Supergirl stood in front of the man's cell, pinching the bridge of her nose as her head began to throb. "Okay, let me see if I got this straight. You expect me to believe that you're Merlin," Kara recapped "the wizard from King Arthur's court?"

"I prefer the term sorcerer," Merlin tilted his head at the suspicious look on Supergirl's face. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"No. I don't," Supergirl admitted shamelessly with a shrug "I don't believe in wizards or sorcerers or magic. Those stories about King Arthur are just that. Stories."

The sorcerer of Camelot gave the Girl of Steel an amused smile as he began to pace back and forth in his cell. "You traveled to this world across a sea of stars, gaining the power to roam the skies and level mountains. And yet you find the possibility of magic so inconceivable?"

"That's different. My powers are the result of the access radiation from the yellow sun, the abundant nutrients in the atmosphere, and the weaker gravitational pull in comparison to Krypton," she explained logically "That's not magic. That's science"

"I do not judge you for your disbelief, Supergril," Merlin assured her. "Mankind has all but forgotten its ties to magic. How can I expect a foreigner to believe?"

Supergirl pressed her lips tightly together. "Okay. Let's say you are Merlin," she humored "Where's your cloak? Your beard? Your magic wand?"

The sorcerer let out a low chuckle. "So much of Camelot's true history has been lost time. The appearance of old man was a disguise I wore to conceal my identity. Not everyone in Albion was a friend to magic."

"Well, you've certainly aged well for a man who's lived since the dark ages," Kara complimented. "Why did you attack Lena Luthor?"

Merlin's face morphed into a deep scowl. "That woman is not what she appears to be. There is a darkness inside her," he warned "one that has not been seen since the days of Camelot. She is the High Priestess of Magic. The Lady Morgana."

"The witch from Arthurian legend?" Supergirl frowned "didn't she supposed to be dead?"

"Indeed, she was. And now she has returned."

"How is that possible?"

"Reincarnation," Merlin stated simply "not all forces of magic are benevolent, Supergirl. No doubt the dark forces have brought her back to prevent what is coming."

"What's coming?"

Merlin's eyes began to shine with a faint glimmer of hope. "The return of the once and future king. Arthur Pendragon."

"Isn't he dead?" Supergirl questioned skeptically.

"For now, but one day, when the stars reign down on Avalon, King Arthur will return," Merlin vowed "and lead Albion into a new golden age. It is my destiny to protect Arthur. Therefore, I am honor-bound to end Morgana before she prevents Arthur's return."

"End her? You mean kill her?" Kara's eyes widened in shock and horror "Wait a second, you mean to tell me that you've been hunting Lena her entire life, just because you think she's some witch from a fairy tale?"

"I have not laid eyes on Morgana in over a thousand years until today," Merlin disputed "and you do not seem understand the gravity of the situation, Supergirl."

"Oh, I understand completely," she assured him "you are just some crazy alien who's using magic and fairy tales as an excuse to get away with killing an innocent woman as a part of some ridiculous revenge scheme. Now I am sorry for what Lex and Lillian Luthor put you through," Supergirl acknowledged "I am. But I will not let you go on tormenting Lena."

"There is no Lena Luthor," Merlin disputed "the woman you know is nothing more that façade created by the dark forces that brought Morgana back to life. Soon she will remember her old life and with it, her magic," he warned "it has already begun. If your ethics prevent you from taking Morgana's life, then banish her to the darkest corner of space," Merlin pleaded "trap her in some otherworldly prison. Either way, Morgana cannot be allowed to free. She is a threat to every living thing on this Earth!"

"The only threat I see right now is you!" Supergirl snapped. The hero of National City stepped in front the glass of Merlin's cell, the two them standing eye to eye "and just so we're clear, you will never, ever, threaten Lena again."

Winn Schott sat at his desk at the DEO, smiling as he spotted James Olsen walking in "Hey. What are you doing here?"

"Heard about Kara," the photographer answered. "Is she alright?"

"Alex's got her under a yellow sun lamp, but she should be okay."

James nodded, his eyes wandering to the security feed of the holding area, where the Martian Manhunter stood in front of a dark-haired man in a cell. "Is that the guy?" he asked.

"Yep. J'John's trying the old telepathic method," Winn responded, "All Kara got out of him was a bunch of bub-kiss about reincarnation and magic."

James felt a pit emerge in the middle of his stomach. "Magic?"

"Yeah. Not like anyone here's going to believe that though," Winn's smile faded as he saw the look on his best friend's face "Right?"

"I've seen Superman fight a lot of bad guys Winn," James told him in a low voice "Some were aliens, others were metahumans. And others were just regular people. Who could do impossible things. Things that in no way were scientifically possible. Things that could hurt Clark. Bad," he emphasized "And when Lois and I questioned them about it, every last one of them called it magic."

"Okay. Time out." Winn stated "You're telling me that magic is real? That it can hurt Kryptonians?"

James nodded. "Maybe even kill them."

