For Ship.

A translation of At the end of the world by Ship.

THE STORY IS NOT MINE!

this is a translation of the Italian story 'At the end of the world' by Ship.

Cover image by Jessica

. thank you so much Ship for your trust :-)

SUMMARY: FF AU set in Omegaverse world.

It is the end of all things, the end of time. The world is beyond the year 3000, in a post nuclear era. Earth is dying.

The human race is decimated. The remaining Alphas are divided into rival kingdoms. Omegas are distributed among them, prisoners. Betas lives outside the borders, in the most arid lands, left to themselves.

No one knows that everything is about to change though. Because according to the wise men and seers' predictions, an ancient legend is about to give hope to what is left of human civilization. It tells of a royal and majestic Alpha, destined to become the leader of those who were still alive ... and of a strong and brave Omega, his natural mate, whose mysterious presence in the world was destined to help everyone find a way and open the way to salvation.

It tells of their love and of a magical sword, Excalibur, which will connect everything. It tells of every destiny; of Arthur and Merlin, first enemies and then united… Bound together by their nature as Alpha and Omega... at first in a constant struggle, then in love.

TAGS: Future, translation from Italian, Omega Merlin, Alpha Arthur, Alpha Morgana, Alpha Gwen, Omega Lancelot, true mates, Mpreg, Possessive Behaviour

CHAPTER 1 OF 14

...

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And good luck will return,

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when the dragon's chosen ones will find each other...

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When the Dragonlord

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will tame their prince,

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Just to be tamed in turn.

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When the Alpha and the Omega will draw

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the constellation, tied together through the Bond,

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and the light of the first star will shine in the distance.

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.

Strong hands rolled up the thin parchment after having reassembled the seal and read those few lines for the umpteenth time, staring at the dragon figure imprinted on the wax. The sky blue eyes drew the veins of the thin filigree.

His jaw clenched in a sharp curve. A subtle flicker was present in his breath. The prince said his last goodbye to his father, covering his body with a cloak. He left the one that had been his most important person in the world to the current of the underground river that cut through the mountain, leading to the sea...

And he couldn't imagine a better grave than that endless expanse of water and salt for the consumption of that so dear body.

He closed his eyes for a moment, just to take in one last memory of him and to gather the eyes of his people behind him, to hear them in their mutual request for hope.

The prince raised his mighty shoulders. He silenced the sadness in his heart, got up and turned around, proud, in front of those who were asking him a future… who were calling for his leadership.

The partly translated missive had brought hope where before there was just ashes, and after his father, now it was up to him to find its meaning.

His father had died to find it, to reconstruct it, and despite the still incomplete translation, that legacy was the only thing left they could hold on, the last chance at salvation.

When he turned around, his golden hair glittered in the torchlight, framing his head like a crown. When he raised the royal sword, the Alphas and the Omegas of the House of Pendragon, of pure blood and not, raised their arms or swords too for the final farewell to their king, while simultaneously greeting their new leader, the new Prime Alpha, his son.

When the prince spoke aloud to his people, reaching the whole cave, tempers subsided. And then, like with a long sigh, the wait began.

The Alpha left his people, taking with him six of them, four knights and two Amazons, looking for the hope of a new life, or at least a possible one.

A year later.

The cave entrance was closed by a leather curtain, made waterproof and insulated thanks to some ointments, to block most of the afternoon sweltering heat, coming from outside. Sweat started to pour on the young man's face, who at that time was focused on the work he was doing.

He tensed, realizing that he was slightly dehydrated and sore.

He shouldn't have come out at that time of day, no one could, but his job knew no rest or schedule. This is why he found himself breaking the basic survival rules for the Protection of the Species so often.

He put his ointments into his medical supplies bag, wiping off the sweat, and got up from the bedside of the woman he had been taking care of. After checking her conditions, he turned toward the man who days before had found her wandering the arid lands around there, and who had taken her back to their village.

