Max POV
I wake up with a pounding feeling in the back of my head and reach for it barely opening my eyes as the sun beams in them. Looking around I was no longer within the woods and Derek was nowhere to be found. I was surrounded by little shabby houses and dirt roads with a big stone castle within the distance that looked straight out of an old show. Slowly I push myself off the ground and dust myself off as many people walk around me dressed in old pieces of fabric that were dirtier than the ground I was just on. It didn't look like anything from my time, people were selling raggedy old cloth pieces and full animals in the middle of these dirty roads. Everywhere was crowded like personal space did not exist and it smelt like no one knew what a bath was.
The smells were very rotten, and I could taste them in my mouth as my face scrunched up. I tried covering my face with my hand, but the smell went nowhere as it seeped through the crack of my fingers. I only had one goal and that was to find Derek so we could figure things out together but the more I walked the more confused I became as I stopped right in front of a blacksmith's shop. It looked more like a big box with a roof. If I wanted to, I could just walk around and enter but instead I stood in front of it listening to the clanking of metal hitting metal.
"Excuse me sir," I yell and catch the man's attention as he smiles. He was missing one of his front teeth and his face was covered in coal dust. "Do you know what town I'm in," I asked, and he nodded.
"This is the one and only Camelot," he laughs and goes back to crafting a sword as I stand in the middle of the floor staring off into the distance. He couldn't be serious. Camelot was just a legend and a very old one at that.
"Sir," I turn back towards him, and he stops what he was doing to listen. "Have you seen another guy around here that dressed similar to me?"
"No, I haven't seen anyone dress so peculiar other than you kid," he turns his attention back to his work as I start to get bumped by every passerby and decide to get away from all the chaos. The only place that didn't have a crowd around it was the castle. To get some breathable air I needed to push my way in the direction of the castle.
"Hey kid," I finally made it to peace and heard an older voice call after me. "Hey kid," they call again, and I finally turn around. I was about to pull my phone from my back pocket but decided to keep it there and answer him.
"Yes?" I answer and see a man that looked around 80 years of age start to approach me. "Do you need something?" I lower my voice so I wouldn't come off as aggressive. He was wearing an old-fashioned orange and brownish gown and he digs in the pocket of it to pull out a phone. It wasn't mine but as I looked closer, I recognized that it belonged to Derek.
"Where did you get this," I asked, and he pointed to me. I didn't even have his phone.
"I saw it fall from your pocket as you got up," he walks closer and hands me the phone before whispering, "Welcome back Merlin."
I jump back and look around for a second. I never notice the guards standing around dressed in armor and chain chest plates holding onto sharp poles. "Merlin?" I think to myself, "Do I look like an old crusty wizard?"
"I knew you would return but I didn't know it would be in my lifetime and you're so young now, how old are you?"
"I'm 18," I responded as he puts hand up to his rooster chin as if he was thinking. "Is this really Camelot sir"
"Yes, where else would you be?"
....
It had started to get dark, and I had nowhere else to go but to follow the weird old man back to his place. He lived in the castle in a small little section as he claimed to be the royal doctor. For the place to be so old everything was shiny and looked so expensive that I was scared to touch any of it until I made it to his place. Everything in his little house seemed to be made of wood and old dusty books were everywhere all over the floor with medicine filling the tables.
"Your room will be the one up the stairs," he points to the beat-up staircase covered in lint and dust, and I nod. I was just going along with this Merlin thing. I didn't have anything to say as everything was so new to me. I was still desperately trying to find my friend but with the lack of technology it would be impossible to find him in the dark.
"What are you waiting for," he looks back at me as I stand behind him and I take that as a cue to run up the stairs to my room. I wasn't expecting to see much as the whole place was a mess and looked abandoned. I had a little closet, a wooden table on the wall, and an equally wooden bed that resembled the table. Without thought I plop down on the bed and almost break my everything as I bruise my butt and grunt in pain falling to the floor dramatically.
"What are you doing on the floor," the old man enters the room holding a book and I stand on my feet. "No matter, just take this book and study it like your life depended on it," he tosses the book and I barely catch it as it tries to slip out of my grip. "My name is Gordon if you need to address me in any way," he finally leaves, closing the door behind himself.
I throw the book down on the bed and sit beside it and I sigh, missing all my belongings back at my house. My nice comfy bed, my clothes, shoes, blankets, and air fresheners that I couldn't live without and next thing I know the book begins to glow, floating into the air as I jump up and run to the furthest side of the room.
"Gordon," I yell, and the book gets closer to me as I try to step back but I was already up against the wall while the book opened up and started to flip through some pages. "GORDON....." I yell but he must have something wrong with his ears as he doesn't respond, and the book follows me around the room. "Get back," I say, my voice trembling as I swing my arms out and it stops in front of me. I could see in big bold letters "Conjure" and my heart raced. In the back of my head all I could think of was how it most likely wanted me to read a spell to conjure ghosts.
"No, I don't want to conjure ghosts, get back," I cry and the pages of the book flip again and this time in bold letters reads "Conjure items." I stare at the book in disbelief. I had nowhere else to move so my only option was to read the spell outload. I mean if I died, I would be out of this hell.
Even though I might not need it.
I want to conjure what I am missing.
The consequences might be endless,
But all I need is all that I am wishing.
I read the spell three times before the house started to rumble and shake. The old wooden furniture disappeared as my decorations filled the room. The wooden bed once in the corner of my room vanishes and gets replaced with my king-sized bed and black comforter. Next my fluffy rug appears under my feet and the small closet becomes my regular walk in with all my clothes, shoes, and accessories inside along with a full body mirror. My favorite part was watching all my junk in my room fill my floor and tables. It was only soap and cleaning supplies, but it was necessary for this time.
"No way," a smile creeps on my face. "This is kind of cool. Am I really Merlin?"