I slowly opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep.
The same dream again.
It had haunted me since childhood: night, a campfire, and a girl with dark crimson eyes. Everything always took place in the exact same location, as though time there had been frozen forever. We would always sit by the fire, surrounded by silence and darkness.
Strangely enough, I felt calmer there than anywhere else.
When I was beside her, there was no anxiety, no fear, no sense of danger.
At first, I paid little attention to it, dismissing the dream as nothing more than childish imagination. But the older I grew, the more I came to understand that there was something more to it.
I didn't know who that girl was or why I kept seeing her over and over again.
But I was certain of one thing—this dream was no coincidence.
Pushing aside thoughts of the night vision, I let out a heavy sigh and sat up in bed.
Today was the day I feared most.
Unlike my brothers and sisters, I had yet to show any aptitude for magic.
For an heir to the empire, that was nearly a death sentence.
Many within the castle already looked at me as though I were a future disgrace.
Today, my brother, my sister, and I were to undergo the talent examination.
A faint smirk touched my lips.
Prince of the Krey Empire.
It sounded almost laughable.
How much longer I would remain one was a question this very day would answer.
More than once, I had overheard servants and courtiers whispering among themselves. They loved to gossip about how, in the entire history of the empire, only one heir had ever been born without a gift.
My father.
I had heard his story countless times.
Deprived of magical talent, he had trained with the sword from a young age until utter exhaustion, as though trying to carve out his place in the world with his own blood.
When his lack of talent was officially confirmed, he was sent to escort his elder brother's fiancée to another kingdom.
For many, that would have been the end.
An honorable exile.
A gentler form of banishment.
But not for him.
During an internal uprising, when the royal family's lives were placed in danger, my father took command himself.
On that day, he revealed a talent no one had expected.
Not for magic.
But for the sword.
They said quite a few mages fell that day after underestimating a man without a gift.
Afterward, long negotiations began between the king and the emperor.
The king insisted he would give his daughter's hand only to the man who had saved her life.
The emperor tried to remind him of old treaties and political obligations, but in the end, he yielded.
That was how my father gained not only a wife, but also the chance to prove that a man without magic could become something more than a useless burden.
In time, he ascended the throne.
I slowly exhaled.
His story inspired many.
For me, it inspired only fear.
Because I wasn't certain I could follow the same path.
My gaze drifted toward the window, where dawn had only just begun to pale the horizon.
Since ancient times, the talent examination had been conducted once every year.
Anyone who reached the age of eighteen was required to undergo it.
At that age, mana would fully manifest within the body of a human or member of any other race.
To conduct the examination, they used the Mana Stone.
The light elves called it S'gu.
An artifact capable of determining whether a person possessed even a spark of talent… or whether they were nothing more than a mortal.
A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.
"Enter."
After receiving my permission, several servants stepped into the room.
They wore white shirts and black trousers—simple yet neat attire that emphasized discipline. All of them had once served in the military, and that fact was reflected not only in their posture and short-cropped hair, but also in the daggers hanging at their waists.
After bowing, they silently waited for me to rise from the bed.
Taking a deep breath, I stood and approached one of them.
Resting on his outstretched arms was a neatly folded set of clothes.
The colors and insignia told me immediately what it was for.
Attire for the talent examination.
"I take it this is what I'm expected to wear for the test?" I asked sleepily.
From his gaze and the faint tension in his expression, it wasn't difficult to tell he was among those who believed I had no place here.
"You are correct, Prince Aluric," the servant replied, carefully maintaining the proper respect in his tone. "This is the ceremonial attire for undergoing the talent examination."
Once the servants had helped me dress, they left the room.
Now alone, I approached the mirror.
It looked unfamiliar.
A white shirt, black trousers, and the embroidered crest of the Krey Empire.
Two crossed swords symbolizing the strength and authority of the dynasty.
Above them coiled a dragon, its body wrapped around the blades, tongues of flame spilling from its open jaws.
The crest looked magnificent.
And ironic.
A symbol of strength, authority, and blood now adorned the clothing of someone who might lose the right to wear it by nightfall.
My eyes were still heavy with sleep.
Light blond hair fell over my face, nearly obscuring my vision. Letting out an irritated sigh, I brushed it back and headed toward the door.
When I opened it, I found two guards waiting outside.
Their bodies were almost entirely concealed beneath heavy armor polished to a cold sheen. The crest of the Krey Empire was engraved across their breastplates.
The moment they saw me, both men bowed in silence.
Then they took their places on either side of me, and together we made our way down the long corridor toward the throne hall.
The castle was already awake.
Servants hurried through the corridors carrying documents, fabrics, trays, and decorations. The guards moved with noticeably greater urgency than usual, and tension lingered in the air, as though the entire palace were holding its breath in anticipation of something important.
Today truly was a significant day.
Not only for me.
But for the entire Krey Empire.
Today, vassals, nobles, and ambassadors from allied nations would witness with their own eyes what talents fate had granted to the heirs of the imperial family.
Ceremonies like this always attracted enormous attention.
The Krey Empire had been built upon blood and conquest.
Long ago, my ancestors subjugated neighboring kingdoms one after another, expanding their influence until the Great War finally erupted.
Or, as it was called in the chronicles—the Exodus of the Five Races.
It was after that war that a treaty was established, forbidding any kingdom or empire from attempting to seize the lands of the five great races.
To violate that agreement meant only one thing: a united war against the offender.
And so, the peace of the present rested not upon trust, but upon fear of the consequences.
As I passed a row of towering windows, I glanced outside.
Crowds had already gathered beneath the castle walls.
Commoners, merchants, craftsmen, and nobles of lesser houses—all of them wanted to witness the ceremony.
Magical stones installed throughout the capital would broadcast the trial, allowing people to observe the talent examination in real time.
Today, the entire empire would witness either the birth of a new mage…
Or my downfall.