On the day the first prince of the Kingdom of Arcturus was born, the entire capital erupted into celebration.
Bells rang from the highest towers of the royal palace. Trumpets echoed across the white stone streets, and banners bearing the crest of the Kingdom of Arcturus—an eagle surrounded by lightning—were raised across every district of the capital.
For generations, the kingdom had waited for the birth of a royal heir.
Inside the palace, royal physicians stood outside the queen's chamber in tense silence.
Then suddenly—
A baby's cry echoed through the corridor.
Moments later, the doors opened.
"The child is healthy," an elderly physician announced.
"And it is a boy."
Joy erupted throughout the palace.
The Kingdom of Arcturus had gained its crown prince.
King Ferman stood silently beside a tall window in his private chamber, overlooking the vast capital.
He was the third king of the Kingdom of Arcturus, the successor of a dynasty born from conquest.
The first ruler of their bloodline had been a legendary warrior—
a man who had risen from the chaos of war and united three rival kingdoms into a single realm.
That warrior's descendants now ruled the land.
And today…
Another heir had been born into that bloodline.
When the newborn prince was brought before him, King Ferman studied the child quietly.
The boy had thick black hair, unusual for a newborn.
After a long moment of silence, the king spoke.
"His name will be Lux."
The servant bowed.
"Lux Cassian."
Years passed.
From a very young age, Lux began to show extraordinary intelligence.
By the age of seven, he had already memorized most of the kingdom's history and geography.
He quickly learned the languages of neighboring nations.
But the event that truly shocked the scholars of the kingdom happened when Lux was ten years old.
He deciphered several fragments of the Ancient Language.
The Ancient Language was a mysterious script left behind by a long-lost civilization.
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Even the greatest mages struggled to understand it.
Yet Lux managed to interpret parts of it within days.
Soon, nobles across the kingdom began whispering about the young prince.
"The crown prince is a prodigy."
"He may become the greatest ruler our kingdom has ever seen."
"Perhaps even greater than King Arcturus."
Lux ignored most of these conversations.
Praise meant little to him.
But there was one event everyone in the kingdom was waiting for.
The Rite of Evaluation.
In the Kingdom of Arcturus, every noble child underwent a sacred ritual upon reaching the age of twelve.
The ceremony took place inside the Magical Castle, an ancient structure located in the heart of the capital.
At its center rested a mysterious crystal created by archmages centuries ago.
The crystal possessed the ability to measure a person's mana capacity.
Mana was the foundation of power in the world.
A person's future was often decided by the amount of mana they possessed.
Knights strengthened their bodies with it.
Mages used it to cast spells.
The greater one's mana capacity…
The greater their potential.
And on the day Lux turned twelve, the great hall of the Magical Castle was filled with nobles from across the kingdom.
Everyone had come to witness the prince's evaluation.
Most of them believed the same thing.
The genius who had deciphered the Ancient Language would undoubtedly possess enormous mana.
Lux walked calmly toward the crystal.
Thousands of eyes watched him.
Among them sat King Ferman upon a raised throne.
Beside him stood the second queen.
Marcellia.
Her eyes followed Lux carefully.
Behind her stood her two sons.
Prince Ron.
And Prince Arwin.
Lux noticed their gaze.
But he continued walking without hesitation.
Finally, he stood before the crystal.
"Place your hand upon it," the archmage instructed.
Lux raised his hand.
Then he placed it on the crystal.
For a moment—
The crystal glowed with brilliant blue light.
But then…
The light faded.
The glow vanished.
The crystal became completely dark.
A strange symbol appeared upon its surface.
The archmage froze.
The hall fell silent.
Then the result appeared.
No mana.
Gasps spread throughout the hall.
The archmage repeated the test.
The result did not change.
A tall man stepped forward.
It was Lance, the strongest mage in the kingdom.
He examined the crystal carefully before speaking.
"The crystal is functioning perfectly."
His voice was calm.
"But the prince's body contains no mana."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Even commoners possessed at least a small amount of mana.
Yet the crown prince…
Had none.
Too silent.
Lux stood in the center of the chamber while the nobles whispered among themselves. Some were confused. Some were amused.
Others… disappointed.
No mana.
Not even a spark.
The royal examiner slowly lowered the crystal sphere, his voice trembling slightly.
"Your Highness… there is no mana within your body."
A murmur spread through the hall like a cold wind.
"A prince without mana?"
"Impossible…"
"Is he truly the son of His Majesty?"
Lux did not respond.
He simply looked at the crystal.
Calm.
Far calmer than anyone expected.
Because this was not the first time he had heard those words.
No mana.
A faint voice echoed in his memory.
Soft.
Distant.
Almost like a whisper carried by the wind.
"We told you."
Lux slowly lowered his gaze.
Another whisper followed.
Gentle… yet ancient.
"The vessel is empty."
"As it was meant to be."
His fingers tightened slightly.
So…
They were right.
Again.
Lux did not look frightened.
He did not panic.
Instead, he exhaled slowly, as if confirming something he had long suspected.
In the far corner of the hall, where the shadows gathered between the pillars…
Something stirred.
Something no one else seemed to notice.
A faint shimmer.
A presence.
Watching.
Waiting.
"Interesting…"
The whisper brushed against his thoughts.
"The world will laugh at you now."
Another voice followed, quieter… but sharper.
"Let them."
Lux remained silent.
His black hair fell across his eyes as he stared at the floor.
No one noticed the faintest hint of a smile touching his lips.
Because the truth was something only he knew.
The voices had been speaking to him for a long time.
Guiding.
Watching.
Waiting.
And today…
They had been proven right.
Again.
