{Yn POV}

The battle was in full force.

Gumm-Gumms and knights fighting.

Gumm-Gumms and knights falling.

I used my staff now in the form of a sword as I battled the dark creatures.

Gumm-Gumm after Gumm-Gumm fell by my hand.

In the heat of battle, I couldn't see where Douxie was

I could only trust he was safe.

As the battle raged on I couldn't help but wonder

Would my past self help Morgana in this war?

I wasn't able to dwell on the thought for long as I hear a shout

I look over to see Douxie surrounded

I quickly rushed over and helped him

"Need a hand?" I say smugly as I defeat a Gumm-Gumm who had been about to strike Douxie

"I won't say no," He replies, continuing to shoot spells at the creatures

I refocused and continued to fight the stone beasts.

As each Gumm-Gumm fell, another simply took its place

Douxie and I went back to back as we circled around, fighting off each and every Gumm-Gumm that came our way.

"Duck" He shouts and I quickly do as he shoots a blast at a Gumm-Gumm that had tried to sneak into my blindspot

"Thanks, Doux," I say breathlessly

"Course Love," He replies, flashing me a smile

I smile back at him but we quickly refocus on the Gumm-Gumms

I could hear the crashing sounds of the battle surrounding us. The faint yells of Jim, Claire, Steve, and the others breaking through every so often

A cold feeling creeps across my body and I lose focus

A Gumm-Gumm tries to take advantage of my distraction, but Archie flies in, blasting him away

"She's here," I say, looking at Douxie

His eyes widen and just as the words leave my lips, a portal opens above us in the sky.

"Night has already fallen," Morgana says as she lowers herself to the ground

"Elemen-zath!" She shouts, a wave of magic spreading across the battlefield, knocking some of the nights to the ground

I strike down a few more Gumm-Gumms before turning to face her

She catches my eye and I can see a smile from under her helmet

My blood runs cold under her gaze

I feel someone place a hand on mine

I didn't notice how hard I had been gripping my staff now in the form of a bow until I felt his hand

I look over and Douxie gives me a nod, silently telling me it was time.

I nod back and lift the bow, aiming an arrow towards Morgana who was distracted shooting at the knights

I release the arrow and it flies through the air, a F/C trial following it

Just as the arrow was about to hit its target, a Gumm-Gumm jumps up and the arrow lodges itself in his head, instantly disintegrating him into a pile of dust

Morgana looks over in surprise before she laughs aloud

"You cannot stop me," She says to us before flying off into the woods and away from the battle.

Douxie and I run after her and we end up running into Jim and Claire

"Morgana's returned! She's enemy number one!" Douxie shouts to them

"Go! We'll hold the bridge!" Jim shouts back, blocking a Gumm-Gumm's sword with his own as he ushers us away

"Hisirdoux, yn, with me!" Merlin says, waving us towards the woods where Morgana had flown to, Archie following closely behind

We ran into a stone clearing and stood back to back, Archie flying in the air, Douxie with his bracelet qued up, merlin with his staff at the ready, and me with my staff in the form of a pair of daggers

The cold feeling I had intensified as we spun around, looking for the witch

"I feel dark magic," Douxie says aloud

"It means she's close," Merlin replies

Suddenly Archie lets out a gasp as Morgana's voice echos through the woods around us

"An old man, a foolish boy, and a backstabbing apprentice; lost as always. Do you dare run... or face my vengeance?" She says taunting us as she appears before us on a stone head

I scowl at her as I tense my arms, ready to strike

"Um, is there a third option?" Archie asks

Unbeknownst to us, hands made of a tree stretched toward us while our focus was on Morgana

I feel them slither up as they grab me by the neck, choking me

I drop my blades as I struggle to release their grip

They gripped Douxie and kept him still as he shouts my name

We then hear a grunt as they grab Merlin and yank him to the ground

One of the branches forms a spike and strikes him through the chest, causing him to collapse in pain

"Hisirdoux, yn, run!" Merlin shouts to us as we continue to struggle

My vision starts to blacken, but my anger causes me to release some magic, breaking their hold on me

