"Today is my Awakening Ceremony," I said out loud, even though no one was listening.
I stood in the waiting chamber of the Ardyn estate, wearing the black robe given to every mage before their Awakening. The cloth was stiff and uncomfortable, but I didn't complain. Everyone had to go through this. This was the most important day of a mage's life.
My name is Kael Ardyn. I was born into the House of Ardyn, one of the five noble houses that rule over the Mage Kingdom of Solhara. Each noble house specializes in magic. My house is known for its control over fire and lightning. Almost everyone in my family is a strong mage.
The Awakening Ceremony is the day when a person's elemental affinity is revealed. When we reach the right age, we enter the ritual circle, and the mages perform the rite. The circle draws power from the Wellspring, which is the source of all magic in this world. The Wellspring responds by awakening the person's elemental power. However, recently, the Wellspring's powers were beginning to fade, and no one knew why. As such, the Kingdom is in desperate need of more mages for our world to survive.
Some people awaken to fire. Some to water. Others to earth, air, lightning, or ice. The stronger the response, the more powerful the mage is expected to become.
Nobody in the noble houses fails the Awakening. Everyone has at least one element. Some have two. Rare cases have three. Those people are called prodigies.
"Kael," a voice called my name.
I looked up. A servant stood by the door. "The council is ready."
I nodded and followed him out.
As we walked through the estate halls, I stayed quiet. The Ardyn estate was large and cold. The walls were made of black stone. Fire crystals lit the corridors with a steady red glow. Paintings of our ancestors lined the halls. Most of them were Archmages, warriors, or scholars. And, someday, I dreamed of being one of them. I hope.
My father, Lord Renald Ardyn, was the current head of the house. He was a powerful fire mage and a member of the Mage Council. My older brother, Garran, awakened at thirteen. His fire burned white. My sister, Lyra, awakened at nine with lightning. Both were considered gifted, unlike me.
I was nearly sixteen. No one said it out loud, but most of them had already given up on me, even though I had tried my very best just to prove my place in House Ardyn.
When I entered the Awakening Chamber, the High Mage was already waiting. He stood in front of the ritual circle. There was a large formation carved into the floor with old symbols and runes. The council mages stood around it in silence. My family sat behind them. My father was there. So was my mother. Neither of them looked at me.
"Kael Ardyn," the High Mage said, "do you understand what this ceremony means?"
"Yes," I said.
"Then step forward."
I did. The circle began to glow as soon as I entered. The runes lit up beneath my feet.
The ceremony had begun.
Thump. Thump. Thump. My heart was trying to march out of my chest.
The runes around me glowed brighter. The mages began chanting. Their voices were low and steady, speaking in the ancient tongue used only for rituals. The glow of the circle started to pulse with magic.
The Awakening had truly begun.
I closed my eyes and waited. I felt the heat of the power entering the circle. It moved under my feet, climbed up my legs, and reached into my chest.
Then—nothing.
I felt no fire. No water. No wind. No spark of anything.
I waited, but nothing changed.
The circle dimmed after a few seconds. The light faded out. The mages stopped chanting.
Silence filled the room.
I opened my eyes and looked up at the High Mage. He was frowning.
"Again," he said sharply.
The mages restarted the chant. The circle lit up once more. The magic flowed again. It tried to enter me. I felt it pushing, reaching, trying to pull something out of me.
Still nothing.
The light faded again.
Whispers began in the room. I could hear them now. Low, but not hidden.
"Is he resisting?"
"No… there's just nothing there."
"A void?"
They tried a third time. Then a fourth.
By the fifth attempt, the High Mage's voice sounded tense.
"This is impossible," he muttered.
The circle lit. Then failed. Again.
Finally, the High Mage raised his hand. "Enough."
The runes faded completely. The ritual ended.
He looked down at me. "There is no affinity. The Wellspring does not answer him."
I didn't move. I couldn't speak.
Another mage stepped forward. "Perhaps there was interference—"
"There was no interference," the High Mage cut in. "This is not a delay. He has no response. Nothing. No element answers his soul."
I heard gasps. Then more whispering.
"A Null?" someone said. "That hasn't happened in over a century."
"But he's an Ardyn…"
My knees felt weak. I stood there, staring at the floor. My fists were clenched at my sides, but I couldn't feel my fingers anymore.
My father stepped forward. His voice was low but hard. "Just as I suspected."
The High Mage didn't look at him. "And yes, the Wellspring confirms your suspicion, Lord Ardyn."
I looked up at my father.
His jaw was clenched. His hands were fists. He didn't look at me. Not really. But I could see the anger and the hurt in his face.
"He's not my son," he said after a long pause. "Not anymore. Strip him of the Ardyn name."
I froze.
The words didn't make sense at first. I heard them, but my mind didn't catch up right away. Then they sank in like cold water, slowly filling every part of me until I couldn't breathe.
Strip me of the name?
All the years I had lived in this house. All the years I called it home. Gone.
I had followed every rule. I had trained harder than both of my siblings. Garran awakened early. Lyra awakened earlier. They didn't need to try. They were born with it. But I wasn't. I had to earn it. I had to prove I belonged.
When others slept, I stayed up practicing. When they studied magic, I read scrolls about battle tactics, discipline, and elemental theory, just so I could understand what I didn't yet have. I served at family gatherings. I greeted guests properly. I never talked back. I did everything a good son was supposed to do.
I thought, if I just worked harder, they would see.
I thought, if I stayed loyal, they would be proud.
But none of that mattered now.
Because I had no magic.
Because I had failed.
I wasn't just unwanted. I was being erased.
The High Mage looked at me, but he didn't speak. His face was neutral, like this was normal. Like it happened all the time. It didn't.
"Renald—" one of the council members started.
"Silence," my father said sharply. "The boy is a disgrace. He has brought shame to this house. There is no place for him here."
I didn't cry. I couldn't. My face was hot, but my eyes stayed dry. I was still standing, but barely. My legs felt weak. My chest was tight. It was like everything inside me was caving in, and no one could see it happening.
I didn't even know where to look. At my father? At the council? At my mother who wouldn't raise his head?
I had lived for this family. I had trusted them. I had tried.
But now, I was nothing to them.
Not even their son.
I turned to my mother. But even her eyes were downcast. She didn't speak.
"No elemental affinity," the High Mage repeated. "Kael Ardyn has failed the Awakening. Tomorrow, at the Council, he will be stripped of the Ardyn name."
The words felt final. Like a sentence.
Failed.
No one in our house had ever failed. Not in five generations.
But I did.
And now, everyone knew.