The throne room lit up in a brilliant explosion. I flattened myself to the ground, curling myself into a ball as the shockwave hit.

Wendy let out a squeak as she was thrown into the ceiling by the force of the blast. She descended slowly, still having the presence of mind to lighten her body. I rushed over and probed her with my mana for injuries. Though she was battered and disoriented, nothing stuck out as life-threatening.

“Not bad,” the voice of the shadow said. Its baritone voice sounded nothing at all like Merlin. “I don’t know if I’d call that a pass but at least you didn’t fail.”

I climbed to my feet, dusting myself off before reaching down to offer Wendy a hand. She coughed a few times before accepting the help. “I hope that’s all the fighting we have to do.”

“Me too,” I grunted, wondering what was going to happen next. A flash of blonde hair just behind the shadow behind the throne caught my attention.

If she wants to be an assassin, it will probably be a good idea to dye her hair.

Kalli cleared her throat, noticing my bad habit of getting distracted in life-or-death situations. Focus, Melvin.

I took her advice and addressed the shadow. “If we didn’t pass, what’s next?”

“Come closer,” the shadow beckoned. “Prove your worth.”

“What are you?” I asked before correcting myself. “Who are you?”

“I am what I am,” it replied. “I am a specter of the past, tied to an artifact. I know you are his son, but that doesn’t equate to worthiness. Step forth and be judged.”

“Are you Merlin’s shadow?” I asked, feeling like I was stepping into a trap when my legs started walking on their own. “Did you tell him I’m here?”

“I answer to no one,” the shadow replied, standing in front of the throne with its arms crossed. “I alone choose who is worthy to lay claim to the throne. The fate of the cosmos depends upon it.”

“Is the throne the artifact?” I asked, moving a little faster as I suddenly was in full agreement with my legs.

“The throne is the throne,” the shadow replied, bending down to stroke the arm of the chair. “That which lies within can take any form depending on its master. The current owner chooses to use it to lord over all. Is that also your intention?”

“I haven’t thought about it,” I admitted, wondering what I’d do with ultimate power.

“Give me your hand,” the shadow said, reaching out when I stopped in front of it. “Submit yourself.”

I wondered if I was making a major mistake but something told me I wouldn’t win in a fight. The moment I made contact with the shadow, I felt something invade my body. The shadow was inside of me. It swirled around my core and prodded it, testing for a reaction.

I vaguely sensed both Shara and Wendy as they made contact with the shadow. Whatever attacks they threw at it were nullified as they were sucked in the same way I was. Before I knew it, the three of us stood before the shadow like children standing meekly before their parents. The shadow said nothing as it carried out its test. Kalli said something in the background but it sounded very far away.

Then it was over. The shadow let go of my hand and said nothing. It ignored me as it continued whatever it was doing to Wendy and Shara. I reached out to grab the tentacles made of shadow that it had wrapped around both girls’ throats.

“Do not interfere!” It boomed, stopping me in my tracks. “No harm will come to your friends. Not unless they continue to be aggressive.”

I had a strange feeling that it would be pointless to attack. Perhaps I sensed its power or maybe it planted the thought in my head. I wondered why it allowed Merlin to control the artifact in the first place. Surely it was more powerful than him.

It released Shara first. “Unworthy. While you come from prestigious stock, you lack ambition.”

Then it let Wendy go. “It has been long since I encountered a Demi-God. Unfortunately, you are lacking as well.”

“What about me?” I whispered, wondering why the shadow didn’t say anything when it let me go. “Am I worthy?”

The shadow stared at me for a long time before replying. “I see something in you. You are much like your father. However, something is missing and I cannot allow you to attempt to claim the artifact as you currently are.”

“But there’s no time,” Wendy said. “Lavender can’t hold him off. He will be back and then it will be too late.”

“Alas, you are probably correct,” the shadow said, sitting on the throne again. “There is no shame in conceding defeat, though many argue otherwise.”

“No,” Lavender spoke in a firm voice that startled me. She emerged from a door that appeared several feet behind me and strode to my side. “Now is the time. I see now why I couldn’t see beyond this day. A Tuatha De Danann still exists. Ancient magic is at play here.”

“Welcome, Gwenddydd,” the shadow said, not at all surprised that a voluptuous woman just stepped out of a door-shaped portal. Then again, he was a shadow creature himself. Or a Tuatha thing Lavender said he was. “Do you wish to be tested?”

