The murmurs hadn't stopped.
Even as the noble heirs dispersed, whispers still clung to the air like smoke. Kain Veritas, the boy without a Cipher, had bested Reynard Alden. Not through strength. Not through speed. But through something else entirely.
Kain sat at the edge of the training grounds, his fingers tracing over the bruises on his ribs. Pain flared, but his mind was too occupied to care.
"Override Potential… 3%."
That notification had appeared after the fight. His ability wasn't just letting him see Cipher laws—it was evolving.
But what did "Override" mean?
He had no answers. And worse, he had no allies.
The moment he was declared Cipherless, his title, privileges, and inheritance were stripped away. He wasn't a noble heir anymore. He was a nobody.
And in a world where power dictated everything, nobodies didn't last long.
—━━━[Cipher Analysis: Active]━━━—
Kain lifted his gaze. The golden text still hovered faintly around people, displaying their abilities, their strengths, and their flaws.
His lips curled slightly. Maybe I don't need a Cipher.
If he could understand the rules behind every power, then it didn't matter if he lacked one himself. Because rules could be broken.
"Still standing?"
A voice cut through his thoughts. Kain looked up to see Elias Crowne, another noble heir, standing before him.
Unlike the arrogant Reynard, Elias had an unsettling calmness to him. His pale gray eyes studied Kain with quiet curiosity.
Elias was dangerous. Not because of brute strength, but because he was too smart.
"Didn't think you had it in you," Elias said, tilting his head. "A Cipherless boy outmaneuvering someone like Reynard. That's not normal."
Kain didn't respond. He knew better than to trust someone like Elias.
Elias sighed. "You're probably wondering what happens next, aren't you?"
Kain remained silent, but he was wondering exactly that.
Being Cipherless wasn't just an embarrassment—it was a death sentence. Without a Cipher, he had no future in the noble world, no protection, no power to claim his place in society.
And worse…
"They'll come for me."
The Cipher Lords, the ruling powers of the Dominion, wouldn't ignore something like this. A Cipherless boy who somehow disrupted Cipher abilities? That was impossible.
"Let me guess," Elias continued, watching him closely. "You've realized it, haven't you? That this little trick of yours isn't something you should be showing off."
Kain's fingers twitched. He was right.
Reynard might be too stupid to realize what happened, but others wouldn't be. If people learned he could see and break the laws of Ciphers, they'd hunt him down.
"You should leave the capital," Elias said casually. "Disappear before someone decides you're a threat."
Kain narrowed his eyes. "Why do you care?"
Elias smirked. "I don't. I just like knowing interesting things. And you, Kain Veritas, are very, very interesting."
Before Kain could respond, a voice rang out across the training grounds.
"KAIN VERITAS."
A chill crawled up his spine.
A group of men in dark uniforms approached—the Cipher Authority.
People stepped back immediately. The Authority only intervened when a Cipher anomaly was discovered.
Kain forced himself to remain calm. This was happening faster than he expected.
One of the men, a tall officer with piercing blue eyes, stepped forward. "You are to come with us. Now."
A silence fell over the training grounds.
Elias exhaled slowly. "Well… that was fast."
Kain clenched his fists. This wasn't good.
If they were taking him, it meant only one thing.
The Cipher Lords already knew.
And they weren't going to let him walk away.