EMRYS LAID STILL ON the stone table in the dark, dank cave looking up towards the ceiling. A sense of excitement, relief, and peace filled him as he slowly let out a breath to calm his racing heart. Finally, after all these years, he was going to be free of Merlin once and for all. No more skipping days at a time, no more feeling trapped in the mind space, and no more losing control of his body.

A sudden flash of light burst through the domed chamber as the torches on the nearby walls burned brighter, and Emrys jerked his head up. Darius stumbled in bloodied and bruised. He cowardly glanced behind him towards the doorway before stepping up to the side of the table.

Seconds later, Morgana strolled in with a smile. "It's time, Emrys. Are you ready?"

Emrys returned the smile and said as he laid his head back down against the stone, "I've waited a very long time to be rid of Merlin."

"And that time has finally come." Morgana's eyes shifted towards Darius. "Let's begin."

Darius glared at Morgana. "You do realize you're messing with prophecy?" He spoke to her as if she was stupid. "Not even a High Priestess should mess with what has already been set in stone."

"I'm not messing with anything," Morgana corrected. "It all depends on what prophecy you tell as a bed time story." She took slow steps forward. "You follow the prophecy of a young warlock overcoming his enemy to save a young prince, whereas, I follow the prophecy of a powerful warlock rising up against the greatest enemy that magic has ever seen and succeeds." She shrugged. "Such a shame that those two very different people just so happen to be trapped in the same body."

"Listen to me," Darius pleaded in what looked to be his last resort. "You don't know the kind of power you're dealing with."

"And apparently you don't know the kind of power you're dealing with," she fired back. She balled her hands into fists. "Get rid of Merlin! Or so help me you'll never see your daughter again."

Darius let out a heavy sigh through his nose, his shoulders sagging. "It's a long process. It'll take time."

"You have two hours," Emrys interrupted before Morgana could say another word. "We don't have long before the battle begins." He lowered his gaze searching for Morgana. When he found her, he said, "With the battle going on, no one will see me sneak in to see him." He gazed at her more intently. "We will win." He whipped his head back to Darius. "Get on with it!"

"Two hours isn't enough time," Darius tried explaining.

Before he could say another word, Emrys flung his hand to the side. A burst of magic left his body, and Darius flew backwards whamming his back against the stone wall. As Darius slid to the ground, Emrys said, "Two hours is all you get."

"You better hope you succeed or your daughter dies," Morgana finished before twirling around and marching out of the chamber.

Darius clambered to his feet and cradled his right arm as he leaned against the wall. He grimaced as he pushed off against the stone and trudged his way back to Emrys. Glaring down at the warlock, Darius spat, "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you. Rushing this process will have direr consequences."

Darius lowered his injured arm and clicked on a set of shackles around Emrys's wrists and ankles that were bolted to the stone table. Emrys narrowed his eyes as he tried pulling his arm free. "What are these for?"

Standing at Emrys's feet, Darius slowly turned his eyes upward. "So the agonizing pain you're about to experience won't send me across the chamber again." He held a hand out, palm facing downward, and started chanting a long incantation.

Emrys watched with glee as his heart pounded. Pain or no pain, he didn't care. It would all be worth it in the end. Finally he would be free and Merlin would be gone.

As Darius said the final word, a sudden burst of fire erupted throughout Emrys's blood. He gritted his teeth, balled his hands, and arched his back as the pain rippled through his entire body. It continued to grow stronger until he felt the very rip as something peeling away from his bones. An intense burn flooded every inch of him and he could no longer keep his voice locked away. He screamed at the top of his lungs and felt his magic soar through his body. His eyes held the familiar feel as they glowed, and the fire coursing through his bones burned hotter. So hot that when it reached his brain, he felt his mind melt away.

***

THE WORLD WAS DARK and silent. The only thing he could make out was a loud ringing along with a muffled voice. His head throbbed as he tried lifting his heavy eyelids, and found nothing but a blurred world. As his eyes zoomed in and out of focus, he found a middle-aged man frantically messing with something around his feet. The man's mouth was moving, but he couldn't make out any words. Only a soft sound from his rough voice.

He squinted trying to get his eyes to focus, and the ringing died down. "You have to go!" the man whispered in a hurry. "She could be here any second."

"Who?" He felt his mouth open, but was unsure if anything was actually said.

The man ceased his work and stared into his eyes with fear. "Morgana of course!" He quickly finished his job and a loud metal sound echoed throughout the chamber as the older man pulled something apart. "You have to go."

Lowering his head onto the hard surface, he looked to the ceiling trying to remember the recent events.

"Merlin!" He jerked his head towards the older man. "You have to get out of her before she finds out what I've done."