She shook her head. “You already know I’m not worthy. I need you to test Melvin again. He is the one. I have seen it.”

“The result will be the same,” the shadow droned, sounding bored. “You have the gift of sight. Surely, you have seen at least this much.”

Lavender flapped her arms, looking panicked for the first time since I’d known her. “That is not possible. You know what will happen if he fails. Surely there must be a-”

She stopped and rubbed her chin while turning to me. “Listen carefully, Melvin. All bets are off. You must do whatever it takes to claim the artifact. Do you have the ring with you?”

“Yes,” I replied, running my finger over the invisible artifact on my finger that Lavender had hidden. “It’s no use though. Only Mardella and a couple of princesses-”

She cut me off. “Now is the time to use it.”

I looked at the shadow. “Do you want me to…?”

Lavender cut me off again. “No! The Tuatha De Danann do not have souls as we do. They are guardians. You need to figure out how to become worthy while I buy you some more time.”

“Time?” I asked. “What do you mean?”

“He’s coming,” she gasped, sweat appearing on her brow. “Also, don’t blame your friend. She only betrayed you because I manipulated her.”

“Who betrayed me?” I asked, thoroughly confused.

I didn’t have a chance to figure out what she meant because Merlin chose that moment to appear. He looked like the wizard from the legend, decked out in a full wizard’s robe, with a hat to match. It wasn’t the blue one. He’d given that to me. This one was dark red and pinstriped. It was like someone did a marketing campaign to make Merlin 2.0.

Lightning arced across the room as Merlin gathered power into a multicolored ball. He glared at Lavender and shouted, “Gwen! I’ve gone to a great deal of trouble to flush you out over the years and you dare to appear here in my home! Do not expect any mercy from me. Not this time!”

“Dear brother,” Lavender replied, producing a gnarled staff and pointing it at Merlin. “I prayed this day would never come.”

“Nonsense!” Merlin screamed. “You were always jealous of me. Of what I have become.”

“You let your infatuation warp you,” Lavender said, roots growing from the staff and into the ground. “Surely you can see that she now fears you.”

“Leave Vivien out of this,” Merlin snarled, launching his attack from the wand he refused to let me touch. Half fire and half water, a ball of plasma shot toward us.

The only thing that stood between me and sure death was Lavender. Roots shot up through the concrete floor of the throne room and intercepted Merlin’s attack. They ripped through the floor in an instant where a flash of light signified Merlin’s attack had exploded. I wondered vaguely if any of the tower maidens on the floor below us were injured. There was no time to think about that though. Lavender was buying me time and I needed to spend it wisely.

“What does this blood thing do?” I asked, taking out the cylinder that Shara made.

Shara shrugged. “It’s a bio key. Lavender said you will need it to form the connection.”

I held the cylinder up to the shadow that was looking intently at me while ignoring the battle raging around us. “Does this change anything?”

It reached out and touched it. “This means nothing to me.”

I looked back and forth between Wendy and Shara. “Do you think I should drink it or something?”

Wendy shrugged and Shara shook her head. “No. That wouldn’t do anything. That’s made out of the refined mana in your blood.”

What was missing? I suddenly realized what was missing.

Kalli! Where are you?

I don’t know if there was distortion from the shadow or if I’d somehow tuned her out but I vaguely recalled Kalli saying something and then going quiet. When she didn’t reply, I focused on her. She had her eyes squeezed shut and was focusing really hard. Then she vanished. It was only for a brief moment and part of me knew where she was.

Then she appeared in front of me breathing heavily. Memories of her getting the hang of the void crashed into me as she came back to me in an instant. Now, you could probably write a book about the proper way to greet your lover in a war zone but I can tell you from experience, none of that matters when you see your girlfriend for the first time in months. Kalli threw her arms around me and we embraced, holding each other so tight that it almost hurt.

I don’t care if we’re trapped here, she said, a fierce look of determination on her face. I am not going to let you die.

I wasn’t worried about getting off of Origin either. The die was cast the moment Lavender set foot on the planet. If Merlin was going to blow up the universe, he had to be stopped. Beyond that, the only thing that mattered was that we were together, and Origin was as good a place as any for that.

“You are now complete,” the shade said softly. Nothing of us noticed the shadow as it approached and touched us. “The two of you together are worthy to claim the artifact. Do you wish to proceed? I must warn you that rejection equals death.”