Excalibur

"It's time Hunapo," the man said to the boy as he drew his sword. The boy pleaded, but reluctantly drew his sword. Their swords clashed and the man was overwhelmingly stronger. The man stabbed the boy in the stomach, and the boy fell. The man went to slice the boy's head off.

...

I woke up panicking and breathing heavily. I sat up and found myself in a large bed in a fancy room. At my bedside, sat a boy with short, black hair. He wore black and golden robes and looked very young.

He walked up to me, put his hand on mine, and said, "You're okay now."

Then we made eye contact. His eyes are golden like mine. For a brief moment, both of our eyes glowed and I froze.

"...Hunapo?" I said, without even realizing it.

"Who's that?" the boy asked, confused.

Wait... who is that? What did I just say?

"I'm not sure... I apologize..." I said awkwardly.

"How do you feel?"

"I feel... normal. My body is healed. How is this possible? Where am I? What happened?" I said as I tried to remember how I ended up here. The last thing I remember was... the Gods... wait... MJÖLNIR, DESTINY, FAITH! Zeus struck us all down and then I was banished from heaven. What happened to them? ATHENA! What happened to her?

"I saw you fall out of the sky, and when you landed you made a loud noise: BOOM! I ran over to you and carried you over here. Your body was badly burned and almost all of your bones were broken. Merlin can really work wonders," the boy said cheerfully.

"Merlin? Who is Merlin? Who are you? Am I... on Earth?" I asked anxiously. I had so many questions racing through my head.

"Yes, you are on Earth. Where else would you be, silly? Before I answer your questions, I must ask you: how did you end up falling through the sky?"

"It's a long story... "

Before we could continue this conversation, a woman walked into the room. She had long, purple hair and was beautiful. She seemed sophisticated and intelligent.

"I see our guest has awakened. Did you greet her properly, Arthur?" the lady asked the boy, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms.

He rubbed his head, "Maybe not so properly..."

"I'll deal with you later," she sighed and then turned towards me. "For now, let's make sure our guest is comfortable. How do you feel?"

"I feel okay... but how is this possible? Were you the one who healed me?" I asked eagerly, searching for answers. Is this Merlin?

"Correct, I was the one who healed you, Excalibur. My name is Merlin," she said as she bowed gracefully. She knows who I am?

"How do you know my name?" I asked, suspiciously raising an eyebrow.

"You are Excalibur, the Heavenly Sword of Athena. We watched the meeting with the Gods play out through her eyes. We know what happened and that's how you ended up here. We serve Lady Athena, who sent you our way," Merlin replied.

Arthur grinned cheerfully, "Yup! We know everything."

"Then why did you ask me how I ended up falling through the sky?" I asked him,

"Just testing you," he grinned. I couldn't help but let out a little laugh. This boy seems so... familiar...

"Excalibur, do you realize what you have done? You have declared war on the Gods," Merlin asked me seriously.

"Yes... that I did... whoops..." I chuckled sheepishly, rubbing my head. Arthur burst out laughing. Merlin shot him an icy cold glare and he immediately stopped. I giggled some more.

"This is a grave situation. Not only did you vow to fight for humanity, but you vowed to find a mortal powerful enough to defeat the Gods?" Merlin asked with slight condescension as if wondering how stupid I was. Oh boy... I actually did.

"Yes... I did do that. What happened to Athena and my siblings? You guys saw everything through Athena's eyes right?"

Merlin said, "Unfortunately, we didn't see what transpired after your banishment, since that's when Lady Athena stopped communicating with us."

"Communicating?" I asked curiously.

"Lady Athena can communicate telepathically with those she shares her powers with. She also blessed me with her power. That's how I was able to heal you," Merlin explained. That explains it. Only a God's power could heal an attack from a God. Athena chose to share power with a human. Still... she doesn't seem like an ordinary mortal, although I've never met any mortal face to face until now.

"When did Athena bless you? Do you know everything about the Gods?"

"Lady Athena came down to Earth herself a few centuries ago... She blessed me with immortality, wisdom, and her healing magic," Merlin replied.

"That's quite amazing! You're no ordinary human, aren't you Merlin?" I asked eager to see what she could do.

"Don't worry about me... Arthur's the special one," She chuckled, then turned to Arthur. "Arthur, it's time."

He grinned confidently and looked at me, "Follow me."

I got out of bed and followed Arthur out of the room, into a grand hall. Everything was so fancy and well-decorated. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling and the windows were as long as the walls. I walked up to the windows and looked through. I saw we were high above the ground, and underneath was a bustling town with citizens clamoring and walking. The main town square had a podium and a large crowd of humans that seemed to be standing around, waiting for something. There were also a lot of stands set up and festival games.

