"Have you thought of your last words?" Anno strode up to Merlin and looked down at him, cracking his knuckles.
"Um, well..." A bead of cold sweat trickled down Merlin's temple. Anno was now just a tiny bit taller than him (Merlin was 178 centimeters, while Anno was now 181).
"Anno, could you calm down first?" Merlin gripped his staff and edged backward.
"Calm down?" Anno sneered. "You left me in this godforsaken place for so long and didn't even tell me how to get out. Calm down my ass. Stand still. I'll go easy on you."
Looking at Anno's savage grin, bloodstained armor, and bulging muscles, Merlin swallowed and hurriedly changed the subject. "Wait, wait! I didn't come here this time so you could beat me up. I need to ask you for a favor!"
"Ask me for a favor?" Anno slapped the tree trunk beside Merlin, making the whole tree shudder. "Spit it out. Then I can get to work."
Merlin breathed a sigh of relief. At least Anno was willing to hear him out. "King Uther wants to go after the Saxons to the north. He asked me, his court mage, to see if I could find some help. You were the first person I thought of. Just think—if you go to war, your place as a knight will be secure."
"So you do still remember that you wanted me to become a knight." Anno smiled kindly, then clenched his hand and tore off a chunk of bark.
Merlin continued explaining. "Just look at how strong you are now. You're sure to distinguish yourself on the battlefield. Besides, the Age of the Gods is about to end, and the world will belong to humans. These nonhuman races might as well make themselves useful before they disappear, right?"
Anno's gaze turned strangely quizzical. "Aren't you a nonhuman too? Why are you siding with humans?"
"Well, I just happen to like humans," Merlin said with an awkward smile.
He was half human and half incubus, so he did count as nonhuman.
Anno shook himself and headed straight off into the distance.
Merlin sighed in relief, glad to have finally escaped danger.
Anno pulled his sword out of the ground, brushed the dirt off it, and glanced at Merlin. "Let me clean up, then we'll go." He decided to wash his armor in the stream. He probably wouldn't be able to get it completely clean, but they were about to enter human society, so he ought to look presentable.
"Sure thing." Merlin put on his usual half-smile, stood up, and brushed off nonexistent dust before accompanying Anno toward the water.
When they reached the water's edge, Anno took off his armor, revealing a lean, muscular body. Muscles like his would have made women scream, but Anno wasn't happy about them at all. He had earned nearly every fiber through bloody battles.
He borrowed a thin cord from Merlin and tied back the long hair he had grown over the past year or so. For some reason, Anno couldn't bring himself to cut it.
Anno had nothing he needed to take with him, so he simply left with Merlin.
Before returning to human society, Anno asked Merlin to take him back to the Holy Lake. He offered the water a simple word of thanks.
And so began the story of the White Knight of Britain.
Before you continue