Unknownfate
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Chapter 20
🕑 Added 2025-03-29 00:19:21 +0000 UTCAs Arthuria and Mordred enjoyed the warm water, another occupant of the same pool faced a far less enjoyable experience.
The Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme, hurriedly retreated, striving to maintain her composure, but in doing so she made a grave mistake.
Without thinking, she opened a portal back to Kamar-Taj, only to materialize in front of a group of sorcerers training, with Wong guiding them.
The sudden appearance of the portal drew their attention, and they were stunned to see the Ancient One, drenched.
Wong, brow furrowed in confusion, cautiously asked, “Ancient One? Did you... go for a swim?"
Predicting the reaction, the Ancient One swiftly interjected, "Excalibur is a watergun."
The trainees, on the verge of laughter, halted, befuddled by her claim, allowing her to exit, her dignity largely intact as they processed her statement.
Wong, though surprised, quickly regained his composure and followed his master out of curiosity regarding the incident.
It wasn’t difficult to trace her footsteps, evident in the wet marks on the stone and wood paths. He found her drying her face with a towel.
"Are you alright, Master?" he asked.
The Ancient One looked up, her composure mostly regained despite being soaked. “I am unharmed, Wong,” she replied, her voice steady yet carrying a hint of fatigue.
She draped the towel over her shoulder and sighed softly. “Though I must admit, today’s encounter was not what I anticipated."
Wong folded his arms, concern evident. “In Camelot, I presume?"
She nodded, her expression thoughtful. "Yes, I thought I’d take a look around, but it seems the King of Knights is even more formidable than the legends suggest; I didn’t expect her to find me.”
Wong raised an eyebrow. “And the watergun?"
A subtle smile graced the Ancient One’s lips. "Excalibur, Vivian, to be precise. A unique manifestation of her legendary sword. What seemed like a harmless attack turned out to be anything but. Even with my defenses, I underestimated its strength. The water she produced wasn’t just ordinary liquid."
She waved her hands, trying to dry herself magically, but it proved ineffective. “As you can see, magic does not affect it; it’s both curious and unexpected."
Wong struggled to grasp what he was hearing: Excalibur, King Arthur's legendary sword, transformed into a water gun? It was hard to believe.
His lips twitched, wavering between disbelief and the absurdity of the situation. “Excalibur... as a water gun,” he repeated slowly, hoping the words would make more sense on the second try. “That’s not how the stories go.”
The Ancient One chuckled softly, more at herself than at the absurdity. “No, it certainly doesn’t. But then again, the stories often differ from reality. I found the King in the bath, sharing it with Mordred.”
She paused, allowing Wong to connect the dots.
Wong’s eyebrows shot up, his composure cracking for the first time. The way the Ancient One said it conjured images of a father and son engaged in something unspeakable. The thought made Wong shiver.
The Ancient One quickly noticed Wong’s discomfort, her calm expression shifting into a rare grin. “Your imagination seems to be running wild, Wong,” she remarked lightly, a soft laugh escaping her lips. “I assure you, the scene was far less... scandalous than you’re imagining.”
Wong cleared his throat, hastily looking away as if to dispel the thought. “I wasn’t picturing anything,” he said quickly, but his reddened ears gave him away. “It’s just... the way you said it.”
The Ancient One crossed her arms, her playful grin evolving into a knowing smile. “Yes, but I should mention one detail… King Arthur… is a woman, which surprised me a great deal.”
Wong’s eyes widened, his expression a mix of shock and embarrassment as the Ancient One’s revelation painted an even stranger picture in his mind. “Wait... what? King Arthur is a woman?” he stammered, his voice rising an octave.
He couldn’t help but reimagine the scenario, now featuring the female King of Knights sharing a bath with her son… considering the legend of Mordred stabbing his father… or mother with his sword, it suddenly took on a different meaning.
The Ancient One could hardly contain her laughter at his reaction. “Wong, what on earth could you be imagining?”
Wong shook his head vigorously, trying to push away the increasingly ridiculous thoughts. “Nothing!” he blurted, his voice higher than usual. “Absolutely nothing. Just trying to process... you know, that King Arthur is a woman.”
