There was no Arcanum.
That was the result.
Always—
none.
And today—
they would prove it again.
Or—
at least, try.
---
The Arcanum Measurement Room felt different from an ordinary classroom.
There were no windows.
The walls were covered in layered magic circles.
Ancient symbols.
Detection runes.
Stabilization runes.
Isolation runes.
All designed for one purpose:
to force the truth to surface.
At the center of the room—
a crystal pillar stood.
Two meters tall.
Transparent.
But deep inside—
something moved.
Like mist.
Like possibility.
---
Xavier stood before it.
Not alone.
Seraphine was on his left.
Caelum stood behind him.
And Archmagus Valerian Noctis—
stood directly in front of him.
His old eyes were calm.
But sharp.
Very sharp.
"Touch the crystal."
he said.
No emotion.
No pressure.
But Xavier still felt—
as if he were being judged by the world.
---
"I've done this before."
Xavier said.
Valerian nodded.
"I know."
Silence.
"…And I want to see it myself."
There was no choice.
Xavier exhaled.
"If it explodes, can I go home?"
No one laughed.
He touched the crystal.
---
Cold.
That was the first thing he felt.
Not ordinary cold.
But a cold that—
had no temperature.
Like touching something—
that had not decided to exist yet.
The mist inside the crystal—
moved.
Slowly.
The runes on the walls—
lit up.
One by one.
Reading.
Analyzing.
Forcing.
And then—
the result appeared.
Glowing text.
In the air.
ARcanum Detected:
Silence.
Everyone watched.
Waiting.
And—
the next word appeared.
NONE
As always.
Nothing.
Empty.
Zero.
---
Seraphine let out a slow breath.
As expected.
Caelum—
did not react.
Valerian—
remained silent.
Too silent.
Xavier pulled his hand back.
"Can I go now?"
He turned around.
And—
CRACK.
A small sound.
Everyone stopped.
The crystal—
cracked.
A thin line.
Very thin.
But—
real.
The mist inside—
went wild.
The runes on the walls—
flickered.
Unstable.
Valerian immediately raised his hand.
Barrier activated.
"Do not move."
he said.
For the first time—
there was emotion in his voice.
---
The text in the air—
changed.
No longer NONE.
The letters—
trembled.
As if uncertain.
As if—
forced.
ARcanum Detected:
The next letters—
appeared.
Then—
vanished.
Appeared.
Vanished.
As if the system—
could not decide.
And then—
all the runes in the room—
went dark.
Completely.
The crystal—
shattered.
It did not explode.
It did not crumble.
But—
it fractured entirely.
And—
went silent.
Dead.
---
Total silence.
No sound.
No movement.
Because everyone in that room—
knew.
This artifact—
had never broken.
Not in a hundred years.
Never—
until now.
---
Xavier blinked.
"…Do I have to pay for that?"
No one answered.
Valerian stared at him.
Deeply.
Very deeply.
As if trying to see—
something—
behind his existence.
"…You have no Arcanum."
he said quietly.
Then—
he continued.
"…And that is not the truth."
A sentence that made no sense.
But everyone—
felt it.
---
Caelum finally spoke.
"…The device cannot read it."
Not because there was nothing.
But because—
it could not.
That was a massive difference.
Seraphine looked at Xavier.
Now with a different expression.
Not cold.
Not curious.
But—
wary.
---
Xavier just scratched his head.
"I don't understand anything."
And that was honest.
He truly didn't know.
That just now—
the world had tried to read him—
and failed.
---
Valerian turned around.
"Test concluded."
he said.
But before leaving—
he stopped.
Without looking back—
he said:
"…Xavier L'Amour."
Xavier looked at him.
"Yeah?"
Silence for a moment.
"…From today onward, you will be under my direct observation."
And that—
was not an offer.
---
Xavier was now—
officially—
something—
that even an Archmagus—
could not ignore.
And deep inside him—
that Arcanum—
was still silent.
Still without a name.
Still without a form.
But one thing was certain—
it—
should not exist.