"Whoa... where are we? There are a lot of humans below us..." I said, trying to take it all in.

"We are in the kingdom of Britannia, and the Myvel Castle... otherwise known as my castle," he pointed his thumb to his chest and grinned.

"Your castle? You must be joking," I asked, baffled.

"My name is Arthur Myvel. I am the current king of Britannia," he said proudly.

He's the king?! When I picture a king I think of Lord Zeus... not a little boy like him... although something about him makes me believe him...

"Yeah right... you are still a child, and you are shorter than I am," I said, crossing my arms in disbelief.

"I'm still the king," he smirked.

"How many years have you even lived, human?"

"10 years. I was born on April 25, 1005."

"Wait... what is the date of today?"

"April 25, 1015."

"So you've lived exactly ten years. Today is the day you were born."

"Indeed. How many years have you lived?" he asked curiously. I've never thought about that. Time for us celestials goes by so fast.

"I've lived thousands of years... I am not exactly sure how many years."

"Interesting... so you're a grandma," he teased. EXCUSE ME?!

"How dare you call me a grandma! I am a beautiful, young girl!" I yelled, flustered.

"There's no doubt you're beautiful, but you're old!" he smiled brightly. I blushed slightly. Something about him makes me feel so warm... I want to know more about him.

"Quiet, child. Where are we going?" I said, crossing my arms and looking away.

"I'm going to show you humanity."

He took my hand and we walked to the main town square. The crowd clamored in excitement and cheered when they saw Arthur approaching. There are a lot of humans... thousands maybe...

"It's King Arthur!!" a man cheered from the crowd.

"KING ARTHUR!! KING ARTHUR!! KING ARTHUR!!" The crowd chanted as Arthur stepped on the podium. Arthur raised his hand in the air, and the crowd went dead silent within a moment. Wow... how in the world did he do that?

Arthur held his hand to his heart. "My people of Britannia, it is with honor that I, Arthur Myvel, hold this annual ceremony as your King. I am now 10 years of age, and it is with great pride that today marks my third year as your King. I will continue to protect my kingdom and my people with all of my might, courage, and power. May you all be blessed today and enjoy the festivities. I will honor thee," Arthur spoke formally. He was dignified and power resonated within his words. He was admirable and my heart skipped a beat. Wow...

The crowd clapped and cheered. They began chanting again, celebrating and screaming. I saw the pure admiration, love, and respect they held for King Arthur. So he really is the king... and quite a great one.

He walked off the podium and greeted me, "What did you think? Believe me now?"

"Yes I do... but why are you the King at such a young age?" I inquired, slightly blushing.

"Because I'm great."

"You're full of yourself."

"Yeah, but I'm great," he smiled brightly again. What is this feeling?

"Well, where do we go now?"

"You shall see. Keep up with me if you can," Arthur said as he ran away so quickly it was as if he wasn't even there. I couldn't teleport, since many humans were watching. I ran after him, barely keeping up. He headed inside the castle, down the stairs, and into a dungeon. I caught up to him, but I was panting. How is he so fast???

"You managed to keep me in sight at least," he teased.

"Quiet, child."

I looked around and saw a bunch of weapons on the walls: knives, swords, spears, axes, bows, and hammers. I saw a bunch of wooden, training dummies and targets as well. Is this where Arthur trains?

"Where are we, Arthur?"

"My training dungeon. Pick up a sword. Let's duel," he challenged me, eagerly but confidently.

"Duel? Don't kid yourself. I am the Heavenly Sword and you're just a mere mortal," I scoffed. Is he serious?

"Afraid this mortal will kick your ass?" he taunted, throwing a sword at my feet and taking one off the wall for himself.

I picked up the sword and took my stance, "Let's see what you got, kid."

He took his stance and his whole aura changed. His expression was serious and deadly. His aura glowed golden around his body and it gave me chills. Is he human? He's extremely powerful.

Arthur charged and our swords clashed back and forth. He was skillful, elegant, and quick with his strikes. He was also strong, as I felt the weight of his blows. Still, we were evenly matched and neither of us gave up ground. I was quite surprised.

He went to slice my hand off, but I saw it coming and parried. He smirked, and kicked my sword out of my hand and then pointed his sword at my throat. "I win," he smirked confidently. Did he actually beat me? No way...

"Did you, now? Who says I need a weapon to defeat you?" I replied smugly. Then he went to cut my head off, but I teleported behind him, kicked his sword out of his hand, and then went to punch him in the face, but stopped my powerful strike a few inches from his face. "I win."

"I admit defeat," he said sounding slightly disappointed.

"Well done, Arthur. It's not every day a mortal can put a Heavenly Weapon up against the ropes like that," Merlin chimed in out of nowhere, standing in the doorway and crossing her arms.

