Chapter 37: Essence

The middle-aged mage led Raven to the end of the long hallway and stopped before a black door at the end of the hallway.

"You can enter. It will lead you to your room. All the remaining information will be provided to you in your room." The man stepped back, letting Raven take the lead. "In the meantime, I'll finish the formalities for you."

Raven glanced back at the old man, wondering what he meant by, 'It will lead him' as if it was a living thing.

As he looked back, he noticed that the man was nowhere to be found. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Shaking his head, Raven pushed the door open, revealing a beautiful hall inside.

Raven stepped inside the hall, only to find the hall completely empty with no other door there. The hall was adorned with intricate architecture and artwork, giving off an aura of elegance, but that was all.

As he looked back, he noticed that the door he had entered through had disappeared as well, leaving him in a completely isolated space.

As he was wondering where he was, he noticed the insignia that he had received from the middle aged man started shining. The insignia emitted a soft, golden light.

A small speck of light came out from the insignia, flying high. Raven's eyes followed after the speck of light, looking above.

Above his head, he saw a sight that even he hadn't expected. There looked to be millions of separate staircases flying high in the sky.

Unlike the hall where he stood, the space above felt like an infinite space, created using some great treasure.

The speck of light traveled through the space above, touching one of the millions of stairs. As soon as the speck of light made contact with the staircase, a gentle rumbling sound spread throughout the hall.

The staircases began to shift and transform, connecting with one another to create a grand pathway. After connecting with one another, they connected with the ground in front of Raven, creating a complete set of stairs.

The highest end of the stairs connected to the wall above, where a new door had appeared. It was clear that the stairs were guiding him toward that door.

Looking at the sight, Raven finally understood what the man meant when he said that 'it' will guide him.

Raven could see that Merlin had spent a lot of effort while creating this place. However, he found quite a lot of these changes to be irritating. It was as if Merlin had intentionally complicated the simplest of things, all to show the versatility of his magic.

Raven stepped on the stairs and began ascending towards the new door above. Each step he took on the staircase seemed to resonate with a faint hum, as if the magic within it was alive and responding to his presence.

With the reaction of the stairs, Raven also felt something else. He felt a strange sense of familiarity. And it wasn't just because of the magic. It was as if the essence within these stairs was something that belonged to him in the first place.

The realization made him frown, as he couldn't shake off the feeling. He also felt that the essence within the stairs had also recognised him, and was reacting to him.

He stopped in the middle of the stairs, going down on his knees. He touched the stairs, gently, closing his eyes.

He was under the effect of a seal, and was no different than a mortal. He couldn't use even the slightest of his aura without removing a fraction of the seal with the earring. However, even then, he was able to feel it.

He could feel the essence within this place, that was ready to listen to him, despite him being a mortal. It was as if it knew who the true owner was.

He felt as if with a single command, he could change where these stairs led him. However, through this essence, he could also feel that someone was observing him.

For now, he didn't do anything excessive. He stood up and started climbing higher, maintaining his calmness.

As he climbed higher, he knew that he had a lot to think about what he just learned. With this new discovery, he felt that a lot of things had suddenly changed. A lot of doors had opened for him.

The stairs seemed to stretch endlessly, as if defying the laws of space and time. Yet, Raven pressed on. He could shorten the distance with his will, but he didn't want others to find out. He kept climbing at his usual pace.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Raven reached the top of the stairs. He stood before the door, adorned with intricate carvings and symbols that seemed to pulse with energy.

Taking a deep breath, Raven pushed open the door and stepped into his new room. The moment he entered, a wave of warmth. The room was cozy, with a crackling fireplace and shelves lined with some basic books.

As Raven explored the room, he discovered a desk covered in various stacks of papers that were waiting for him with all the information that he had to know as a new guest.

There was also a comfortable bed that was big enough for two people to comfortably rest in it.

But what caught Raven's attention the most was a large mirror hanging on the wall. It shimmered with an ethereal glow, as if calling him to gaze into its depths.

Intrigued, he approached the mirror and found himself looking at his reflection. However, only a second passed before his reflection started changing.

A woman was revealed in the mirror, who had an amused smile on her lips. "I heard you got an Excellent Grade? You never stop amusing me. As expected of the child with Eyes of Perception."

Raven was seeing Circe for the first time, at least in this form since she had previously used a disguise of the old examiner.