Sterling reached toward that purple thread while staring intently at the frame, afraid a cold white-haired figure might suddenly appear and retract it.
Since Galahad already knew his eyes had miraculous abilities, maybe he could withdraw his own thread?
So... fast, accurate, ruthless!
Sterling grabbed the purple thread and absorbed it instantly.
Dizziness a hundred times more intense than the Fat Friar's crashed into his brain like a sledgehammer. Sterling almost immediately lost consciousness, hearing only Terry's anxious shout of "Sterling!" echoing through the sudden darkness.
Great. Another trip to the hospital wing.
Sterling grimly refused to think about the future of being force-fed potions by Madam Pomfrey, instead focusing on observing Galahad's story.
This was an endless sea of flowers.
Petals in every shade of white and gold stretched beyond the horizon, their sweet fragrance carried on warm breezes. At the flower sea's end stood a floating, towering white tower that seemed to pierce the very heavens. Countless petals drifted down from the sky like snow, one caught by a pristine, slender hand.
It was a young man in white robes with silver hair and a tall but sickly, somewhat hunched frame. His back was to Sterling's perspective, his face invisible.
"Galahad, how is Arthur?"
"Not well." Sterling heard the voice coming from himself, suddenly realizing this story unfolded from first-person perspective.
"The King... he misses you greatly. Since your disappearance, the King has gone many times to where you last appeared, searching for you."
"I see." The silver-haired figure sighed, then fell silent.
Sterling guessed this was Merlin, but according to Arthurian legend, Galahad and Merlin shouldn't have any connection, right? One was active during Arthur's early period, the other during the later period.
"Do you have any words you'd like me to bring to the King?"
"Do you still want to return? Haha..." His shoulders shook with bitter laughter before he began coughing violently.
"The Grail has already been found by you, Avalon has been entered by you. Next, where will you go? I shouldn't need to tell you."
"Then you can't return. Never again."
Sterling felt "himself" hesitating, but only for a brief moment before Galahad cast aside all doubt.
"Please open the door to Avalon's deepest layer for me."
"Hmph, the most perfect knight..."
Merlin raised a strangely shaped staff that seemed carved from starlight itself. Golden magic so brilliant it made everything else pale poured from the staff's tip, shooting straight into the sky like a pillar of pure sunlight.
The flower sea was instantly flattened by this magic's impact, ripples spreading outward in layers with Merlin at the center. The very air shimmered with power.
Then, sacred songs began.
Millions of glowing, pure white figures floated around the light pillar, swaying and singing in unknown tongues that resonated in Sterling's very bones. The melody was hauntingly beautiful, filled with both joy and sorrow.
The light pillar gradually dissipated. Even clouds in the sky were dyed noble gold. Step by step, stairs connected heaven and earth, each one gleaming like polished marble. Merlin retreated two steps and invited Galahad forward with a graceful gesture.
When Galahad stepped onto the first stair, Sterling's consciousness began returning. The story contained in this thread ended there.
Normally this would be fine. Sterling could be happy all day discovering Galahad's non-riddle-speaking side, even though this story wasn't particularly useful to him now.
But as his consciousness left Galahad, he inadvertently glimpsed Merlin's face.
Excluding his deep purple eyes and undisguisable sickly appearance, Sterling felt like looking in a mirror.
An older version of himself.
"Sterling? You're awake?"
"Lucky timing. A bit later and we'd have carried you to the hospital wing."
Harry's voice rang by his ear, then Terry's. They seemed to have one person at each ear, sandwiching Sterling between them.
Sterling seemed to suddenly wake from a nightmare, cold sweat beading on his forehead, making the previously relaxed Terry nervous again.
"Are you really sick? That won't do. Harry, help me lift him. We still need Madam Pomfrey to look."
"Wait, it's nothing. Just had a nightmare."
Sterling quickly stopped them. Terry was absolutely right. If he'd woken any later, he'd have awakened in a hospital bed. He could already see the hospital wing door just steps away, its brass nameplate gleaming ominously.
He didn't want to be force-fed a large bottle of potion.
"Nothing wrong? Hope that's really true. You remember Madam Pomfrey's attitude toward people who don't treat their bodies well, right?"
Terry lowered his voice by Sterling's ear: "According to reliable sources, Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape jointly developed brewing techniques that maintain potion effects while making them a hundred times worse to drink..."
Merlin's beard. Were Hogwarts salaries for researching how to torment young wizards?
Wait, Merlin had no beard... then Merlin's hair.
"Definitely nothing. Let's go quickly before Madam Pomfrey comes out and drags me in. Harry, give me a hand. My legs still lack strength..."
Only after being helped away from the hospital wing corridor did Sterling have time to think about other things, like that face.
Why would Merlin's face be so similar to mine?
Theoretically speaking, with so many people in the world, countless throughout history, the past existence of someone resembling Sterling was quite reasonable, especially with different hair and eye colors.
But why specifically Merlin, someone as inseparably connected to Avalon as Sterling?
From Ravenclaw's diary, it was clear Merlin was the one who "sealed Avalon," while Sterling was the special figure who could still freely travel between both sides despite Avalon's closure.
Sterling could hardly view this connection as coincidental.
Whether present-world magic or Avalonian magic, both emphasized "fate" to some degree. Present-world wands chose wizards, Avalonian Origin Magic awakened. Undoubtedly, Sterling and Merlin shared deeper connections.
But what was this connection exactly? Could it be bloodline?
Sterling thought of his unknown birth mother and father. Wait, why use "birth mother and father"? Did he have adoptive parents too?
After brief mental blankness, Sterling returned to normal.
Perhaps the problem lay with his never-met parents? Maybe he'd inherited Merlin's bloodline from them?
With Sterling's knowledge, this was as far as he could think.
"By the way, Harry, how did you come here? Shouldn't you be celebrating with Gryffindor?"
At this, Harry scratched his head sheepishly.
"Too many unfamiliar upperclassmen wanting to shake my hand. Rather than celebrating with them, I'd prefer celebrating with you all in Utopia. You will celebrate with me, right?"
Oh? Sterling exchanged glances with Terry.
Harry doesn't know we're making him a cake?
No idea. I only met Harry searching for us when I brought you near the hospital wing.
"It's a secret... no, a surprise."
"Then I'll look forward to it!" Harry grinned, showing neat white teeth.
Sterling suddenly remembered the pitch incident, asking Harry if he'd noticed being sabotaged.
"Ron told me!" He looked quite angry. "I thought it was my own problem. Didn't expect someone else interfering, though I don't know why it suddenly got better later."
"But if I find out who was causing trouble, I'll cast a super-strong Stunning Spell right at their nose!"
He chattered endlessly with Terry and Sterling, and they realized Harry's eloquence was no less than Ron's.
"I was extremely panicked. You know, my father was Gryffindor team's best player. I've seen it in the trophy room. I always thought my flying talent was a gift dad left me. When I couldn't control my broom, I thought I'd disgrace dad. Thank goodness it wasn't my own problem."
Listening to Harry throughout their journey, Sterling's heart grew shadowed with hesitation.
Harry truly missed his parents, despite having no memories of them. If not for Voldemort, they might have lived happily together like Terry's family.
Sterling felt Harry definitely wanted revenge against Voldemort.
He had no right to arbitrarily conceal Voldemort's affairs from Harry under the pretense of "for Harry's good." That would be making decisions for him.
What Harry wanted to do should come from his own will, not Sterling's imposition.
Though if Harry wanted to seek revenge on Voldemort right now, Sterling would probably still try to dissuade him, right?