"ENOUGH!"
Genus barked, his voice booming through the hall.
It was quite a bit more dramatic than Ignotus had expected, but that was fun in its own way.
He watched as his father's gaze pinned his older brother back into his seat, such a sight making him feel way more satisfaction than normal. Though that feeling didn't last long, as he soon met those green eyes himself.
"Boy... I've decided. With or without our Element, you're a lost cause."
"Honey—"
His mother started.
"No."
He 'snapped,' joining the trend.
"Are you crabs pretending to be hu—"
"He needs to learn consequences."
Ignotus tried to joke, and his father cut him off.
Flora went quiet as well, wringing her hands.
"And if we discover your talent to be worthless, you will be severely punished."
"...Hm."
Ignotus nodded once, twice, and then a third time, just because he could, while staring into his mother's worried but also speechless eyes, who was clearly expecting and waiting for a proper reaction out of him.
A reaction that he wasn't about to give.
He looked like he was enjoying this, and he certainly was.
Again, these people, though family by blood and memories, weren't really, especially when considering his past life. None of them really helped him, despite his sinking deeper into death's embrace right before their very eyes.
He could understand why though... His mother couldn't do much because of Genus, leaving her only to pity him and cover it up with fake kindness.
His father saw him as a liability, some tool to be bartered away. And his sister... she wanted to help, maybe, but not if it meant ruining her pretty little perfect image.
His brother, of course, was to be ignored because, well, there was no hope for him; he simply needed someone to kick down to feel important.
All of this was a farce, a bad one.
...They had all died before him in that life. At least in truth. Because in the eyes of the world, he had died much earlier than they did... he heard... and saw them come to his grave.
The three of them seemed to have regretted how they treated him, and whether their emotions were shallow or not, perhaps an ingrained occurrence in humans after someone's "death..." it didn't matter.
Such thoughts wouldn't ever matter to him; nothing of it, not now... it truly was too late.
Once, a very long time ago, he would've liked the thought of it despite his condition, but not anymore.
Ignotus had grown up.
"Are any of you coming with me to the Hall of Ascension?"
Everyone kept their stares trained on him and then looked away.
That was answer enough; it also revealed how they believed that he had gone insane with stress, something that was quite common in children before their Ascension into Runebearers.
Genus didn't do as they did, however, caring not for what they assumed of Ignotus's current state.
"No, you'll go alone. We won't have you ruin our noble reputation."
Ignotus chuckled a second time.
"I understand... It should be starting in a little while, right?"
Genus nodded slowly, surprised by how calmly his son was taking this.
"Alright. I'll go let you down proudly~."
Ignotus stood up and left the hall without another word, not bothering to look back.
This was a big deal. Usually, families, and especially noble Houses like theirs, celebrated their child's bestowal day, but his family didn't seem to give less of a shit about his, labeling him with the most lovely word, "TRASH."
So, unlike many who came with entire cohorts of people, Ignotus went alone, exiting their manor, after nearly getting lost a few times, still not used to being back, and walking down the hill, nearing the massive city below.
On the way, he saw carriages rumbling along old stone streets and people walking about in cloaks and fancy clothes alike; some of them weren't people, at least not in any way that was considered normal.
There were cat-eared girls selling bread, a lizard-headed man arguing with a midget-sized blacksmith, and even what looked like a walking ball of fur with legs, a creature he'd kill to pet.
His eyes were pretty good to see from that distance, but he didn't bother to think about why that was, rather focusing on what stole his attention next.
'Divine Stairs.'