The yellow fever had infected her for nearly a week now, and if the woman didn't recover within a few days' time, she wasn't probably going to make it.

Just as most of those who had become ill in their land.

"Will she get better, Merlin?"

The worried tone of the man, who was finishing helping him, was telling him of a much deeper concern, due to the terrible epidemic that had been raging without respite for weeks.

"I don't know yet, Lancelot. She is on the mend, but her body is very weak. She is dehydrated and unconscious most of the time. However, if her body allows the recovery and her heart doesn't give in, now that the fever is completely gone, she may make it. We have to keep hope alive."

Lancelot gave him an intense look, in silence.

"She may recover. There has been some cases where someone had healed from this damned epidemic."

The young man nodded.

For a week now, his arms as a doctor seemed to be no longer enough and Lancelot had done everything he could to give him a hand.

"Yes. Sometimes nature seems to have found a way of healing itself. Some people have developed the immunity to fight the disease, but we are still unable to understand how it had happened. It would help us to know that. However, it looks like a kind of natural biological selection ... otherwise, all the sick people would have recovered. If only we could understand how the immune defense works, why it's effective in some individuals and not in others ... what makes a difference once the disease has been contracted..."

Lancelot stood up and nodded. His face proud and strong.

"I'm hoping and waiting for one more day to try and find a few men... after which, I am willing to accompany you, even alone, across the border, to reach the land you have told me about. You said that in the lands of Gedref they might have found something… that the healers of those villages may be near to find a solution. But the journey is dangerous. These are dark times. To get there we would need to go through the Sunset kingdom, territory of a large community of Alphas, and you know as well as I do that anything unexpected can cause us to fall into their hands. That's why we need two extra hands, able to wield a sword. But if we fail to find them, if no one wants to follow us, you can still count on me."

The other stared at him, shaking his head.

"Actually I do not care about me ... the fact is that our village cannot lose a healer like you."

Hope invaded the young doctor's heart. If he really could make this journey ... If he really could consult with other healers, perhaps that terrible yellow fever epidemic could be controlled and therefore, granting the survivors more time.

Not only to the Betas of their village, but also to all the others, Alphas and Omegas, because it was absolutely certain now that this terrible epidemic would kill thousands of people in any land.

"Lance, I leave her in your hands. Lend a hand to the others too, okay? Remember that we must keep giving them water every hour, please."

"Yes, Merlin."

"You have a big heart."

"I am just trying to do what you cannot ... you shouldn't do everything by yourself ..."

"But you shouldn't do it. You are a warrior, not my assistant."

Merlin, the village doctor, smiled and said goodbye to Lancelot, shaking his hand firmly, as if to join him in a common hope. "See you tomorrow then. I am willing to travel even with you alone, to risk it. Remember it."

"I only have one doubt. Will, your apprentice ... will he really be able to cope with all the sick people when we will leave the village? He has only recovered recently ... he is one of the healed ones, but he is still weak."

Merlin looked at him seriously.

"Indeed, I'm not so sure. However, if we do not find a solution as soon as possible, Lancelot, Will won't be the only one unable to cope with all this, we too won't. So far we have been unaffected by the fever, but we don't know for how long we'll be so lucky."

Lancelot shook his head.

"You are right. If all goes well, we will reach the lands of Gedref in four days and need as much for the return journey. In little more than a week, we should be back here in the village."

Merlin nodded, resolute.

"See you tomorrow then ... If she or someone else get worse or get sick, call me"

"Of course"

Merlin was about to leave, but he came back.

"By the way... do you still have stocks of your medicines? Your protection?"

Lancelot nodded, giving him a knowing look, accompanying him to the curtain that served as a door. He stared at the sun that now had reached the maximum tolerable temperature.

"I am covered in it ... but when we leave, we'd better have a larger amount of ointments with us… for our protection"

.