"Okay. Okay, I am officially freaking out now. Because this guy," Winn jabbed a nervous finger at the imprisoned man on the security feed. "he's says that he's Merlin. As in King Arthur and the Knights of Round Table. And that Lena is some sort of... reincarnation of some crazy witch from the Dark Ages."

James clenched his jaw nervously. He was far from an expert in magic, but based on what he did know, the older the magic, the stronger it was. "Winn, we need to figure this out."

"How?"

"First, we figure out if this really is Merlin," James instructed "Go over everything we know he's said and done. See if any of it lines up with Arthurian legend."

"Right. Right, I'm on it. Um," Winn frowned as he saw James walk off "Where are you going?"

"To investigate Lena," James answered "Whether this guy is magic or not, he went after her for a reason. We need to find out why."

Lena Luthor sat alone in her office that night, struggling to sign the final papers of the day as her hands continued to shake. It had been hours since the attack and she was still shaking like a baby. Tthe CEO of L-Corp got up from her desk and poured herself a drink, desperate for a way to ease her raw-stripped nerves.

"Miss Luthor?"

Flinching slightly as her secretary walked in, Lena scolded herself as she took a shaky breath. "Yes Stacy?"

"I just wanted to let you know that the extra security you requested just arrived."

The businesswoman nodded, taking another sip of her drink. "Thank you."

"Also," Stacy added nervously "Mr. Winthorpe has called for a board meeting tomorrow."

Lena scowled. No doubt Winthorpe was making another power play "Find him. Now."

"Is this really necessary?"

Alex gave her sister a concerned look as she grudgingly sat under a yellow sun lamp. "That sword left you with a nasty cut. This should help give the healing process a jump start."

"I already told you," Kara winced as she sat up, rubbing his shoulder "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," Alex disputed. Her sister was in no way the perfect bill of health. Her skin was pale, her eyes were wrapped in dark circles and she wasn't healing like she was supposed to. "You need to rest."

"I can't rest," Kara said with a grunt "I have to go protect the city."

"Hey Alex? You need to see this," Winn nervously hurried into the med lab, holding up laptop for the DEO agent to see. "So I just finished all my tests on Merlin's sword. You are not going to believe what I found."

"What?"

"Nothing. There is not a single trace of alien tech in this thing," Winn stated "It's made out of common Earth steel."

"That's impossible." Alex snatched the tablet from her friend's hand and double checked the results "Even if this guy had the strength to go toe-to-toe with Kara, that sword never should've been able to pierce her skin. It should've shattered."

"Okay, I know this is going to sound crazy," Winn acknowledged "but is it possible that this guy might actually be magic?"

Alex glared at him. "You can't be serious."

"Winn," Kara winced as she hopped down from her seat "There's no such thing as magic."

"Don't be so sure," the Martian Manhunter warned as he walked in "I just had a long telepathic talk with our new friend. I think he might some truth to what he's been saying."

"Ha! Told you," Winn gloated.

"J'John, you can't honestly believe that this guy is magic," Alex insisted.

"I never said he was magic," J'John disputed "but I do believe he is the man behind the myth of the wizard Merlin. We already know he has abilities," he reminded "abilities that to the eyes of men and women in the Middle Ages, could be considered magic. And during his youth, he used his abilities to protect a young king named Arthur Pendragon."

"So, it's a Superman scenario," Alex assumed.

"A what?" asked Winn.

"It's what we call a situation where an alien is raised on Earth and doesn't have any memory of their birth planet," Alex explained. "If Merlin really did grow up in the Dark Ages, there's no way anyone would even consider life being on other planets."

"See Winn?" Kara stated "No magic, just science."

"Don't be so sure," J'John warned "there's still too much we don't know about this man."

"I think I might be able to help with that," the members of the DEO drew their eyes to James Olsen as he walked "I did some digging into Lena Luthor."

Kara looked ready to drop kick him to the moon. "You did what?"

"What'd you find?" Winn asked.

"A lot of questions. Lena was born in England," James began "her mother died when she was four and spent the next six years bouncing from foster home to foster home."

"I know how that feels," Winn commented sadly.

"I didn't think much of it at first," James went on "until I found out that the Luthors had all the records of Lena's foster families sealed. I only found out how many homes she was in by what little paperwork I could find on her adoption by the Luthors."

"What is wrong with all of you?" Kara spoke up, glaring at her friends "Why are all of you treating Lena like a suspect?"

James straightened up at the confrontational tone in his friend's voice. "Because like it or not Kara, there's a reason Merlin went after Lena."

"Yeah. It's called he's a psycho with a bone to pick with the Luthors," Kara stated strongly.

"Not long ago, you accused me of being biased against Lena Luthor," James stated, "well now, you're being biased for her. Think about it Kara. If Merlin wanted to wage a war with the Luthors, why didn't he go after Lex?" he questioned "With his powers, he could've killed Lex right in his cell if he wanted to. Instead, he went after the one Luthor that we can't tie to any alien hate crimes."

"That's enough," Kara snapped "You two are done looking into Lena. End of discussion."

