The Ancestor felt blessed, having personally overseen hundreds of these awakening ceremonies; this was the first red talent he saw in flesh.
In fact, even with thousands of years of family history only one other mage born with red talent, the founder of the family.
A visionary mage whose contributions still function to this day!
"Space element! Red in talent! Today we stand in the presence of a future legend! A man that will stand tall as a pillar for the empire for the next centuries! I dare shout at the heavens, NOTHING could sour today's ceremony!"
Before his words could even settle in the room Manaborn Ancestor decided to proclaim Caelor as the next Family head then and there.
With one hand in the air the old man activated the mana rings in his chest.
With him as the epicenter a sphere of mana aura filled the room, the air itself glowing with soft blue light.
With his other hand he tapped the space bag on his hip discreetly, calling forth the Manaborn Scepter.
A relic that once carried great power, but now held more weight as a symbol then as a magical catalyst.
"After thirty years even rivers change waters, today we greet the new family head!"
He yelled out, walking to Caelor and handing him the Scepter.
"We greet the new family head!!!!!" Shouts from both family members and other nobles echoed loudly.
With scepter in hand he pumps his fist in the air, with a smile on his face he looks at Valthar, and as he sees the pride in his best friend's eyes his smile grows a little more truthful.
Being recognised by someone you respected truly felt different.
Then he turned to his parents, bowing politely to show his filial piety… though in truth he had spent more time with the family's carriage pulling beasts than with the two.
"Yell out your name, young family head, tell us a few words!" The ancestor prompted, eager to learn the name of this descendant and completely forgetting there was still one more young mage to touch the crystal of truth.
"I am Caelor Manaborn! And while I'd love to give us a small speech, there is something that needs to be done before that…" A naughty smile flashes through his lips, his eyes locked with Valthar's.
"There is one more mage of my generation yet to test his talent, a man I grew up with and one I hold very close to my heart." His words were clear as he made sure to emphasize the second part.
Though he wanted to play a little prank on his shy friend, that did not mean others looking down on his cousin would be taken lightly.
"Come forth Valthar! Place your hand in the crystal of truth." Caelor yelled out pointing at Valthar with the family's scepter.
Under the weight of hundreds of eyes Valthar stepped forward with a little blush, if asked directly he'd say he wasn't shy, but instead his family was just too extra when showing off.
Before going for the crystal he stopped in front of Caelor.
"I thank you for such consideration, family head." Valthar said with his voice deep in emotion, though his words grew playful around the new title.
"Stop that, you know how I feel about labels." Caelor scoffed in a whisper.
Valthar smiled mischievously, pulling the new family head into a hug.
"I told you you were a genius, since I won the bet you owe me one." He chuckled. "But seriously, congratulations Caelor, you'll go far and I'm proud of you."
Caelor opened his mouth to retort but a frog in his throat threatened to jump out, unblocking a river of tears that would be very shameful in such a place.
"Thanks." Was all he could sound out as he nodded his head.
"I'll be going now… doubt I'll outshine tonight's bright red star though." Valthar chuckled, patting his cousin's shoulder and making his way to the crystal.
The room's atmosphere was… interesting.
Though such scenes were actually common in Manaborn events, even if performative most times, the fact that a legendary talent acknowledged someone like this made the looks shot at Valthar shift subtly.
For one, the new Manaborn head was close to him, but for another phoenixes rarely flocked with chickens, with both from such a family and one already so talented the other one surely would not disappoint.
Under those evaluating eyes Valthar places his palm on the crystal's surface.
From the smooth and cold surface he feels it tug at his mana veins.
As his mana seeps through his arms and out his hand a feeling of weakness slowly creeps in before… nothing.
No image forms on the crystal, no images, no light, no colors just a translucent crystal in the center of the room.
"Did revealing a red talent exhaust the crystal?" The ancestor frowned, mumbling to himself.
Such a thing had never happened in thousands of years, but then again so was the case for the appearance of a red talent.
Sadly that theory was proved wrong as a moment later a wave of purple light spread from the sphere.
Silence took over the room, the festive air thickened to a syrupy tension.
Noble's eyes jumped between the crystal, the old Ancestor and the young family head.
It was a secret to no one how the Manaborn's dealt with 'defective descendants', death.
"Affinitless." The old Ancestor spoke in disgust, not even deigning necessary to add the purple colored talent.
After all in his eyes, shit coated with sugar is still shit.
"It's not happening." Caelor shot down the idea before someone even brought it up.
"You know the rules, Caelor. Our family wasn't built on waste…" The old man caressed his beard thinking deeply before coming to an offer he found acceptable. "In consideration of your relationship we'll let the cripple be buried right outside the family's cemetery."
Caelor positions himself in front of his cousin, striking the family's scepter into the ground. "No, Valthar won't be executed on my watch."
All the while Valthar stood in silence, his eyes trailing to the familiar faces on the corners of the room.
Those that just hours ago he called family now stared at him with disdain.
Worse yet was seeing the eyes of his parents, not that they were specially close, but theirs glowed with a specially visceral disgust.
Valthar's eyes fell to the ground in shame and guilt, he understood why they felt like this.
To ensure only the purest talent in the family it was all but guaranteed the ones that birthed a freak like him would be expelled from the main family line.
And it was all his fault from having no elemental affinity to show.
With tears flowing down his cheeks his ears barely registered as Caelor and the old man soon started to scream at each other.
In his ears he could almost hear the response of a magical teacher when a kid asked about a case like his.
"A mage without an elemental affinity was akin to a swordsman without eyes… possible in theory, worthless in reality."
Dread filled Valthar's chest as an understanding dawned in his mind, his sheer existence had painted a black mark on the one thing Manaborns took as almost sacred, their bloodline.