Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 134: The Black Stone
Harry's mind was still recovering from the visions.
Years and years of betrayal, madness, and corruption, all stemming from that small pulsating stone around Arthur's neck.
Mordred's final words echoed in his ears: "The…stone…destroy…it…"
Now he finally understood what his old foe meant.
Harry straightened up. "Arthur…is the stone. That thing has been corrupting you. It's amplifying every dark thought, every moment of anger and jealousy. It turned you into…this…"
Arthur's hands went to the stone, and he ran his fingers over its surface in an almost loving manner. "It merely shows me the truth. I was blind, but now I see clearly."
"And what truth is that?" asked Harry. "What reason could you possibly have for betraying us all? You destroyed Camelot!"
Arthur shook his head. "You were the ones who betrayed my trust in the first place. You all turned against me…as for Camelot, the kingdom was beyond saving at that point. It was a kindness to let it die. It was too tainted…"
Harry narrowed his eyes. "Tainted?"
"I know you won't see things my way, Merlin. But the stone has shown me the truth. Your magic and sorceries are nothing but a blight upon our world, and I made it my mission to get rid of them. Your death was only the beginning…"
King Arthur's eyes went to the sword shining in his right hand. "Excalibur did not agree with me either. The blade broke apart after I took down the last traitor knight…I had left Lancelot for the end. You should have seen his face when I stabbed his heart."
Harry noticed the expression of pure joy on Arthur's face and knew there was no way to redeem this man for his actions.
The stone may have corrupted him, but all those dark feelings, all that cruelty and hatred, were already in his head.
"That is not why Excalibur broke apart, Arthur," Merlin said as he moved closer.
"Oh?…are you now an expert on this as well?" Arthur asked.
"Excalibur had to exhaust all of its energy while trying to cleanse the corruption out of you. It broke apart because it was attempting to save you!"
Arthur's eyes seemed to flicker for a second. But then…he began to laugh. "Save me? Who said I need saving…" He raised his hand, and the purple mist coalesced into a blade. A dark, twisted thing that seemed to drink the light around it.
A corrupted sword, forged by the power of the black stone.
"I needed no saving, and I no longer have any need of Excalibur…I have a new sword now."
He pointed the dark blade at Harry. "And speaking of things I no longer need…"
The mist moved closer to Harry. In response, he raised Excalibur. The golden light of the sacred blade pushed back against the corrupted power, creating a small bubble of purity around him.
Arthur charged at him, his dark sword emitting a baleful aura.
The first clash of blades sent shockwaves through the chamber.
Excalibur's golden light met the dark blade's purple shadow, and the air itself seemed to scream.
Harry felt the impact in his bones. Arthur was stronger than he looked…far stronger. The corruption had enhanced him, made him into something beyond human.
Harry blocked, parried, and countered. Morgan's training kept him alive, but barely. Arthur's style was brutal, direct…the style of a warrior-king who had fought hundreds of battles.
"You've learned to use a sword," Arthur observed, their blades locked. "The Merlin I knew would have hidden behind his spells and his spirits."
"I adapted," Harry grunted, pushing back.
Arthur laughed. "Not enough."
He shoved Harry backward and swung his dark blade in a wide arc. The purple mist followed the swing, forming a wave of corrupted energy.
Harry raised Excalibur to block. The wave struck the golden blade and split, but the force of it sent him skidding across the floor.
Arthur advanced slowly, savoring the moment. "I've had centuries to plan this, Merlin. I had time to study the magic that you loved so much and decided to use it against those like you…I have to admit that I found the branch of necromancy quite enjoyable."
He raised his hand, and the purple mist coalesced into dozens of shadowy tendrils. They shot toward Harry like spears.
Harry raised his staff and swung it around, creating a golden shield. The tendrils struck and dissolved, but each impact drained him a little more.
'I can't keep this up forever,' Harry thought. 'I need to find a way to destroy that stone. That has to be the source of his power.'
Arthur was already upon him, dark blade descending.
He rolled to the side just in time. The blade struck the floor, carving a trench deep into the stone.
For an instant, he had another flash of a vision. A vision of Arthur covered in blood while butchering his most loyal soldiers.
However, in that last moment, he had the chance to get a much closer look at the black stone hanging from Arthur's neck and at the strange symbols engraved on its surface.
Harry was shocked to discover that he knew these symbols. He had seen them before.
"You're seeing it, aren't you?" Arthur said, his voice almost gleeful. "The stone shows you the past. It wants you to understand. It wants you to know that this was always inevitable."
Harry pushed himself to his feet. His shoulder was bleeding again, from a cut he hadn't even noticed.
"Arthur…that stone…where did you get it?"
"Mmm…? Why does that matter?" the former king asked.
"It matters because I think I may know something about its origin. That stone…is not something from our world," Harry said in a grave tone, recalling where he had seen it before.