"Legend?"
The Black Robed Woman asked curiously.
Something seemed to have been touched in his fragmented memories.
"Yes,"
Mentor Lina turned to face him, her gaze solemn. "A legend about ' Raven ' roaming the human world. The specific details are top secret, a silence we must guard. All we know is that this door connects to an extremely special place, or... time. Our duty is to wait."
"Wait?" The Black Robed Woman was even more puzzled. "Wait for what?"
Instructor Lina's gaze returned to the Bronze Door, her voice as soft as a sigh, "Waiting for the day... someone to walk out from inside." The words had barely left her lips.
As if in response to her words, the massive bronze gate, silent for countless years and considered an ancient relic or even just a decoration, suddenly and without warning, began to light up from the inside out with its huge Raven emblem at its center. First, a tiny, star-like glow ignited where the Raven's eye should be.
Immediately afterwards, the light, like flowing mercury, spread rapidly along the intricate patterns of the emblem, illuminating every engraving. It was deep, pure, and not dazzling, yet it possessed a refined quality that seemed to transcend time and space.
"What's going on?!"
The Black Robed Woman was greatly alarmed.
Is it coming?
Lina's eyes also began to waver.
The Bronze Door itself seemed to come alive, trembling slightly and emitting a deep, resonant hum, like a long-dormant beast beginning to awaken. No view of the room behind it could be seen through the cracks in the door.
Instead, it flowed with a richer light, as if mixed with starlight and the night, and a trace of... a familiar yet strange aura that transcended endless distance and time.
The air in the observation room seemed to freeze. Instructor Lina held her breath, her hand pressed tightly to her chest, her eyes blazing with disbelief, a mixture of shock, ecstasy, and a sacred sense of finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after fulfilling a generation's duty. Could the legendary Watchers be watching today...? Meanwhile, the Black Robe Wizard, still bewildered after undergoing memory reconstruction, stared blankly at the glowing Bronze Door and the illuminated Raven emblem.
"What's wrong with my brain?!"
Deep within his fragmented memory, in a tightly sealed corner, a distant raven's cry seemed to echo, accompanied by a blurry image. In the endless darkness and green mist, a tall figure stood, a dark flame flickering at his fingertips... He blurted out, his voice hoarse and broken with excitement.
"Will... someone... really come out?"
The humming of the Bronze Door grew louder, and the light emanating from it intensified. Bathed in the light, the tightly closed door seemed to become... less absolute.
The light swirled and converged in the center of the door crack.
Then, under their unwavering gazes, the Bronze Door silently opened a crack inwards.
Light, like a tangible tide, poured out from the slightly ajar door.
It wasn't simply "light," but rather a condensed manifestation of "possibility" and "presence." It wasn't dazzling, yet it made everything in the observation room—the stone walls, the furniture, even the air itself—seem transparent and light, immersed in a tranquil glow that transcended reality. "Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
The light flowed with indescribable colors, as if it had shattered and blended together the deep blue of the midnight starry river, the dark gold of the autumn forest, and the mottled green patina of ancient bronze.
Behind the crack in the door, instead of the expected room or corridor, lay a vast, profound emptiness. But this emptiness was not nothingness; it contained an unimaginable depth and sense of distance, as if connecting to some extremely distant point in time and space governed by entirely different laws. Faint, fragmented points of light flickered within, like reflections of distant stars, or like ripples on the river of time.
"As expected! He's going to walk among mortals again!"
Lina was completely stunned. As Unspeakable passed down through generations, she knew every detail about the door and the legend of the " Raven," but those were all texts, oral accounts, and abstract duties.
When the legend truly revealed just the tip of the iceberg before her eyes, the shock and tremor that came from the depths of her soul almost rendered her incapable of thought. Her hand remained pressed against her chest, she could feel her heart pounding wildly, strangely resonating with the low hum emanating from the Bronze Door. "Is it the person you spoke of?" The Black Robe Wizard was even more distraught. He involuntarily took a half-step back, not out of fear, but out of an almost instinctive awe and dizziness.
That light, that aura emanating from behind the door... it's all so familiar!!
