It took a lot to surprise Mrlynn. So being surprised only surprised him further.

Mrlynn stood facing a man who looked exactly like him except the man had both eyes. They stood next to a moonlit lake, a park. The trees were stirring in the gentle breeze. Between the two of them lay a beautiful young girl, unconscious. Blood trickled from a wound in her neck.

A Dhampir is a half-vampire, half-human. They have the powers of a vampire and the human immunity to sunlight. They are powerful, dangerous, and rare.

This one is Mrlynn's son.

Born over 1800 years ago from his vampiric lover.

His son.

Mrlynn never even knew she was pregnant.

His son.

The child clawed its way through her stomach and drank her blood.

They told Mrlynn that she was disemboweled by an unknown assailant.

His son.

Sarah groaned softly on the ground.

Sarah- a young super hero, enthusiastic about her powers. She latched onto Mrlynn for training.

This is how you die, Sarah.

Take notes.

There's a quiz later.

"Well, Father?" asked the Dhampir.

"Well what?"

"Aren't you supposed to kill me now?"

"I guess so." Mrlynn raised his hand and a glowing ball of light appeared overhead.

"Sunlight, Father? Please. It doesn't bother me at all. You shouldn't waste your power that way."

"Worth a shot."

"Not really." The Dhampir jumped at Mrlynn, his right foot extended. He hit Mrlynn in the center of the chest and Mrlynn fell back, grunting. The Dhampir moved almost too fast to be seen, picking Mrlynn up by the neck and holding him off the ground. "You can't kill me, Father. You don't have the power."

"Riiight," Mrlynn said. Suddenly the Dhampir dropped him. A stake of wood was sticking through his chest from behind. The stake was a living branch that had stretched out from the tree behind him and impaled the Dhampir. "Human or Vampire, a stake through the heart works."

"Not... exactly... Father..." the Dhampir said slowly. His arms dropped to his sides and his head hung low. Mrlynn smiled. He walked over to where Sarah lay.

"Sarah, are you alive?" he asked quietly. Her eyes fluttered open. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then passed out again. Mrlynn felt for her pulse. His eyes widened when he didn't feel one. "No! I won't lose you again!," he said. He reached into his robe and pulled out a long thread like tube. At the ends were two needles. He slid one needle into Sarah's neck and the other into his wrist. Standing up, he began to chant in a low tone. Blood flowed from his wrist into her body. He stood like that for several minutes, then pulled the tube out. Falling to his knees, he peeled Sarah's eyes open. Looking at her face, Mrlynn began to cry. The tears fell from his face into Sarah's eyes. He let them close. Opening her mouth he let a drop of his saliva fall into it. Bending over, Mrlynn put his mouth over hers and breathed into her lungs.

A flash of light exploded around them, leaving sparkles in the air. The faint glow surrounded them as Sarah coughed and began to breathe again. Mrlynn fell to the ground. Sarah sat up and groaned. She turned and saw Mrlynn and shouted, "Mrlynn! Are you all right!? Speak to me!"

Mrlynn looked up at her and smiled faintly. "Welcome back," he said.

"What happened?"

"You died," said the Dhampir, standing behind her. The hole in his chest didn't bleed. "And now you get the joy of dying again."

Sarah whirled and punched the man in the stomach. Her fist was glowing with a dark purple color as she swung. She connected and the Dhampir flew backwards. He picked himself up and walked towards Sarah. She looked at him with an evil, tight little smile, hair falling in strings around her eyes, head tilted down so her eyes were looking up. The Dhampir paused for a second. Sarah rushed at him, moving about as fast as the Dhampir himself could. She kicked him under the chin, her foot glowing in the same way as her fist. The Dhampir was lifted off his feet and fell down again. He got up much slower this time.

"Actually, the experience was interesting. I thought I'd repay the favor," she snarled. The two began to trade blows in a blur. Sarah's hands and feet glowed each time she hit him. The Dhampir clawed at Sarah with his nails. Finally, the Dhampir screamed and punched Sarah in the stomach with all his might. She doubled over and the man kicked her in the face. She fell backwards with a cry. Mrlynn all the while was struggling to rise, finally making it onto one elbow. The Dhampir turned towards him, his face feral. Mrlynn laughed and raised his left hand. The Dhampir burst into flame.

The Dhampir screamed. "How?!" he shouted, still walking towards Mrlynn. Mrlynn screamed as well, sparks flashing from his missing eye. He gasped and got a bit of control

"The human body has deposits of phosphorus in it. I ignited yours," responded Mrlynn weakly. The Dhampir struggled to keep walking but fell to his knees. He was nothing more than a skeleton now, but still screamed. The yell dwindled off and the Dhampir collapsed into a pile of ashes. Mrlynn sighed and bowed his head. Sarah crawled toward him, stretching her hand out to him. Mrlynn collapsed. So did Sarah, just a few feet away from him. They lay there, unconscious.

