"Cambion Bloodline Research Notes," Dana said softly.
"Of course," Anna replied with a faint smile, tucking the parchment into Dana's hand. "As an Emrys, you would know about these notes."
"Keep them safe. No matter what happens, at least one relic of our Emrys family will be preserved."
"But this Chamber of Secrets is very secure," Dana said. "Others might never find it."
Anna shook her head. "That's not certain. I once believed the Fidelius Charm and the Emrys Residence's wards were unbreakable, but today they were nearly breached."
Dana nodded, slipping the notes carefully away.
"That puts my mind at ease," Anna murmured, though her eyes betrayed her worry. "The Emrys Residence has been discovered. I'm preparing to leave with you in the next two days. I just don't know where we can hide."
"Why leave?" Dana asked. "Morgan won't be able to rise again for three years."
"I can't take that risk," Anna said quietly. "You're still young, Dana. If something like today happens again, I may not be able to protect you…"
Dana was about to protest that he was hardly a helpless child, but Anna cut him off gently. "You're powerful, yes, but you can't watch over me every moment. If you really want to help, then help me hide my tracks when I leave, so no one can find me. With your mastery of magic, I'm sure you can manage that."
Dana didn't answer. Instead, he drew a small ring from the pendant around his neck — a ring that shimmered faintly with ancient power.
It was the ring into which Merlin's soul had finally transformed — a key that could connect to Avalon. Dana possessed two such rings: one forged from Merlin's own soul, and another found among Anna's remains.
"This is a relic left by our ancestor Merlin," Dana said solemnly. "It connects to Avalon. Take it. If anything happens, you can use it to take refuge there. That way, you won't have to run."
Anna's eyes widened. "Our family… has something like this? No, I can't keep such a precious relic."
"Keep it," Dana insisted. "For your safety — and mine. With the protection of the Emrys Residence and a retreat to Avalon, nowhere will be safer than here… except perhaps Hogwarts."
After a moment, Anna accepted the ring, nodding. "Alright then."
In Dana's memories, there had indeed been an "uncle" living across the street — a man who often visited their home, shared meals with them, and treated Anna with familiar warmth. For a long time, the younger Dana had even thought this man might become his stepfather.
Now, though, he finally understood. There was no man named Strange in this world. The thought that Doctor Strange could have crossed into the world of Harry Potter was something even the wildest web novelist would never have written.
Though he hadn't reunited with his mother in this timeline, Dana felt a quiet happiness. Watching his younger self grow each day, witnessing his own childhood through new eyes — it was a strange, almost tender experience.
And so, he learned that Morgan's words were not always to be trusted.
Since the large-scale attack on Livingston Town, the Avar Coven still sent agents from time to time — breaking in, sneaking through wards, desperate to seize the tapestry. But each time, Dana dealt with them swiftly and decisively.
How long could one guard against thieves forever? Dana finally decided to take the initiative. As long as he killed enough of them, they would no longer dare provoke him. Yet he had no intention of wiping the Coven out completely — nor could he, even if he wished to. After all, by 1994, Professor Babu Ling was still working under the Coven's name.
Using the fragments of information he extracted from the souls of the invading witches, Dana traced the Coven's network — one stronghold after another — until, over the course of several years, he silenced the Avar Coven completely.
Only later did he realize he had wronged Morgan.
The Avar Coven's pursuit of the tapestry, it turned out, had nothing to do with her.
From the intelligence he gathered, Dana learned that after the assault on Livingston Town, Morgan had personally ordered a halt to all actions concerning Merlin's Secret Treasure — and then vanished without a trace.
The Coven's continued efforts were the work of rogue leaders within various branches, greedy for the "eternal heart" said to rest within Merlin's treasure. They acted for their own ambitions, not on Morgan's command.
The eternal heart — an artifact even the legendary witch who had once imprisoned Merlin himself desired — must truly exist. To possess it would grant unthinkable power, whether for their own use or to win Morgan's favor.
Morgan, however, had likely guessed the truth — that the eternal heart had already been absorbed by Dana himself.
For a while, peace returned. But tranquility never lasts long for an Emrys.
One noon, after lunch, young Dana climbed onto the bay window for his afternoon nap as he often did. The sunlight was warm and golden, bathing him in comfort. Days like this — bright and gentle — were rare in Livingston Town.
Then, without warning, the light shattered into chaos.
A deafening explosion burst from the heart of the Emrys Residence, centered on young Dana. Half the house collapsed in an instant.
When Dana — the elder — arrived, he found his younger self lying unconscious amid the rubble. Anna had been thrown against the wall by the shockwave, pinned beneath a beam, gasping for breath.
