I was tied up with ice vines. The knights of Avalon stood before me. Simial, as usual, had a spear angled onto my neck.

I smiled.

“That’s a long spear, compensating?”

He flinched and Arthur started snickering.

“Intruder or not, you have to admit, he’s funny.”

“I do not have to admit that, human.”

I looked at the mer and smiled.

“Could I please have water?”

“No, you are a prisoner. Prisoners don’t get water.”

“Well, aren’t you charming, and why do you say I’m a prisoner?”

“Because you’re bound by our power.”

I smiled, making him give a confused look.

“Don’t my arms need to be bound for me to be considered captive.”

“They a-… uhhhh…”

I crossed my arms and gave a smirk. The ice binding me mostly melted off in drops, of course, this resulted in three knights to level their weapons at me.

“Calm down, I have no intent of running.”

Then Taury came in calmly, giving a look of curiosity.

“Knights, lay down your arms. It’s highly unlikely that you would win anyways.”

That confused me.

“Pardon me, milady. I know I could beat a few, but all would be a bit much.”

“Please don’t take me for a fool, my knights have less magic, but I am fully aware of your strength.”

“As far as I know, I’m on your scale.”

“Oh please, you’re easily double my strength.”

I blinked…

“What?”

“You’re genuine confusion is irritating, perhaps you were judged by far weaker beings.”

“M-maybe?”

“Anyways, human, tell me, where are you from.”

“I live in a town not far from here.”

Arthur thought for a moment.

“Fair enough.”

Then Alvane spoke.

“With all due respect, sir, if he truly was from one of the nearby towns, we would have at least noticed a powerful presence nearby.”

Taury nodded.

“So, tell the truth.”

I sighed.

“Well, I didn’t lie, but there is a small… eensy… bitsy… tiny… detail that I knew would be nearly impossible to believe, so I may have excluded it.”

Simial and a couple others rolled their eyes.

“Oh, please, what could be so unbelievable, that the mer from the Lake of Avalon, wouldn’t believe you.”

“I’m from thousands of years in the future.”

Simial blinked.

“Wow… I actually don’t believe you, he was right.”

Taurael rubbed her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh.

“Listen, I’ve heard, and I have seen, incredibly ludicrous things, but time travel takes the cake. Want to try again?”

Then Arthur, with an amused smirk spoke.

“Now now, let’s at least let him *snrk* make his case.”

I sighed.

“Alright, so, I was having class at a college… do colleges exist in this era?”

“No, but from the word class, I’d assume it is a type of school.”

“Yeah, basically a school for adults to learn requirements for certain jobs.”

“What job are you studying for?”

“Well, I’m majoring in general studies, so there are a myriad of jobs I could do.”

Arthur blinked in confusion.

“... so like a serf… or a noble?”

Then I remembered I was talking to people, likely in a BC period.

“Like… a mathmetician, or a scientist…”

Then Taury stepped in.

“Oh, similar to greecian culture!”

“Somewhat.”

“So, it’s like an academy?”

“Yes!”

“Alright, but I’m still not believing the time thing.”

“Alright, now that we’ve settled what a college is, I’ll continue.”

I breathed in as they looked curious how I’d continue.

“So, I was in class, when the leader of the school brought what they thought was a regular statue, but it was actually a time shadow.”

Taury sighed.

“Time shadows age people to dust. They don’t send them back in time.”

“Well that one did.”

She sighed.

“Listen, I don’t know what you expecting to achieve with such a blatant lie, but-”

“It’s not a lie.”

My look made her raise a brow. Her curiosity was peaked.

“So, how will you prove it?”

Her smirk was pretty, so I smiled, knowing I had one thing that would cement me as at least knowing her.

“Well, what about your name?”

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She scoffed.

“Please, Arthur is the only one who knows my name.”

“I do.”

She looked at me with curiosity.

“Arthur, could you please verify that?”

Arthur blinked.

“How would I do that?”

“Get him to whisper it in your ear, nimrod.”

“I guess.”

So, he leaned his ear to my mouth, and I cupped my hands, so the knights couldn’t hear, to assure it’s absence except to Arthur, I used wind magic as well.

“Taurael.”

Arthur’s eyes widened and he stood up.

“Still not sure of the time travel, but he does know your name.”

Everyone’s eyes widened at the confirmation. Taurael calmed quickly.

“So, how did you learn it?”

“Well, in the future, we are… friends.”

Taurael took note of the slight pause.

“Why did you pause? Could it have been a lie?”

“No no… it’s just…”

Well… I couldn’t really tell her that we were lovers… that wouldn’t really go over well, especially with spear-using Simial over there.

“My lady, he’s trying to come up with an excuse!”

Speaking of Simial.

