Merlin opened his eyes, still not fully conscious.
Something was hovering over his head.
It was Luna.
She was bending over him, her face only inches away from his.
He stared at her.
She stared back, though she couldn't see him.
Merlin said nothing.
"Good, you're awake," Luna said.
She got to her feet. "Get up and follow me," she told Merlin.
Merlin got to his feet and followed the blind woman.
She led him toward the open space in the middle of the rooms.
The others were already there, at least most of them.
The captain was praying again, but he sat on a platform under the shade. Kate sat in the same spot Merlin had sat the other day, talking with Brody. Leon stood alone a few feet away from the captain. He rested his back against the wall with his arms folded.
But Harvey was nowhere to be seen.
"Harvey has been looking for you," Luna said.
Merlin frowned.
Then why not come himself? Merlin thought to himself.
"He said he was going to train you today."
She led him outside the building.
After walking for a few minutes, they reached a huge cornfield. On the side, the corn had been cleared, leaving an empty field.
Harvey sat in the center, using his cloak as a mat.
"I've been waiting a while now," he said.
"I brought him as soon as he woke," Luna said, as if countering Harvey.
"You did good," Harvey said before giving a sarcastic laugh.
Luna turned and went back the way she came.
Harvey looked at Merlin.
"What weapon do you use?"
Merlin stared at him.
What a bizarre question, he thought.
"Perfect! We can find what suits you best," Harvey said as he picked up his cloak to wear.
"Hit me."
Merlin stared at him, confused by what he was asking.
"What I meant to say is, try to land a hit on me."
Merlin exhaled and took his stance, both of his fists just above head level.
Harvey threw his cloak high into the air, and just as he did, Merlin launched his fist faster than either of them expected.
Again, it looked like a direct hit, but Harvey evaded it too quickly for Merlin to register.
Merlin tumbled to the ground under the force of his own momentum.
"That was close," Harvey said. "It's a good thing my cloak was ready, or I could've gotten knocked out."
Merlin got back to his feet, dusting his knees.
"It looks like you have a little too much speed and strength," Harvey said. "We can't let that go to waste by giving you a sword."
Merlin realized he hadn't even seen Harvey's weapon, if he had one to begin with. But something told him it wasn't a sword.
"Do you know any form of gymnastics?" Harvey asked.
Merlin stared at Harvey, confused by the question.
"No."
"Seems like we have a lot of work ahead of us," Harvey said.
He walked to the end of the field and reached into a bag. He pulled out a scythe.
The blade was ridiculously large, and the shaft stood about an inch taller than Harvey.
To Merlin, this seemed like a poor weapon choice. It was unethical to use a scythe, no matter how he tried to look at it.
Harvey handed it to Merlin.
He could feel the weight of the weapon in his hands, though it didn't feel heavy.
"Swing it."
Merlin swung it almost horizontally from his left to right, trying not to move along with it.
"It's not a sword," Harvey pointed out. "Unlike swinging a sword, when using a scythe, you have to accept the recoil."
Harvey collected the scythe from Merlin.
"I'll demonstrate."
He took a stance, his legs ready to move from their position.
He swung once and let the momentum carry him around three more times before dipping the blade into the ground.
Merlin watched. It all looked like too much effort for an unethical weapon.
"Here you go," Harvey said as he handed Merlin the scythe. "Now you try."
Merlin held the scythe. He took the same stance Harvey had used before swinging it around.
He spun around but couldn't seem to stop, so he kept going. He spun faster and faster until the scythe shifted awkwardly in his palms.
His wrist twisted, and he let go, sending the scythe flying as he tumbled to the ground.
Harvey laughed.
"I think it's too soon for you to use a scythe."
He picked it up where it had landed.
He walked to the end of the field again, but this time, he brought out a staff from the bag.
"First, you're going to learn how to spin this."
Merlin frowned as he watched Harvey hand him a stick.
He then pulled out his own staff from underneath his cloak.
Merlin knew the cloak was ridiculously large, but this was way too absurd.
Where had it been? he asked himself.
To him, Harvey was starting to look more and more like a magician.
"I'll demonstrate," Harvey said.
He gripped the staff at an awkward angle, but somehow spun it more times than Merlin imagined.
"Your wrist's axis is very limited," Harvey said. "So you have to make the most of it by gripping it at the start of the axis."
Merlin shook his head.
He held the staff the same way Harvey did and spun it slowly, switching from hand to hand.
"Now go faster," Harvey said.
Merlin increased the speed of his wrist. Faster and faster, yet it still felt natural.
Harvey smiled.
"You're a quick learner."
"Now I'll show you the one that really matters."
He lifted his staff and, with both hands, spun it around his neck and back around his waist.
Merlin copied his movement.
He was confused at first, but he already understood how to switch between hands, so he picked it up quickly.
"Don't stop," Harvey said.
Merlin kept spinning it faster.
He glanced at Harvey occasionally, waiting for him to say stop.
After about thirty minutes of spinning, Merlin was exhausted and out of breath.
He glanced at Harvey.
He just stood and watched with a smug look on his face.
Merlin felt tired. He was about to give out, but decided to keep going.
"That's enough," Harvey finally said.
Merlin stopped and looked at him, clearly exhausted.
"Now the scythe should feel more natural," Harvey said.
"But first..."
Harvey spread his cloak on the ground.
"You can sit next to me," Harvey said, tapping the space beside him.
Merlin took the invitation and sat next to him.
He looked at Harvey. His eyes were closed.
Merlin just sat there and felt the breeze blow past him.
Eventually, he closed his eyes.
He had the same sensation again, as when he had just entered the simulation.
He was floating in endless space.
There was no up or down, until he thought about it.
His feet gently landed on something solid, and just as they did, gravity returned.
The system appeared in front of him.
[You have achieved an item.]
[Velisera's Diary.]
[This is the diary of Velisera.]
Merlin tapped the screen.
A piece of paper, with a quill strapped to the side, fell into his hands.
Merlin looked at it, confused.
It looked nothing like a diary. It wasn't even a book, just a blank sheet of paper.
He tried to make it disappear just as it had appeared.
It didn't work.
He didn't like the idea of dropping it on the ground.
He looked at the ground.
It was just as he imagined.
That's when it hit him.
The void was his to command.
He waved his hands and made a maze of infinitely tall bookshelves.
It would only make sense for Velisera's Diary to live in Merlin's Library, he thought to himself.
At the center of the maze sat a lectern, bathed in golden light.
He dropped the diary there.
Merlin stared at it.
It looked perfect.
It was almost like it belonged there.