The council gathered the next day. I wasn't allowed to attend. Instead, a servant came to my room after the meeting and told me I was being summoned.
When I entered the council chamber, my father was already standing. The High Mage and several council members were seated beside him. My brother was there too, standing by the wall with his arms crossed.
My father's eyes were cold. His hands were clenched behind his back. He didn't speak right away.
The High Mage stood. His voice was clear, loud enough to echo off the walls. "Kael Ardyn, step forward."
I obeyed.
"Today the council confirms the result of your Awakening," he continued. "This hearing is held to determine your fate, under the authority of House Law and the Mage Accord. Speak with honesty, or not at all."
"Father," I began as I walked forward. My voice came out too softly. "Please..."
He raised a hand.
"Silence," he said. "You've spoken enough with your failure."
I stopped walking. "There must have been a mistake. Please, let me try again. One more chance."
"You have been given five chances by the Wellspring already, Kael." The High Mage shifted in his seat. "There is no mistake. No interference. We have checked the circle. The Wellspring answered everyone else. It did not answer you."
"So he's a Null," one of the council mages said, shaking his head.
"A born Null in a High House," another whispered. "What a disaster."
I stood there, frozen. My chest burned. My throat tightened. My hands trembled at my sides. I was trying to be strong, to hold my ground, but I felt the tears building. I fought them down with every breath.
"This isn't fair," I said. "I trained just like Garran. I studied harder than anyone. You saw it. All of you. I did everything I was told. Just one more chance—please."
"You are a disgrace!" my father yelled. "To fail the Awakening is shame enough. But to do so as a son of House Ardyn? Unforgivable."
"I didn't choose this, Father," I muttered. "Please."
"No," he said. "But your failure has chosen your path."
He turned to the others. "There is no place here for a mage without magic. You cannot serve the house. You cannot defend the realm. You cannot even light a fire without help."
I clenched my fists. I looked at my brother, but he just looked away.
"Then… where will I go?" I asked.
"The Outlands," my father said, without hesitation.
Whispers moved through the room.
"Exile!" one of the mages shouted.
"It's the only option," another replied. "If word spreads that House Ardyn keeps a Null, it will damage their standing."
"You will be sent out by morning," my father said. "You will be given a horse, food for a few weeks, and tools to survive. After that, your life is your own problem."
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.
The High Mage raised a brow. "And the name?" he asked.
My father stood beside him. "As Lord of House Ardyn, I strip Kael of all name, status, and inheritance. He will be exiled to the Outlands, effective immediately. This decision is final."
My mother stepped forward.
"Renald," she said. Her voice was low, but something was trembling in it. "Please. He is still our son."
My father turned his head just slightly. His jaw tightened.
"You will not speak," he said. "Not here. Not about him."
She stopped. I looked at her. She didn't meet my eyes. But I saw her hands. They were clenched into fists, trembling at her sides.
She didn't sit back down. She just stood there, unmoving.
I looked to the other council members, hoping someone would say something. No one met my eyes.
"From this moment forward," my father continued, "you are cast out. You are not to return. Your name will be removed from our records. If you dare return, you will be hunted and killed."
I opened my mouth to speak.
"You will not speak!" he snapped. "Leave with what little dignity you have left."
I didn't respond. I couldn't. My mouth was dry. My head was spinning. I felt small. Useless. Forgotten.
The High Mage looked back at me. "Do you understand the sentence?"
I nodded once. "Yes."
"You will be allowed a small supply of food, water, shelter, and a mount," he continued. "You may not return to any city or noble territory. If you do, the penalty is death."
"I understand," I said again.
My voice sounded small. Far away.
I tried not to think too hard. If I did, I knew it would all collapse.
"Then it is done," the High Mage said, rolling up the scroll.
But it wasn't done. Not yet.
My brother stepped forward. Garran. The fire prodigy. The one who awakened at thirteen and destroyed his first target dummy with a single flame spear.
He stopped a few steps from me and looked me up and down.
"You won't survive out there," he said.
I didn't respond.
"You're not strong enough. You're not anything. You were never one of us."
He smirked as he said it. Not out of cruelty. Just certainty.
Like it was a fact.
I wanted to say something back. Anything. But there was nothing left to say. No defense. No way to prove him wrong.
I turned and walked out of the council chamber alone.