As the afternoon sun bathed the towers of Solara Magna in golden light, Nihil walked in silence, flanked by two Imperial Guards. Students in the hallways and courtyards of the academy stopped, whispered, and stared. Seeing the mysterious "Echo of Nothingness" escorted by the emperor's personal guards was a sight that sparked a thousand new rumors.
They did not take him to a grand audience chamber or an administrative office. Instead, they led him to a secluded pavilion in the Star Garden, a private area of the academy reserved for the imperial family and their honored guests. The pavilion, made of white marble and silverwood, was surrounded by tranquil lotus ponds.
Inside, the space was vast and open. At its center, there was neither a table nor a throne-like chair, but a large, exquisitely carved game board. It was a game known as Regio Conquest, an extremely complex strategy game played by nobles and generals.
A young woman stood with her back to the entrance, observing the game board. She wore a simple deep-blue dress, her silver hair neatly cascading down her back. As she turned, Nihil recognized the face he had seen on the balcony during the examination—Princess Selene Solaris.
"Special Research Student Nihil," she greeted him, her voice calm yet carrying an undeniable weight of authority. She signaled to her guards. "Leave us."
The guards bowed and withdrew, closing the door behind them, leaving Nihil alone with one of the most powerful women in the Imperium.
"Please," Selene said, gesturing to the opposite side of the game board. "Do you enjoy strategic games, Mr. Nihil?"
Nihil did not approach. "I prefer games where the rules are clear to all players."
Selene offered a thin smile, one that did not reach her sharp, analytical eyes. "A wise answer. Unfortunately, this world is not such a game." She shifted an ivory piece—a Knight. "Sometimes, an unexpected new piece emerges on the board, one that does not follow the rules. A pawn that can move like a queen. Such a piece can shatter strategies crafted over centuries."
She stared directly at Nihil. "Or it can be destroyed before it even moves."
This was not a casual conversation. It was an interrogation.
"House Nocturne," Selene continued, her tone still leisurely. "An ancient and honorable family, now fallen into shadows. It's quite peculiar for a scion of such a family to reappear as a kitchen drudge in this academy."
"Circumstances can compel one to do unusual things, Your Highness," Nihil replied flatly.
"Indeed," she responded. "Like surviving in The Undercroft. Or defeating a trained fire mage in the Bowl of Radiance. Or humiliating a professor and a noble of House val-Luminar on your very first day." She paused briefly, letting her words sting. "You are exceptionally skilled at surviving, Mr. Nihil. And you are also exceptionally skilled at making powerful enemies."
Nihil remained silent. This was a test. Every word he spoke would be analyzed.
Selene sighed, as if slightly bored. "This world, Mr. Nihil, operates on order. You are an anomaly. A disruption. And a power like yours has only two destinies: to be exploited, or to be erased. For now, you are protected by Headmistress Alina's curiosity. But curiosity can fade, and her protection is not absolute."
She stepped closer to Nihil, her blue eyes regarding him with cold intensity. "I am not interested in your power. I am interested in your value. An anomaly like you could be an extremely useful tool."
She paused and returned to the table. She retrieved a small sealed scroll from her sleeve. "I will give you a gift. A gesture of goodwill. Perhaps you've wondered why Professor Theron despises you so much, even before you displayed your abilities. You might think it's because you lack mana."
She offered the scroll. "It's not. It's because you are a Nocturne. Read this. You will understand that some enmities in this world are far older than you."
Nihil hesitated for a moment, then took the scroll.
"Consider this my opening move on our chessboard," Selene said. "I am very, very curious to see how you will respond."
She gestured to the door. "You may leave."
Nihil said nothing. He bowed briefly and exited. As the door closed behind him, his mind raced. He had just survived a meeting with a dragon, but the dragon had not tried to burn him. Instead, it had given him a map, while reminding him that he was always within range of its fire.
Nihil did not return directly to his dormitory. He walked to a secluded corner of the library, a place he knew he would not be disturbed. He unrolled the scroll from Princess Selene.
