Miracle Card Shop: All My Cards Can Be Actualize

"Tell me one thing, Merlin… Will we meet again in the future? Right?" Morgan asks, staring deep into Daniel's eyes as if searching for any hint of deception.

"Yes, I promise. We will meet again... no matter what!" Daniel replies, his eyes filled with deep determination, deep longing, and guilt.

He doesn't want to leave the woman he loves and the family he has built behind.

"What about me, Dad?" Mordred interrupts, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

Seeing his daughter like this, Daniel remembers the card he still can't use—the one he knows in his gut can only be activated once he returns to the future. By then, Mordred might have passed away, but… they'll meet again.

"We will also meet again. We'll see each other in the future… pinky promise," Daniel says, extending his hand with his pinky finger out. Mordred smiles, though her expression is complicated, and she slowly links her pinky with his.

"Don't go back on your word," Mordred urges.

"I never go back on my word," Daniel assures her with a nod. Morgan then hugs him and kisses him deeply.

The family of three continues their meal without bringing up Daniel's impending return to the future. They talk about other things—everyday life, jokes, and shared experiences. All of them know that Daniel will soon vanish from their lives. Even though he has promised they'll meet again, the thought of waiting for more than a millennium feels like torture to them.

—

The meal goes smoothly, aside from Daniel's confession. Nothing else makes him uncomfortable, but even as the conversation strays far from the topic of his return, the heavy guilt in his heart and the stifling feeling that makes it hard to breathe linger.

"Can't sleep?" a familiar voice asks. It's Morgan le Fay, who has woken up in the middle of the night after feeling her husband stir.

"I'm sorry…" Daniel apologizes, his voice thick with emotion and guilt.

"It's okay, my love. If you don't go back, a calamity will follow because of the time paradox, right? And that would also endanger your well-being. I'd rather wait for you for a millennium than risk losing you forever," Morgan says, offering him her understanding.

"I promise… we will meet again!" Daniel clenches his teeth, his eyes locking onto hers with intensity.

"I know… Now, before you go… let me feel you tonight. Brand me with all of your being," she whispers before kissing him with all the love and passion she holds for him.

The two exchange sweet words and whispers of love, feeling each other as never before throughout the night. Meanwhile, Mordred struggles to come to terms with the impending goodbye from her father, who will soon depart.

— Morning —

In the morning, Daniel activates the Future Intervention card in front of the tower. This draws a lot of attention from Merlin's disciples, but Daniel had already declared that the tower would stop accepting new disciples and would remain closed to all students for the day. As a result, the students wait outside the Lake of Avalon, watching as a cone of light shines from within the lake.

As the enchantment materializes, Daniel pays the price for traveling to the future, with the Keeper secretly assisting him within the Akashic Record. The Keeper helps connect the time tunnel to the correct timeline in the future, aiming to mitigate the consequences of time travel as much as possible.

The Keeper waves his hand like a professional conductor, and dots of golden, starry light connect to form an intricate web of tunnels. Only the Keeper understands how this connection will minimize the repercussions of Daniel's journey through time.

At the Lake of Avalon, a white portal opens. Daniel turns to look at his family in this era one last time and smiles. He nods at Morgan le Fay.

"I've left treasures for your protection in my workshop. Don't forget to use them if you face any danger or challenges."

Morgan le Fay can only nod, not daring to speak. She fears that if she does, she might not be able to stop herself from begging him to stay. And if Daniel were to remain with her, she knows she would regret it for the rest of her life if her beloved were erased from existence due to the rules of time.

"We'll meet again… I promise!" Daniel says with determination before stepping into the white portal.

The moment his body passes through the portal, it swallows him, and the tunnel closes instantly as the mana powering it dissipates. Daniel has left this era.

Seeing her beloved vanish, even with his promise, is too much for Morgan le Fay. She crumbles to the ground, and the tears she has held back since yesterday burst forth like a broken dam.

"It's okay, Mom… Dad promised. We'll meet again. You know him—he always keeps his promises," Mordred comforts her mother while fighting back her own tears. She can't afford to break down while her mother is already in such a state.

She can only hope that they will be reunited once again in the far future.

— After Daniel's departure—

After Daniel's departure, Morgan le Fay falls into a deep depression. She loses all motivation, spending her days wallowing in memories of her loved one.

Seeing her mother in such a state, Mordred uses her status as the daughter of Merlin and Morgan le Fay to declare the closure of the tower and the study at the Lake of Avalon. This decision disappoints many, as they lose the opportunity to learn at the tower under the guidance of the most powerful mage in existence.

However, they understand that without Merlin, studying at the Lake of Avalon has become nearly irrelevant. Many magical tomes have already been copied with Merlin's approval, allowing students to study on their own. Yet, the loss of Merlin, who could demonstrate and explain these complex concepts, is irreplaceable. No tome can replicate his expertise.

The news of Daniel's departure fills Arthur with joy. He quickly consolidates his power, isolating officials who wanted Merlin to stay while suppressing dissenting voices that believed Camelot's future would grow bleaker without him.

Camelot becomes increasingly unstable. To counter this, Arthur calls for Morgan le Fay's help, but she remains in a state of depression and does not respond to his summons. Arthur, consumed by jealousy and the inner demons that have long plagued him, grows violently paranoid. He begins to suspect that Morgan le Fay's silence means she harbors ambitions to rule Camelot herself.

This paranoia makes Arthur even more unstable. He trusts no one, not even his queen, Guinevere, whom he isolates. Lancelot, who serves as both the queen's protector and jailer, falls in love with her, further enraging Arthur.

In his fury, Arthur hunts down both Lancelot and Queen Guinevere. However, Lancelot proves resourceful. He diverts Arthur's attention by faking an escape route to the Lake of Avalon, only to flee south to the continent instead.

If Arthur hadn't been blinded by his bias against Merlin and his legacy, he would have realized that Lancelot could never hide in the Lake of Avalon.

The tower's residential area is fiercely guarded, and Merlin would never allow anyone but his family to enter. But Arthur, blinded by anger and paranoia, believes the tower is sheltering Lancelot. He declares this a betrayal and brands the Lake of Avalon and everyone associated with it as rebels.

This declaration angers many, especially mages. Even though the tower has remained closed since Merlin's departure, his contributions to magical study and the advancement of magic are undeniable. His influence among mages is so impactful that he is declared the unofficial king of mages.

To Arthur, these dissenting voices only fuel his anger, leading to war—the Battle of Camlann. Arthur's goal is to crush the dissenters and consolidate his power.

However, this war is not solely the product of anger and spite. There are also political interests at play. Despite Arthur's descent into jealousy and paranoia, he is still a ruler, and rulers always seek to consolidate and expand their power.

Arthur's ultimate goal is to gain full control over the Lake of Avalon and seize the magical tomes and artifacts left behind in Merlin's tower. The accusations of treason and the mudslinging toward the Lake of Avalon are merely excuses to wage war.

As of now, finding Lancelot is no longer important to Arthur. What matters most to him is gaining full control of the Lake of Avalon and the tomes and knowledge within Merlin's tower.

Mordred, furious and irritated by Arthur's declaration of war, feels the accusation of betrayal he threw at her is the final straw. More than that, Mordred knows Arthur's roots. Like her, Arthur was a boy adopted by her mother, Morgan le Fay. However, instead of treating him as a son, Morgan made him a servant—though one who had the opportunity to study and learn useful magic under her guidance.