Merlin's Legacy

"You've come." A voice whispered in his ear. It was a handsome middle-aged man, who seemed like a phantom, extremely unreal.

He was tall and thin, looking somewhat frail, and his appearance was somewhat similar to the Merlin Memory that appeared during Merlin's Trial, but he looked older than the Memory at that time.

"Who are you?" Although he already had some guesses in his mind, Skylar still wanted to hear him confirm it himself.

"I am the one you are looking for," the phantom replied.

"You are Merlin himself?" Skylar frowned. "Are you still alive?"

The illusory image before him was clearly produced by Mahoutokoro that Skylar was unfamiliar with. This magic reminded him of magic paintings, but it was far more advanced in technique. Although magic paintings could be preserved for thousands of years, they could be destroyed, moved, or even hidden. This method, which stored the memory in Chamber of Secrets and could only be activated by special means, did not have these problems.

Moreover, Skylar had not forgotten that during Merlin's Trial, this phantom, which called itself a memory entity, was capable of casting spells and possessed considerable strength, far surpassing any magical painting.

"If the Merlin you're referring to is the male wizard with a physical body, then he is naturally dead," Merlin said, his gaze fixed on Skylar's eyes. "Strictly speaking, I am Merlin's memory, but I am also Merlin himself. Years ago, I used some special magic to leave a memory in this Chamber of Secrets. How much time has passed since then?"

"It's been almost a thousand years," Skylar said.

Merlin paused upon hearing this. The usually calm and wise man remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, "A thousand years..."

Merlin scrutinized Skylar for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad aptitude. A faint Chaos Power has already awakened within your bloodline, and your spiritual power is also astonishing. Your body is brimming with vitality. It seems you've had quite a few fortuitous encounters, kid!"

Skylar nodded modestly, but said nothing.

Merlin waved his hand dismissively. "Since fate has chosen you to come before me, you are now Merlin successor. This may be a good thing for you, but it may also be a bad thing. You should be prepared." Before Skylar could ask any questions, Merlin turned and walked towards a small wooden door. "Come with me. I will pass on all my legacy to you."

Skylar followed Merlin behind the wooden door into a very small, secret Chamber of Secrets. A stone wall came into view, upon which hung three items: a worn, brown magic book with no title on the cover; an antique-looking ring with a dull, black wooden band; and a staff about the length of a forearm, its shaft engraved with Ancient Runes, the tip resembling a horizontal grip with a deep purple bead inlaid on it.

"These three magical artifacts have been with me in battle for many years. They were the most powerful magical artifacts a thousand years ago. Now they are all yours. Take them..." The voice was not loud, but it was extremely tempting to Skylar's ears.

In an instant, a multitude of thoughts flooded his mind, including the urgent need to increase his strength and the desire for powerful magic.

His mind was a complete blank, yet his hand involuntarily reached for the magic book that radiated such irresistible allure. Merlin watched his actions indifferently, his face expressionless.

Just as his hand was about to touch the cover, Skylar suddenly felt magic uncontrollably surge into his mind. A sharp pain shot through his brow, and he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His hand recoiled involuntarily, and he lost his balance, falling heavily to the ground. When he looked up again, his eyes were filled with intense wariness, and his wand reappeared in his hand. "Are you really Merlin?"

Merlin's eyes flickered, but instead of answering his question, he asked, "Why do you ask that?"

Skylar, panting heavily, got up and took two steps back.

Had it not been for that sudden, sharp pain, he would have already picked up the magic book. In that instant, only one thought crossed his mind: something was definitely amiss. He didn't believe his willpower was so weak that he could be so easily manipulated.

"I don't believe in free lunches." Skylar sneered, his previous respect gone.

Merlin's lips curled into a smile as he slowly said, "I didn't lie to you; they are indeed extremely powerful magical artifacts. I simply amplified your emotions slightly."

Skylar pursed his lips, gaining a deeper understanding of Merlin's strength.

This so-called memory can cast spells. It's exactly the same as the humanoid phantom in the final Merlin's Trial.

It's one thing to be able to cast spells, but for a memory entity that's lived for a thousand years to be able to Wandless Magic to this extent, one can only imagine how terrifying he was a thousand years ago.

Merlin smiled. "Don't forget, I was once a Slytherin student too. Like you, I was ambitious and yearned for great power..."