It contained a copy of an official academy historical record, nearly two hundred years old. The record detailed an incident known as the "Cursed Artifact Scandal."
The document described an ancient artifact excavated by an academy research team. The artifact emitted a powerful aura of darkness. The team leader at the time was a distant ancestor of Professor Theron. One of his assistants was a young member of House Nocturne. A "mishap" occurred during the research process. The artifact exploded, releasing a wave of cursed energy that killed several researchers and permanently injured Theron's ancestor. The Nocturne member was held fully responsible for the incident, accused of negligence and attempting to steal the artifact. Since then, House Theron has harbored a deep-seated grudge against House Nocturne.
Nihil read between the lines. The story felt too neat. Too simple.
He closed the scroll. His mind began connecting the dots. The Inquisitor's journal he had found in the Forbidden Archives mentioned "Soul Consumption" and the Cult of Nullity's rituals. The academy actively censored information about his ancestor, Zarthus. And now, Princess Selene had given him evidence of Professor Theron's personal vendetta rooted in a cursed incident.
This was no longer a collection of separate puzzle pieces. This was a red thread. A conspiracy spanning centuries, with his family at its very center.
He could no longer afford to simply react. He needed to be proactive. He had to find evidence. And that evidence was locked behind the censoring magic in the Forbidden Archives' books.
Void Grasp was too crude; it would destroy the books. He needed something more subtle. Something born of understanding, not destruction. His "Conceptual Forging" talent began to work.
Problem: Censoring magic is an illusion that conceals the truth. It is a concept of "hiding."
Hypothesis: If I can erase matter, can I erase a concept? Not "hiding" from the entire world, but just from this small area?
Method: Channel Void not as a destructive force, but as a "conceptual solvent." Command nothingness to "nullify the lie" so that "what is real" may be seen.
That night, he returned to his room. He took a blank sheet of parchment and wrote a single word: "SECRET." Then, he placed his hand over the parchment, completely covering the writing. This was his simulation.
He closed his eyes. He did not try to feel the parchment beneath his hand. He tried to sense the "concept" of his hand "blocking" his view. He channeled a tiny drop of his Capacity.
[Attempting New Skill Application...]
[Failure. Concept too abstract.]
His head throbbed. He tried again, this time more focused. He did not attempt to erase the barrier. He tried to "see through it." He envisioned his power not as an eraser, but as eyes that could see through conceptual darkness.
Suddenly, he sensed it. A strange sensation. In his mind, he could "see" faint outlines of the writing beneath his palm. Blurry, but present.
Success. He had found the key.
The following night, he returned to the Forbidden Archives. He located the book on Archon Zarthus Nocturne again. He opened to the page with the censored paragraph.
He placed his hand over the block of magical black ink. He no longer saw it as magic. He saw it as a concept: a "lie."
He closed his eyes and activated his newly honed ability.
[New Application Successfully Encoded: Gaze of Nihility - Truthseeker (Rank F)]
[Capacity: 18/25 → 15/25]
The black ink did not vanish. But to Nihil's eyes, the ink gradually became transparent, like darkened glass. Behind it, the original hidden handwriting was now clearly legible.
"…Archon Zarthus's madness reached its peak. He no longer saw the Cult as allies, but as a path to immortality. He was introduced to them by… Lord Theronius, who convinced him that the 'Soul Consumption' ritual would free him from his curse. A vile lie. Theronius deliberately sacrificed Zarthus, hoping the resulting Void explosion would obliterate the Nocturne bloodline forever…"
Nihil pulled his hand back, his breath catching.
So, this was the truth. His ancestor was not merely lost. He was trapped. Betrayed by the ancestor of the very professor who now despised him. The enmity was not born of accident. It stemmed from a failed attempt at mass murder.
Nihil slowly closed the book. His crimson eyes now burned with a cold, dangerous light.
His quest was no longer merely about survival or uncovering answers about himself.
Now, it was personal. He had a target. Professor Theron. And he would expose the lies of that family, piece by piece, even if it meant tearing down the entire academy to do so.