Back in his room, Merlin quickly unwrapped the cloth bundle, revealing a dirt-covered object within. Eager to examine it, he gently wiped away the mud with water, revealing the true appearance of the item: a small pendant shaped like an inverted triangle, with a red gemstone the size of a soybean embedded in its center.
The gemstone sparkled under the candlelight, but Merlin's focus wasn't on its appearance. While the gem was beautiful, its value paled compared to an enchanted tool. His real interest was in determining whether this pendant was indeed a magical artifact.
Using his mental energy, Merlin enveloped the pendant, and immediately, he felt a powerful pull, drawing his mental energy into the pendant. Excited, he let the pull guide him, allowing his mental energy to be drawn inside.
Within the pendant, Merlin sensed a closed, structured space composed of numerous tiny compartments—hundreds, maybe even a thousand—each containing mysterious energy patterns.
Some compartments held active wind elements, though several appeared damaged, releasing elements from within. Merlin realized this was likely the source of the strange wind outside the castle.
"What an extraordinary enchanted tool!" Merlin thought, withdrawing his mental energy, astonished by the pendant's complexity.
The small compartments seemed to serve as storage for spells, much like a scroll, which could be charged with magic by skilled mages. Holding such a scroll allowed even a weak individual to unleash a powerful spell by simply activating it with mental energy.
Typically, a spell scroll could store a single spell, making it a one-use item. But this pendant was designed to hold multiple spells—each compartment capable of storing one. Merlin counted carefully and found 158 compartments in total, meaning it could theoretically store 158 spells.
The back of the pendant bore an inscription in the ancient Morta language, spelling out the name "Bale." Merlin remembered from Old Etta's notes that skilled mages would inscribe their names on the enchanted items they created, a mark of craftsmanship and pride.
"Bale," Merlin murmured, wondering if this mage might still be alive. Given the age and condition of the pendant, it likely dated back centuries, during which some compartments had degraded, causing spells to leak and generate the strange wind outside the castle.
While most mortals couldn't live that long, powerful mages were sometimes known to extend their lives well beyond normal human lifespans. Whether Bale still lived was unknown to Merlin, but it was an interesting possibility.
Naming it the "Bale Pendant" after its creator, Merlin was primarily interested in whether it could still function.
He focused his mental energy into the pendant once more, examining the compartments more closely. Of the original 158 compartments, only 18 remained intact and usable. The rest had degraded, either due to time or previous use.
"Eighteen spells… That's more than enough!" Merlin thought, delighted. Even with the pendant's compromised state, it still held incredible potential. Now, he just needed to test whether it could store a spell.
Focusing his mental energy on the remaining broken compartments, Merlin noticed a few still contained faint remnants of wind-element spells, leaking steadily. These would occasionally release bursts of energy, creating erratic gusts. Not wanting any uncontrolled effects, he decided to clear these out first.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.*
A series of gusts whipped through the room as the pendant released the residual energy from the broken compartments. While it caused some mess, no damage was done.
Afterward, Merlin turned his attention to the intact compartments. He considered storing his Fireball spell, which, thanks to his unique training, could be cast at near first-level power as a large Fireball.
The only question was whether the Bale Pendant could withstand a spell of that magnitude. Deciding there was only one way to find out, Merlin readied himself to attempt storing the large Fireball spell, eager to test the pendant's capabilities.