Once and future

Mission

One year later...

Merlin stalked through the woods followed quietly by Percival, Leon, and Sir Gareth. His eyes flashed gold as his magic took his conscious mind through the woods to a fire surrounded by 10 bandits. He signaled with his fingers for the three knights to follow him forward. They drew near the camp and Merlin signaled for the other three men to surround the camp. They may have been outnumbered, but they out skilled these bandits ten fold. Using his magic Merlin sent out a pulse to the other members of his team. In unison the three knights charged out into the open with their swords drawn. Merlin watched from the shadows as Leon and Percival worked in Unison to dispatch three bandits at once. Sir Gareth, a slightly newer knight, dueled one of the bandits for a solid 45 seconds before finally disarming him and kicking him to the ground. Merlin watched the battle unfold for a few minutes before all of the men were down. Leon approached what looked to be the bandit leader. He was wearing the newest armor out of the group and carried a shiny new sword. Likely bought with the money he got from exploiting innocent people. Percival held his sword up to the bandit leader's chest. "Who sent you?" Leon asked. "None of your business," the bandit spat. "Oh really," Leon said kneeling down, "you are trespassing on Camelot lands. You have been terrorizing the people of this land and pillaging everything you pass. You are clearly not acting alone so tell me, who sent you". Merlin felt a sudden tingling in his fingers. Like he knew something bad was about to happen. He felt everything slow down as he watched one of the downed bandits raise an axe and chuck it at Leon's back. "Leon!" Merlin shouted. He felt power shoot from his hands into the axe shoving it aside. Before he knew it the axe was on the ground and the bandit lord had shoved a knife into Leon's stomach. "No!" Merlin screamed. He sprinted out of the trees pulsing with power. "Leon! Please be okay. Please be okay," Merlin cried. The older man was gasping for breath and as Merlin tried to save him Leon closed his eyes in defeat. "No!" A pulse of energy a rage that made Merlin's vision go red. He screamed in agony with as much power and ferocity as he could muster. He felt power surge from his body and slam into everything around him. When he opened his eyes he gasped. Not only were every single one of the bandits around them dead but Sir Gareth sat slumped by a tree with blood dripping from a brutal head wound. Percival sat clutching his stomach by the small stream nearby gasping for breath. And Leon had his eyes wide open looking at Merlin with horror. "Y-You're alive," Merlin stuttered. "Of course I am Merlin. The druids healed me with the cup of life it makes me nearly invulnerable. I had simply passed out," Leon explained. "Oh," The cold hand of shame surrounded his heart, "I am so sorry..." "It's okay Merlin. You just lost control that's all," Percival said finally standing from his stupor at the stream. "Sir Gareth though-" "Merlin. It's okay I promise. Gareth is alive. You did well. You were only trying to protect us," Percival said. Merlin really wanted to believe them, but somehow he felt as though his being around only made things worse. He had just lost control and unleashed his full power on his friends. The people who had supported him and taken him in after Arthur's death. Merlin wanted to believe that this was the purpose of his magic now. That he could really help people. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he needed to keep his magic inside like he always had. The true purpose for his magic was gone. So now his power had become nothing but a burden. "Merlin are you alright?" Leon asked quietly. "I'm fine," Merlin lied, "Let's go back to Camelot".