Dana rushed to her side, lifting the debris away. He healed her wounds, repaired the house with a flick of his wand, and set the boy gently on his bed.
He felt no panic. He knew history could not be changed — that, at least at this moment, neither he nor his mother would die. But Anna did not share his calm.
Tears streamed down her face as she looked at her unconscious son. "What can we do?" she whispered, voice trembling. "The stronger an Emrys's magic, the worse the backlash when the bloodline awakens. Will Dana survive this?"
"He'll be fine," the elder Dana said quietly. "At worst… we can use Divination."
From that day on, young Dana's body grew frail. His magic raged uncontrollably beneath his skin, leaving him weak, feverish, and in constant pain. It continued like this until the day he tried to run away — only to turn back, unable to leave his mother behind.
(As described in Chapter 93.)
To save him, Anna cast a powerful Divination spell — rewriting fate itself. By doing so, she diverted the backlash of his bloodline awakening and snatched her son's life back from death.
From across the street, on the second floor of an old townhouse, the elder Dana watched the golden light flare through the windows of the Emrys Residence. He knew what was coming. Soon, he would have to witness his mother's death all over again.
And yet he wondered: Can history truly never be changed?
The next morning, Anna came to his door, her face pale as moonlight.
"Dak," she said urgently, using the name he had given her, "help me. I used Divination, but Dana still hasn't woken up!"
The elder Dana followed her into the house. The boy lay unconscious on the bed, his small body covered in a sheen of sweat. Blue veins bulged across his arms, pulsing with something more than blood — raw, destructive magic coursed through him, tearing his body apart from within.
Dana's expression hardened. "This magic… it's consuming him."
Anna clasped her hands together, her lips trembling. "What should we do?"
He could see it clearly — the magic running wild inside the child's body, burning him alive from the inside. The cause was obvious. Anna's Merlin bloodline was too thin; the Divination she had cast wasn't strong enough to fully reverse her son's fate.
If this continued, young Dana would die — not from the awakening itself, but from the uncontrollable magic that his body couldn't contain.
Anna fell to her knees beside the bed. "Please, Dak… there must be something we can do!"
Dana clenched his fists. For the first time in years, uncertainty gripped him. He was powerful, yes — perhaps even more powerful than Merlin himself by now — but how could he intervene in a timeline that had already been written?
He looked down at his younger self, the fragile boy who would one day become him. The paradox twisted painfully in his mind. To save the child might mean breaking the laws that held this reality together.
But if history cannot be changed, he thought bitterly, then why was I allowed to return at all?
Anna wept silently beside him, her tears falling onto the boy's motionless hand. "He's all I have left," she whispered.
For a long moment, the only sound in the room was the child's ragged breathing.
Then Dana exhaled slowly. "There might be one way," he said at last. "But if I use it, the price will be… heavy."
Anna raised her head, eyes wide and desperate. "I don't care what it costs!"
Dana hesitated. He had once sworn never to use the forbidden spell — a technique that tampered not only with magic, but with the very threads of existence. It had nearly destroyed Merlin himself.
And yet, faced with his mother's tears and the sight of his dying self, Dana knew there was no other choice.
He took Anna's trembling hands in his. "Then let me bear the cost," he said softly. "You've already given enough."
Anna stared at him, confused. "Dak… what are you—"
But before she could finish, light began to rise from Dana's palms — a gentle, golden radiance that filled the room with warmth. The symbols of the Emrys bloodline glowed faintly on his skin, pulsing in rhythm with the boy's faltering heartbeat.
"Merlin's blood does not end here," Dana whispered. "Not while I still draw breath."
The light surged brighter, enveloping the child completely. The air vibrated with raw magic, the kind that bends destiny itself. The furniture trembled, the walls cracked, and the room filled with a low, resonant hum — the sound of time resisting his will.
Anna shielded her face, tears streaming freely. "Dana! Stop! You'll—"
Her voice was drowned in the storm of light.
And then — silence.
When the glow finally faded, young Dana's breathing had steadied. The veins beneath his skin dimmed, the violent surge of magic subsiding into stillness.
Anna looked at her son in disbelief, then at Dana. "You… you saved him…"
Dana smiled faintly, though his face was pale. "It wasn't me," he murmured. "It was destiny correcting itself."
He turned toward the window, sunlight spilling across his face. Somewhere beyond that light lay Avalon, and perhaps, the answer to all his questions — about fate, blood, and the price of changing what should not be changed.
But for now, there was peace.
And for the Emrys line, that was enough.
End of Chapter 153
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