In front of Raven was the place where the Great Sage Merlin lived. It was a place that was impossible to forcefully enter as the entire Palace was surrounded by a magic formation, created by Merlin himself.
In case of an attack from outside, the Palace could travel through space, completely disappearing from this place.
That made it completely impossible to destroy this palace. Even a member of the Round Table didn't have authority to enter this place without Merlin's will.
"It looks majestic, doesn't it?" The old man asked, as he looked at the grand palace before him. This was the place where he lived, and he was proud of it.
"In entire Camelot, this is the hardest place to enter. You three are quite lucky to be able to enter it. Well, not three. Now that I think about it, didn't you already enter once?" The old man glanced at Uther with amusement.
"I recall that you came here when you were little. I should correct myself. It's the hardest place to enter unless you're brought by King Arthur." He burst into laughter, waving his hand.
The heavy doors of the magical palace opened on their own, revealing the path within. However, there wasn't just one passage. There were three paths that led to the main entrance of the Magical Palace.
"All three paths will lead you inside the Palace. However, each path can only be walked by one person." The old man smiled, as his figure started disappearing. "From here on, you can enter the Palace. I will see you in the future."
His gaze rested on Raven who hadn't spoken for a long time. He was quite curious about the young boy, but he didn't ask anything.
His figure completely disappeared, turning into specks of light that flew inside the Palace, disappearing within.
Raven, Uther and Allen stood at the entrance, three paths before them. None knew what was the significance of these three paths when all of them led inside the Palace. And why could only one person walk on each path?
Even Uther didn't know the meaning behind it. The only thing he was certain of was that this wasn't a test. The old man hadn't lied. These three paths indeed led inside the Palace, but all led to different entrances of the Palace.
"It looks like it's a test of your luck." After a brief pause, Uther stated. "You two can select first. I'll take what's left."
He didn't care which passage he had to take, as none knew where the paths took them. There was no way to cheat either. Even though he was the son of King Arthur, he didn't have any extra advantage over the others.
He had only once come to this place with his father, and that too when he was little. Moreover, his father didn't take this route when entering the Palace.
At that time, Merlin had personally opened a portal directly from the Royal Palace to the main hall of his palace. Even though Uther had been here before, he hadn't seen anything other than the main hall.
Since this was a test of luck, he left it to his luck and let others select first. In this way, he also wanted to see if there was anything dangerous in these paths or not.
Just like Uther, Allen was also apprehensive about the three paths. Last time, he was able to see the illusion so he knew that it was useless to run. But this time, there was no illusion.
He didn't understand if there was any danger or not. He couldn't afford to fail after coming this far, especially since his father had sent him here on an important mission.
"I'll go second in that case. I'll let the commoner select first." Allen also refused to enter first, his eyes resting on Raven.
Raven didn't argue. He didn't even look at Allen as he didn't want to lose his control over his emotions at that moment. As for being called a commoner, he didn't mind.
He had already erased all relations between him and the Ashborn household. The title of a Noble was as insignificant as a speck of dirt for him.
He stepped forward, selecting the third path. His fingers kept playing with the pen as he walked.
The moment Raven stepped on the third path, his figure disappeared. The entire third passage was covered in mist, making it impossible to see anything within. It was as if the path contained a small world of itself.
Allen frowned, seeing the change in the third path that had disappeared the moment Raven selected it. Now there were only two paths left. With no other choice, he selected one as well.
Cautiously, he selected the first path and disappeared within.
With the other two disappearing, there was only one person left. It was Uther, who had no options to select from. Curious about the meaning behind these passages, Uther stepped on the central path that led to the entrance.
The third path also disappeared. The moment all three paths disappeared, the main gates leading to the palace closed on their own.
....
Within Merlin's Palace, there existed a Magical Library. Although the library was vast, there was not a single book within.
Instead, the shelves were lined with artefacts, ancient scrolls, and mystical objects from all corners of the world. But the centrepiece of the library was a small illusory sphere, suspended in mid-air and spinning on its axis.
The sphere emitted a soft, ethereal glow that illuminated the entire room. It was said to hold the collective knowledge and wisdom of all time within its shimmering surface. As it spun, wisps of magical energy danced around it, casting intricate patterns around it.
Merlin stood before the spinning sphere, his eyes fixed on it. The illusory sphere was not just a mere object of his fascination. It was a gateway to a vast realm of knowledge and understanding.
Merlin's hand rested on the sphere, his eyes shining in a mysterious light as if he was one with the sphere. After half an hour, he took his hands off, his face filled with exhaustion.
"It's been so many years, yet I've barely managed to scratch the surface..." He muttered as he looked at the sphere in fascination.
Using his magic, he erased his physical exhaustion and reached out his hand towards the sphere again. However, before he could touch it, he felt a present behind him.
"How many?" he asked.
"Surprisingly, there were three this time." A voice came from behind.