I was kind of flushed at this point, trying to come up with an explanation that wouldn’t end with me being skewered.

“We… uh…”

Arthur looked at me.

“Goodness gracious, speak, boy, it’s not like you’re hiding a great secret.”

“It’s not that, sir, I’m just trying to find a way to explain that won’t end with me impaled in some way.”

Then Simial snarked.

“Oh, please, it’s not like your dating her. Just tell us.”

Then my resulting flush told him, and Arthur, and the rest of the knights… thankfully Taury was as oblivious of other’s feelings for her now as she was in my time.

Simial jabbed at me, but Taury stopped it.

“Simial, what’s gotten into you.”

Arthur snickered.

“Ooh~ seems someone’s jealous.”

“Please, I still doubt that he’s from the future, it’s likely just his sick fantasies.”

Then Alvane spoke

“No, because time shadows have immense amounts of time magic, so theoretically, they could launch someone to the past.”

Then I thought.

“It’d have to be a nearly exact to year thing though…”

“Why?”

“Oh, right, Heliocentrism was a renaissance idea. Do you know that the earth revolves around the sun?”

Alvane nodded.

“We have theories, but none of us have really gone into space to check.”

“Well, humans did, so each revolution is one year.”

“Interesting.”

“So, by the movements, it’d have to be a same day over thousands of years ago.”

“Not same time?”

“No, because then I’d be faceplanted in one of the villages instead. It’s likely a seconds difference thing given I’m only at the lake as compared to where my college is in the future.”

“Interesting, so the time shadow was able to craft a spell that was precise enough to send someone to the same day in a different year, with only a few seconds innacuracy.”

“Yes, but I’m still not entirely sure about why it sent me back instead of simply dusting me.”

“That is a mystery, but yeah, I’m inclined to believe you as well.”

“Thank you.”

Then I thought for a second.

“Could I ask some questions to help me narrow down the time point?”

Arthur smiled.

“Sure, why not?”

“Thank you, sir. Okay, is that the original Excalibur?”

Taurael raised a brow.

“Of course it is… Arthur…”

She leaned over.

“Does he break my sword?”

I leaned back.

“Eheeeeeeeeehhh.”

I winced.

She glared and Arthur and grabbed him by the collar.

“Why did you break my sword, brat?!”

“I don’t know! Get mad at future me!”

“You!”

“Ask him! He probably knows!”

She turned to me.

“Why did this kid break my sword?”

I sighed.

“Because he was fighting someone, and they understood truth in their last moments, making them impervious to the blade and breaking it.”

She blinked.

“Wow… that can happen? I didn’t even know that…”

“Yeah…”

So, that cemented that the Hunter hadn’t yet made the full assault on Camelot, nor was Mordred born.

“Next question, have Ar- King Arthur and Morgan tied the knot yet?”

“Tied the knot?”

Arthur had a confused expression, like he was trying to figure out what I was asking. He gained a minor flush.

I sighed.

“Are you married?”

He snapped back to focus.

“Oh, yes, we are.”

He had a minor look of embarrassment, likely from whatever strange meanings he was gravitating towards. Taury raised a brow and smirked at him.

I thought for a bit.

“Okay, I have a general idea of when in history I am.”

Then Taury smiled.

“Okay, last question for you too, to, you know, get my belief in your tale.”

“Shoot.”

“...”

“Ask me the question.”

“Oh, who is the strongest magic user of the era.”

“Around here, or the whole world.”

“Both.”

“Around here, the Hunter. The whole world, Zeus.”

She blinked.

“Hm. Whelp, he’s convinced me.”

Simial sputtered.

“My lady, there are many ways he could have learned those answers.”

“Then tell me how he would know of the Hunter.”

Simial thought for a moment, then sighed.

“You are right, my lady, the Hunter is far too secretive, and a closely guarded secret, for a random person, no matter how strong, to know of him.”

Then we sat in silence for a moment.

“So… what now?”

Arthur thought for a moment.

“Well, it’s not like we could just have him wander, even if he is trustworthy enough that Princess told him her name, I’d be a lot more comfortable with him somewhere I could keep an eye on him.”

They all thought for a moment.

Then Taury spoke.

“What about the castle of Camelot?”

“Eh, I’d have to ask Morgan, then lo and behold, it’s always something or other.”

“We could explain the situation together. My knights are more than able to handle him.”

“Fair enough.”

Then Taury turned to her knights.

“Watch over him, we will be gone for up to thirty minutes, and Simial, I don’t know what has gotten into you, but don’t try to hurt him again, unless he tries to hurt a fellow knight.”

“Yes, my lady.”

His scowl was obvious. It was obvious that he wanted to break that rule.

Then Arthur turned to Taury.

“Shall we?”

“Why not?”

