The Artifact Hall remained silent long after Kael stepped away from the platform.
No one spoke immediately.
Not because there was nothing to say…
But because nothing they said made sense anymore.
A Rare Artifact had not just been controlled.
It had been
erased.
Lyra walked beside Kael as they exited.
Her expression was tighter than usual.
“…Kael.”
He glanced at her.
“Yes?”
She hesitated.
“That ring was supposed to corrupt its user or stabilize through force.”
Kael replied calmly.
“It didn’t do either.”
Lyra stopped walking for a moment.
“…That’s exactly the problem.”
Kael didn’t respond.
Because to him, it wasn’t a problem.
It was just information.
The system flickered.
====================
New Information Registered
Artifact Behavior Anomaly Detected
Shadow Compatibility Increased
Shadow Storage Capacity: Expanded
====================
Kael exhaled slowly.
“…It keeps evolving.”
Lyra frowned.
“What keeps evolving?”
Kael looked ahead.
“…Everything I touch.”
That answer made Lyra silent.
Not because it sounded powerful.
But because it sounded like a rule of nature, not a personal ability.
Meanwhile — Academy Observation Tower
A long table of elders sat in tense silence.
Crystal screens floated above them showing replay fragments of Kael’s interaction with the artifacts.
One elder finally spoke.
“We need a classification.”
Another shook his head.
“There is no category for what he is doing.”
A third leaned forward.
“He is not following artifact resonance laws.”
“He is overriding them.”
The room went quiet again.
Then the head elder spoke slowly.
“…Then treat him as a hazard.”
A pause.
Then—
“No.”
Everyone turned.
The head elder’s eyes remained fixed on Kael’s image.
“…Treat him as a variable.”
Silence followed that word.
Variable.
Not student.
Not talent.
Not anomaly.
A variable meant something worse.
Something unpredictable enough to change outcomes of entire systems.
Training Corridor — Later That Day
Kael and Lyra walked through a quieter section of the academy.
Less crowded.
More controlled.
Lyra finally spoke again.
“You should be careful.”
Kael responded without looking at her.
“I am.”
She shook her head slightly.
“No.”
“You’re not.”
Kael paused.
Lyra continued.
“People here understand strength.”
“They understand ranks.”
“They understand talent.”
She looked at him directly.
“But you don’t fit any of those.”
Kael turned slightly.
“…Is that a problem?”
Lyra hesitated.
“For them?”
“Yes.”
“For you?”
“…I don’t know yet.”
That answer lingered.
For once, Kael didn’t respond immediately.
Because even he understood something simple:
The more unknown he became…
The more dangerous his existence grew.
New Announcement — Academy Wide
A loud bell echoed across the academy.
BOOM.
All students stopped.
A projection appeared in the sky above every courtyard.
ACADEMY SYSTEM NOTICE
Mandatory Evaluation Sequence: TALENT ASSESSMENT
All First-Year Students Report to Grand Resonance Hall
Lyra exhaled.
“…It’s starting.”
Kael looked at her.
“What is?”
She answered quietly.
“Talent measurement.”
Kael’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“…Measurement of what?”
Lyra replied.
“Your ceiling.”
Grand Resonance Hall
The hall was larger than the Artifact Chamber.
A floating crystal sphere hovered at its center.
It pulsed with soft light, shifting colors constantly.
Students lined up nervously.
Whispers filled the air again.
“Finally…”
“Talent ranking determines everything…”
“I heard S Talent gets direct elite sponsorship…”
Kael stood among them.
Still.
Observing.
The system flickered faintly.
====================
New Event Detected
Talent Measurement Sequence Initiated
Warning: System Interference Possible
====================
Lyra stood beside him.
“This is the real ranking system.”
Kael asked quietly.
“…And if someone is beyond it?”
Lyra hesitated.
“…There isn’t supposed to be anyone beyond it.”
Before Kael could respond—
The instructor stepped forward.
A serious expression on her face.
“Talent is not strength.”
“It is potential.”
She pointed at the crystal.
“You will place your hand on the Resonance Core.”
“It will measure your growth limit.”
A pause.
Then—
“Begin.”
One by one, students stepped forward.
F Talent.
E Talent.
D Talent.
C Talent.
The hall reacted normally.
Until—
A student triggered B Talent.
Then another.
A faint excitement spread.
Then—
A golden flash erupted.
A student stepped back, trembling.
“S Talent!”
The hall exploded in reaction.
“A S Talent already?!”
“Incredible!”
Lyra watched quietly.
“…So the ceiling appears early this year.”
Kael didn’t react.
He just watched the crystal.
The system flickered again.
====================
Warning!!!
Unknown Outcome Possible
System Stabilization Required
====================
Lyra glanced at him.
“…Don’t overthink it.”
Kael replied softly.
“I’m not.”
He stepped forward.
And for the first time…
The hall felt slightly colder.
Students noticed it without understanding why.
The instructor narrowed her eyes.
“You.”
Kael continued walking.
No hesitation.
No emotion.
Just movement.
He reached the crystal.
Placed his hand on it.
Silence.
One second.
Two.
Then—
The crystal flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
CRACK—
Black light exploded outward.
The entire hall shook violently.
“What is that?!”
“Black mana?!”
“Impossible!”
The crystal began destabilizing.
Red.
Blue.
Gold.
All colors mixed violently.
Warning sounds echoed from the device.
====================
ERROR!!!
Talent Range Exceeded
Measurement Impossible
Fallback Classification: S TALENT
====================
The hall froze.
“…S Talent?” someone whispered.
But then—
The crystal began to crack further.
Black light deepened.
The system interface flickered violently.
====================
SYSTEM OVERRIDE DETECTED
Subject exceeds known Talent Classification
Label cannot be finalized
Recording as: S TALENT (ANOMALOUS)
====================
Silence fell.
But Kael didn’t move.
He withdrew his hand calmly.
“…So that’s it?”
The instructor’s hands trembled slightly.
“That… that shouldn’t be possible…”
Lyra stared at Kael.
Not surprised.
Not shocked.
Just quietly unsettled.
“…You broke it again.”
Kael looked at her.
“…I didn’t break it.”
A pause.
“…It just couldn’t read me.”
Far above—
In the academy’s highest observation chamber—
The head elder finally stood.
“…Now it begins.”
Because S Talent meant genius.
But
unmeasurable talent…
Meant something the academy was never prepared to handle.