James clenched his jaw as his friend marched off, letting out a deep breath. Kryptonians sure were a stubborn bunch.

As Alex and J'Jonn found went back to work, Winn's eyes drifted to his friend's research. "James? This says Lena was born in Cadburry?"

"Yeah. It's some old village in rural England," he confirmed. "Why?"

"Come here," Winn gave his friend a nervous look, leading him over to his computers in the main room. "Okay, so I started researching all the Arthurian legends," Winn began "and it turns out, historians have been working for years to prove King Arthur actually existed by locating the ruins of Camelot. Now, they've narrowed it down to two places. One of them is Cadbury."

James' throat started getting dry. "What else did you find?"

"A bunch of stories I read as a kid. And a few I didn't. See most people know the basics of King Arthur. Ruler of Camelot, Knights of the Round Table, Sword in the Stone, yada, yada, yada." Winn went on "but what they don't know is how the story ends. According to legends, Arthur was killed by a knight named Mordred during a battle against the Saxons. What most people don't know is where Arthur is buried. Supposedly, Arthur was buried in a place called Avalon, a magic lake with the power to bring back the dead. No one knows where it is, but according to the legends, Arthur's grave is protected by two sorcerers who watch over him until he comes back. One is the Lady of the Lake and the other…,"

"Let me guess," James interrupted "Merlin."

"You got it."

"What about Morgana? What does she have to do with this?"

"From what I can tell, she was a real piece of work," Winn stated "Morgana was Arthur's illegitimate half-sister. And she was not happy that baby brother beat her out for the throne. She led multiple sieges against Camelot and she was the one who led the Saxons in the battle where Arthur was killed. Now according to the legends, Morgana was some sort of magic priestess," he went on "and some believe that when Arthur returns, so will Morgana and the two of them will duke it out for the throne. James," Winn gave his friend a confused look "you got to admit, none of this make any sense."

"I know," James' face became surprisingly grim "that's why think it might be magic."

"But how do we prove it?"

"We look for connections. We already know that Lena was born in what might've been Camelot," James reminded. "We just need more. The Luthors sealed Lena's foster records for a reason. Now my gut tells me that the answers we need are in those records. And if working with Perry White and Lois Lane taught me anything, it's that's a good reporter always follows their gut. Now, I couldn't get access to the records at CatCo, but the DEO might."

"Yeah sure," Winn quickly scooted over as James sat down at one of his computers.

"Thanks. Can you get access to the security feed from L-Corp?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"If Merlin and Morgana are real, then they probably use the same kind of magic," James theorized "If we can figure out what that is, we can figure out how to protect Kara from it."

"Got it. Question: what exactly should I be looking for?" Winn asked, typing away at his computers "A spell book? A magic wand?"

"Not all magic uses objects. A couple years back, Clark and I ran across a magician who cast spells by talking backwards."

"Cool. So, what did guy look like?" Winn questioned "Was he old recluse with a beard?"

"She is a brunette bombshell in fishnets who headlines a show in Vegas."

Winn gave James a dumbstruck look. "Do you have her number?"

"Lena," Winthorpe gave the CEO of L-Corp a cordial smile as she marched into his office. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You little rat," normally Lena would at least pretend to tolerate Winthorpe, but not today "did you really think you could really get away with it?"

"Why Lena," Winthorpe's eyes gleamed with dark satisfaction as he spoke in an innocent tone "whatever do you mean?"

"I mean your little plot to vote me out of my own company."

"Oh. That," the old businessman let out a dismissive sigh "Don't take it personally, Lena. It's just good business."

"Business?"

"You and your family have brought nothing but disaster to this company ever since Lex showed his true colors," Winthorpe stated simply "from his endless black-market dealings to his constant assassination attempts of the Superman. And now your mother is the head of an anti-alien terrorist group."

"I am not my mother," Lena stated strongly "or my brother."

"No. You're worse. You're naïve and foolish. Did you honestly think that you could undo all the horrors your family has done with a simple re-branding?" Winthorpe questioned with a patronizing chuckle "You stupid little girl. No matter how much good you do, the world will see nothing more than a wolf in sheep's clothing. And so long as this company is tied Luthor name, every hard working, good intentioned soul who works here will be seen as a suspected terrorist."

Lena's eyes blazed with fury, her hands balled into tight fists as she stood in front of Winthorpe and snarled. "I am Lena Luthor. This is my company. And you will not take it from me!"

As she spoke those final words, Lena's eyes morphed from green to gold, causing Winthorpe to go flying into a wall. Lena gasped as she watched him crumple into a heap on the floor. What was going on? Was it Emrys? As panic continued to grow insider, Winthorpe's desk quickly burst into flames. Lena shrieked as she ran out of the room, bolting straight into her office and closing the door behind her.

The CEO gasped for breath as she stood against the door, her heart racing and her body trembling, when she heard a voice.

"Lena."

