Alice tried. The little girl who had manifested powers that dwarfed adults would climb into his bed at night and press her forehead against his arm and whisper that she didn't care about tiers or classes or any of it, that he was still her big brother and that was enough.
Vespera tried, in her way. His mother's shadow powers had made her cold, emotionally distant, a woman who expressed love through logistics rather than warmth. She ensured Kaiden's tuition was paid. She ensured his room was maintained. She ensured that the household staff treated him with the same respect as his siblings.
But she couldn't make Magnus look at him.
And being consoled by superhumans, by a teenage sister with the power to level buildings and a mother whose shadow could swallow light, felt less like comfort and more like charity.
So he left.
