Merlin’s quest to learn his skills as a magician led him into contact with another great wizard and sage, who was known as Blaze.
Blaze was a lot older than Merlin and had much experience in magical matters. Merlin was still quite young, and although he had managed to accrue a certain amount of knowledge into the mysteries of nature, such as his obtaining of the Talisman of Change, he still had a way to go to become a fully-fledged magus.
So when Merlin met with Blaze, he eagerly wished to partake of his wisdom and they conversed with each other on many subjects. In one such discourse, Blaze mentioned that he had recently met a man who he wouldn’t reveal the name of, as he wished to remain anonymous, and this man had come to him for help due to an extraordinary circumstance. Blaze explained that he had seen in the sky one night an amazing flash of light in a definite geometric pattern, and then the appearance of a flying craft which had lights of different colours illuminating sequentially. The craft came to rest on the ground and opened, allowing a human form to descend. He approached Blaze and then began to speak in an ancient language which Blaze recognised as it had been passed down to him through many generations of teachers. The man explained that he had once lived close by and had seen this craft in the sky and then boarded it when it came to land. The crew of the ship had then taken him to another world which was an incredible distance away, near to a star brightly visible in the sky both in his day and in the present.
He had spent some years on this other world, observing some of the wonders of their civilisation and then decided to return to his home. The people warned him of the consequence of this decision which was that although he had only experienced a few years, in the world he was returning to many millennia would have passed. However they knew that they would be able to find someone who could help him to adjust to this incredibly different world from the one he originally left and that person was Blaze.
So Blaze took it upon himself to show the man from another age the new technologies which exist today, such as television, telephones and computers, cars and aeroplanes; all those aspects of everyday life which would be completely unfamiliar to a man from millennia past. Blaze did the best he could to ease the shock that the man would experience in the present, and eventually the man felt he could face the world, prepared by this knowledge. Thanking Blaze with the new language he had been taught, he went on to live his new life.
Merlin was astonished by this story and asked Blaze if he knew the name of the place where the man had travelled to, and Blaze answered that it was once called Tir na n’Og and it was still possible to see the star which was closest to this distant planet. Blaze continued by explaining to Merlin that:
“We are seeing not the present when we look to the stars, but actually the distant past.”
Merlin sat reflecting on this statement for a time, in awe of the vastness of space.
Merlin thought to himself how incredible it would be to be able to set foot on another planet as the man in Blaze’s tale had done. However, he didn’t like the idea that when he was to come back to his home that everyone he knew would have passed away and things would have changed so radically that they would be virtually unrecognisable. So he said to Blaze that he would have to stay on this planet and never go to visit another world. Blaze laughed at this statement from Merlin, and said in a highly amused tone of voice, “You’d like to be a magician, but you don’t want to visit another world. I’ve never heard of such a thing, especially when it’s so easy!”
Blaze continued to chuckle heartily, as Merlin felt himself go uncomfortably red.
“Don’t worry, young Merlin,” Blaze said soothingly. “We’ll soon have you hopping around the Galaxy.”
Merlin immediately looked up in awe and anticipation and Blaze beckoned for him to follow.
They soon arrived at an ancient mound of earth which had a small entrance of two vertical stone slabs supporting a horizontal one. Merlin looked into the gaping portal but could see nothing except blackness beyond. Then Blaze caught Merlin’s attention and with a serious and yet wondrous look in his eyes, he told Merlin to listen carefully and then repeat what he said. They began to chant an ancient magical formula together, first one and then the other until they could chant together in perfect unison the exact intonations and pronunciation. Then Blaze said:
“Remember this incantation and I’ll see you when you get back.”
He looked once more over to the stone entrance of the mound and Merlin’s gaze followed. This time is the place of the blackness there appeared to be an opening into the light of day. Merlin crouched down and looked more intently into the opening which was just about big enough for a person to pass through on all fours. At the other end, he could see grass and the bases of trees which seemed odd as the mound was surrounded on all sides by open fields and not a tree anywhere near. Merlin summoned up all his courage and repeating his new incantation under his breath, he made his way through the narrow passage.
Emerging on the other side of the tunnel, Merlin stood up and to his amazement found he was standing in the middle of a wood! He glanced back through the portal and could see the grass and horizon at the far end. Merlin’s curiosity was aroused and he decided to walk around the mound of earth to the other side. When he arrived there he was amazed again to see there wasn’t a trace of an opening. It all seemed too incredible to Merlin whilst he glanced at his surroundings. Then his heart skipped a beat, as he noticed a figure sitting cross-legged a short distance into the wood! The form was semi-human, as it appeared to have a man’s body, but it also had stag’s antlers growing from its head. Merlin stood frozen as he looked at the similarly motionless being. The Stag-man had a serene expression on his face and held aloft a snake in each hand which writhed and wriggled in his firm grip. For what seemed like an age Merlin puzzled over whether he should greet the person and thus disturb him or quietly move on. Then he heard a startling voice:
“Welcome, traveller. Do you came in peace?”
Merlin wasn’t sure where the voice came from, as the person had not moved their mouth, and yet there was no one else around. He ventured a faltering “Yes, I do,” spoken aloud. An eerie reply followed by stating:
“It’s not necessary to speak. Merely think and I will hear you.”
“Ok. Is this better?” Merlin thought internally.
“Yes, that’s fine,” replied the Stag-man telepathically.
“Where am I?” Merlin inquired in thought.
“You have travelled to a place very distant from your home planet. Our sun is the star you know as Vega in the constellation of the Lyre, the harp.”
Merlin felt a wave of exhilaration course through his body. He was standing on another world!
“And who are you?” Merlin also asked.
“I am the guardian of this wood and the creatures who live here. I’m glad you’ve come peacefully to visit us. We enjoy having visitors of the friendly sort. However, I must let you know that the means of your travel here may not remain open much longer. I can tell you haven’t done this before and it requires practice to maintain the link for any considerable length of time. I would advise you to leave soon if you want to return to your world, but it has been a pleasure to meet you Merlin.”
“And you too,” Merlin replied telepathically. Then he snapped out of his state of reverie and came back to more practical concerns. He quickly skirted around the mound and back to the entrance, where he saw with relief that the light at the end of the passage was still visible. Taking in one last look at his surroundings, hoping to leave an indelible impression of the first time he had ever been to another planet, he then crouched down. Shuffling back through the tunnel on hands and knees, he once more stood up in the landscape of the open field. On hearing his return, Blaze, who had been resting in the sunshine, greeted him with a wide grin.
Over the next months Merlin made several more journeys to other worlds, each time staying slightly longer whilst learning more about this form of teleportation under the expert tutelage of Blaze. And he also came to realise that the incantation Blaze had taught him had a much greater significance than he had initially thought. It would come to play a role in many events which would later take place as Merlin continued on his quest to become a true Magician.