Merlin left Lancelot and returned to his own cave. He had only one thought in mind: preparing new stocks of medicines for himself and his friend. He deposited his bag in the laboratory, created in an isolated corner of the cave. Then, he could finally wash and wear clean clothes, not wet with sweat ones.

He sat on a bench in front of a desk, made of nailed down wooden slats. He took his travel notebook, as he liked to call it. A book in which he wrote the weekly events, continuously updating news, thoughts and reflections.

Reading the facts of the last few months, he noticed that his notes were becoming increasingly worrying.

The situation was visibly worsening.

He clenched his hand around a pen, dipping it into the ink, to write a new update.

In their village, there were no more than a hundred and fifty Betas: the yellow fever had aggravated in the last month, becoming more virulent. Many of their children and eldest didn't make it.

Yet what was worrying him the most in that moment was the sun.

Its heat had become so intense in the last few months that humans were forced to come out only at dusk or at night, forcing them to live in caves near the few green and fertile oases, where you could still find water, in the mountains that once had been glaciers.

Merlin was lost in these thoughts, feeling invaded by an endless pain and a barely containable sadness.

In those days, the Earth and all its living creature had found out the meaning of the words 'end of all things'. Human race witnessed the decline of its most prosperous civilization, after nuclear wars, ambition, economic crisis and the lust for power had decimated the world's population, destroyed the ecosystems of the planet, its atmosphere...

The sun had become an enemy: a giant fireball, against which the world defenses were powerless. The remaining humans were just a few thousands, grouped into five kingdoms. They were enemies most of the time because of the obvious survival reasons, without someone who could really unite them and pursue common goals.

Alphas, the dominant race, led by their respective chiefs and kings, had taken possession of everything, of the fertile lands and even of the rhythms of life itself.

With extreme measures, Alphas had imprisoned Omegas to protect them from extinction and by doing so to protect the entire human race, since they were the weaker race between the two, but also essential for reproduction.

Betas lived relegated outside of the secure borders, in the most arid and distant lands, left alone to themselves, because nobody really cared about their risk of extinction.

The limited ability to continue life had killed the spirits. Everywhere the feeling was that they were all dominated by fear and by the law of 'Everyone can do what they want'.

Merlin recorded the weekly amount of suppressors necessary for himself and Lancelot in his diary. They lived in a village of Betas, at the end of the world, but they were both Omegas and these ointments served to hide their pheromones.

They had become friends in a northern kingdom a lot time ago, after being captured by some Alphas. Subsequently they had managed to escape, unable to accept the fate that would have awaited them during their first Heat after the capture, now common destinies for people of their race.

In fact, to prevent human extinction, the Bond between Alphas and Omegas had been forbidden. Omegas were now just seen as prolific wombs to use for breeding and as slaves with only one purpose: to procreate others of their kind. Omegas were periodically forced to mate with Alphas, voluntarily or against their will, in order to generate new children.

Each kingdom had its own group of Omegas to address those new rules and needs. And it was exactly for rebellion against these measures that he and Lancelot had fled: better death than being deprived of their humanity, than being raped and forced to have children for the Alphas.

Lastly, they had hidden away in a village of Betas, hiding their true nature to the people through special medicines that suppressed their subtle and unambiguous smell, for fear of retaliation against the people that had been hosting them, or to be reported and recaptured.

Merlin, who in his life had had the opportunity to study as a healer, had become the local doctor.

No one had ever had any doubt about their identities. Everyone had always believed they were Betas like them and that momentary situation had become final over time. A fair compromise in order to live free ... Except now their life was about to change again.

He finished writing his notes and considerations on the white page.

Travelling was really dangerous.

If anything went wrong, if their Omega essences were revealed due to the end of their stocks of suppressors, they might get killed or end up back in the hands of other Alphas...

And yet they had no choice. Even though he and Lancelot could think about it over and over and postpone it, they had to leave.

They could not wait any longer, because at this rate, the epidemic would kill the entire village and they would still be forced to abandon it.