"Yes, Lady Merlin," he said politely, but held his head high and smiled.

"I wasn't exactly up against the ropes... but your swordsmanship has been honed to perfection. Quite impressive for a kid," I complimented him.

"I thank you, Excalibur," he replied humbly.

"Call me Callie," I smiled brightly and offered my hand out to him. He took my hand and then our eyes glowed. Without even knowing it, I transformed into my Heavenly Sword form and he wielded me in his hands.

"Whoa..." he exclaimed as his eyes grew wide.

How is this possible?

"It seems your souls are compatible and Arthur is able to wield you," Merlin smirked.

I commend you, King Arthur. I was created for the Gods, but you're the first and only mortal to ever wield me.

"I'm great," he bragged. Then I transformed out of my true form and smacked him on his head.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," I said, crossing my arms.

"Hehe..." he smiled, rubbing his head.

"Enough horseplay. It's time to carry out our plan to save humanity," Merlin said.

"Honestly... I can't even imagine the Gods losing," I said, wondering what Merlin had in mind.

"I'm curious, why did you decide to wage a war you know you can't win?" Arthur asked me.

"My family protected me and now I must protect them. Looking down on humanity, I saw the bonds humans had and the love that resides in them. That love is present within my own family, but it isn't present within the Gods. But I believe Athena is different and that's why she protected me and my siblings."

"Even so, do you realize the gravity of the situation we are in? Was it stupidity or bravery that moved you to provoke the Gods?" Merlin asked.

"What's the difference?" I replied confidently. Arthur laughed and even Merlin let out a small laugh.

"You are very fascinating indeed," Merlin said.

"Yup, she is!" Arthur smiled. I was flustered now.

"The Gods are the most powerful beings in the universe. Can we win?" I asked Merlin.

"We will win because they are so powerful. They'll underestimate us and their pride will lead to their downfall. We will usurp them..." Merlin said.

"The great King Arthur will be the one to save humanity!" Arthur exclaimed proudly.

"...well that's what I'd like to believe. Realistically speaking, the chances of us winning are infinitely close to zero," Merlin continued. She looked stressed and tired.

"That close to zero huh..." I said looking down, clenching my fists. I don't even know if we have that much of a chance.

"Pick your head up, Callie. Victory is neither guaranteed nor assured. The future is unknown. However, as long as the chance is not zero, we must fight," Arthur said as he put his hand on my head. He really is something... thank you, Arthur.

"Luckily, Lady Athena has made some preparations. She gave me this little device," Merlin said as she took an amethyst amulet out of her pocket.

"What's that?" Arthur and I both asked curiously.

"This amulet allows one to gauge the strength of a mortal's soul. Athena told me it's drawn to the most powerful souls. That's how I found Arthur. Watch closely now," Merlin said as she walked closer to Arthur. The amulet started glowing brighter and brighter until the whole room was illuminated. Whoa... I knew Arthur was powerful, but this powerful especially at such a young age? He's incredible.

"I really am great! Can you try it on Callie, Lady Merlin?" Arthur asked curiously. I was curious too if it would work on me.

"It won't work on Excalibur, since this device was made to track the strongest mortal souls," Merlin replied.

"Why did Athena want you to track down the strongest mortal souls?" I asked Merlin.

"To answer your question, I shall ask you this: do you know what happens to mortals after they die?" Merlin asked me.

"They get sent to the Underworld and Hades decides what to do with them."

"Correct. Some are sent to Purgatory or Heaven, and some are kept in the Underworld. Some become demons and some become angels. However, a few centuries ago, Lady Athena found out Hades had been experimenting on souls and released a scant few of them onto Earth. They are known as Celestial Prototypes. Discretely, she went down to Earth and assigned me the mission of tracking these souls down and absorbing them, inside this amulet."

"Why would Hades do such a thing? How did he experiment on souls? Is this why Arthur is so powerful?" I asked, truly confused. What has Hades been up to?

"Unfortunately, Lady Athena does not know his intentions, and neither do I. I suspect Hades is up to something, or rather is trying to cause chaos on Earth. It's unclear what he has done to the souls. However... I have a suspicion. Do you know why there are only four Gods?" Merlin asked me.

"It's because the rest of the Gods died in the war against the Titans."

"What do you believe happened to the souls of those Gods?" Merlin questioned further. I've actually never thought about that. Where would the souls of Gods go?

"I'm not sure... I believe a God's soul simply disintegrates because of how powerful it is."

"Athena has confirmed to me that the souls of Gods do disintegrate as they are too powerful to be sent to the Underworld. However... it is under my suspicion that not all of them disintegrated but had fallen into the hands of Hades."

"What? How is that possible?"

