"Three? Who's the third one?" Merlin's surprise was evident in his voice, as if he hadn't expected that answer.
The old man behind him smiled. "It seems you already expected the Uther and the Son of Ashborn to pass."
"I've known Uther since he was a child. It would've been more shocking if he had failed. As for the son of Ashborn, I did consider the possibility. But who's the third?" Merlin asked.
"Seems to be a commoner," the old man answered. "He's the same age as Uther, but very weak. I doubt he could even raise a sword, let alone swing it."
"A commoner who can't even raise a sword?" Merlin frowned. "How did he pass the test then?"
"From what I was able to grasp, he was the first one to realize that it was an illusion. In fact, he realized it before even the young Pendragon could. That makes me believe he's born with a special trait that helps him see through the reality," the old man replied.
However, as he was talking, his voice kept changing, becoming more feminine. His physique also started changing as if the magic around him was getting dispelled.
Before long, the illusion was completely gone, revealing a woman in her mid twenties. She had long, flowing black hair.
She had an amused smile on her lips as she spoke, "He won't be the first one to be born with this after all, since I know one more person who was born with the Eyes of Perception."
As she spoke, her gaze remained on Merlin whose back was facing her.
"The Eyes of Perception?" Merlin repeated. It was an ability that was rarely seen, but not impossible either. In fact, he was also born with this. It allowed one to see through all the illusions of the world, but that was only one use of it.
The other use was that it allowed one to see through all magic and analyze it. This was also one of the important reasons Merlin was able to become the Grand Sage at such a young age.
In front of the Eyes of Perception, all illusions were useless. And it was the same for all disguises. The Eyes of Perception was Merlin's innate trait, just like Gift of Growth was Arthur's innate trait.
Only two people knew about Merlin's innate trait. The first was Arthur. As for the second, it was the woman behind him that had been with him for a long time.
"Do you want to meet the boy?" the woman asked Merlin. "You can become his teacher. Who knows, we might have another Grand Mage within a few years."
Since the boy was born with such a rare trait, she believed that he was perfectly suited to be a Mage.
With the Eyes of Perception, the boy could avoid most of the problems that ordinary people faced when trying to learn magic. His growth could be even more explosive with Merlin as a teacher.
"Maybe in the future. Right now, I'm busy with something important." Merlin was also intrigued about the boy, thinking about meeting him. However, the sphere had the most of his attention. He didn't want to be distracted at this moment.
With Raven's return, he didn't want to waste a single second as there was a huge threat looming over their heads, especially since they didn't know when Raven could return to Camelot.
"There's no need to be hasty. Let nature take its course," Merlin told Circe. From the start to the end, he didn't spare a single glance at her.
"Treat that boy like any ordinary person for now. However, do pay attention to him, and try to verify if he has the Eyes of Perception."
"Alright. If you say so. I won't do anything." The woman nodded as she turned around to leave.
"Oh, one last thing before you leave. Until I leave this place myself, I don't want anyone to disturb me. So you'll be taking care of everything in my absence."
As the woman was about to step out, she heard Merlin's voice. "And when should I expect you to leave?"
"Maybe a day... Maybe more. It doesn't matter. Just know that I don't want to be disturbed unless something significant happens." Merlin repeated. "You can leave now."
He waved his hand. The door before Circe opened on its own. Circe didn't question Merlin and stepped out of the Library.
As soon as she disappeared, the door closed on its own. Magical Shackles appeared all around the door, sealing it. Only Circe and Merlin could open these shackles.
Once the library returned to the previous silence, Merlin took a deep breath. He reached out his hand, placing it over the sphere once more. His eyes started shining as the aura around him flared...
....
Raven had selected the third path. As soon as he stepped on it, he felt his surroundings change. Everything around him was covered in mist, making it impossible for him to see farther than half a meter.
He could also see that this wasn't an illusion. Instead, this was a real mist which made it impossible to see what was ahead.
With every step that Raven took, he felt as if he was being watched by hundreds of eyes around him. It was as if he was a prey that was being observed by many predators.
He had only taken a few steps when he started hearing the sound of footsteps following behind him.
"Give us blood..."
After taking twenty steps, Raven heard a voice from behind him.
"Give us blood..."
In the next moment, the crackling voice came from the front. At times, it even came from right beside him, as if someone had whispered right in his ears.
The moment he took his thirtieth step, he felt a sudden gust of wind swirling around him, making his mortal body feel cold.
The whispers grew louder and more insistent, echoing all around him at the same time. Unfortunately, it wasn't just limited to voices now. He even felt someone's sharp nails caress his throat.