Then, he said solemnly, "However, the significance of these three magical artifacts is not something everyone can bear. I must warn you beforehand—to inherit my magical artifacts, you must have the corresponding awareness, because by inheriting them, you will inevitably be involved with, and even burdened with, a destiny from a thousand years ago... Now make your decision!"

A destiny from a thousand years ago... A thousand years ago, it was the Dark Ages, the era of the Four Founders... an age overrun by incredibly powerful black wizards and dark creatures...

Indeed, Skylar is a qualified Slytherin. He is full of desire and ambition, but he will not lose his mind because of it. He will assess the situation and protect himself wisely. It would be a lie to say that he is not envious of these three obviously extraordinary magical artifacts, but he already has enough troubles and does not want to attract any more.

"I give up!" There was no hesitation in Skylar's eyes.

Merlin nodded approvingly, a satisfied expression appearing on his face for the first time. He then said, "It's just a pity that I was lying to you this time; you had no other choice."

Before Skylar could understand what these words meant, he opened his eyes wide and watched as the three magical artifacts rose into the air and Accio towards his arms.

Merlin's smile slowly faded, and he said, "If you hadn't resisted my temptation, I wouldn't have given them to you; if you had chosen to accept, I still wouldn't have given them to you."

"You have the initial qualifications to master them, and you know how to protect yourself and avoid putting yourself in danger, which is good." Merlin gazed into the distance with a melancholy look, and sighed, "Besides, I don't have much time left to wait. I have existed for a thousand years, and I have finally waited for you. The magic that has dissipated over the past thousand years is no longer enough for me to sustain myself. I know you have many questions in your heart, so let me now unravel them all for you!"

After saying that, Merlin's phantom transformed into a beam of colorful light and flew into Skylar's mind. Skylar felt dizzy and a large section of memories that did not belong to him was added to his mind.

It was a truly spectacular war scene.

Behind Merlin, who was dressed in a white robe, stood countless human wizards and knights, each warrior radiating astonishing magical energy.

Leading the group opposite was a stunningly beautiful witch, dressed in a tight-fitting black robe that accentuated her graceful figure. A pure black rose adorned her head. Behind her stood countless skeleton warriors, three-headed, six-armed snake-men, and lava Troll covered in green flames...

The moment the two sides clashed, Skylar, as an observer of a memory, could still feel the earth shaking.

Merlin raised his staff and chanted an ancient incantation. A magic book floated in mid-air, automatically turning to a certain page without any wind. From the book shot out clusters of white fireballs filled with holy aura, which slammed into the enemy camp. Each enormous white fireball burned at least ten skeletons to ashes.

Without the aid of any flying device, the beautiful witch soared into the air, letting out a sharp, long howl, and suddenly transformed into a gigantic, tyrannical Dark Magic Dragon!

Skylar immediately knew who she was. She was Morgan Le Fay, Merlin's greatest nemesis!

Morgan le Fay is the only known Animagus in history capable of transforming into Magical Creatures — Dark Magic Dragon. According to Professor McGonagall's words in class, the Animagus's iron rule is that they can only transform into ordinary, common creatures, such as cats, dogs, birds, and mice; transforming into Magical Creatures would bring unknown calamities. Even someone as powerful as Dumbledore resolutely abandoned the Animagus magic because his Patronus was Phoenix.

Merlin shouted, "Morgan, you have broken the taboo—transforming into a dragon! Your soul will be corrupted, cursed, and never to be destroyed!"

After Morgan transformed into a dragon, she could no longer speak, but she could understand Merlin's words. With a long roar, she flew rapidly towards Merlin, the strong winds she created throwing a whole row of human warriors off balance and disrupting their formation. As she approached Merlin, she opened her mouth and spewed out a ball of violent and fierce Black Fire, the flames constantly flickering with an aura of curse. This was a cursed flame, extremely terrifying.

Merlin rubbed the ring on his hand, Skylar, who was watching nearby, suddenly remembered the ring's name— the Guardian Ring. Suddenly, a seven-colored palace phantom appeared around Merlin, enveloping him. Black flames crashed against the palace, sizzling, but could not break through. Merlin pointed at the spellbook floating in mid-air and shouted, " To Return to Oblivion!"

Without any wind, the magic book automatically flipped to a page in the latter half, projecting a very complex magic circle from the page. As soon as the magic circle appeared, a deep black hole appeared in the sky above the battlefield. The black hole emitted an extremely strong suction force, strong enough to distort space visibly. The entire battlefield was affected, and both sides immediately stopped fighting and began a tactical retreat.

