The Imperial Academy was a forest of white marble and gold leaf. It looked eternal. To Kael, it looked like a house of cards.
"Name?" the Registrar asked, not looking up from his ledger.
"Kaelith."
"Sect?"
"None."
The Registrar paused, looking at Kael's simple grey robes. "A Null-born? You're in the wrong place, boy. The laborer's guild is down the street."
A group of students behind Kael laughed. At their head was a youth in gold-trimmed white—Teyrin. He radiated a bright, flickering heat.
"Let him try the stone, Elder," Teyrin smirked. "I haven't seen a 'Zero' in years. It's good for morale."
Kael walked to the Aether-stone. It was a massive crystal designed to glow based on spiritual potential. Kael placed his hand on it.
The stone stayed dark. Not a flicker. Not a spark.
"Null," the Registrar sighed. "Move along."
Kael didn't move. He kept his hand on the stone. He wasn't trying to feed it energy; he was observing it. He felt the stone's crystalline structure. It was brittle. Hollow.
"It's not broken," Kael said quietly. "It's just too light to feel me."
He walked away before they could kick him out, the Crow chuckling in his ear. "They call themselves Kings, Kael. And they just put a wolf in the sheepfold."