Chapter 22

For the first time in his life, Najin faced the sky, but that wasn’t all he encountered. He tuned into the sounds around him—the cries of insects, the flow of the river, the rustling of leaves in the wind. All these sensations were new and alien to him.

The cool breeze tickling his hair, the vast, open landscape, the clear, breathable air, and above all, the wide night sky filled with stars—everything was novel, unfamiliar, and thus, magical to him. Najin took a deep breath, taking in the air of the outside world for the first time, his eyes widening in wonder.

He saw so much.

His vision stretched unobstructed. Looking up, he didn’t see the usual ceiling embedded with ore of the underground city but a vast night sky dotted with stars, too many to count.

The night sky. And the stars.

These were what Najin had longed for.

Counting the numerous stars, he focused on the center of the sky, where he found the constellation he had been seeking.

Hanging at the highest point of the night sky.

The largest constellation.

A sword-shaped constellation formed by 13 stars.

‘The Constellation, The Sword of Selection.’

The constellation of the great hero, King Arthur.

Najin had seen this constellation in illustrations in fairy tales, but today, he finally witnessed it with his own eyes. Encountering the constellation, the world of the boy, once trapped underground, expanded in an instant.

His heart throbbed.

Though the distance between him and the constellation was immense, he knew his destination. Stars were no longer a vague, unseen goal for him.

He could see them and estimate the distance to them.

His eyes, filled with dreams and longing, shone brightly, a light he had lost long ago.

“Hoo…”

In this expanded world, Najin exhaled deeply. He had often resigned and let go of many things, but now, no more. Even if they were high above, he would reach out and grasp them, as Ivan had advised him to climb to the highest point.

Najin stretched his hand towards the highest star in the night sky, gauging his destination. He murmured a wish deep in his heart, not yet ready to share it with anyone.

But then…

“Remember,”

A voice echoed.

“The stars always watch over you.”

His silent voice, unspoken yet heartfelt, reached a distant star.

Suddenly, Najin felt an acute sharpness in his senses. But even as he heightened his awareness, he couldn’t move. His body stiffened, unable to even breathe.

But soon, he realized it wasn’t just him. The blowing wind ceased, the rustling grass stopped, the sound of flowing water halted. Everything began to freeze.

In that moment of stillness, a voice echoed in his ears.

“Found you.”

The calm constellation beside King Arthur’s, which had been like a tranquil lake, suddenly churned. Stars shone, and Najin’s vision flickered.

His eyes turned a light blue-white hue.

A sensation as if being swept away enveloped him. With this feeling and his vision swirling, he saw numerous landscapes flashing before his eyes.

“Ugh!”

When the rapid passing of scenes halted, Najin finally could breathe. His vision was foggy. After blinking several times, his surroundings came into focus.

What he saw was a lake in the forest.

Moments ago, he was on the open riverside, but now, his gaze fell upon a lake in a dense forest. Confused, Najin rose to his feet.

“Finally.”

A voice resonated.

The same voice that had echoed earlier. While the voice was clear and gentle, it carried an undertone of uncontainable anger.

“Finally, I’ve found you.”

Turning toward the source of the voice, Najin saw a woman with flowing water-like hair and blue eyes that resembled a lake. The woman, who had been sitting on a rock by the lake, locked gazes with Najin.

Then, she descended from the rock.

Stepping softly on the ground, she approached Najin. With each step towards him, Najin squinted his eyes.

‘A sense of incongruity.’

He felt a strange sensation.

Trying to maintain eye contact made his vision wobble, as if it was forbidden. Amidst the flickering vision, Najin saw the woman’s robe.

It resembled a magician’s robe, yet also the formal attire of a knight.

The corner of her fluttering robe, following her movements, bore a symbol. Najin recognized it from fairy tales.

‘The symbol representing a lake and a staff.’

A symbol only one person in this world could wear, symbolizing a particular constellation.

The Lake Wizard.

Or, The Staff of Selection.

A well-known constellation’s true name, which Najin was about to unwittingly utter, was suddenly halted. A slender finger swiftly covered his mouth, immobilizing him.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Dare you speak my name with your filthy mouth?”

Merlin’s eyes widened in anger.

“Who are you, exactly?”

***

Merlin, despite her attempt to maintain composure, was clearly perplexed by the current situation, unable to comprehend what was unfolding before her.

The voice she had heard just moments ago matched the impudent youngster who had previously called Arthur a ‘victim of his era’. Reflexively, Merlin had reached out with her powers to ensnare the consciousness of the voice’s owner, a feat she hadn’t actually expected to succeed.