It was so familiar that the fragments of memories deep within his soul, which had been heavily sealed and distorted, began to stir wildly, trying to break free of their cages. He vaguely "saw" some fragments: a shattered boulder, a green mist, a shadow that blotted out the sky... and a figure standing at the boundary between light and darkness, whose face was indistinct but whose back was incredibly resolute.
"Raven..."
A barely audible syllable escaped from his trembling lips. Throughout the scene, both Lina and the Black Robe Wizard were on edge.
They watched the changes in the Bronze Door. A surge of light, like a tide, poured forth from the slightly ajar Bronze Door, carrying a soul-stirring quality. The silhouette within the deep "emptiness" was indeed becoming clearer, like a star slowly rising from the depths of night, gradually revealing an undeniable form—a tall, upright figure, the hem of a dark, antique-style robe, a hand steadily holding a wand, and even the faint, blurred lines of a serene face.
"The pond is coming!"
Lina held her breath; her heart seemed to stop for a moment.
Generations of vigilance, the silent duty passed down from generation to generation by countless Unspeakable, all the perseverance and hidden expectations seem to be turning into reality in this very moment.
"By the great God of Destiny!"
The Black Robe Wizard was completely stiff, except for his eyes, which were wide open through the gaps in his scars, fixed intently on the figure that was getting closer and closer behind the door.
"Um."
Lina nodded.
Ian Prince.
The terminator of Legend, the Raven returning from the other side of time, is about to cross the giant gate that separates legend from reality and truly step into the era he himself has rectified.
His features became completely clear.
He seemed to stand at the boundary between light and "emptiness" behind the crack in the door, so close that one could even see the subtle wear and tear on his robes, as if they had been weathered by time, and the last wisp of dark green and silver-white Magic Power light fading from the tip of his wand. He slightly raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the door, directed into the observation room, and into the two waiting figures, his eyes deep as if containing the changes of billions of star orbits.
He even... seemed to move slightly, as if he were about to take that step.
Lina's heart pounded wildly, almost bursting out of her chest. She instinctively straightened her back, preparing to greet this legendary figure with the utmost solemnity. The black-robed resident also involuntarily clenched his fists, an indescribable surge of excitement rippling from the depths of his fragmented memories. However, just as Ian's figure solidified to its fullest extent, as if he were about to completely emerge from the light—on the Bronze Door, the Raven emblem's light, which had flowed steadily and even shone brighter because of his appearance, suddenly fluctuated violently without warning, like a lamp with a faulty connection, flickering for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, the light did not go out, but suddenly collapsed and contracted inward! It was as if an invisible, more powerful force was pulling the outflowing light, along with the surging "emptiness" behind the door and the clearly visible figure of Ian within it, backward!
"Ah?"
What happened!?
Lina and the Black Robe Wizard were both stunned.
The light filtering through the crack in the door dimmed instantly, receding as quickly as the tide.
All I saw was...
Ian's sharp features, against the backdrop of rapidly fading light, appeared even more ethereal and transparent. He made no struggle or resistance, but in that final instant, Lina seemed to catch his calm gaze, which lingered on her for an extremely brief moment. There seemed to be a hint of... understanding in his eyes?
Or is it simply confirmation?
Nobody knows.
Then one
The light completely disappeared into the Bronze Door.
The "emptiness" vanished, and behind the crack in the door, it returned to a bottomless darkness, before reverting to the texture of an ordinary stone wall, as if everything that had just happened was merely a fleeting illusion.
The bronze gate emitted a final, low, sigh-like hum, and the Raven emblem on the gate dimmed completely, leaving only the dull luster of the most primitive, ancient metal.
It stood there silently, heavy, cold, and still, a stark contrast to its radiant appearance just minutes before, as if it were about to usher in a new era.
"The eyes are full."
A soft sound, caused by the relaxation of muscles stiffened from excessive tension, came from the Black Robe Wizard unconsciously taking half a step back, his heel hitting the ground.
Dead silence.
Only the two people's slightly heavy breathing remained in the observation room, along with the lingering, faint, strange scent in the air, a mixture of stardust and ancient Parchment.