The CEO gasped as she looked around, searching every corner of her office, only to see no one there. Lena winced as her head started throbbing, her mind racing with strange and distorted images: Being locked in pit with a dragon. Emrys poisoning her. A king putting her chains. Emrys ripping his sword through her heart. Throughout all of it, the voice kept calling her, getting louder and louder.

"Lena. Lena. Lena."

"Stop it. Stop it!" Lena cried covering her ears. Desperate to end the visions and voices, Lena squeezed her eyes shut as she repeated her mantra, over and over like a terrified child saying a desperate prayer. "There is no Moragna. There is only Lena. There is no Morgana. There is only Lena. There is no Morgana."

"Don't be so sure."

Lena felt a chill down her spine as she looked up and saw a twisted reflection of herself in the mirror in the corner of her office, dressed in a lacy black gown with cold green eyes. Morgana.

J'Jonn J'Jozz stood on the balcony at the DEO, jaw clenched and arms crossed, his brow scrunched up as became lost in thought.

Alex knew that look. Something was bothering him. "What's wrong?"

"This whole Merlin situation… it doesn't fit right," the Martian admitted in a solemn tone "On Mars, the acceptance of sorcery was commonplace. And although I've never been the most devoted believer, I can't bring myself to rule it out as a possibility."

"You can't be serious."

"I have a hard time finding any other explanation."

"J'Jonn, you said it yourself, Merlin's alien," Alex reminded.

"I said he might be an alien," he corrected "and the more I think about it, the less I believe it," the Martian Manhunter placed his hands on the railings of the balcony. "I was in Merlin's mind, Alex. I saw his memories. If he was born on another planet, then there would've been some trace of it in his memories. But he was born on Earth to a human mother. And many of the other sorcerers he met claimed their powers came from one of their parents."

"So it wasn't just one alien that came to feudal Europe," Alex rationalized.

"Maybe. But there was no alien civilization advanced enough for deep space travel during Earth's dark ages," J'Jonn countered "Krypton was no more advanced than Earth is now. And then there's the scope of his powers," he went on "I have come across many psychokinetic species in my time, but never any with his range of abilities. Much less one that could live for 1600 years."

"J'Jonn you've lived for three hundred years. And you have aged gracefully, by the way," Alex complimented.

The Martian Manhunter gave a brief smile at his friend's compliment. "Then there's this whole Morgana business. The resemblance between her and Lena," J'Jonn's voice became increasingly worried. "it's remarkable."

"J'Jonn, you just said it yourself. Merlin's old. He's probably just confused. Senile," Alex suggested.

"I don't know," the last of the Green Martians looked over his shoulder onto the main floor of the DEO, where he spotted Winn and James huddled over a group of computers. "What is agent Schott up to?"

"Research," Alex responded in a disapproving tone "he and James are looking for a way to confirm that Merlin's 'magic'."

"Keep an eye on them. I want to know what they find."

"J'Jonn."

"James Olsen's history with Superman makes him an invaluable asset DEO," he reminded "to disregard any of his warnings, no matter how far-fetched, would be a big mistake."

"Hello, Lena. It's been a while."

Lena trembled at the sight of her twisted reflection, her mind racing with the traumatic memories of her childhood. "You're not real."

"Oh," Morgana's face morphed into an artificial hurt expression "now is that any way to greet your sister?"

"You were never my sister," Lena stated in a stronger tone "you're a disease. You're the reason I was kicked out of every foster home I ever went to."

Morgana's face lost it cordial façade as she stepped out of the mirror, causing Lena to back away as she approached. "I protected you. I shielded you from dangers of those prisons you called home," she reminded "or has your time with Luthors made you forget Sean Flynn and his fists? Liam Ryder and his wandering hands?"

"I will never forget what they did to me," Lena managed "you may have been trying to protect me, but you went too far. You threatened their wives, the other kids."

"It was their fear that kept you safe dear Lena," Morgana rationalized. "You know I'd never let anything happen to you."

Lena shrunk back as Morgana ran a hand through her hair, the simple gesture causing her entire body to quiver in terror. As much as Morgana claimed to be good, Lena knew all too well the destruction she could cause. As she struggled to keep her emotions under control, Lena noticed the rusted iron shackles on Morgana's wrists. "You're chained. Why?"

"The Luthors," she replied simply "They used the poison they gave you to lock me away. To keep us apart," emphasized in a heartbroken tone "But now I've made it back."

"Why?" Lena questioned "Why are you here?"

"Emrys." Morgana answered, causing a chill to run down Lena's spy "I warned you that he would return and now he has. I can help you stop him."

Lena's eyes widened. "How?"

Morgana hefted up the rusted chains around her wrists. "Free me."

Lena's face became flooded with fear as she backed away. "You can't be serious."

"My magic is the only thing on this earth that can stop Emrys," Morgana insisted "I am the only one who can protect you."

"I don't want your protection," Lena disputed "I want you gone." The CEO hurried over to her desk and grabbed her medication, quickly swallowing another two pills from the bottle. Lena gasped as she felt heart start to race, her lungs gasping for air as she stumbled to the ground.