Merlin was a celestial who ascended hundreds of years ago. As a being whose story had concluded and ascended to the heavens, her ability to intervene in the earthly realm was severely limited.

She thought, ‘Of course, I can force it, but there would be backlash.’ She had merely intended to confirm the location, not expecting it to work so seamlessly.

“Why did this work?” Merlin wondered, looking at the boy before her, clearly distressed yet vividly present, indicating he had come here without resistance.

The boy appeared confused, and Merlin was equally bewildered.

“What are you, exactly?”

The boy pointed at Merlin’s fingers on his mouth, implying he needed her to let go to speak. Reluctantly, Merlin released Najin.

“Speak up.”

“I’m Najin.”

“What?”

“You asked what I am. I’m Najin, that’s my name.”

Najin explained after wiping his chin, his mind racing. He was certain the woman before him was Merlin, matching the descriptions he had seen in fairy tales.

‘I’ll put that aside for now,’ Najin thought, focusing on why Merlin had brought him here and her hostility. Was it because he drew Excalibur? As he was pondering this, Merlin interrupted his thoughts.

“Funny guy, when did I ask for your name?”

Merlin chuckled in disbelief.

“Arthur is just a fortunate man, right? Those were your words?”

Najin was taken aback, unable to immediately grasp the meaning. Then, realization struck him.

“Arthur was just a fortunate man of his time. He would have been nothing in this era.”

He recalled his own disparaging remarks and felt sweat trickling down his back.

“Annoyed? Wanna go at it? Then come and bring down your divine punishment.”

Embarrassed, Najin felt a bit wronged. It seemed unfair that only his voice was heard, not the stars. Understanding Merlin’s hostility, he tried to explain.

“That’s a bit of a misunderstanding…”

“Stop with the excuses. What I really want to know is how you could say such things? And why is your voice so clear to me?”

Merlin stepped closer.

“It’s strange. Your voice is so distinct, you being pulled right in front of me like this, and maintaining your form and consciousness in my starfield…”

Her blue eyes narrowed as she stared intently at Najin.

“Is this all because you made some deal with that detestable Mordred? But even then, it doesn’t make sense.”

Merlin stood right before Najin, their breaths almost mingling. Her blue eyes met his sunset-hued ones.

“What are you, really?”

Najin couldn’t immediately respond to her repeated question. Merlin sighed deeply and spoke.

“It doesn’t matter what you are.”

The important thing was,

“You insulted Arthur. And I have no intention of letting that go.”

“You were the one who asked for divine punishment,” she muttered, flicking her finger. In her domain, everything was under her control.

At that moment, Najin was supposed to be completely at her mercy, unable to move, blink, or even breathe without her permission. As Merlin reached out to punish him, something unexpected happened.

Najin caught her wrist.

Though Merlin could easily break free and disintegrate his fingers to sand, she didn’t. Shocked, she looked at the hand holding her. Initially, she was surprised and intrigued, but seeing her own wrist held by him, her emotions evaporated into sheer astonishment.

That astonishment was soon replaced by horror.

Merlin saw the constellation pattern on Najin’s wrist. It was usually visible only in Najin’s eyes, and even the most powerful beings, including celestial constellations, couldn’t see it.

But Merlin was an exception.

She had designed the circuitry of the constellation that housed Excalibur. Therefore, she knew the significance of the pattern on Najin’s wrist.

Raising her head, Merlin shifted her gaze from her wrist to Najin’s eyes. His eyes, once the color of a sunset, were now tinged with platinum. Her own eyes, first filled with shock, quickly turned to anger.

Gritting her teeth, Merlin shook off Najin’s hold and grabbed his wrist instead. With force, she extracted the platinum light from him.

The light coalesced into the platinum-colored holy sword, Excalibur. After taking it from Najin, Merlin sighed deeply and long.

“Why did it have to be…”

She pressed her temples.

“Why him…!”

Three days since Excalibur was drawn, and neither she nor any other constellation in the night sky had been able to find its wielder. And now, its owner stood before her, but Merlin found it hard to accept.

The one before her was not a Swordmaster, not even close to a powerful warrior, nor a special being with his own star.

“Just a brat who insulted Arthur. How can he be the owner of the holy sword?”

“But that’s mine.”

Najin clenched the air, and the Excalibur in Merlin’s hand shattered into starlight, returning to him, reforming into a sword.

“You shouldn’t just take it like that.”

In Najin’s hand, the sword shone brilliantly, as if he was its true master. Watching this, Merlin’s forehead veins bulged.

“Wow.”

Merlin was genuinely amazed, sighing.

“What kind of kid is this?”