When I woke up, the morning light was faint, and the sky had just dawned.

The splendor of night under the sky has just faded, and dawn is rising. A faint gray pale lay on the distant horizon, like a traveler who had just woken up from sleep, quietly opened his eyes, and soon it was another cycle of rising and sinking.

On the windowsill, an emaciated figure sat quietly. Night and day blended into his light gray eyes, reflecting a trace of coldness and solemnity that had never been revealed in front of people.

"Merlin."

So softly called. West Xavier moved his stiff fingers to brace himself, but he accidentally touched the wound on his shoulder, and his eyelashes trembled slightly from the pain.

"If I were you, I wouldn't be messing around with my injured shoulder right now."

His gaze still wandered over every inch of the gray void. Merlin turned his head from the window and said so lightly, but the fourth aunt didn't plan to reach out to help the young man on the bed who didn't seem to be very comfortable moving:

"Although the wound healed quickly and Gaius gave you a potion that was effective enough, you lost too much blood...... If you don't want to feel uncomfortable anymore, I'd better lie down honestly. ”

“……”

Of course, he knew that the mage was telling the truth—in fact, even Merlin would not know better than he did. West opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to refute, so he could only sigh silently, and kept 'watching' his slightly cold back in silence.

"Merlin."

An unbearable silence filled the air for a long time. Under the curtain of brighter and brighter skylight, the young man suddenly called out, but when the mage turned his head, he lowered his eyes, unwilling to let him meet his empty and dilated pupils:

"You're mad at me, Merlin."

This sentence should clearly be a question, but it is twisted into a statement by the broken ending, and the person who asks is obviously acquiescing. West's eyes flashed in the shadows, remembering some possibility, and his expression was thoughtful:

"Is it because I used my abilities outside the palace that Arthur already knew about it?"

“……”

The black-haired mage jerked his head up, a flash of deep disbelief on his face, but it was quickly buried by a deeper and stronger powerlessness. His brow furrowed without warning, his expression was somewhere between anger and sorrow, like a stone thrown into the water, and after stirring up the ripples on the surface, only the weight of the fall remained.

- How could he think that I would take the concealment of Arthur more than his life?

――Mingming...... I'm ......

Thinking like this, a small pain began to rise in my chest. Merlin looked at West for a long, long time, until the boy had begun to curl his fingers restlessly on the sheets, and then he finally sighed softly, as if he had given up something, and got up and sat down beside his cohabitant.

"The man who wounded you was the high priest of the druid, who had turned into an animal and fled long before the king and the knights arrived...... I only said that you were attacked by a wizard, and they didn't know anything else. ”

It seems to have turned back into the gentle and reliable Merlin. He gently grabbed West's shoulder, which was already trembling slightly from weakness, and let him lean on himself, and a bitter smile of self-deprecation couldn't help but appear on the corner of his mouth:

"Nothing is more important than your life, Serena Williams. So...... So, at no time, under any circumstances, don't think 'I can't protect myself with my ability because that will hurt Merlin'......"

Otherwise, if this happens again, he will definitely be completely driven crazy.

The warm temperature of the human body is transmitted through the thin clothes, which is quite a stark contrast to the slight coolness after the blood loss on his body. Sensing the hidden pain in the mage's chest tone, West closed his eyes slightly, was silent for a long time, and finally only nodded.

"You must not lie to me, and do not hide anything dangerous from me."

Pull the quilt up for him, down to their jaws. Merlin sighed, looking at the young man's messy hair under the tip of his nose, the melancholy under his light gray eyes still did not dissipate:

"Mojana is probably eyeing you now, and even in Camelot, there is no guarantee of safety at all times...... After all, it's not as good as before, and even if you don't care about it, think about it for me and Gaius's hearts, huh? ”

"I know. But that's why I have to do something. Pursing the corners of his mouth, West sighed silently, "Since there is no guarantee of safety in Camelot, then I can no longer rely on others for protection...... Merlin, I must reclaim my power. ”

And it's not just so that people in this time can be away from the mercy of fate. In this world where he will eventually go back, he still has things to do and revenge to take revenge.

Ever since he became known as the Hermit, West Xavier has no standing to stop.

“…… So, do you have to go to that dangerous elven country? ”

Frowning in disapproval, Merlin glanced at the young man's somewhat confused expression, and almost squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "Avalon, Ukiyo Forest...... Isn't that what you read out of your druid's consciousness and want me to help you remember? ”

"Whenever there's the slightest possibility, I'll have to see it."

Nodding, of course, you can know from the history books of later generations that it is the holy place where King Arthur was finally rested. West touched his bandaged shoulder and replied softly.

"Even if I sue you there's danger? Do you insist on doing the same? ”

"That's right."

"Then I can't convince you to give up this dangerous idea?"

"I can't."

“…… I see."

was dumbfounded by the stubbornness of the teenager. The black-haired mage's expression distorted slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. Although he didn't want West to go to the lake where the dead rested, and even for a moment, he considered the urge to lock him in his home with magic. But he also knew that as long as it was something that West was determined to do, he never had the ability or position to stop it...... As long as the young man opened his mouth, even if he didn't use his psychic ability, he couldn't refuse him anything.

"I'm going to be with you."

