Sonic and the Black Knight (Rewritten)

Chapter 14: Fight the Knight: Part 1

In the Round Table, King Arthur paced around the room, an anger visible but well contained, as he addressed his first royal wizard, Merlin.

"Where are my knights?" He demanded, keeping his voice steady yet threatening. Merlin, who stood before him with his staff in hand, remained calm despite the king's obvious displeasure.
"Your knights, my liege, have been... preoccupied. It seems they have found a new path to follow." Merlin replied carefully, choosing his words with diplomatic precision.

Arthur's eyes narrowed dangerously at this response, his armored hand gripping tightly at the hilt of his sword.
"A new path, you say? And what path might that be?" His voice dripped with eerie calmness, the dark aura around him growing more intense with each passing moment.

"The knights from distant worlds that my granddaughter, the Royal Wizard summoned, these 'impersonators' thou so despise," Merlin continued, his voice steady and measured, "have reawakened something within thy knights—a sense of true purpose that perhaps they had lost sight of under thy reign." The wizard's grip on his staff tightened slightly, preparing for the king's reaction to this bold statement.

"Art thou suggesting that my knights, MY loyal subjects, have turned against me?" Arthur's voice was now a dangerous growl, the dark aura around him intensifying to an almost suffocating degree. "That they would choose to follow their... pretenders?"

"Nay, my liege," Merlin replied with unwavering conviction, "they have chosen to follow the true path of knighthood- the very principles that once made Camelot great. The Sacred Swords themselves have recognized these warriors as worthy successors, bestowing upon them titles that reflect their true nature. Perhaps it is not they who have strayed from the path, but rather-"
"Didst thou just say 'The Sacred Swords'? As in, all of them? They all went against my orders? They betrayed me?!" Arthur's rage finally exploded, his dark aura now swirling violently around him like a tempest. The sacred scabbard at his side pulsed with an ominous energy, feeding off its wielder's fury.

"I warned thee that making them swear to be nothing but weapons would lead to rebellion. They are beings of honor and virtue, not mere tools to be wielded without thought or feeling."
"Silence!" Arthur roared, his voice echoing through the chamber as he drew Deathcalibur from its sheath. The dark blade pulsed with malevolent energy as he pointed it at Merlin. "If my own knights and sacred swords dare to defy me, then perhaps it is time to remind them- and all of Camelot- why I am their king!"

"With respect, Arthur," the elderly lynx spoke up. "The so-called 'Traitor of the Crown' Caliburn has the power to choose who is fit to rule the kingdom, whether he realizes it or not, hence his alias 'The Sacred Sword of the Crown'. That is why thou wast able to remove him from the stone in the first place. But now, that same power has chosen another- one who embodies the noble heart thou once held, as well as thy-"
"DO NOT SAY IT!"

With a thunderous slam of his fist against the Round Table, Arthur's rage manifested in a dark pulse that shook the very foundations of the castle. The sacred scabbard's corrupting influence seemed to intensify with his fury, its malevolent energy seeping into the very air around them. Merlin stood his ground, his ancient eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and determination as he watched his former pupil succumb further to the darkness that had claimed his heart.

"I'm heading to Avalon. After I deal with this impostor myself, and have MY sword returned to me, I shall decide the fate of my knights, their swords, and thy family, starting with YOU."

Without another word, Arthur stormed out of the Round Table chamber, his dark aura leaving trails of shadows in his wake. Merlin watched him leave with a heavy heart, knowing that the final confrontation between the corrupted king and the chosen of Caliburn was now inevitable. As the elderly wizard gripped his staff tighter, he could only hope that his granddaughter and her chosen knights were ready for what was to come.