Douxie and Merlin use their own magic to release the branches' grip on them

I let out a shout as I focus on Morgana, Douxie rushing over to Merlin

I summon my daggers back to my hand and throw them at her

She dodges them as they fly back to my hand

I go to throw them again but she lets out a cackle and flies away quickly before I can

I make a move to give chase but a groan grabs my attention

I snap my head back to see Douxie supporting Merlin

I rush over and grab Merlin's other arm, supporting him as well

"Merlin! You're injured!" Douxie tells him worriedly

"Badly," I add with a grim tone

He lightly pushes us away as he stretches, standing on his own

I stand close in case he were to collapse

"Hisirdoux, yn, if I should fall this day..." he says, pulling a scroll from his armor and handing it to Douxie

"'Heart of Avalon'?" Archie reads from over Douxie's shoulder

"'Building a tomb'? Why are you giving me this?" He asks Merlin with fear in his eyes

"You don't really think-" I say, reading over the scroll before shifting my gaze to Merlin

"Foreseeing the future means preparing for the worst of it, including your wounded friend," Merlin says to the two of us

"Jim?" Douxie asks

"What about him?" I say with hesitation

"The corruption in his heart has no cure. When he returns to the future, it will overtake him," Merlin tells us grimly

I let out a quiet gasp as dread fills me

"No! No, there must be some other way. I made a promise to them, to Claire, to get them home alive, all of them!" Douxie says, not accepting what Merlin told us

"Yet, to save time itself, you all must return home, even if it means James Lake will be no more," Merlin says regretfully

Douxie lets out a sigh and I hang my head. We then help Merlin as we continue on our trek after Morgana

"Such is the burden of a wizard-- to make the hard choices mortals cannot. Now it is yours to bear," Merlin tells us as we reach a cave

Douxie and I share a sorrowful gaze before Merlin grunts in pain, grabbing our attention.

We head into the cave and Merlin walks ahead, jumping down onto a hanging cage

In front of us, a glowing mechanical head was stuck in the cave wall

Douxie stepped slightly in front of me and put his arm out as if to keep me safe as we looked around for the witch to appear

"Morgana, reveal thyself!" Merlin shouts into the quiet

After a few moments, a familiar cold feeling returns as a portal opens on the other side of the cave

"Look what has wandered into my web," Morgana says evily

"These are dark powers you meddle with, Morgana. Who granted them? Who resurrected you from death?" Merlin shouts to her angrily

"Wizards beyond your ken. You three aren't going anywhere. I have a king to slay," She says as she opens another portal beside her

My face grows grim and I tense as my past self exits the portal

"Time travel, quite the predicament huh young yn," Morgana says, looking at me

I glare back at her, refusing to say a word

Morgana just laughs at my silence before turning to past me

"Keep them busy, I have something I must finish,"

Past me nods and blocks Morgana as she steps into the portal and disappears

"Now, time to have some fun," Past me says with a smile on her face

She whips her hand quickly and the cage Merlin had been standing on is pulled from beneath him

I quickly use a levitation spell to grab him and bring him onto the ledge with Douxie and me before he falls to his death

"Yn, why are you doing this?" Merlin asks my past self quietly

"Because you were never my family. You never helped me or kept me safe. I ran away from my life and got stuck with a worse one because of you. Morgana was there for me. She helped me. She is my only family and you always fight for and protect, your family," She shoots a blast at us again and Douxie goes to block it but I quickly summon my sword and knock the blast out of the way

The dust clears and I glare up at my past self

"You two go after Morgana, I will take care of her," I say

"No, I won't leave you," Douxie says firmly

I look over to Merlin who was holding his chest in pain

Another blast came our way and I quickly put a forcefield up to talk to him without dying

"Doux, I'm the only one who can stop her. I know what she's thinking, what she's feeling. Please, just trust me,"

Douxie is about to argue again but Merlin puts a hand on his shoulder

Another shot hits the forcefield and the rock beneath us begins to crack

"Hisirdoux, we must stop Morgana before its too late," He tells him

Another blast followed directly by another hits the forcefield in secession.