This proves that what happened just now was not a dream.
That great being... didn't appear?
The Black Robe Wizard wanted to ask but dared not.
The anticipation of reaching the summit only to be suddenly plunged into emptiness left the Black Robe Wizard momentarily disoriented. He stared blankly at the Bronze Door, which remained tightly shut and showed no further signs of disturbance.
He then looked at his mentor, Lina, beside him.
He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
"Uh..." Instructor Lina remained standing in place, leaning slightly forward in a welcoming posture. However, the excitement and blush on her face had faded, replaced by a complex mix of faint disappointment at not getting what she wanted, a deeper sense of awe, and... a peculiar sense of relief and enlightenment.
She slowly straightened up, took a deep breath, and calmed her turbulent emotions. Then, she turned to face the Black Robe Wizard, who looked bewildered and was about to blurt out "why."
"He... that lord... didn't come out?" The black-robed resident's voice was dry and filled with disbelief. He finally couldn't help but ask the question.
no way.
Curiosity killed the cat.
But the Wizard's curiosity was even greater than the cat's.
The more outstanding Wizard, the more this is true—as can be seen from his performance before the world reset; he can be considered an exceptionally outstanding Wizard.
For Wizard like him...
Curiosity is naturally hard to suppress.
"Yes."
Lina's voice returned to its usual gentle and composed tone, only with a hint of subtle remoteness, " The Great One... did not choose to step out of this door at this moment."
She has calmed down again.
"Why? Why is that?" the Black Robe Wizard asked anxiously, bewildered by the sudden turn of events. "The door was clearly open! He appeared! We all saw it! Could it be... could it be that there's something wrong with the door or the ritual? Or were we not prepared enough?" He speculated nervously.
"No, no, no, it's not what you think." Lina gently shook her head, her gaze returning to the silent Bronze Door, her eyes deep.
"The door is fine, but the ritual... perhaps there isn't a fixed 'ritual' at all," she said slowly, as if sorting out her thoughts. "How can we presume to fathom the will of that great one? The Bronze Door connects to an inconceivable space-time; his appearance, perhaps... was merely for confirmation."
Lina started to imagine things.
"Confirmed?" the Black Robe Wizard, puzzled.
"Confirm that the time correction is complete, confirm that 'Watch' is still in effect, confirm..." Lina's hand unconsciously went to her chest, where the mark of the " Raven Prophet " was pulsating with a faint yet incredibly clear and warm pulse.
Similar to the resonance felt when the door opened before, but more stable, more... omnipresent. This is probably why Lina imagined it this way; she has developed faith in Ian.
Naturally.
No matter what happens, they can always find a story that benefits Ian.
That's just my imagination.
However, within this African Ministry of Magic, no one was qualified to question Lina's imagination anymore, after all, she was a true prophetic Wizard had lived for a thousand years.
Although she hadn't reached the Legend, she herself was Legend. She closed her eyes, feeling the connection emanating from the mark—a connection that, though spanning a long period of time, remained vivid and unwavering.
"Yes, yes, Raven must be confirming whether the Pool's 'anchor' and 'proxy' are still there." She opened her eyes, a clear understanding gleaming within them. "I can feel it... the Pool has returned. Right now, in this era, it has reappeared in the world." "Returned? Where?" The Black Robe Wizard hurriedly asked, looking around as if Ian might suddenly emerge from some corner of the room. He didn't know why he so desperately wanted to see Raven.
perhaps.
Seeing Raven reminded him of something.
"We shouldn't be too curious about this," Lina smiled, a smile carrying the tranquility and contentment characteristic of a devout believer. "We don't know. Nor do we need to know."
Her millennia-old wisdom manifested in her calm and composed demeanor at this moment.
"Don't you need to know?"
The Black Robe Wizard was even more confused.
He was still young after all, and his desire to see Raven was hard to suppress; he imagined countless possible scenarios of Raven might look like.
elder?
Child?
Or some other image?
Or is it simply shaped like a Raven?
It must be said that the Black Robe Wizard after the time reset was far more mentally active than when he was corrupted, and even began to imagine that the Raven was a woman.
A beautiful woman.