"How can we fail the test the moment we take part in it?" Many youngsters had the same doubt in their heads. Unfortunately, none was able to ask the question as the invisible force kept their mouths closed.
"Only the ones who have succeeded will be allowed to stay behind. As for the ones who failed..."
The Sage didn't offer any explanation to their doubts. It was as if they wanted them to think about the answer on their own.
He lightly flicked his fingers. All the youngsters that had failed the test flew back towards the train, all going back through the exit they came from, falling inside the trains. All of them were kicked out of the testing grounds.
The moment they landed inside the train, they were freed of the mysterious force. Quite a few of them stood up to step out so they could ask their questions. Unfortunately, this time the barrier in the train stopped even them.
"I'm the son of Marquis Kelan! How dare a mere mage behave like this!" One of the youngsters fumed. As a noble, he had never been insulted like this.
"Break this barrier! I want you to teach that old man a lesson!" he commanded his Knights.
The Knights looked at each other's faces, but none moved. All of them knew what kind of existence backed this place. Let alone a Marquis' son, even the Marquis himself had to keep his head down if he ever came here.
None of the Knights followed the young boy's commands. They didn't want to die at this place. Both of them knew that if they attacked and offender this place, even if they managed to return alive, the Marquis was going to kill them to save his own skin.
The young boy looked at his Knights in disbelief. They had never rejected his command. Even the time they asked his Knights to kill a stranger who accidentally bumped into him, the Knights had followed his command without the slightest of hesitation. But now, they weren't even moving.
"You... Are you ignoring my command? Do you want to be killed by my Father for insubordination?" The dark haired man asked, his eyes burning in anger.
"We are here as your protectors. Our only duty is to protect your life and nothing else." One of the Knights stated. "Since you're alive, we don't have to do anything else."
"You..." The boy stood in disbelief, feeling as if he was in a dream. He was never told no in the past, but today had been the worst day in his life. He travelled so far, only to fail without even knowing why. And then he was insulted by a mere Knight.
Clenching his teeth, he looked at the old man outside. Since his knights refused to listen to him, he could only drink his anger for the time being.
"Just you wait. I'll let my father deal with you. I'll make your lives a living hell!" He told the Knights as he walked back to his seat, not even sparing a glance at the Knights.
Alright initially most of the youngsters were angry, but all of them faced the same outcome. They had no authority in this place. All of them made up their mind to get their families to do the talking after getting back.
"The youngsters of nowadays don't have any patience." The old sage sighed, looking at the childish behaviour of the youngsters. However, deep down, it was as if he was enjoying watching the scene.
As if to taunt the youngsters more, he waved his hand in their directions, as if he was bidding them farewell. At the same time, the train started moving in reverse, departing.
Even Zephyr and Leira were inside, watching Raven as the distance between the two sides increased. Although it was the plan of Raven, both of them felt worried.
Raven could only maintain this disguise for one month. And in this one month, he had to snatch the second artefact from right under Merlin's nose.
Not only did he have to retrieve the item, but he also had to leave safely. And he had to do all that, while his health was getting worse with each passing second.
Neither Zephyr, nor Leira knew what the future held. However, both of them tried their best, having faith in Raven.
Raven also waved at the train. He himself didn't know if this was their last meeting or if he was actually going to succeed and see them again.
Soon, the train completely disappeared from view, leaving only three youngsters behind who had passed this unconventional test.
The Sage approached the three, his eyes filled with wisdom and a hint of amusement. It was completely impossible to understand the old man. At times, he was like a wise man who didn't have any time to waste while at other times, he was like a child who enjoyed messing around.
"Congratulations," he said, his voice calm yet authoritative. "You have proven yourselves worthy. Honestly, even I didn't expect the numbers to be so high. I thought only one would pass."
As he spoke, his eyes subconsciously glanced at Uther. In his group, only Uther was someone that he was really careful about. If there was one person in higher standing than even Merlin, it was Arthur. And this was his child.
The moment Uther stepped out of the train, he had already expected him to easily pass the test. But the other two came as a surprise to him.
"Honestly, one came as a surprise to me as well." Uther smiled, his meaning clear. At least he had heard about Allen Ashborn, but the third person was completely unknown.
For a commoner to be able to see through a magic of this extent, he became really curious about Raven's identity.
"What do we do now?" Allen finally spoke up as well, voicing the question. "Are you going to remove this illusion or we have to wait longer."
The Sage smiled knowingly.
"Since you three have already seen through the illusion, there's no point in it anymore."
He waved his hand, the beautiful surroundings completely changed. Everyone found themselves on a snowy mountain without a shred of the old warmth.
In front of them, there was a Giant Castle that stood tall and majestic against the snowy backdrop. The entire castle looked like it was made purely from ice. Moreover, it was so vast that it covered most of the mountain.
The Sage gestured towards it and said, "I welcome you all to the Sanctuary of Grand Sage Merlin!"