Chunks of the rock beneath us began to crumble and fall into the chasm below

Douxie shifts his gaze from Merlin to me before sighing out in defeat

"Fine, but if anything happens to you," He says helping Merlin to stand

"I'll be fine. Now go, save the world"

He nods and runs deeper into the cave with Merlin.

I let out a sigh and turn my attention to my past self

I lower the barrier as a blast comes toward me

I jump out of the way, my moment mixed with the explosion causing me to slam into a wall

I groan as I pick myself up just as past yn jumps in front of me

"Traitor!" She screams, punching me square in the nose

My head snaps back, but I was able to stay standing

I turn my head back to her and stare for a moment before uppercutting her in the jaw

She stumbles backward, holding her jaw before facing me once more

"Why! Why are you fighting against her! She took me in when Merlin ridiculed me. She helped me when Douxie was too busy being an errand boy. She taught me how to control my powers. HOW COULD YOU BETRAY HER LIKE THIS! I WOULD NEVER!" Past me rants, her power building up

I look at myself with pitty

If Morgana hadn't betrayed me I might've ended up just like this

I wouldn't have been close with Douxie

I may have ended up with the same fate as Morgana, forced to live as a puppet for the order

"She betrayed me. She manipulated me- you- us," I say trying to figure out the wording

Past me just screams again, swinging her now powered up fist at me

At the last second, I form my staff into a shield, blocking the blast

Light fills the cave and I turn my head to avoid the blinding brightness

The light intensifies and I feel myself being launched backward.

The light fades and I feel as though I'm falling

Falling

Past cages and cliffs

If I didn't do something I would slam onto the ground and die instantly

Leaving Douxie and Merlin to fend for themselves

I wasn't about to let that happen

I close my eyes, trying to focus my breathing

I swore to myself I would never use it again

But in this case, I had no choice

I let out a breath and focus

Just before my back makes contact with the ground, I cast a shadow portal beneath me and land in front of my past self who had been launched into a wall from the blast 

She groans out and I walk over, looking down at her slumped body on the floor

"When Merlin first took us in we thought we would be taught to control our magic. Instead, we were put to work cleaning and organizing with Douxie. Morgana helped us to control and master our powers. She taught us what we wanted to know. She's the reason Merlin finally took an interest in our potential," I say to my past self

"I know that you idiot, so why are you doing this, why are you fighting to kill her," She forces out through gritted teeth, raising her head to meet my eyes

"Because you think she was doing it out of kindness, but I know she was doing it for her own gain. She was manipulating me so I would become her puppet, she turned me into her loyal little subject, willing to do anything for her and only her" I say

Past me glares back

"liar, Liar, LIAR," She shouts before delivering a punch to the ground, causing the rock to crumble and both of us to fall

She grabs onto a swinging cage, saving herself. I shadow portal onto the same cage just as she pulls herself up

We stand on opposing sides, ready for battle

"Morgana didn't tell me you knew shadow magic," Past me says bitterly

"Well Morgana didn't tell you a lot," I say oddly calm

I was facing myself and potentially Morgana. But at this moment. I just felt calm

"You liar, Morgana tells me everything, I am her apprentice," Past me shouts, charging a magic blast before punching down at the cage causing it to shatter

She summons a portal as do I and we both land on another rock ledge

"So she told you about your true potential, she told you about her true powers, she told you about her plan," I list off, naming small things Morgana had always kept from me

"Of course she did," Past me growls, summoning a magic sword and jumping at me

I summon my staff sword and black her attack, keeping her in place

I use my other hand to blast her with magic, sending her skidding toward the edge

She stops right before going over, causing a few small rocks to fall by her feet

"She told you about the sacrifice?" I ask

Past me suddenly stills as she looks at me

"Sacrifice?" She says quietly, but I heard her

"The sacrifice necessary to reach her full magic potential," I clarify

"She-she wouldn't do that. She's not like that," Past me says, getting into a fighting stance once more

But I can tell I had shaken her

"Did anyone close to you or her go missing?" I ask, taking the opportunity to break down past me's defenses, "Perhaps a villager, a maid, another apprentice,"