As Lena's vision began to blur, Morgana strolled over and bent down in front of her, gently stroking her hair once more. "Oh Lena. Don't you understand? I will never you."

Then everything went black.

"Kara."

Kara Danvers sat at her desk at work, struggling work past the pain in her wounded shoulder, when Mon-El arrived in his human disguise. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

"Alex told me you were hurt. I came here as fast as I could," he replied in a deeply concerned tone "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," she reassured him as Mon-El gave her a warm hug. "Some alien with a sword came after Lena. Said he was magic."

Mon-El's eyes widened. "You met a wizard?"

"Oh Rao," Kara groaned. She had forgotten that Daxamites believed in magic.

"I have just spent the past two weeks reading all of the Harry Potter books and binge-watching the movies," he reminded "I must meet this master magic and convince him to teach me the ways of the mystic arts."

"You want to learn magic from a guy who tried to kill Lena and stabbed me with a sword?" Kara questioned.

Mon-El scowled. "I don't like this wizard."

"He is not," Kara stopped herself from screaming as she took a deep breath "Mon-El, honey I love you. But there is no such thing as magic."

"I love you too, Kara my sweet," Mon-El complimented "but how can you say there's no such thing as magic?"

"How can you?" she questioned "We came from two highly advanced alien civilizations. We traveled across galaxies. Harnessed the power of the stars. How can you believe in something like magic?"

"Because I see it every time I look at you," Mon-El justified "In your smile. In your laugh. In the way you make me feel. There's no logic for that. There's no science that can explain it," he told her with a shrug "so the only way I can explain it is magic."

"Aw," Kara blushed as she gave her boyfriend a quick kiss "You're sweet."

"Thank you. But you're sweeter."

Kara giggled as Mon-El wrapped his arms wound her waist, pulling out her phone as it went off. "Hello? Yes, this is Kara Danvers." The young reporter gasped as her face turned stark white. "Oh my God."

"What is it?" Mon-El asked.

"Lena's in the hospital."

Merlin sat alone in his cell, a single, all-consuming thought echoing through his mind: Morgana.

Of all the people he had lost in his long life, she was the last one he ever expected to see again, much less wanted. In hindsight, he shouldn't have been surprised. Arthur's return was soon. He could feel it.

He'd hoped that the heroes of this city would listen to him, that they would stand with him, to stop Morgana's reign of terror before it began. But Supergirl was just as he once was concerning Morgana, unable to see the darkness lying within.

Merlin sighed a heavy sigh, his eyes changing from blue to gold. He was not as young as he was in Camelot, and he was alone. But so long was there was life and breath within his body, he would defend Arthur Pendragon. No matter what the cost.

Lena woke in a groggy state, her vision blurry as she found herself surrounded by four white walls, lying in a small bed, with an IV drip in her arm.

"Hey."

Lena looked over to her side and saw Kara Danvers and Mike Matthews watching over her. "Hey," Lena croaked. "Where am I?"

"National City general," Kara replied in a gentle voice "How do you feel?"

Lena groaned. Her lips were chapped, her head was spinning and her stomach felt like it just lost a 10-round boxing match. "Terrible."

"The doctors had to pump your stomach," Kara explained "you overdosed."

Lena paled, her heart racing as she noticed the worried, disapproving tone in her friend's voice.

"I'm going to go get some coffee," Mike announced, desperately excusing himself.

The two women sat silently in the room together when Kara finally asked. "Thank you for making me your emergency contact. I really do appreciate you trusting me that much."

"Thank you for coming to check up on me," Lena responded.

Kara nodded and after moment's silence, she asked. "How long?"

"What?"

"How long?" Kara repeated "How long have you been taking drugs?"

"I don't."

"I saw your chart, Lena," Kara argued "the doctors said you had enough anti-psychotics to put down a horse."

"It's not drugs. It's medicine." Lena took a steadying breath as she saw the confused look on her friend's face. "There's something I haven't told you."

"Got it. I got it!"

Alex and James looked up as Winn shouted for joy.

"I just figured out Merlin's secret language," the analyst stated, pumping his fist. After getting access to the L-Corp security footage, Winn had noticed two things about Merlin: One, everytime he used his powers, his eyes turned gold. Second, right before he created the fires and froze the doors in the building, he spoke in a strange language. It took him hours to find a match in the database, but he had finally cracked it!

"Nice work," James complimented.

"So what planet is he from?" Alex asked.

"Earth. Turns out that language wasn't alien at all. It's Gaelic."

"Gaelic?"

Winn nodded. "An ancient Gaelic dialect dating back to the early middle ages, right around the time King Arthur was alive. Fun fact," he added "he was speaking it backwards."

Winn and James shared a knowing look.

"Why would he be speaking backwards?" Alex questioned.

"Because speaking backwards is common practice for casting spells," James informed her.

Alex was ready to tear his hair out. "For the hundredth time, there is no such thing as magic!"