A car pulled up next to Sarahs. The beaten up Buick Skylark clicked its headlights off and a man wearing a black trench coat got out. He walked to the lakeside and stood over Mrlynn and Sarah. Simon bent down and picked Sarah up. After setting her in the back seat of the car he returned for Mrlynn and put him in the front seat. Climbing into the driver's seat, Simon leaned over and placed his right hand on Mrlynn's forehead. Simon closed his eyes and a moment later Mrlynn opened his.

"You made it," Simon said quietly.

"Barely. Sarah?" asked Mrlynn. Simon pointed in the backseat and Mrlynn looked at her. She was still unconscious.

"How is she?" asked Simon. He started the car and began driving to Mrlynn's apartment.

"She'll live. Why did you come?"

"Mrlynn, you used two very powerful spells. For that amount of power I would have come just to watch the fireworks. Of course, when I realized that you were resurrecting someone, I came as soon as I could. How are you feeling?"

"It was a Dhampir, Symnn. The son of Clarissa."

"Clarissa? The Clarissa?"

"Yeah. My son."

"He dead. You stopped a maniac."

"He was the one who killed Clarissa. I don't regret it."

"Good. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've lost half my soul."

"Go figure...."

Sarah woke lying on Mrlynn's couch. She had a headache from hell. Mrlynn and some guy wearing a trench were standing near the window drinking coffee, talking in low voices. Sarah sat up.

"How do you feel?" asked Mrlynn, not even turning around.

"Like death warmed over."

"That's not too far from the truth," Mrlynn said softly. He went to the pot and poured her a cup.

"How is it that I'm still here then? Thanks," she asked, drinking deeply.

"I brought you back." The man in the trench was looking at her oddly.

"It'll hold, Mrlynn. Even if hers never comes back," said trench.

"Who are you? What will hold? How did you bring me back? I knew you were powerful, but this... this is too much," Sarah said.

"This is Symnn, Sarah. He is one of my order. We are sort of the remnants of the Druids, or perhaps their evolution. Today, you might call us mages or witches. You died. Your soul left your body. I gave you half of my soul to bring you back."

"What?!"

"Sarah, calm down," Symnn said. He sat down next to her. "I don't know how much Mrlynn has told you, but I'll try to explain. Mrlynn is in fact the Merlin of Camelot. He was born in Akkadia around 3000 BC. Over time he learned much of the magic of Sumeria, then Babylon, finally making his was to the British Isles, where he became a Druid.

"Druids are in very simple terms, the brokers of souls. We care for other peoples and we comfort those souls who wait in the Other World to be reborn. You weren't dead long, but your soul had fled your body. If I were there, Mrlynn and I could have simply recalled your soul. But instead, he had to anchor some life force inside of you. He used his own. Usually, this is only a temporary measure until someone can call your soul back. But your body is accepting Mrlynn's soul and will hold it for as long as necessary. Since you are alive you are subconsciously calling to your should, and it soul should find it's way back to your body eventually. When that happens, Mrlynn gets his half back. If not, you'll still live.

"You might have some interesting experiences. Mrlynn's soul is ancient even as he himself is, and it is a powerful life force. Past experiences, feelings... memories that aren't yours might intrude upon your mind. You may find that you have different reactions to certain situations than you used to. But don't panic. It's not really you, per se, it's him. If you ever have any problems with these experiences, talk to Mrlynn. He should be able to explain it all to you or help you work through it. Do you have any questions?"

"Why do I feel like killing myself?" Symnn hung his head.

"Talk to him," he responded quietly. Mrlynn turned from his spot at the window and looked at Sarah. Tears were streaming down his face. Symnn looked at him and left the apartment. Sarah stood and went to Mrlynn. She laid a hand on his arm.

"What is it?" she asked softly.

"Five thousand years of life leaves a lot of pain, Sarah. It's something you spend your short life learning to deal with. I've been cursed with the immortality to gather enough pain for the entire human race. It builds slowly, but I've learned to cope with it. You aren't feeling the full brunt of it. Be happy for that fact, if for nothing else."

"Do you feel this way all the time? This depression and… emptiness?"

"yes," Mrlynn whispered.

"How can you bear it?"

"Some of us are more attuned to pain. We gather it easier. We live with it harder. But we live."

"Mrlynn..." Sarah began.

"Shh," he said. "Don't kill yourself, Sarah. Your soul will return. And you will be happy again."