At the mention of a different apprentice past me goes pale, but she shakes her head as if chasing away the thoughts

"No, her last apprentice was killed by trolls. You are trying to trick me, you bastard," Past me shouts angrier than before

She shoots toward me so quickly I don't have time to defend myself and she knocks me back into a wall

I groan out as I slam into the wall and slide down to the ground

I steady myself and raise my sword once more

"Why would I lie to myself, it already happened to me once, and it will happen again," I say coldly before launching my own attack

I race at her and she prepares but at the last second I portal behind her and knock her forward into the same wall I was just slammed into

She slides to the ground and whips around to face me once more.

She freezes as her eyes land on the F/C image before her

I had cast a spell to show her my memories from that day

I keep an eye on her as she slowly lowers her weapon, focusing as the image begins to speak aloud

[Flashback]

Morgana and Yn are racing through the woods a couple of days before the first war to try and stop Arthur from hurting the trolls.

"What if we can't stop him?" I ask, fear lacing my voice as we race through the trees

"Don't you worry young one, with the magic I taught you and your natural talent for magic, we will put a stop to Arthur's reign," She tells me with a gentle voice as she looks over at me

I meet her eyes and nod as I see the warmth in them

"Alright, I trust you," I say before turning my attention back ahead

Morgana leads us to a small area of the woods and we stop at an open area in the trees.

I look around at the stone ruins surrounding us, but I don't see Arthur anywhere.

"Morgana I don't see-"

I turn around towards where I thought Morgana was only to see no one

Fear crept up my spine as I spun around quickly

"Morgana?" I say fear evident in my voice

Suddenly I am grabbed by shadows and lifted into the air

I let out a scream as I struggle

I try to fight back with my own magic but the shadows restraining me seem to be blocking it.

"Don't fight it Yn," I hear a soft voice call

I look up and my blood runs cold as I see Morgana floating before me, the shadows restraining me extending from her own arms

"Morgana, what are you doing?" I whisper as the shadows tighten their grip, though the fight was long gone from my body

"I'm sorry my dear, but sacrifices must be made. I need to be at full power if I want to save them all. I can't let him win." She says to me and I can see tears in her eyes as gold begins to trail up the shadows, leading to me

I watch as the shadows holding me are encased in gold and I let out a piercing scream of pain as I feel as though my body is being ripped apart slowly

I feel myself growing weaker and I watch as the gold light surrounding Morgana grew brighter

After what felt like forever, the gold retreats back to Morgana, and the shadows slowly lower me to the ground

I couldn't move my eyes to even look at her as I stare off into the trees, my head in a daze from the pain

I hear footsteps walk up and a gentle hand brushs the hair from my face before walking away into the woods

I just lay there silently before I hear a familiar shout

In my dazed view, I see Magnus running up towards me

"I found her!" He shouts, pain and fear evident in his voice

"YN!" I hear through the trees. Douxie then runs up to me, tears in his eyes

I let out a small whimper in pain as he lifts my head and places it on his lap

"Yn, can you hear me? Please, say something,"

I can't respond as my brain is fried and my body too weak to even offer a twitch

Everything slowly starts to fade to black as I hear Douxie still shouting my name

But before everything goes completely dark I hear two words being softly carried by the wind to my ears

"I'm sorry"

[Present]

Past me sinks to her knees and just stares into space as the image disperses

"She took almost all of my magic. Everything I had developed she took for her own to try and help her to win the war. I was nothing but a pawn,"

"No," Past me says quietly, her sword slipping from her hand, the magic dispersing

I walk towards her and tower over her

"She almost killed me. If Douxie hadn't gotten to me when he did, I would have died. Merlin helped me regain my magic. The two of them were there for me. They helped me to see the truth,"

"No, please," Past me says weakly, tears pouring from her face

"Morgana was using you. She isn't your family, she never was, and she never will-"

Past me suddenly screams out in pain "NO," as a powerful blast echos through the cave, throwing me back and slamming me into a wall on the opposite