Throughout these few years, they had lost many of their friends. Every time they separated, they didn't know if they were going to ever meet again. It was a long and painful cycle. However, none of them regret it. For them, it was all worth it.
Although it took a long time, they had finally found the light at the end of the dark tunnel. They had finally managed to free Raven, although still incomplete.
As the train continued its journey through the snowy landscape, a heavy silence filled the air. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts.
After half an hour, the Train passed through a special barrier that covered an entire mountain. Once inside the barrier, the scenery transformed dramatically. The snowy landscape gave way to lush greenery, with colorful flowers and vibrant wildlife.
The air was filled with a pleasant fragrance, refreshing their spirits after a long journey. As the youngsters gazed out the window, they couldn't help but appreciate the beauty.
They had all heard that Great Sage Merlin loved the beauty of nature. Seeing the surroundings, none found it hard to believe.
The train finally came to a halt as it reached its destination. Lively chatter filled the air as everyone eagerly disembarked.
There was no platform this time. All of them stepped on the beautiful grass. As far as the eyes could see, only the beauty of nature was visible.
Although the scenery was beautiful, they couldn't see what they were there for. None of them came here to see a garden after all.
"Why have we stopped here? Where's the Academy?" One of the young nobles asked. "Is something wrong with the train?"
"Nothing seems to be wrong with the train. There's just no track ahead, look." Another youngster chimed in, pointing in the distance.
They also noticed that none of their Knights had stepped out. They tried to step out, only to be stopped by some barrier that prevented them from leaving.
Uther also stood up, leaving his Knights behind. He had already been informed that there was going to be a test. Even he wasn't free from the test. As for what that test was going to be, he didn't know as every time, there was a different test.
"Best of luck," Count Atlan told Uther before the young boy could step out.
"Hahaha, I suppose I shall take that." Uther laughed as he stepped out.
Allen wasn't much behind. He left his Knights inside the train as he stepped out alone.
And finally, it was Raven's turn. However, before he stood up, Leira approached him, whispering in his ears. "I believe this is as far as we will be able to accompany you. Don't forget, you will only have less than a month before that disguise is gone."
Zephyr also spoke. "If you are in danger, just crush the crystal I gave you. Even if I have to force my way in, I'll take you out."
He wanted to hide in Raven's shadow and accompany him. Unfortunately, the barrier made it impossible to do it without getting detected. It was just as Leira had suggested. This was something that Raven had to do all alone.
Raven nodded, as he kept the pen in his pocket, standing up. He stepped out of the train, passing through the barrier that even Zephyr couldn't break without getting noticed.
The barrier covered all the exits of the train, only allowing those who were younger than twenty years old to step out. No magic was able to fool the barrier.
Raven stepped on the soft grass, feeling a slight breeze brush against his face. While most of the youngsters were getting impatient, there were also a few who were standing calmly. He was one of them.
"This is as far as the train will take you. From this point on, you will have to walk." Suddenly, a voice came from every direction.
Raven looked in the distance to see an elderly man perched on a nearby tree branch. His kind eyes and gentle smile hid a lot of things within.
All the youngsters looked at the old man in the distance, who appeared like an ordinary commoner.
"Walk?" One of the young nobles frowned, looking in the distance. As far as his eyes could see, there was nothing. He couldn't even imagine how far he had to walk.
Another young noble climbed up the train to look father. Unfortunately, this only made him more concerned. He had very keen eyes. However, even from the top, he couldn't see anything but green grass as far as his eyes could see. It was as if there was nothing for hundreds of miles.
As the young nobles scanned the vast expanse of green grass, a sense of unease settled over the group. They had come so far, and now they were told to walk such distance like some commoners?
Whispers of doubt began to circulate among the youngsters.
"Is this some kind of test?" one of them wondered aloud.
"Why would they make us walk through such a desolate place?" questioned another. "How can they have such a stupid test?"
"You can either wait here or reach your destination. The choice shall be yours." The old man spoke, his eyes gleaming with wisdom. "And if you don't want to, you can return to the train. I'll consider that as your failure."
"Hmph, why would we be scared of walking? You think this is enough to scare us?" One of the Nobles scoffed, feeling as if they were getting insulted.
None of them wanted to return home and explain to their parents that they failed because they couldn't walk.
With the first noble taking the lead in running towards the other end, the others soon followed.
As they ran, each step brought them closer to the unknown. The silence that enveloped them was broken only by the sound of their footsteps and the gentle rustling of the grass beneath their feet.
Hours turned into days, and still, the endless grassland stretched out before them. Doubt crept into their minds once more, but they refused to let it consume them.
All of them ran without sleeping, only taking breaks for a few hours within. Although they didn't know why this was the test, none of them wanted to finish the test second.
With this test, all of them had hopes of finishing first and making their families proud, especially since the Prince was in their batch as well.