The Ancient One’s grin widened, clearly amused by his discomfort. “Ah yes, the unexpected twists of reality do have a way of challenging our perceptions, don’t they?”
Wong pointed a finger at her, caught between incredulity and exasperation. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? You show up dripping wet, ramble about water guns and baths, and now reveal that King Arthur is not only real but also a woman—and you expect me not to react?”
She tilted her head slightly, feigning innocence. “I simply find your reactions… enlightening.”
Wong groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “So let me clarify: you walked into a bath occupied by a famous King Arthur and Mordred, her adult son? And got drenched by a water gun version of Excalibur?”
The Ancient One clasped her hands behind her back, her serene demeanor failing to conceal the twinkle in her eyes. “No, Mordred is a woman too,” she said, her voice tinged with humor.
Wong threw his hands up in frustration. “And you’re just... okay with all this? Like it’s just another Tuesday?”
“Wong,” she replied smoothly, “when you’ve lived as long as I have and witnessed what I’ve witnessed, you learn to accept the unexpected. Trust me, Camelot’s King Arthur as a woman with a water-gun Excalibur doesn’t even make the top ten.”
Wong stared at her in shock, then shook his head. “I really don’t want to know what’s in your top ten.”
The Ancient One chuckled softly. “Probably best that way. But truthfully, I was taken aback for a moment; it contradicts all historical accounts of those events.”
Wong shook his head again, incredulous. “Taken aback? That’s saying something from you. What surprised you first—the water gun or the gender switch?”
The Ancient One allowed herself a rare smile. “It wasn’t merely the inconsistencies, Wong. It was the overwhelming power of the King of Knights. Records suggest Arthur was just an ordinary human with a magic sword… but this female version? She is divine.”
Wong blinked, disbelief and concern mingling on his face. “Divine? As in, actual god-like powers? Not just ‘superhuman with a fancy sword’?”
The Ancient One nodded slowly, her calm demeanor hiding the weight of her realization. “Exactly. I was confused by Camelot's sudden emergence but dismissed it initially. However, this is vastly different from what I originally believed.”
She had sensed something unusual a few days prior, and once news spread online about Camelot, the source of her disturbance became clear.
Though she was curious, she hadn’t thought much about it at first. Since she knew Merlin well as a powerful, sometimes helpful figure, she assumed he was behind it.
But when she looked into the future, she witnessed events spinning out of control. Her meticulously crafted plans lay in ruins, and she found it hard to perceive even half of what was unfolding.
Even without seeing everything, she had a good idea of the trajectory, leading her to Camelot for answers.
However, she left with more questions than when she arrived.
Clearly, she had underestimated Camelot, particularly its King; she hadn’t anticipated being discovered, let alone attacked like that.
Even Mordred was unexpectedly strong, though the full extent of her power hadn’t been revealed since she hadn’t engaged.
Evidently, this Camelot was nothing like the one she knew; the inhabitants were far from who they should be. Everything revolved around the god-like King of Knights, but obtaining answers from her would be challenging.
Wong furrowed his brow, his thoughts racing. “How severe is this situation? Dormammu-level bad, or just a minor inconvenience?”
“Somewhere in between,” the Ancient One admitted. “It’s not a malevolent force—at least, not yet. However, its very existence is disrupting the flow of time and fate. The threads of the future are tangled, with many outcomes that once appeared certain now clouded in chaos.”
Wong exhaled sharply. “Fantastic. Just what we needed. I’ll gather everything on Camelot, Arthur, and Merlin; perhaps there are some answers there.”
As Wong turned to leave, she noticed the still-damp edges of her robes. The strange nature of Arthuria’s attack lingered, the enchanted water refusing to evaporate or yield to her magic.
It served as a reminder not only of the King of Knights’ power but also of the unfamiliar challenges they now faced.
With a sigh, she walked toward her quarters, her footsteps softly echoing in the quiet halls. Her mind was a whirl of concern and curiosity. Camelot was not just an anomaly—it posed a challenge to the very foundations of reality as she understood it.
“Arthur Pendragon,” she murmured to herself. “What exactly are you?”
