He was watching them silently from a corner. Really, it was to be expected. After the battles they fought together, the trust they held in each other, Merlin knew eventually it would lead down this road.

He was in his room at the time, stirring his cauldron of well needed medicine. The specific instructions from Jalil had the old wizard spending his days manipulating small metals and woods, bending them into intricate shapes only one could occur through magic.

Today, Merlin was making something the dark boy called 'morphine.'

Fascinating stuff. Merlin spent the better part of the day hunched over his cauldron, adding ingredients when needed. It wasn't until near the end did he realize he needed more.

He walked down the halls, his mind mulling over the million and one things he has learned over the past few months. It thrilled him endlessly, learning new sciences, new magics. For the longest time, he felt as if he learnt everything there was to know in Everworld. How very arrogant of him.

He turned down a hallway and at the corner of his eye, he caught the sight of two people in very close contact. He was about to clear his throat loudly enough to remind them they were in public space when he recognized them.

It was a rather sweet moment. David held April's face in his hands, kissing her softly. Every time they parted, they'd smiled at each other, their eyes twinkling in amusement and affection.

Merlin felt his stomach clenched painfully. Slowly, almost deliberately he pulled himself back around the corner, hiding himself from them.

His thoughts on morphine, gone. The giddy feeling he got when learning something new, gone. All was replaced was an odd empty feeling and a deep unearthly cramp.