…

When Merlin realized that he had finished preparing the ointments, the sun had set long ago.

He got up and stretched, seeking relief in the herbal tea he had made that morning.

He touched his forehead: fortunately, he was not febrile. Yet he felt his limbs numb, aching ... he found himself hoping that he was not about to catch the disease.

He decided for yet another refreshing bath, but a voice at the door made him turn.

"Merlin..."

When the door opened, Lancelot got in, tensed.

"The woman is dead. And two other men too. They did not make it."

Merlin clenched his fists.

"We have to leave, Lancelot. We cannot wait any longer."

"The men who had to give me an answer have decided not to come with us… they are afraid to leave their families and not to find them on their return. We will be alone."

Merlin nodded.

"This fact may be an advantage..."

Lancelot clenched his hands in turn and Merlin continued.

"... We can leave tonight. Our medicines are ready, my bag too… if you manage to prepare your things ..."

"Okay. I'll be ready."

Merlin stared at him.

"See you later then. We leave in a couple of hours."

The moon was now high in the sky and the heat of the day slowly subsided in a cool night.

The Alpha dismounted and clenched his teeth, until he made his own lips bleed, to swallow the pain, to stop it from reaching his arm. The powerful muscles of his back were tense, his skin shiny and dusty.

He and his knights had just made it out alive and winners from yet another battle with bandits and now they were all exhausted and hungry. But he looked worse than anyone else: he had been wounded and, although the cut to his side was covered with some bandages and leathers, it was not the main problem...

By now, he was sure he had a broken arm, or at least dislocated. It had happened when he had been unhorsed while defending one of his companions. He had continued to fight, passing his sword from one hand to the other and with adrenaline coursing through his system he had not even realized he was injured. But now his shoulder was hurting. The pain throbbed everywhere, drying his throat.

Besides, all of them had run out of water. They needed rest or they wouldn't resist another night of riding in these conditions, especially him.

He clenched his teeth until they hurt in order not to alarm his comrades. But even then, his voice was hoarse as he tried to keep his arm close to his body to hid the gravity of his condition from the others.

"Percival ... are Gwaine and Elyan back?"

The knight shook his head, while tying his bag to the saddle of his horse.

"No, not yet. They told us they were going to go hunting some food. However, Leon told me earlier that perhaps he has glimpsed a refuge, a place where we can shelter. He went to see if there is water around there"

The Alpha nodded with a grimace due to the pain, clutching the bandage on the wound to his side with one hand even more.

"Are you okay, Arthur? Are you still bleeding? If untreated..."

He gritted his teeth more.

"It's just a scratch. But my shoulder hurts a lot. We should fix it before continuing to ride... and we really need a shelter and to rest for a few hours."

Percival nodded and turned to look at the two young women that were arriving in that moment on horseback: the two Amazons of their group.

The young brunet with skin like the moon and emerald eyes reached them.

"Arthur, Leon has found an old refuge in a cave. He thinks there is also water inside. He has already starting to build our camp. So, let's go. He has shown us the way. We need to move towards East."

Arthur nodded, still clutching his side.

"Let's hurry then. Try to find Gwaine and Elyan and tell them where we are. We all need a break."

The prince tried to get on his horse, but a dull echo burst in his chest due to the pain and the two young Amazons turned, worry, while Percival came closer to him.

One of the girls joined them, lowering her head to look at his injured side:

"Arthur? Your wound..."

"I said that I just need to get to the camp. Let's move!"

Somehow, he managed to get on the horse. Yet, once near the cave they would occupy, he was about to faint while dismounting and one of the young women yelled.

"Percival! Catch him!"

The companion was at his side immediately. Then, he took him inside the cave before he could lose consciousness completely.

Percival stared at the unnatural curve of their leader's arm, realizing only then that they needed help. They needed someone experienced and equipped with medicines.