"Then why is Merlin casting spells?" James questioned "Why are his psychokinetic powers greater than any alien the DEO has ever encountered? And how did he hurt Kara with a sword made out of common steel?"

"Wait, it gets crazier," Winn warned "Remember how Lena called Merlin Emrys? Turns out it's the same dialect. For Merlin."

"Lena was born in England," Alex reminded "She could've picked it up back home."

"Doubtful. This dialect hasn't been spoken anywhere for the last 600 years."

"What about Lena's foster records?" James questioned "Did you find them?"

"Not yet. But I'm running a decryption program that should do the trick. James, I really think you might be onto something here. The amount of encryption on these files is," the DEO analyst's eyes widened as he looked at one of his many computer screens "What the heck!?"

Surprised, James and Alex looked over at the screen, where they saw a weathered, grey haired, old man sitting in Merlin's cell.

"That's impossible," Alex quickly lead James and Winn down into the holding area.

The old man quickly rose his feet as they came into view "Where am I? What is this place?"

"That… is classified," Winn answered nervously.

"How did you get here?" Alex asked in a gentle tone "and what happened to the man that was in that cell?"

"I don't know. There was… this flash of light and the next thing I know I was here. Please," the old man begged in a frightened tone "I just want to go home."

"Of course," James assured him in a gentle tone.

The three heroes led the old man up into the main floor of the DEO, where J'Jonn stood on the balcony, giving his friends an alarmed look when he saw them with the old man. "Alex, get back!"

The Martian Manhunter quickly leapt into action, changing into his true Martian form as he flew down and charged the old man. He was already too late. The second J'Jonn called out to warn his agents, the old man's eyed turned gold, revealing his true nature.

WHOOSH!

In a burst of power, the old man sent the entire floor flying in every direction, knocking them all on their backs as lamps and computer screens shattered.

J'Jonn groaned as he rose to his feet his eyes locked with the old man as his started to change: His beard fell out, his hair changed color, his skin went from old and weathered to young and vibrant. Within seconds, the old stranger transformed into a young man in his late twenties, with jet black hair and piercing blue eyes. Merlin.

"How did you know it was me?" He asked.

"When we first spoke, I read your mind," J'Jonn answered "I saw how you kept your abilities secret in Camelot."

"I had forgotten your people were capable of telepathy. I know your people's goal is a noble one," Merlin praised "but I cannot let you stop me."

"There are at least fifty DEO agents between you and the nearest exit," J'Jonn warned him "What makes you think we'll let you walk out of here?"

"Because I won't let anything stand in my way." The sorcerer's eyes turned gold as he spoke in the language of magic "Erif."

A ring of fire roared to life around the Martian Manhunter, bring the son of Mars to his knees.

"J'JONN!" Alex jumped to his feet as she saw her mentor through the flames, drawing her gun and aiming it at Merlin as he reclaimed his sword. "Don't move."

"You have two choices," he presented "stop me or save your friend. He won't last long enough for you to do both."

Alex's arm dropped to her side as Merlin slung his sword over his shoulder and walked off.

After putting out the flames, Alex got J'Jonn to med wing as fast as she could.

The Martian Manhunter lay unconscious in a small bed in the med wing, with Alex, James and Winn watching over him.

"Merin's a mean wizard," Winnn muttered.

"Say wizard again and I will shoot you," Alex threatened.

"Is he going to be alright?" James asked.

Alex gave her sleeping mentor a worried look. "I don't know."

Winn, who had been working on his tablet since the attack, suddenly spoke up in a stunned voice. "Guys. You need to see this."

Frowning, Alex and James huddled around him as he played a video on his tablet: a clip from the attack on L-Corp that morning.

Lena stood alone with Merlin in a small hallway, a petrified look on her face as she grabbed a vase off a decorative table and threw it at him. Merlin's eyes turned gold as the vase stopped in midair, the porcelain piece flying back at Lena, only to stop right in front of her face, her piercing green eyes now a dazzling gold.

"Oh my God," James whispered.

Alex could hardly believe it. "Lena has powers?"

"It's worse than that," Winn warned "I finally got access to Lena's foster records and she has got a list of mental health issues a mile wide. Extreme paranoia, hallucinations and dissociative identity disorder."

"Jeez," James gasped.

"Can't say I blame her. As someone who was raised in the foster system, I can tell you is an absolute nightmare," Winn assured them "and you do not want to run into bad Lena in a dark alley. According to these records, she put two of her foster fathers in the hospital and set one of her homes on fire."

"My God," Alex gasped. She idea Lena could be so ruthless. "No wonder the Luthors buried this. If they word got out that Lena had this many problems, there's no way the L-Corp board would've let her be CEO."

"Guys," James gave the DEO agent a concerned look "these records state that Lena's episodes are brought on high levels of stress."

"High stress?" Winn repeated "Like living in a city that's seen two Cadmus terror attacks, having a psychotic step-mother reveal a life-altering fact about your family history or being wrongly convicted and thrown in jail?"

Winn was right. Since moving to National City, Lena's life had been nothing but one emotional roller coaster after another. If she had an episode while no one was looking... "We need to find Kara," Alex ordered. "Now."

