Chapter 9: Nero....
Azariah calmly observed his firstborn son, viewing his children merely as tools to enhance the family’s prestige. He never showered them with love or any form of affection; they existed solely for the family’s reputation. Either they would contribute to the family’s glory, or they would fade away into obscurity. He would invest in any child who showed talent, initially because this particular child was born from a woman he once held affection for. Given her mysterious background, he had hoped for a true prodigy, a once-in-a-millennium genius.
Unfortunately, the child turned out to be a disappointment, leading him to regret having loved her and wasting his time and resources. From that day onward, he abandoned both the child and the mother, discarding them as they brought no benefit to him. Even when that woman died, he felt no emotions; as the patriarch of the family, he was acutely aware of everything happening within it and knew what the child endured, yet he did nothing to stop their torment.
He felt nothing for a child he hadn’t even named, expecting the boy to crumble under the burden of being a cursed child and perhaps even take his own life due to the hell he faced. To his surprise, the child’s will was remarkably resilient; he never wavered and continued to live on. Still, Azariah found this persistence unremarkable, choosing to remain an observer.
Then, yesterday, he received a letter from that child requesting an audience. Intrigued, he accepted, deliberately scheduling the meeting during breakfast to exert pressure on the boy—a test of sorts. Though he was different from the rest, some family blood still flowed through him, and Azariah was curious about the extent of the boy’s will.
As expected, the boy did not disappoint him.
"So what do you want to say to me, requesting an audience?" Azariah asked, deliberately increasing the pressure. As one of the Zodiacs and having reached the pinnacle of knighthood, his pressure was no joke; even a small fraction of it was beyond what someone without the blessing or the ability to wield primordial energy could endure. Yet, the boy stood firm.
While bearing the weight of Azariah’s pressure and the hatred from other family members, the boy finally opened his mouth to respond.
"I’m here to announce my will to leave the family."
"What?" one of his younger sons exclaimed, surprise evident in his voice. The others looked on with curiosity.