Arthur gave in to the pain and fatigue, falling unconscious.

Merlin took a long sip, refreshing his burning throat.

That night was very hot, much more than usual, and the next day would be even worse. They needed to find a shelter before the sun would rise.

"We should be near the gutted oak. Remember when we had reached it in the past? If I'm not mistaken, there should be a cave in the area, with an internal source of water and a small pond."

Lancelot nodded. With a bit of luck, in a few hours they would be safe and able to rest.

He put down his sword on the dry ground and sat next to Merlin on a high rock.

"We'd better hurry up. Let's sit only a few minutes and then continue the journey"

Merlin closed his eyes, also resting his head. He was exhausted. In the last two days, he had had no enough time to sleep.

Once at the shelter they should try to sleep at least for a bit.

"It would be better to take our balm in advance today. With all this heat, I fear its effects would run out faster. Pass me my bag. We'll take it right away."

Lancelot stood up, passing Merlin his leather bag, full of medicines. However, just as they had finished taking their daily dose of suppressors, a furtive movement near them forced them to be on alert.

Lancelot grabbed his sword and moved around the rock as fast as a cat. However, despite his speed, he found himself with a sword pointed under the chin.

"What the hell?"

The blade pressed on his throat even more, forcing him to keep quiet.

At his side, Merlin was terrified. So when he spoke, his voice was lost in the air.

"We are not looking for a fight. We're just travelers..."

The sword remained on Lancelot's throat, insistent, but then the young man freed himself with a sudden movement, crossing his own sword with the one of the other person...

The clatter of blades lasted a few minutes, until Lancelot managed to disarm the other, winning.

Only when he went near to look at his attacker's face beyond the darkness he saw it was a girl.

A young female Alpha, beautiful, with the colors of the night. Curly dark hair pulled back in a long high ponytail and chocolate-brown skin.

He stood there for a moment without breathing, rooted to the spot by her gaze, feeling his Omega nature awaking immediately at that contact, at meeting her. However, she couldn't perceive him as Omega and he did not know whether he was relieve or bother by this fact.

He was about to say something, when Merlin's voice made him suddenly turn around.

"Lance! Stop!"

Another young female Alpha with white skin and black hair in a side fishtail braid was pressing a sword against Merlin's back, locking them into a trap.

Lancelot threw his sword to the side.

"We don't want problems ... we just want to continue on our way. We are not dangerous. Let my friend go"

The young dark skinned woman replied in a still tone, while recuperating her weapon. "I have some doubts about that, seeing how well you swing the sword. In any case, we cannot let you go..."

The girl went to stand by her companion's side, turning her eyes toward Merlin too, looking into his eyes first then into the one of the other man.

Then, it was the young light-skinned girl's turn to speak.

"One of you has knowledge of the healing art. You have a bag of medicines with you and we're looking for a doctor. We left our group and our camp to reach a village that we have seen near here in order to find one. But now we don't need to get there any more… we have what we need. You are coming with us."

Merlin stared into the woman's eyes, hard.

"We are your prisoners, then?"

She smiled, but not with kindness. Her smile was cold, distant, sharp...

"The sooner you finish the job, the sooner you can leave. Our leader is a Prime Alpha. He is injured and needs immediate care."

Merlin and Lancelot looked at each other in a knowing way.

The first inconvenience of the journey was already there, in front of them.

Of course they both knew that they would have met a lot of them...

However, the main question in that moment was only one: 'Would they be able to gain their freedom again, despite all those Alphas?'

"Let's hurry then."

The women coordinated each other.

"Get on our horses with us ... this way we will be faster"

Merlin and Lancelot mounted each on a horse, behind the two young Alphas.

"Shall we go? We're not far"

Merlin nodded, trying to stay focused and to calm his heartbeat.

When he turned to look at Lancelot, he read in his eyes the same tension.

If they could manage to stay calm, and with a bit of luck, everything would be over soon.