Merlin slowly rolled himself upward, the older man placing a hand behind his back to assist him. He again squinted as memories of what had taken place arose to the forefront of his mind. His eyes widened and he looked up at Darius. "Emrys. He's—"

"Trapped," Darius interrupted. "I placed him somewhere deep in your mind. Somewhere that'll take him days to crawl out of. Four to be exact. Sooner if he's smart enough to learn how to surpass your brain waves."

"What do you want me to do?" Merlin asked as he hopped off the stone table.

Darius grabbed him around his triceps. "I want you to run. Some place Morgana can't find you. There, you must figure out how to overcome Emrys."

"Overcome him?" Merlin shook his head. "But what if I can't? What if I'm too weak?"

"He has no more power than you do," Darius explained. "It's how far you're willing to stretch your magic. Emrys had no reason to hold back, but you ..." He paused. "You do, but you mustn't let anything stand in your way anymore."

"But I don't know how to—"

"Go!" Darius shouted, shoving him towards the opened entrance. "And remember, the more you fall asleep, the easier it will be for Emrys to escape."

Merlin quickly took off towards the entrance but turned around last second. "Wait, but what about you? Your daughter?"

Darius stood tall and bold. "If we must die to see Albion's reign then it'll be an honor." Merlin stared at him, his mouth dipped into a frown. "Go!"

Without another word, Merlin took off down the caves tunnel using Emrys's memories to guide his way out; he must have dodged dozens of Morgana's soldiers while searching for the exit. Glancing frantically from left to right, Merlin sprinted his way through the tunnels. He panted as his heart pounded against his ribcage, both from the sprint and from the fear of being caught.

Relief filled him and a quick smile flashed across his face as the exit to the cave came into view. Slowing his pace, he let out a breath through his nose to calm his rapid pulse. There must have been four to five guards up ahead blocking his escape. The fear of being captured by Morgana again sent him into a panic sweat. He had suffered too much by her hand.

He stood tall, putting on a smug smile as he pretended to be Emrys. He didn't know much about his darker half, but enough memory returned over the past day to help him figure out how Emrys had controlled Merlin's body to walk a certain way and express a certain emotion. With any luck, if he played his part well enough, he wouldn't be stopped by any of the guards.

Taking bold steps, he strolled his way towards the exit but unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side. Two of Morgana's soldiers stepped in front of Merlin blocking his path, their hands resting on the knob of their swords. "Where do you think you're going?" one of them asked.

Merlin swallowed, but spoke bravely. "Back to Camelot," he replied. A memory of what Emrys and Morgana had been discussing unexpectedly popped into his head, though, he couldn't quite recall every detail of the mission. "I have business there to do as Merlin." He paused. "To get us ready for the attack."

The two soldiers exchanged puzzled glances. "We were told that no one leaves," the other man began.

The guard that had spoke up previously gripped the hilt of his sword and narrowed his eyes. "Especially you," he finished for his partner. "Something about trying to fix your head."

Merlin lowered his gaze trying to think of something clever to say. "Well ... it's fixed now," he said rather slowly as he returned eye contact. He felt like smacking his forehead. That was the dumbest thing he could've said. He could've guessed Emrys wouldn't have responded with such an answer.

Both men chuckled. "Right." Merlin turned his head to stare at the man on the right. "We're going to need you to come with us."

They both advanced towards him when Merlin felt a sudden rush of anger and he knew immediately what Emrys would do. "Do you dare question my authority?" The men ceased walking. Merlin balled his hands into fists. "Last I checked, Morgana and I were your commanders, and you lazy muck were just here to follow orders." He stomped a foot forward, and both men coward away. "Now, get out of my way and let me do my job before you experience what it's like to disobey your superiors." He let just enough magic go to feel the tingling in his eyes as they glowed gold. "You've heard about what I did to that Druid girl, no doubt." He paused and smiled. "Imagine what I do to those who defy me."

The man on the left, with his hand around his hilt, quickly let it go and slammed his arm across the other mans chest. "We're sorry. We were just following Morgana's orders."

"And now you'll follow mine," Merlin said with a firm nod of his head.

They both nodded and the man on the right twisted around and shouted to his fellow guards, "Let him pass!"

Allowing his magic to die down and the tingling and his eyes to vanish, he confidently marched through the exit and the surrounding guards. Once outside, he felt the heavy rush of wind through his hair and tunic, and the trees danced wildly in the night. He had made it. He didn't know how, thinking that surely they would've seen right through his act.

Suddenly, a loud scream echoed throughout the cave. He flung himself around, recognizing the cry as Morgana's, when another manly shout came shortly after. He shriveled up as a name rang out; his name long and drawn out. "Merlin!"

Instantly, the soldiers on guard withdrew their weapons and charged him. Summoning a burst of magic, he thrust both his hands out and all the soldiers went flying back. Some landing on the rocky dirt and others whamming against the mossy cave walls. When no-one got up, Merlin quickly twisted around and took off through the forest with one destination in mind. Ealdor.