"Hades is a true mystery. If anyone could find a way to contain the souls of Gods, it would be him. However, we do know that Arthur here is a Celestial Prototype. His full power and potential are far beyond that of a mortal. It's immeasurable, possibly even reaching that of a Gods or greater. That is, if he awakens the power within himself," Merlin said, looking slightly proud of Arthur but holding it back.

"Awakens?" I asked. What does she mean?

"Arthur's true power lies dormant in his soul. However, we don't know how to awaken it. Our only hope of winning is if Arthur awakens his power."

"How many Celestial Prototypes have you found?"

"Aside from Arthur, I have only found ten in the last three hundred years. It's unclear how many Hades had released. The souls I collected reside within this amulet. When it's Arthur's time, we will absorb him into this amulet as well."

"Cool! I'll get to be in a shiny jewel instead of the yucky Underworld!" Arthur chimed in, cheerfully. How is he so cheerful? Doesn't he know he is an experiment?

"Why are we absorbing him into this amulet?" I asked Merlin.

"We will send Arthur into this battlefield inside the amulet. The souls within the amulet will battle each other until one soul consumes the rest, absorbing their power. When a soul grows too powerful to be contained within the amulet, it will break and the soul will be released. We are betting on Arthur to be that soul. If another soul happens to win, we don't know who will be reborn or if they will be the Usurper."

"Where will my soul go when I am victorious?" Arthur asked.

"Your soul could be reborn anywhere in the mortal realm. It's up to you, Excalibur, to track him down when Arthur is reborn. Your soul appears to resonate with Arthur. One could even say your souls are one with each other."

Our souls resonate huh... there is something about him that makes me feel strange. Like I've known him for thousands of years, and he feels so familiar and warm. From the moment we made eye contact, I felt like I could trust him instantly. Who is he?

"Here that, Callie? Looks like we are in this together," Arthur said, smiling at me.

"Looks like we are," I smiled.

"We must absorb as many human souls as possible within a thousand years, especially Celestial Prototypes. Every soul we absorb will give Arthur power when he is reborn. That means you two need to kill as many people as you can and absorb their souls into this amulet," Merlin said, with a very serious tone.

Do I have to kill humans? I'm supposed to be saving them. I don't know if I can do that. What about my siblings and Athena? They're all counting on me. This is for the greater good, isn't it?

I murmured, "I... don't know if I-"

"We'll do it," Arthur said, with intense determination reminding me of Mjölnir's. He's not even hesitating...

"Are you sure, Arthur? Do you realize what that means? We have to slaughter humans. You're the King and you have love for humans and the humans love you. How can you make this decision so easily?" I asked him.

Arthur's eyes glowed golden and powerful, golden aura glowed around his body, causing the air to vibrate vivaciously. "I will do what must be done. That is the duty of a King. I am no longer the King of Britannia. I am the King of Humanity."

Merlin smirked in approval. "That's my Arthur. Excalibur, you will train Arthur to hone his potential and learn to work with him. You will both learn to be merciless. The Gods won't show us any mercy, so we mustn't either. Do you understand?"

"UNDERSTOOD!" Arthur and I said confidently in unison.

Merlin handed me the amulet. "When the time comes, you will kill Arthur and absorb his soul in this amulet."

"I understand. What about you, Merlin? Where will you go?" I asked curiously.

"I will be searching for more answers, and I will be trying to communicate with Lady Athena. She also informed me that the souls of lost Demigods in the past may be residing on Earth and for me to find them using this," Merlin said as she took out a golden amulet.

"I see... I wish you luck, Merlin." I said, smiling at her.

"Good luck, Usurpers."

...

The date is now April 25, 1030. Arthur is now 25. He has slain over 3,000 humans. All of those souls were powerful warriors on the battlefield. We have now collected 500 Celestial Prototypes. I've fallen in love with him and stayed by his side. We have taken every soul together.

...

The date is now April 25, 1063. Arthur is now 58. He has slain over 30,000 humans. Half of those souls were warriors and the other half were innocents. We have now collected 8,000 Celestial Prototypes. My love for him has grown stronger and stronger. We have taken every soul together.

...

The date is now August 19, 1085. Arthur is 80. We have absorbed over 50,000 souls together. Almost half of those souls are Celestial Prototypes. I sat by him on his deathbed and held his hand, with tears flowing down my eyes. He signaled for me to come closer and I held my ear to his mouth.

"Callie... it's time... for me... to fight... alone now..." he whispered faintly in my ear, barely getting his words out.

"I'll see you again, King of Humanity. I love you."

"I've... always... been... with... you... Callie..."

I thrusted my hand into his chest and ripped his heart out, and held it close to my chest, wrapping my arms around it. The purple amulet glowed as Arthur's soul left his body and entered.

"I love you, Arthur."

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Author's Note - thank you for reading! hehehaw