The capital of Solis rose like a mountain of white stone and slate roofs. But the boy had no time to admire its crowded markets or towering cathedrals. As soon as they passed through the city gates, the group split up. While Captain Valerius and his men turned toward the Royal Palace for their report, Elara led the boy through the high alleys toward an imposing tower: the Academy of Magic.
Once inside, Elara handed him over to a man with thin spectacles and a perpetually exhausted look, Professor Kaelen.
"Take care of him, Kaelen. This is the 'special case' I told you about via magical message," Elara said before vanishing into the dark corridors of the East Wing.
In a small, isolated room, Elara stopped before an alcove plunged in darkness. A blurred silhouette seemed to float within the shadows of the wall.
"The test begins," Elara whispered, her usual smile replaced by a gaze of absolute coldness. "If he survives the crystal's analysis, we will know if this boy is truly... HIM."
"If he is, the world as we know it is already nothing more than a memory..." the silhouette replied in a voice that seemed to come from beyond the grave.
Meanwhile, in the Verification Hall, Kaelen activated an immense azure crystal levitating in the center of the room.
"Miss Elara says you remember nothing," the mage began, his eyes never leaving his scrolls.
"Yes..." the boy replied, intimidated by the crystal's pulsing glow.
"With this crystal, we might be able to identify you—to know where you come from and who you are. Place your hand here, on the cold surface."
The boy obeyed, his heart full of hope. He was finally going to know. But as soon as his leather touched the crystal, the azure light went wild. It turned red, then pitch black, before stabilizing on an error display.
Kaelen approached, stunned. On the reading panel, only the boy's face was clear. Everything else was a chaos of symbols:
Name: ?????????? Age: -- / -- Origin: Unknown Magic: Indeterminable
"This is impossible..." Kaelen whispered. "The magical signature shows nothing... It's as if it's being 'smothered'."
He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the detailed analysis. The crystal wasn't just analyzing the boy; it was analyzing his gauntlets, as if they were an integral part of his body, of his very skeleton.
"These gauntlets... they aren't amplifiers," Kaelen noted, taking a step back. "They are Obsidian-Class Seals. They are designed to imprison magic so unstable that it could consume its user..."
The mage cast a horrified look at the boy. Elara had told him this kid had pulverized a sand worm with a simple fireball. If his gauntlets were blocking 99% of his power, then what was this boy capable of if he ever took them off?
"Stay here," Kaelen ordered in a trembling voice. "Don't touch anything. I must summon the High Council. Immediately."
He rushed out, slamming the door behind him, leaving the boy alone in the empty chamber. The only sound left was the low hum of the crystal, which seemed to still be weeping from having touched such raw power.