the silver horn of a Unicorn, the body and wings of a Dragon, eyes and fangs of a Basilisk, limbs and tail of a Zouwu, and faint green flames flickered across his skin. In that instant, he became a hybrid of unparalleled magical might—a stitched-together monster of immense potential.
Merlin laughed heartily. "Child, you are a stitched-up monster! One well-chosen ability is often enough; combining so many might not even surpass a Dragon in true combat power."
Dana reverted to his normal form, scratching his head in embarrassment. Merlin's smile softened. "Child, you truly know nothing of your own power. Our bloodline's transformations perfectly simulate magical creatures' abilities. Have you noticed how creatures use magic more efficiently than humans?"
Dana recalled his early days on the Hebridean Islands, competing with Big Butt for the title of Black Dragon King. He had sensed it then, but never in such detail.
Merlin's eyes betrayed a hint of reluctance as he watched Dana contemplate. After a long pause, Dana leaped into the air. A sphere of magic formed in his hand, glowing with raw energy. He gently pushed it forward, and it shot across the fjord like a cannonball, detonating in a massive blast. A crater two hundred meters wide opened in the coastline, water sprayed into the sky, and the heat evaporated the seawater, creating a towering mushroom cloud.
Merlin's laughter echoed across the fjord. "Child, this is only the beginning. Your power, when combined with wisdom, will shape the fate of Britain itself."
Dana floated in mid-air, absorbing the enormity of what he had learned. He understood, now more than ever, that the true strength of a sorcerer was not just in magic, but in foresight, strategy, and the courage to wield such power responsibly.
The long months of training, the painstaking guidance of Merlin, and the careful nurturing of his abilities had transformed him from a promising descendant into a force capable of confronting threats that had haunted Britain for centuries.
Merlin's voice softened. "Child, remember this: power is meaningless without understanding. You must learn not only to fight, but to think, to anticipate, to become a living embodiment of wisdom and strength. Only then will you truly grasp the might of our bloodline."
Dana nodded, the weight of responsibility settling comfortably on his shoulders. He was ready.
And with that, the first true chapter of his destiny unfolded—the forging of a protector, a descendant of Avalon, and a master of powers older than any living being.
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