immortality [wizarding world] | ⚐

十三

Querida Mati,

¿Cómo estas, mija? Nosotros te extrañamos mucho.

Aquí, toda esta bien. Lorena y Javier son muy contentos – y Carlota esta empezando a mostrar signos de mágica. Aun, Luciano no tiene novia. Prefiere trabajar con el Ministerio.

¿Como esta Merlín? Ha sido un tiempo desde que le vimos.

Te quiero mucho, Matirita. Venga a visitarnos pronto (con Merlín, si tu quieres).

- Mama y Papa

Mathilda smiled at her parent's letter, rereading it for the third time since their owl had arrived. She was in Helga's garden – it had been six months since she had felt Morgan's bond with the Earth break off, six months since Merlin had fulfilled the prophecy, six months since she had not heard a word from him...

She sighed, and took out some paper and a quill.

Hola Mama y Papa,

Estoy muy bien – ¡y feliz, para Carlota! Estoy seguro de que Lorena y Javier estamos muy orgullosos de ella. ¡Solo tiene cuatro años!

Me siento... bien. Tengo un poco dolor al corazón pero es lo usual. Desafortunadamente, Merlín esta ocupado con su trabajo, así no puedo verlo mucho.

Te quiero. No hay un día que pasa que vos extraño.

- Mati

The wind rose, ruffling Mathilda's white skirt. She glanced to the sky and noticed how dark it was getting. Finding an owl on The Sanctuary (A massive tree where all of the school owls were situated), she scrawled her parents' names on the envelope and fastened to the plump screech owl that had obediently stuck his foot out. Caressing its head to give it a good send off, the owl squawked and flew away, and Mathilda watched it until it was a mere speck in the sky.

"Mathilda." A voice – one she knew too well – breathed. She turned around to face Merlin.

"Merlin." She looked at him with disdain. He had changed. He was more rugged – he hadn't cut his hair or shaved in a while. He had a long scar that ran from his left ear to his right collarbone. What scared Mathilda the most was the glint in his eye – it had changed. It wasn't the beautiful blue she had learned to love, but rather a dark and stormy grey.

He's become dark. A deep, unrecognizable voice said. Now is your time.

"Well," He cracked a smile (and even his smile had changed) and approached her, pulling her close. "You look as beautiful as ever." She pulled away.

"Six months, Merlin. I did not hear from you in an entire month. What if you had died?"

"You would've known, wouldn't you?" He looked at her hungrily, and she had to look away, disgusted by who he had become. "Mathilda, you can leave this..." He spat. "Place. It can just be you and I now. We'll live together, wherever you want..."

"I don't want to leave. I'm staying here until the day that I die."

"That's," He closed his eyes and swallowed his frustration. "Fine. But come back to the cottage. Live with me, Mathilda, I'm so much powerful than I was before..."

"Powerful?" She hissed. "This isn't you, Merlin – you're a shell of who you once were."

"I am not a shell." His eyes darkened.

"YOU ARE NOT MERLIN AMBROSIUS!" Mathilda screamed, and several owls flew from the tree, scared. "YOU ARE NOT THE MAN I FELL IN LOVE WITH." She took a step back, her head whirling.

"I'm better than him, Mathilda!" He looked angry. "All of this – I did for you."

"Maybe you defeated Morgan for me, Merlin, but you did not turn to Dark magic for me! You did not harness the power she lost for me! You did it in the name of ambition, and hunger for more. But you certainly did not do it for me."

"YOU'RE WRONG!" He bellowed. "EVERYTHING I DO IS FOR YOU, MATHILDA. EVERY SPELL, EVERY PERSON I'VE DEFEATED, EVERY MOVE, IT'S ALL FOR YOU!"

There was a pause.

Merlin Ambrosius had finally snapped, and it was against the one person he loved the most – his anchor, his purpose, his Mathilda.

She collapsed and fell to the ground.

"Mathilda? Mathilda!" He ran to her and fell to his knees.

"The disease, the virus." She whispered, as a drop of blood rolled out of her mouth. The looked to the sky, and her dying eyes drank in the stars.

"Mati... please, please, please..." Merlin gripped onto her freezing hands, desperately mumbling incantations.

But it had no use – blood continued to flow from her mouth, and her heart puttering out.

She had been eaten inside out by a pest – a plague that had left her mark on her when she was merely twelve years old.

She was too young.

"Please don't leave me, Mathilda, please, I love you... Don't... Please..." Merlin said, his voice barely above a whisper, and his heart breaking.

"Soy una con las estrellas." She breathed, as she watched an oh-so familiar figure approach her, smiling sadly.

Nicholas.

"MATHILDA!" Merlin sobbed, as the light in her eyes died. He clenched onto her like a lifeboat, his heart, his soul, his entire being splitting in two.

Mathilda Salvar was dead.

Ambrose Natte Littleray was free.

And the world went dark.