"Life can't be all pain, Mrlynn. It's a wonderful thing. You just have to live it happily."

"I do. If there is a tomorrow the only way I can face it is with no regrets. We try to remember the happy times and to deal with the sad times."

"You OK?"

"No. No, I'm not. I need to be alone right now. Will you be all right if you're alone, Sarah?"

"Yeah. I'll see you later," she said quietly and left.

Mrlynn stood for a moment after she was gone then sank to his knees and cried.

Sarah pulled her clothes on over her costume as she drove home. It was late, almost 3:30 AM, and she was going to catch hell for being so late without calling. The lights to her house were on. Damn. She parked on the sidewalk and went in. Her parents were sitting with a police officer drinking coffee.

"Sarah!" cried her mother, rushing to her and hugging her fiercely. "Thank God you're all right!"

"Yeah, I'm OK, mom," Sarah said, muffled by her mother's embrace. Her dad came and hugged her too. The police officer stood and pulled his black trench on. Simon walked up to Sarah and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'll need you to look at some mug shots of the man who assaulted you, Sarah. We think that he was burned to death out by Daniel's Lake tonight after he left you. Can you come to the station tomorrow at eight PM?" asked Simon, winking at her.

"Yes, sir. Thank you," she responded.

"Yes, thank you, Detective," her father said, shaking his hand, "I'll bring her by."

Simon nodded and left. Sarah's parents hugged her again and her mother refused to let her go.

"Are you OK?" asked her mom.

"I'm fine, mom. I'm just really, really tired. Can we talk tomorrow?"

"Of course. I'll take the day off and call you in to school."

"Thanks," Sarah said, walking upstairs. She threw her bag into her room and went to the bathroom. Splashing some water on her face, she looked at the hand that Mrlynn had cut. She ran a finger nail across the tiny scar and looked into the mirror. She saw her face, a little beaten after her fight with the Dhampir. As she watched, the reflection seemed to blur, everything but her face. When the image reformed, she was wearing a medieval dress, standing in a small village. The image seemed to shake as if she were on a horse, looking down at herself. The horse stopped in front of her and she looked down at herself. The ancient her spoke, but Sarah couldn't hear the words. She got off the horse and followed herself into the wooden hut. When the door closed, her reflection reached out, hugging whomever Sarah was seeing through and they kissed. In a silver plate across the room, Sarah saw a reflection of the person who's eyes she was using. Mrlynn. With both eyes. The image blurred and was just herself, looking into the mirror again. She felt a wave of sadness rush over her.

Sarah went back to her room, laid down in her clothes and fell asleep.

Mrlynn stood in a clearing in a forest. On a flat topped rock in front of him lay two candles in sticks and a silver chalice. He stood in front of the rock with his head tilted back and his arms spread. He wore the blue robes he had worn during the fight with the Dhampir. His eyes were closed and his hair and robes blew gently in the wind. He stood so for several minutes.

"someone comes," the trees whispered to him. He opened his eyes and turned around.

A man in a black cloak with the hood down was walking towards him. The moonlight glinted off his white hair, was reflected by his silver eyes as if he were wearing silver contacts. He stopped several feet in front of Mrlynn and bowed his head. Mrlynn bowed at the waist in respect.

"Mrlynn," the cloaked man greeted him.

"Lethel-siis."

"I felt your actions. Is everything all right?"

"I killed a Dhampir. Clarissa's son. My son."

"I'm sorry, Mrlynn. You could not know of her pregnancy."

"Dammit, why not! Something could have been done to save her!"

"She was a vampire, Mrlynn. Nothing could have saved her." Mrlynn turned his back to Lethel-siis.

"Damn you. You knew."

"I know what it's like, and I'm sorry. If you had known about your son earlier what would you have done?"

"Does it matter? He killed one of your descendants."

"I know. Where has your soul gone?"

"Sarah. My 'sidekick' I suppose. The Dhampir killed her. I resurrected her."

"You shouldn't have done that."

"Maybe not, but it's done. Why are you here?" Mrlynn asked, turning back to Lethel-siis.

"I have a task for you."

"Go to hell."

"No. London. You will go there and retrieve the Eye of Luna from Shaydra, a witch."

"Sure, no problem. Go away, Lethel-siis. I don't want to speak to you right now."

"Mrlynn, Armageddon is at hand. We must have the Eye. Before it's too late."

"Why don't you do it?"

"Because I cannot take direct action yet. The imposition is still in effect. You will retrieve the Eye and take it to the Keep. Give it to Shenel, then go on with your life. Perhaps Armageddon will not touch you." Lethel-siis turned and walked off into the night.

"Damn you, Lethel-siis."

"All in good time. Go to London, Mrlynn."