"I go by the name Nightingale."

Pee Aun began laughing tremendously upon hearing Nightingale's name. Tears came running from his eyes as he slowly slid down his chair.

The others were shocked to see him acting so rudely in face of their host.

"Dude, stop it." Darren scowled at him with his eyes watching to see if Nightingale was furious. But he wasn't and it had seemed that he was able to tolerate Pee Aun's behaviour.

"No, I just can't—" He continued laughing, banging his fist on the table.

"This guy is actually taking us for fools. So why should I even be serious to any of this?"

"Honestly, what reason is there for me to even stay here?" He cut his laugh and glared straight into Nightingale demanding an answer from him.

Taking a deep breath, Nightingale had already been prepared for such questions as he knew that they wouldn't react too friendly to a stranger as suspicious as he.

"To listen to what I have to say."

"I don't know why he chose any of you for this expedition. But what he decided, I will follow."

"Who?" Pee Aun asked as he and others were had confused looks on their faces.

"Did you actually think that I was the one who gathered you here," Nightingale chuckled.

"Heck, I don't even know who any of you were before this. For you see, I am not the only founder of this expedition. The other is being someone I used to know, but he had left this world two years ago."

"Does it ring a bell?" He asked them.

He gave glances at each of their faces but none dared to answer.

"No? What if I told you his name was Nick."

The mention of his name stung them painfully as their face whitened and their eyes were in shocked. It was a name that none of them wanted to be reminded of. A boy with a tragic death.

"He. . founded this expedition?" Pee Aun asked, stuttering on his words.

"Yes, yes he did. And he chose all of you to be his crew." Nightingale nodded at them.

"I am here, to carry out his will. To ensure that the expedition would be carried out."

"It took me two years to prepare everything, so please don't lead it all to waste— not on my behalf, but on his." He pleaded with them.

"You've been going about an expedition, but really, what's all this about?" Darren asked, wanting to know more about the expedition his friend was once part of.

"It'll be easier for you to believe if I show you," Nightingale stated, his hand reaching for his pockets.

"Show us what?" Pee Aun asked, his eyes staring at Nightingale's pockets, eager to know what he's searching for.

"Magic," Nightingale answered at last after reaching out for a gemstone out from his pocket.

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The gemstone was in a bright orange colour, with runes engraved on it. It was the size of half a palm.

Nightingale took a seat as he placed his drink on the table. He held the gemstone high so that everyone was able to have a clear look at it.

"So now try not to blink, or you'd miss the magic trick." He grinned.

"Cyfuno sillafu!" He chanted.

The gemstone shone brightly, reacting to his words. His drink then suddenly vanished away.

"Oh my god, I told you guys he was a wizard!" Telvinder clapped loudly in his surprise.

Everyone else had the same expression but Nightingale hushed them as he did not want people to notice.

"But how?" Shuen asked, her eyes widened, intrigued to know.

"As you've seen the gemstone I held, was not just an ordinary gemstone." He flashed the gemstone again before their very eyes.

The gemstone that once shone its bright colours like a lamp slowly died away and its colours had faded too, revealing Nightingale's drink.

"This gemstone is what I call, a talisman or a better name for it; A magic stone. It is infused with a complex magical spell, allowing a user with an affinity in magic to be able to use it without knowing the spell itself. And this, in particular, helps to conceal."

"But it's magic is limited and sadly it's only a one time use." He sighed as he had wasted away a rare piece of magic, keeping it back into his pocket.

"I discovered these magic stones, not too long ago. And they are one of the few evidence I have to prove that magic exists."

"And what of the other?" Darren asked.

"I had a theory, that in a lifetime ago, magic once delved freely in our world."

"The world we thought we knew so much about— had secrets hiding deep in our history."

"Are you all accustomed to the tale of King Arthur?" He asked them and received their nods.

"In 1976 an archaeologist, Travis Martin, stumbled upon a gateway. A tall metal arch, hidden in our world. And this gateway may link to other worlds that exist."

"It would also answer the magic's disappearance from our land. It'd even be able to solve the mystery to Excalibur's magic and the Lady of the Lake's origin." Nightingale stated, looking around at their confused and interested looks the others had on their faces.

"Wait, I think I got it!" Telvinder sprung up from his seat.

"What? But how?" Pee Aun looked at him in confusion as he would least expect Telvinder to be the first to understand.

"This gateway is located on Avalon, isn't it?" Telvinder asked, ignoring him.

"Yes, it does."

"So they were aliens." He concluded, smashing his fist on his palm.

The others were astonished by them being more confused in Telvinder's conclusion rather than Nightingale's explanation.

"Well.. you can put it that way," Nightingale agreed with a half-willing face.

"I believe that their ancestors of people of Camelot were the ones from this other world. And after the Battle of Camlann, following King Arthur's death, they returned home, along with magic they first brought with them."

"I'm sold, lemme in on this." Telvinder had made his decision.

"What?" Almost everyone mouthed together in confusion, along with Nightingale too.

"Hey man, think about this way. This is a once in a lifetime situation. To actually go on an adventure like we see in movies and read in books! Of course, I'm going on it!" He explained excitedly, standing up from his sit.

"Alright, let's pretend that my buddy here doesn't exist, so please, do carry on." Pee Aun pleaded to Nightingale, his hand grabbing Telvinder's shoulder, pulling him back into his seat.

He began scolding Telvinder, like a parent disciplining his child.

"If Travis Martin did found Avalon in 1976, wouldn't they have already sent an expedition team there?" Darren asked, pulling their attention back on topic.

"They did, but what they didn't expect was that the island had vanished," Nightingale stated.

"That doesn't make sense, it couldn't just simply vanished out of thin air—"

"—unless if it was by magic," Darren said as he came to a realisation.

"Exactly what I had in mind." Nightingale nodded in agreement.

"If they weren't able to find the island, how would that make it different for us?" Shuen finally asked a question they all wanted an answer to.

"It is because, I know where to look, and just a week ago, I had already found the path we'd take. So now what I need isn't a crew to go on a search for Avalon. But of a group of friends, to discover what lies beyond that gateway."

"Well, this is actually quite a lot to take in." Pee Aun whewed.

"No, it isn't," Telvinder stated.

"Shut up! No one gave you permission to talk." He yelled.

"Were you close with him?" Alicia asked Nightingale.

"Him? Ah, yes I was. He was very passionate in his work. It's quite a pity that he wouldn't be able to join us." He said with a saddened look, staring into the table.

"But the only thing I can do for him now is to carry on his legacy, our legacy." He shared his resolution.

The others stared at him as they shared his saddened expression.

"The path would be long and dangerous, I cannot guarantee your safety, but what I can guarantee is for you to be part of something bigger than the lives you're living." He stopped for a short moment, taking his breath before asking a request.

"So I'd ask you all once again, this time not on his behalf, but on mine. Would you all like to go on an adventure with me?" He said at last.

The six of them remained silent as they exchanged glances with each other. They all looked at Darren, giving him a face that he knew that they had made a decision.

"Alright then, we will join you." Darren said as the others nodded in agreement.

"Then let us be off," Nightingale said, standing up from his seat. A smile was drawn on his face, relieved to have convinced them to join him. But he felt his chest tightened in pain and felt guilty for keeping secrets from them.