Lightly pressed the boy's suddenly raised head. Merlin sighed silently, his light gray eyes seemed to be filled with the glow gradually rising outside the window, obviously so bright and gentle, but when he spoke, a trace of irreversible toughness unexpectedly appeared:

"That's my bottom line. If you insist on going, then I will definitely follow you. ”

This is the only way to feel at ease, the only way to stop the anxiety and self-blame in my heart. I don't want to lose Arthur, but I'm just as afraid to lose you...... Such a desperate and painful search, four months of depression and irrevocable chagrin, only once in this life is enough.

So—

"I won't allow you to refuse, West. Nothing at all. ”

In any case, I must watch you by my side.

……

In Celtic mythology, there has always been a saying of "the other". It is inhabited by gods, elves and fairies, as well as ugly and terrifying giants and monsters, and is a paradise for souls before they are reincarnated. They are usually located in sacred lakes, islands, forests, and mountains, and are a temporary residence for souls before they are reincarnated. Some of these places are resplendent like paradise, while others are eerie and oppressive like hell.

Obviously, the Ukiyo-e Forest of Avalon does not belong to either of the two.

According to Gaius, it was the outer part of Avalon, born by the divine power of the goddess of the forest, Artio, and was the place where the druids' ancestors once lived and prayed. Many, many years ago, when magic was just beginning to flourish in Britain, the Ukiyo-e Forest was once known as the "Holy Land of Magicians", a sacred realm that all practitioners have spent their lives seeing, but at the same time, countless wizards have died here. The purity of the gods and the resentment of the undead haunt the forest for many years, and if you are not careful, you may be lost in it and never return to the earth. Over time, even the most powerful mages were silent, reluctant to mention this place again.

Ukiyo is an ideal township, and it is also a Shura road. It has stood in the world for thousands of years, rejecting visits from ordinary people with enchantments and guarding the secrets of magic; But for the wizards who also visit with a reverent heart, the truth is that the forest is not necessarily friendly to them.

The proof of this was that as they approached the edge of the forest, Merlin began to feel as if his magic was being suppressed by something.

"Nameless Dao Monument, this should be the entrance that Gaius said."

He dismounted and took a closer look at the mossy stele hidden in the depths of the grass. The black-haired mage frowned slightly, and a cluster of flames suddenly rose from his palm, but it was like a young shoot that had just broken through the ground, so slender that it seemed to break at the touch of it.

But with the magic power he had infused, it would have been enough to burn down a house if he had been in Camelot.

"What's wrong, Merlin?"

Stepping onto the ground covered with withered yellow leaves, and keenly aware of the scorching heat wafting in the air, West turned his head in confusion.

“…… It's nothing. ”

Put away the magic, and don't want to add any more worries to the boy. Merlin straightened up and replied. Anyway, it's just a bit of effort, and it's not that it can't be used, and when it's time to add a little more magic - if West thinks the forest is too dangerous for a magician, he doesn't brainwash himself and wait outside.

But he still seemed to underestimate the young man's acuity. Pursing his lips and glancing at Merlin without a word, West flicked the strange black stud earring in his right ear, and took the initiative to pull up the corner of the mage's clothes, like children who were afraid of getting lost in the night, only in this way could they move forward with peace of mind.

"If the magic continues to weaken, be sure to sue me, and we'll quit immediately."

If the chance to heal is lost, he will find it again, but if Merlin is hurt by this, he will probably regret it for the rest of his life.

- And his life was too long for him to gamble.

In the forest, the wind from ancient times howled by, spreading countless green trees and seas. The transparent and complex barrier stood quietly in front of them, as if a wordless invitation, in this land that had been untouched for many years, I don't know if it was the illusion that the environment was too ethereal, West always seemed to feel that something in the depths of the forest was calling to him.

Calling for the 'hermit' who can break free from the wheel of fate.

"Let's go."

Pulled the sleeve of the mage's coat, but in the next second, someone grabbed his left hand. West turned his head in surprise, but he couldn't see the smile on the mage's lips, so he was pulled forward together.

Although he is a mutant who is very beyond his knowledge, since he met Merlin and witnessed the existence of magic, he often feels that this world is really unrealistic, and it is impossible to understand it with common sense.

So, as he walked past the Nameless Monument and approached the Ukiyo Forest, West thought he was ready to face any situation, including Avalon's direct rejection of him as a magician.

I kept walking and stepped on the soft soil as if it had just rained. The crisp sound of piercing the barrier spread through the air like ripples, and little by little, the light and shadow were blurred, and the darkness was dispersed.

Stale light pours down from the lush canopy, leaving mottled silhouettes on the branches. Countless glowing white catkins flutter among the windless thousands of acres of trees, and occasionally there will be beautiful spirit beasts that can never be seen in the outside world gliding silently over the fallen leaves, and flowers bloom everywhere they go, attracting countless black butterflies to flutter

His eyes widened, and the pupils reflected in the wisps of light that had been refracted into colorful light, and West froze in place.

- I...... Can you see it?

I closed my eyes and opened them again, but the scenery in front of me was still vividly imprinted in my pupils, like an illusion that was too wonderful. He covered his right eye in disbelief, as if the moment he stepped into the forest, all the wounds in this body had healed, and even the fatigue of the loss of mental strength disappeared without a trace, and the energy was as if he had returned to the peak of his strength all of a sudden.

What's going on? Magic?

"Merlin ......"

Subconsciously I want to ask for the opinion of a professional. West turned his head, and the pale wisteria flowers of one tree after another drooped from the orange-yellow light, dazzling people's eyes, but there was no black-haired boy who he thought he had been standing by his side.

He didn't even know when their hands would be released.

- Merlin is gone.