The entire hall fell into a stunned silence.
Every pair of eyes widened in disbelief.
Draven Voss's cold expression slowly curved into a dark, satisfied smile as he unclenched his fists and folded his arms across his chest.
'What is happening…? I… don't understand. Why isn't the orb glowing? What does this mean?'
Kael Voss muttered to himself, sweat already beading on his forehead as his hands began to tremble violently.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd of students.
"What's going on?"
One girl asked, voice laced with confusion.
"I'm not sure, but maybe the crystal orb is malfunctioning or something?"
Another girl suggested.
"Kael, are you certain you placed your hand exactly as I instructed?"
The examiner asked, stepping closer with clear curiosity in her tone.
"Uh… yes, ma'am. I pressed my palm flat against the orb just like you said, and…"
"Examiner!"
The Sovereign Queen's commanding voice cut through the air, instantly drawing every gaze in the hall. Kael stood frozen, trembling, as droplets of sweat trickled down his face and soaked into his uniform.
The Sovereign Queen rose from her throne and strode toward Kael and the examiner. She stopped directly in front of the examiner and gave her a sharp look, signaling her to step aside.
"Voss, correct?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Kael replied, gathering what little courage he had left.
"Place your palm on the crystal orb once more."
Her tone left no room for argument.
"O-okay, Your Majesty…"
Kael swallowed hard, turning back toward the orb.
'Please glow! Please glow, you stupid orb!!'
He pleaded silently as he closed his eyes and pressed his palm firmly against the surface.
....
Still nothing.
No light. No spark. Not even the faintest flicker.
The orb remained dark and cold.
'What… does this mean?'
Kael whispered to himself, heart sinking.
"What exactly does this mean?" a male student from another academy called out.
"It looks like Kael Voss failed to inherit even a trace of his family's flame," Lucien Blaze announced loudly, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
The entire hall burst into mocking laughter.
The Sovereign Queen raised her staff, and the laughter died down immediately. She fixed her cold gaze on Kael, who now stared at the floor in shame.
"It appears you inherited none of your family's flame, not even a spark from your clan. You worthless little worm."
Her words dripped with venom.
A girl from the crowd spoke up, breaking the tense silence.
"Look at him. Completely useless."
Whispers slithered through the hall like poison as dozens of students crowded closer. Kael stood alone before the sacred crystal orb, palms still open, desperately hoping for even the smallest spark of his family's power. Nothing came.
"He didn't inherit a single ember," someone sneered.
"Not even rookie-level fire. What a pathetic joke."
Another student laughed cruelly.
"I heard he killed his own mother — ate his way out of her womb like some kind of monster."
"Yeah, who even is this freak?"
Kael's shoulders shook. His voice came out cracked and barely audible.
'It's not true… none of it. I saw him. That man in the black cloak… he was there that night at the hospital. He cut her open himself. I remember the knife. I remember the smell of blood.'
He muttered desperately to himself.
"No flame, no worth. Get out of my sight before you pollute the very air I breathe."
With his head bowed and fists clenched so tightly that his nails drew blood, Kael turned and walked away. Past the laughing students in their sleek crimson-and-gold uniforms. Past the crystal orb that had rejected him. All the way toward the back of the academy grounds.
He slowly lifted his gaze, searching for Lyra. His eyes widened in shock when he spotted her standing close to Lucien Blaze.
'What is she doing with him?'
Kael wondered as he walked over.
"Hey, Lyra… what's going on here?"
He asked, his voice low and filled with confusion.
"Oh, it's the flameless Kael Voss," Lucien Blaze said with a smirk, taking Lyra's hand and kissing the back of it right in front of Kael. Kael's fists clenched hard at his sides.
"Tell me what, Lyra? What is he talking about?"
Kael pressed.
"Are you blind, Kael? Can't you see I've moved on?" Lyra replied coldly. "You have no flame, which means you'll never become the head of the Voss clan. I can't stay tied to a dead weight like you. If I do, you'll only be a stain on my bright future."
Her words struck like a physical blow. Kael stood frozen in place, te
ars now welling in his eyes as memories of the intimate moments they had shared flashed painfully through his mind…