"When I was four, my mother died of cancer," Lena began "I didn't have any other family, so I was sent in to foster care. Some of them were nice. Most weren't. Some of them hurt me. Others…tried to touch me," she admitted as her voice started to waver "After a while, something in me broke. I started seeing things. Having nightmares. Hearing voices. Sometimes I would get so scared that I'd blackout. And when I came to, people were afraid of me. I hurt them," Lena admitted shamefully "I thought I was a monster. Turns out just, I'm just crazy," she said with a laugh as tears began to flow down her cheeks "I have metal health problems. A lot of mental health problems. The Luthors they, they got me help. Put me on medication. Took me to therapy. And I got better. Until today. When Emrys, the monster of all my nightmares walked right into my building. I started hearing… the other me in my head. I got scared. So, I took an extra pill. And another. And another. Until I just-,"

Kara came over and sat the side of Lena's bed as she choked out a sob, wrapping her arms around her friend as she lost control of her tears. "It's okay," she whispered in a gentle tone "You're okay."

Lena let out a shaky breath as the tears streamed down her cheeks. "She's coming back."

"No," Kara disputed "You're stronger now. You can fight her."

"You don't know Morgana like I do," she warned.

Kara paled. "Morgana?"

"Yeah," Lena took in a shaky breath as she dried her eyes "It's my middle name. It's what I called the other me. At first she was just this imaginary friend I made up, " she explained "A big sister with magic powers to keep me company when I felt alone. But as things kept getting worse, she said that she could help me, keep me safe. By that point was I just so scare that I didn't even think-," The two women jumped as they heard a loud crash from outside the room "What was that?"

Mon-El stood in front of the vending machines in the hospital waiting room, readying coffee for himself and Kara, when his phone went off. "Hello?"

"Mon-El," Alex responded "Where are you? Where's Kara?"

"At the hospital. Lena had an accident," he answered "Why? What's going on?"

"Merlin broke out of containment."

"The wizard's loose?"

"Stop calling him that!" Alex snapped "Guardian and I will be there as quick as we can but you need to get Lena out of there. Right now."

As Alex kept talking, Mon-El's eyes drifted down the hall as he heard a loud crash, where he saw a nurse and a wheelchair-bound patient were whisked away into a room, the door locking itself shut. Mon-El's eyes widened as man in a leather jacket and a scarf came into view, carrying a sword as his eyes changed from gold to blue. "Hey Alex, I'm going to have to call you back." The former prince of Daxam hung up his phone and marched toward the stranger. "I'm guessing you're the wizard everybody's been talking about."

"My business does not concern you. Now tell me," Merlin ordered "Where is Morgana?"

"A: her name is Lena," Mon-El corrected "and B: from what my friends tell me, you're going to try and kill her again, so I'm going have to say no."

"Do you honestly think you can beat me?" Merlin questioned.

Mon-El shrugged, a confident expression on his face. "I'll take my chances."

WHOOSH!

In a blur of motion, Mon-El closed the gap between himself at super speed, ready to slam a blow to Merlin chest.

Only he didn't.

The second he came within a foot of Merlin, Mon-El became frozen his place, his arm trapped in mid-swing as Merlin's eyes turned gold.

"You're a rather strong one, aren't you? Are you Kryptonian?" Merlin inquired "No. You're strong but not that strong. It doesn't matter," he dismissed passively as he spoke an incantation "sniahc."

At the moment, one of the medical machines transforms into a trail of iron shackles, soaring through the air and wrapping around Mon-El and bringing him to his knees. Mon-El tired to break free, but no matter how hard he struggled, they wouldn't budge.

Tightening his grip on his sword, Merlin gave Daxamite a passive look as he walked off. "Morgana!"

Lena paled as she heard Merlin's voice echoed through the halls. "We need to get out of here."

Kara balled her fists as got up from her seat. "I'm going to go help," she announced. "You stay here and wait until I get back."

"No Kara!" Lena quickly grabbed her friend by the arm as she headed for the door. "It's too dangerous."

Kara clenched her jaw as she felt a jolt of pain shoot up her wounded arm. True enough, she was in no shape to fight Merlin. But she couldn't just sit here and let him threaten all these people. "I'll be fine," she reassured her "now stay here."

"Morgana! Show yourself!" Merlin bellowed as he continued to march his way across the hospital floor "Is this really how you really wish to meet your end, Milady?" he asked. "hiding amongst the sick and the injured? What happened to high and mighty priestess I knew all those years ago? Has reincarnation made you soft? Or is it because you have no one left to fight your battles for you?" Merlin tightened his grip on his sword, Arthur's sword, as he rounded the corner and kept walking "It's just us now, Morgana. No Morgause. No armies. No Mordred. Just you and me. You want to prove you're the better sorcerer?" he challenged "then come out here and FACE ME!"

As the wizard's voice echoed through the halls, the Girl of Steel appeared at super speed, standing in front of him.