Morgan, now transformed into a dragon, let out a defiant roar, her wings struggling against the magic circle's pull. She knew this magic circle was an extremely powerful sealing spell, capable of sealing her away. However, its weakness was its extreme consumption of magic power. Even with Merlin's cultivation, he couldn't hold out for long. She only needed to hold out until Merlin's magic power was exhausted, and victory would be within her grasp.

Sure enough, just a few minutes later, Merlin's face turned pale, and he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood, staining his white robes a frightening crimson. Merlin raised his staff and shouted, "Wand of Destiny, lend me your power!"

The dull bead on the staff suddenly emitted a crimson light, and Merlin's magic power increased at an astonishing rate. As far as Skylar knew, this was not a true increase in magic power, but rather Merlin using himself as a vessel to borrow the magic power stored in the staff. Doing so was extremely risky; if he was not careful, his body could very well be burst apart by the external magic power.

Sure enough, five seconds passed. Merlin's hand began to turn black, and a putrid smell spread from his palm holding the staff up his arm, causing the muscles and skin to rot wherever it went.

After Merlin borrowed the power of the staff, the magic circle once again proved its power. Morgan couldn't resist the suction force from the magic circle and did something no one would have expected!

Morgan, in his dragon form, let out a painful cry. His entire body burst into a strange, dark green flame, and his Dragon Hide cracked inch by inch under the scorching heat of the green flames. While the massive dragon was resisting the magic circle, a tiny Black Dragon burst out of the dragon's body and flew away as a black streak of light.

What a brilliant escape!

This memory ends here. Although the final outcome of the war is unknown, the astute Skylar could easily deduce several things:

First, the magic book is a magical artifact, not just a book. It contains ancient magic spells, and the spells within can be cast by using specific incantations.

Secondly, the ring is called the Guardian Ring; simply rubbing the surface of the ring will create a palace-like protective barrier.

Third, the staff is called the Wand of Destiny. The beads on it have a function similar to the Elder Wand, which can temporarily amplify one's magic power, but it is not as stable as the Elder Wand and poses a considerable risk to the user.

Fourth, Merlin's so-called cause and effect from a thousand years ago refers to the still-living Morgan le Fay. In this brief memory, Skylar clearly heard Merlin's words: Morgan had cultivated a forbidden domain within the Animagus, transforming into a dark Magical Creatures. He also knew the consequences of doing so: his soul would be cursed, preventing him from truly perishing or dying. In other words, Morgan le Fay is very likely still alive in the present world...

This is indeed a huge problem!

Voldemort alone has plunged the Britain Wizarding World into chaos and bloodshed, let alone Morgan, a witch from the Middle Ages, whose ancient magic is likely even more terrifying.

I just don't know if Morgan le Fay has any connection to the Shadow of the Magic Dragon.

Skylar strongly suspected that there was a connection between the two.

The name "Shadow of the Magic Dragon" is such a perfect match for Morgan le Fay's abilities that it's almost too much of a coincidence. Furthermore, this organization kidnapped Meredith, and Skylar knew that the Shafiq Family was actually descended from Morgan le Fay.

The purpose behind the Shadow of the Magic Dragon's abduction of Meredith is likely closely related to the still-alive Morgan le Fay.

In this memory, Morgan le Fay, though not dead, was likely severely weakened, which explains why he seems to have vanished from history, with no further mention of Morgan in later historical records.

Perhaps she was forced into a long slumber to recover from her severe injuries, and her soul may indeed be immortal, but her physical body could not withstand it for thousands of years.

A terrible thought popped into Skylar's mind.

Morgan le Fay needs a physical body!

Skylar then recalled the scene of Trelawney's Divination.

Now that I think about it, one of the two coffins on the altar was for Morgan le Fay, and the other was probably for Meredith!

Skylar remembered that the coffin was engraved with soul magic.

Oh no!

Skylar's forehead broke out in a fine layer of cold sweat, and his hands and feet instantly turned icy cold.

Morgan le Fay wanted to rebuild her body, and the simplest way was to find a body that resonated with her soul and possess it.

A descendant of the Shafiq Family, who shares the same bloodline as her, would undoubtedly be a good choice.

He was wrong before. The Shadow of the Magic Dragon kidnapped Meredith not to seize her bloodline power, but to make her a vessel for Morgan le Fay's resurrection!

[Book of Merlin obtained!]

[Guardian Ring Obtained!]

[The Wand of Destiny has been obtained!]