Merlin's instincts screamed at him.
His body reacted before his brain did, throwing him backward just as Morgana's sword whistled past where his torso had been.
'Holy shit, she's fast..'
His boots skidded across the grass as he barely regained his footing.
"Oh?" Morgana mused, tapping a finger against her chin. "You actually dodged that one. Almost impressive."
Merlin barely had a second to glare at her before she disappeared again.
His instincts flared—
Pain exploded in his chest.
Her sword was inside him.
Merlin gasped, suddenly alive again.
He immediately clutched his chest. No wound. No blood. No sword sticking through his ribs.
But the pain had been real. The sensation of dying had been real.
He slowly lifted his head.
Morgana was standing there, tapping her foot, a lazy smirk on her lips.
"Lesson three," she continued, as if nothing had happened. "Expect the unexpected."
Merlin clenched his jaw.
"You—" He took a deep breath. "You're actually a sadistic psychopath aren't you...?
"That wasn't a compliment.'
Morgana twirled her sword. "C'mon, we're just getting started."
Merlin's eyes twitched.
'She's enjoying this. She's definitely enjoying this way too fucking much.''
"…You're not going to stop until I land a hit, are you?"
Morgana smiled. "Now you're getting it."
Merlin exhaled sharply, his fingers tightening around the handle of his rapier. His body still trembled from the phantom sensation of Morgana's blade piercing through him.
'Alright. Calm down. It's fine. I'm fine. It's just… extreme training. With an absolute lunatic.'
He took a slow step back, eyes never leaving Morgana as she lazily spun her sword between her fingers. The wind tugged at her long, tied-up hair, and her smirk was as infuriating as ever.
"Go on, then," she said, tapping the blade against her shoulder. "Hit me."
Merlin swallowed. Hard.
'She says it so casually, like she hasn't already killed me twice in under five minutes.'
But fine. If this was the game she wanted to play, he'd play.
His fingers flicked ever so slightly. A small, near-invisible rune marked the ground beneath his feet.
Morgana's eyes seemed to flicker for a moment as she smirked.
'There is no way she can see that righ…?Right?''
No use hesitating now.
With a sharp inhale, Merlin darted forward, rapier poised to strike. The blade shimmered with a thin layer of wind magic, amplifying its speed as he thrust toward Morgana's shoulder—
Only for her to vanish the instant his sword reached her.
His instincts flared again, warning him just in time.
Merlin immediately teleported back to his mark.
A gust of wind slammed into the space he had just occupied, Morgana's sword slicing cleanly through the air.
'She's fast. Too fast. And her movement doesn't make sense. It's like she's predicting me before I even move.'
"Smart," Morgana said, straightening. "Some kind of teleportation skill, I'm assuming."
Merlin gritted his teeth. "Glad to see I've earned the basic right to live."
Morgana let out a chuckle. "For now."
And then she was gone again.
Merlin barely twisted out of the way as her sword whooshed past his ribs. A shallow cut opened along his side.
"Better," Morgana hummed, her sword lazily resting on her shoulder. "But you're hesitating."
"Of course I'm hesitating!" Merlin snapped, wincing as he pressed a hand against the cut.
"I'm fighting a lunatic who literally just killed me!"
Merlin stared at her. 'She's right…why am I even hesitant still?'
Morgana tilted her head. "You should fight back properly now."
If she wanted him to actually fight, then he'd actually fight.
He tightened his grip on his rapier. The wind around him began to swirl, kicking up dust and loose grass.
'Speed. I need speed. She's faster than me, but I can close the gap if I push my affinity hard enough.'
Morgana's eyes gleamed as she felt the shift in the air. "Now this is more like it."
Merlin didn't respond.
Instead, he vanished.
For a split second, he was right in front of her, rapier already mid-thrust.
Morgana's sword barely managed to parry the strike, sparks flying as metal met metal.
Then Merlin was gone again.
He reappeared behind her, his blade slashing toward her back—
Only for Morgana to twist midair, somehow redirecting her momentum to block him again.
'What the fuck did I expect, of course she's moving like a fucking squirrel..'
"Not bad," she admitted, her sword grinding against his rapier. "But it feels like you're still holding back."
Merlin's eyes narrowed.
She thought he was holding back?
A sudden gust of wind exploded beneath his feet, launching him backward—
At the same time, a sphere of compressed water materialized right in front of Morgana's face.
Then the sphere exploded.
Water blasted in all directions, drenching Morgana from head to toe.
Merlin landed a few feet away, panting slightly.
Morgana slowly turned to face him, water dripping from her now-soaked hoodie.
"…You drenched me? Aren't you just such a naughty boy?"
Merlin's grin trembled at Morgana's words as her clothes were completely drenched. 'I'm fucked aren't I?'
Morgana was silent for a moment.
Merlin frowned. "What's so funny?"
Morgana wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh, nothing. I just really like playing with naughty boys."
'This doesn't seem good'
Merlin thought as he activated his skill whilst she raised a hand—
And snapped her fingers.
The entire field around them shifted.
Merlin felt the fabric of space distort as he was dragged through the domain's magic.
His surroundings blurred.
Merlin plummeted, panic flooding his mind.
He reached out and activated Courier's Mark to teleport back.
His body instantly snapped back to his mark on the ground—
Only for Morgana's sword to be waiting for him.
Merlin gasped, alive again.
He groaned, clutching his head. "I hate this training."
Morgana grinned down at him. "You love this training."
"I hate this training," he repeated, glaring.
Morgana rolled her eyes. "Look, you're improving."
"I just died. Again."
"And yet, you keep getting back up. See? That's progress."
Merlin let out a strangled groan.
Then, after a long moment of silence, he exhaled slowly and pushed himself to his feet.
Morgana quirked an eyebrow. "Hm?"
"One hit," Merlin repeated, eyes hardening. "That's all I need. Just one."
Morgana's smirk widened. "Oh? Finally getting competitive?"
Merlin tightened his grip on his rapier. "If I land one hit on you, you stop killing me."
Morgana chuckled. "Deal."
The wind around Merlin intensified.
Water swirled around his rapier.
The air hummed with energy as he focused everything into his next move.
Morgana tilted her head, intrigued. "Well then—"
She raised her sword.