They walked away, and once they touched a tesseract in the distance and disapeared into the nexus, Alvane turned to me.

“So, tell us.”

“What?”

“How did you and the lady get together in the future?”

“Uh-”

“NO!”

Another knight waved at him with a dissmissive gesture.

“Oh, shush Simial, we’re all curious.”

Then Alvane nodded in agreement.

“Well said, Sisell.”

Then, she turned to me with a mischevous grin.

“So, tell.”

I sighed.

“Well, that would have to go into a lot of details that are secrets to most people in my time, but to summerize… I have a power that can… make people tell the truth. The Lady helped me test this power when I first discovered it.”

“So?”

“I asked a few things that she wouldn’t normally answer, but not things that were prying, then I thought of one that wouldn’t be too bad, not prying, nor too hidden.”

“So… what was it?”

“’How do you feel about me?’”

Alvane covered her mouth stifling a grin.

“And?”

“I think you can guess the answer. I was pretty shocked and asked the reason, and I’m not going into the reason because that is something incredibly personal for her. But, after that, it slowly developed.”

“Oooh~ Nice.”

She smirked at Simial who was giving a death glare. Then she looked at me.

“You don’t seem that scared of him.”

“I’m not, I’ve dealt with him in the future, he’s a lot stronger, then again, he fights hand to hand in the future, so maybe he’s better at that style.”

Simial thought for a moment.

“It’s typical of the knights to use spears, but I never really tried unnarmed, I may give it a try.”

Then he thought for a moment and snapped.

“But you are still, and will always be a scumbag.”

“*sigh* There it is.”

Then I thought for a moment.

“Hey, Alvane, are you a scientist at this point in time?”

“Yes, a bit. I have a lab.”

“Alright, do you know why I’m suddenly two times the strength of the Lady, when I’m on par with her in my time?

She thought for a moment.

“Hm. Well, there are two possible explanations, either she doubled in power since this point in time, which I sincerely doubt, since you would have noted her weaker aura earlier, and she is nearly at her peak of power already.”

“Yeah, I doubt that’s the case, what’s the other option?”

“Well, as human industry increases, the magic density goes down, so, while her power adapts to the decreased power, she maintains the same strength.”

“But since I’m in an era with a lot less industry, my power is compensating for the extra density by doubling the output. That sounds quite likely.”

“Wow, it’s like you are familiar with that idea.”

“Yeah, other than the slight shifts when I travel realms, I’ve been in a building with nearly ten times the magical density of most places in my time, resulting in essentially a super-powered form of my magic.”

“I see, well how was it so dense?”

“It…”

I gave a dark look, remembering the Order’s cruel facility.

“It was ran by humans, and they… experimented on fey… those that couldn’t survive the experiments… they used as fuel…”

The knights gave horrified expressions.

“What happened to it?”

“When I was in it, the Hunter attacked me and the Lady, so I blasted it to oblivion with him inside.”

“Wow, so he’s dead?”

I sighed.

“No, despite me being literally ten times my regular power, and the Lady striking him continuously, he managed to escape the epicenter of the explosion.”

“Wow… he really is resilient.”

“Annoyingly, but he is certainly stronger than me, which I learned the one time I managed to make him mad.”

“Wow, you actually made him mad?”

“Yeah, and let’s just say, I don’t recommend it. It was in Roman’s realm, and he launched me into a few buildings. If it wasn’t for… someone close to me, he would have killed me.”

“Wow… What of the Lady?”

“She was trying to keep Roman from bleeding out.”

“Oh…”

“She did try to intervene… only to be launched into another building.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah, he is strong, and he’s the one person I know of, so far, that’s immune to my power, so, I’d assume that Zeus is too, but I haven’t tested it yet.”

“Maybe in the superpowered zone?”

“No, because when I tested it on him, it was in the superpowered zone. He laughed and launched me into a wall.”

“Ooh…”

“Yeah…”

They realized that the Hunter was potentially a greater threat than they had considered him previously.

Then Taury returned with Arthur in tow.

“Well, it seems the spriggan is willing to meet you, but she hasn’t quite approved you staying in Camelot.”

“I suppose that‘s the best I could expect.”

I stood up and followed the Pixie to the tesseract.

“Alright, so, to enter the nexus you-”

“Touch it.”

“... yes…”

“Yeah, I’ve been through the nexus before.”

“Huh…”

I touched it, instantly sending me into a familiar garden. I sighed and breathed in the mass of magic energy. I let my aura shine brightly. The Nexus was a perfect place to meditate.

“Wow…”

I looked back and smiled at Taury who instantly looked away and turned to Arthur.

“Can you open your Nexus point to him?”

“Why not?”

I felt a wave, then a realm was open to me. I could feel the passage. Camelot.