The Isle of Avalon was a long journey from Camelot. Riding horseback day and night, the round trip would take at least a couple of weeks. So, early the next morning, Kay set out, taking Merlin with him.
While Kay was confident in his abilities, he was heading to the very birthplace of ancient magic. Who knew what kind of bizarre or dangerous things they might encounter? Bringing a sorcerer along was absolutely necessary; not because Kay feared the danger, but because Arthur couldn't afford any delays.
That is why Merlin was recruited for this trip.
The two of them rode their horses relentlessly, heading southwest from Camelot. They passed through 'The Fallen King's Pass' near the White Peaks and finally reached the northern shores of the Sea of Meredor. The journey was anything but smooth.
In this era, leaving human settlements meant entering vast, unforgiving wilderness. It was swarming with wild beasts and venomous creatures, plus a host of inexplicable magical beasts, giving the inexperienced young Merlin a seriously rough time.
It was only thanks to Kay's extensive survival skills that Merlin even made it this far.
Finally, on the northern shores of the Sea of Meredor, they passed through a forest perpetually shrouded in dark, thick fog and found a large lake. The weather here seemed to be always overcast—either raining or completely fogged in—and you could easily get lost. Fortunately, despite its eerie appearance, the area seemed safe; Kay hadn't even spotted a single live animal in the forest.
According to Gaius's description, the Isle of Avalon lay at the center of this lake.
After searching the lake's perimeter, Kay and Merlin eventually discovered a dilapidated, small dock tucked away in a patch of reeds. Moored there was a small boat.
What annoyed Kay was that the boat was there, but the oars were missing. Merlin ultimately had to use a magical spell, which Kay didn't quite understand, to make the boat navigate itself.
In Kay's opinion, the power of Celtic magic wasn't particularly impressive, at least compared to what he'd seen elsewhere. For instance, the kind of spells the heavy-hitters from Asgard used would always involve a lot of fire and lightning, delivering insane power. Or take Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon; every time he started a fight, it looked like an artillery barrage, and after the 'boom, boom, boom,' the opposition was utterly obliterated.
But Celtic magic did have its advantages. It seemed more geared toward domestic or functional uses. It wasn't flashy in combat, though Kay conceded this might be a prejudice on his part, as he hadn't seen the true pinnacle of Celtic magic before King Uther's purges essentially wiped it out.
Now, sorcerers were like endangered species—hardly ever seen.
Merlin was a sorcerer, but the boy was still a bit of a novice. His magic was self-taught from Gaius's spellbooks. He knew a few tricks, but he had zero grounding in theory.
Sometimes, Kay genuinely wondered if this half-baked kid could really grow up to be a great sorcerer.
Sailing on the little boat controlled by Merlin's magic, the two headed toward the center of the lake.
It was quite a large body of water. Even with Merlin's spell propelling the boat, it took them half a day to find a small island. It wasn't really an island so much as a castle built in the middle of the water, rising abruptly from the lake surface with no sign of land around it.
Through a small door on the outside wall of the castle, Kay and Merlin entered.
The castle was clearly ancient, with a very old architectural style, and much of it was severely weathered. There was no sign of life; it had clearly been abandoned for a long time, with weeds growing even between the cracks of the stones.
"Stay right here. I'm going to check upstairs first."
Kay's heart was sinking. This place was completely deserted—not even a ghost, let alone a cure. Where were they supposed to find an antidote?
"Wait! Sir Kay!" Before Kay could take a step, Merlin suddenly grabbed his arm. "I can feel something pulling me. Follow me, I know which way to go."
Merlin didn't wait for a reply and walked ahead.
Kay didn't have a better plan. He was completely unfamiliar with Celtic magic, and while Merlin was a novice, he was still an expert compared to Kay. For now, he had to follow the boy's lead.
Following Merlin, Kay navigated a series of twists and turns until they finally reached the castle's courtyard.
The moment they arrived, the area opened up. While it looked just as run-down as the rest of the castle, the plants here were clearly tended; they hadn't grown wild like everywhere else.
They walked along a flagstone path through an unnamed flower garden, eventually reaching the center of the courtyard. There was a ring of large stones—a stone circle—and in the center of that, an altar. Kay held his two swords, maintaining a vigilant stance. The whole place felt strangely unsettling.
"Hello? Is anyone here?"
Kay was still being cautious, but Merlin's sudden 'hello' startled him. The quiet surroundings made Merlin's greeting abrupt and completely atmosphere-breaking.
Kay turned, intending to scold the unfortunate kid, but he froze halfway through the turn.
"Hello, Kay. Oh, and our little Merlin. It's nice to see you."
Kay let out a slow breath and finished turning around.
By the altar, the sorceress Nimue stood, smiling faintly.
"Hi, Nimue. I didn't expect to run into you again." Kay tried his best to sound relaxed and not so tense.
Merlin stared at the suddenly appearing Nimue, utterly shocked. He knew this woman. It was shortly after he first arrived in Camelot when she sneaked into the castle. At the time, Camelot and the great kingdom of Mercia had finally brokered a peace deal after years of fighting. The King of Mercia had brought his people to Camelot to finalize the treaty with King Uther. This woman had disguised herself as a servant and infiltrated the Mercian delegation.
She had planned to poison Arthur, but Merlin discovered it. To prove the poisoning attempt, Merlin had drunk the poisoned wine himself and nearly died. If Arthur hadn't gone through hell and high water to find the antidote, Merlin wouldn't be standing here now.
As a side note, our young Merlin had come very close to starting a romance with Nimue... only for his first love to dump him before it even started.
Seeing Merlin staring at her in surprise, Nimue wasn't angry at all. Instead, she gave him a playful wink. That instantly made Merlin duck his head, embarrassed. That whole fling was too humiliating, and he wanted absolutely no one to know about it.
Kay, meanwhile, looked completely confused.
"You two know each other?"
"Of course," Nimue said.
"No, we don't!" Merlin insisted.