Merlin huffed. "You again.

"This ends now," Supergirl declared.

"It will end when that witch lies dead and buried," Merlin snarled.

"There is no witch," Supergirl disputed. "There is no magic. There is no Morgana. Whatever you think Lena did, she wasn't in control of her actions," she explained "she has a mental disorder."

Merlin let out a dark laugh. "Is that what she told you, Supergirl? That she is some poor, broken thing suffering from a damaged mind?" he mocked. "You are so foolish. I once thought as you did," Merlin acknowledged. "I though Morgana could be saved. Even after watching the last of her light be snuffed out. And because of my indecision, my weakness," he spat out full of self-loathing "that woman orchestrated the death of her own father. Forever tarnished the legacy of one of Camelot's greatest knights. Tortured another to death," he listed off "forced her best friend to watch her brother die. That woman is responsible for the deaths of thousands. Including Arthur Pendragon!" the old wizard's voice broke at the mention of the king of Camelot. "My best friend. The best man I've ever known. It was my duty to protect Arthur. My destiny," he emphasized as tears swelled in his eyes "I loved him like a brother and because of my foolish sentiment for Morgana, I was forced watch him die in my arms!"

Kara's face softened as she looked into Merlin's heartbroken blue eyes. All day she'd been treating him like some stone-cold killer. But in the end, he was just a broken old man. "I know what it's like to watch the people you love die. But what you're doing here, it won't bring any of them back."

Merlin stayed silent as he took in a sharp breath, blinking slowly as he fought to keep his tears at bay. "Perhaps not. But it will ensure that no one will know the torment of Morgana's wrath. Now," the sorcerer clenched his jaw and raised his sword, keeping the edge of the tip of the blade level with Supergirl's heart. "stand aside."

"No."

"He'll kill her."

Lena felt an all too familiar chill run down her spine as Morgana reappeared. "You don't know that."

Morgana gave Lena a condescending smile as she walked over to the edge of Lena's bed, the chains rattling with every step. "I warned you that this day would come. And now that Emrys has found you, he will not stop until he sees us both dead. No matter who he has to kill to get to us. Be it the hero of National City or simple reporter."

Lena's eyes swelled with tears as Morgana voiced all her darkest fears, her voice cracking as she asked, "What do you want from me?"

"The same thing I've always wanted: to protect you. I am the only one who can stop Emrys," Morgana insisted gently "but only if you free me."

Lena stared at Morgana's shackle-bound wrists. "Every time I let you out, innocent people get hurt."

"And how do you think your dear Kara will fair once Emrys finds her?"

"Don't hurt her," Lena begged.

"I won't, little sister," Morgana insured her with a smile "I know your friend means to you. But Emrys will."

The CEO of L-Corp stayed silent for a moment, starring at Morgana's chains as she struggled to come to a decision. "Promise me you won't hurt Kara."

Supergirl grunted as Merlin unleashed his powers, knocking the hero of National City into a wall with a massive telekinetic blast. The Girl of Steel ducked as the sorcerer of Camelot came charging in, swinging in his sword in a massive arc.

"Erif." Merlin's eyes turned gold as he conjured a raging ball of fire in his hand, whipping his arm back and hurling right at the Girl of Steel's chest.

Supergirl quickly countered as she unleashed her freeze breath, fire and ice clashing in the air as the two of them were sent flying back.

"Rednuht." The wizard of Camelot's eyes turned gold as he summoned a bolt of lightning, massive volts of power arcing up and down his forearm and he pulled his arm back and hurled at Supergirl.

The Girl of Steel grunted as the bolt hit her chest, knocking her on her back, her wounded shoulder screaming in pain as she rose to her feet.

This didn't make any sense. Even with her injuries, she shouldn't be the wounded. Much less this winded. After only two blows from Merlin, Supergirl was already breaking into a sweat, her lungs desperately crying out for air. "Is that the best you got?"

"Refusing to give yield even in the face of defeat. You truly have the heart of a knight, Supergirl," Merlin praised. "Which is why it pains me to do this. Etinotpyrk." The sorcerer's eyes turned gold as he closed his free hand into a tight fist, opening it up moments later to reveal a glowing green stone. Kryptonite.

Letting out a strangled breath, Supergirl fell to her knees as the stone started sapping her strength, her vision blurring as Merlin approached her.

"I know the power of this stone is lethal to you. Which is why I will not expose you to it for long," he promised, setting the kryptonite down a foot away from her.

As the Girl of Steel writhed in agony as Merlin walked off, desperately trying to rise to her feet when suddenly-

BAM!

Without a moment's warning, the wall to Lena's room exploded, sending Merlin and Supergirl flying back as dust and drywall flew through the air. Merlin groaned he rolled off his back and got on one knee, just in time to see a woman walk into view.

Lena Luthor walked through the rubble with her head held high, her face cold and menacing as her green orbs became a dazzling gold.

Merlin's heart raced. His muscles tensed up. His blood began to boil. He knew those eyes. The eyes of the Lady Morgana.