The NOW Future King

Chapter 1

Thank you to you the reader for continuing to read the story.  This is the next installment.

Can you please vote and give constructive cristicism, as it helps me determine what sections may be lacking or need updating due to it being unclear or under developed.

Please stick with story as it is only just unfolding.

This is dedicated to RaeKitano for her lovely and constructive criticism of the prologue.  Thank you, it helped immensly and encouraged to write this chapter.

Enjoy SMW

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“Hic iacet Arthurus, rex quondam, rexque futurus” – Here lies Arthur, King once, King to be.

September 12, 2021

The day that I met Arthur and Merlin was the day that my old life died and a new life was forced upon me. How does one accept that their life has changed, suddenly and not through their own actions?  I didn’t accept it then, but now I don’t really have a choice.

After the massive explosion, I remember waking up covered in dust and soot with scratches all over my body.  I looked like I had been dragged through the dirt after fighting with a prized fighter.  There were people all around me screaming in pain, grief, shock and many other emotions.  I looked around me to find Amanda, my girlfriend, a few metres away from me lying on the ground at an awkward angle.  I crawled over to her, calling her name with no response.  When I reached her and looked into her vacant, lifeless eyes I lost it.  I screamed out, trying to relieve the pain that I felt at the loss of Amanda.

People started screaming again, this time with renewed fear.  I looked around where people were point and found that areas were beginning to crystallise.  Even the fire began to crystallise in some areas.  All of a sudden a torrent of water rushed all over the area dowsing the fires and drenching us at the same time.  Then to our amazement again, not in hindsight, the water began to crystallise.  Then it all miraculously stopped when I felt a hand on my shoulder, gripping firmly.  I looked up into the face of a man, who I now know as Arthur, as he stared down at me with pity and sadness.  I shrugged off his hand and continued to grieve.  The crystallisation began again.

 “Merlin do something! Before this gets out of control!”

 “Sure Arthur! How do you expect me to stop this with my skills?  None of my skills will cut through diamond and if I try to go up against it, he will more than likely shroud it in diamond or transmute it, depending on his skill! ”

 “Don’t be snarky with me Merlin!  So what do we do?”  Arthur asked the other man.

 “Put him to sleep.  It’s the only way to stop him in this state.

Arthur leaned down and muttered ‘sleep’ in my ear.  Instantly I felt my mind slowing down getting ready to sleep.  I tried to fight it, I had some success but when Arthur did it again I could no longer fight it.  I fell into a deep sleep.

I awoke with a start!  I scrambled from where I was lying, looking for Amanda.  I ran out of what appeared to be a make-shift tent and found myself in a field looking towards New York.  I had moved here six years ago to study at Columbia University.  Now, there were barely any of the dominating high rise buildings littering the horizon.  They had either been completely destroyed or had not survived after.

I recalled the lifeless eyes of Amanda and heard a sob escape from my mouth.  My chest was hurting with the intensity of the grief that I was feeling.  I do not know how long I was drowning in my grief.  What snapped me out of it was the same hand grabbing my shoulder that had done so in the city.