Joy awoke, tired and sore, like every other morning. Not that you could tell it was morning, the only indicator being the time on her makeshift phone that she had to hobble together herself. Most had a Smart Neuro Optic Display, or SNOD for short, but Joy's remnants of pride prevented her from using any sort of cybernetic implants. Plus, the name sucked. Snod? Ew. Even besides that, nobles couldn’t sully their bodies with tools used by the lesser Unmarked.
The sky was as dreary as ever, only superficially brightened by neon light. That was, if you could call it a sky. The earthen ceiling caging her down here with the rats masquerading as humans wasn’t exactly something that could be compared to the true open beauty of the real sky. Maybe, centuries ago, it could have passed as one, but the Artificial Sun had burned out ages ago.
Now the sky was lit up in bright neon, illuminated by towers of glass and steel that went right up the cavern’s ceiling, and then punched through. They served a few roles, the most prominent being keeping the ceiling from collapsing. Not that the Topsiders did it for the residents of Undercity L-0054. No, the reason they were maintained was for the city that actually mattered, Brontes’ Requiem. The shining jewel and capital city of the planet Lazarus.
Ironic that a planet named after a famous rebirth would have its capital built atop the bones of a dead city.
But that didn’t matter. Joy chased off the momentary distractions of her early morning thoughts and got ready for work. As she dressed in ratty clothes and worn shoes, she thought of what got her to this point. She was- or used to be, a prominent member of the Athens family, born with the world at her fingertips. Respected. Feared. Well, maybe not feared, as she was still a child when she was kicked out, but she would’ve been! Eventually!
Again, not that it mattered. The past was the past, and it couldn’t be changed. The future was calling, and while it may sing a song just as dreary, at least it was new. Different.
It should have been me! I should’ve been the most powerful! My abilities had the most potential! I was the best! SO WHY-
She cut herself off once more. Jealousy and rage would get her nowhere, not that thinking that made the feelings any less intense, but rationalizing it would at least let her continue on her day with at least a facade of emotional stability.
And that was what her state should be called. A facade. The boiling rage, coiling envy, and ocean of shame that surrounded and submerged her heart in every waking moment would have killed a lesser man. She could bear it, though. She had to. She had to. She had to.
Finally, Joy arrived at work. It was an old antique shop, owned by a grumpy old man. Where was he anyway? He usually took to shouting the moment-
“IT FUCKING TOOK YA LONG ENOUGH TO GET HERE, DIDN’T IT!” Ah, there he was. Joy half suspected he hired her just to hear himself scream more. He must love his voice, the way he never stopped broadcasting it. Loudly.
“I SWEAR WOMAN, MY GREAT GRANDMA COULD CLEAN THIS PLACE FASTER THAN YOU, AND SHE’S BEEN DEAD FOR EIGHTY GODDAMN YEARS!” Ah, joy. What a relaxing place to work.
“DON’T IGNORE ME, WOMAN!” He shouted, as Joy absolutely continued to ignore him.
As the shouting faded to an omnipresent dull roar in the back of her mind, she got to work. It wasn’t difficult, sweep, dust, check the electronics, and keep visitors to a bare minimum. You would think that last part would be the last thing you would want to do, ya know, considering it’s a store, but the proprietor liked his privacy. Half the reason he hired Joy was the fact that nobody would approach her.
Despite her disgraced status, her nobility was obvious to anyone with eyes, and besides even that, she had what no one else in the damnable city possessed. She was Marked by a Rune. Her nobility was denoted by her violet hair, eyes, and sharp hawkish features. Her status as Marked was made obvious by the glowing of her eyes and the faint amount of pressure those around her felt.
When she first arrived at the gates of the hellhole, she at least felt she could take pride in the fact that she had her Rune. She was still superior. Slowly, though, that faded away, and it became clear that it didn’t matter. It served as a nice deterrent, sure, but that was all it was. Her Rune was the lowest of the low, barely more powerful than it was when she manifested it as an infant. Not even a Glyph had surfaced. She hadn’t budged an inch past square one.
“WOMAN, I SWEAR TO THE SAVIOR ITSELF, IF YOU DON’T GET THIS TRASH OUT I’M THROWING YOU OUT WITH IT!”
“Do you have to shout everything you say old man! Or have you finally driven yourself deaf with your incessant fucking yelling!” Joy shouted back as she grabbed the trash.
“DON’T TALK BACK TO ME THAT WAY, GIRL. YOU OWE ME!”
Joy continued to ignore him as she walked down the alley. She didn’t actually care enough about him to mind what he was saying. She shouted back because, if she didn’t, he took it as a sign of subservience and would become a real asshole. Like he wasn’t charming enough already.
Besides, he was mostly hot air anyway. He was afraid of the consequences of truly getting on her bad side. Joy didn’t understand why everyone was so afraid. Honestly, if her family cared for her, they wouldn’t have thrown her down here.
Walking closer to the dumpster, she began to hear a faint thwacking noise.
Bored, Joy decided to investigate. It wasn’t like she was afraid of the insects that wriggled in this city.
As she approached, the shouting began to reach her ears.
“You. *Thwack* Bump. *Thwack* Into. *Thwack* Me?” The man spoke in between beating the random man on the ground with his… wand? He still needed a focus at his age?
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“Do you have a death wish!” He shrilly screamed at the damn near pulped man on the floor.
The man on the ground spoke softly, unable to breathe properly, “Sir… Please… It… was… mistake.”
“Mistake? Mistake! Can you believe that, Bertram, a mistake! Well how about I forgive you then, huh? Is that what I ought to do?” He spoke manically, looking at his imposing bodyguard for guidance. Bertram said nothing.
“Well, you heard Bertram, he says forgiveness is too good for an Unmarked like yourself! How unfortunate for you.” He spoke sadly, but his wide grin told a different story.
“Why…” The man on the ground finally got out.
Instead of beating the man further for the audacity of questioning his betters, as Joy expected, he instead looked like he was genuinely pondering the question.
“Hmm… Why not? Why shouldn’t I have some fun at your expense? What else is there to do here? Should I sleep in the garbage to absorb some of the culture? I might as well get some exercise while I’m down here, right?”
The man on the ground looked horrified. As if finally realizing just how little his life meant to this man.
Huh. Took him long enough to figure that out. Joy thought judgmentally.
Taking a closer look, Joy finally got a glimpse of the man’s crest.
A noble then?
No. No. NO, NO, NO! A PANOPTES!?! What the fuck are those bastards doing down here?
The Panoptes family were, to put it mildly, extremely powerful. If you wanted to know what your Rune did, or its downsides, you needed one of them. They were in control of all System Terminals at every hospital. They had a complete monopoly, and more than that, they were the only ones that could read Runes.
So why was one of them down here? There were no Marked in the Undercity, besides Joy that was, so for what reason could one have to come down here? Tower maintenance? That wouldn't make any sense, the Svadilfari family was in charge of construction and maintenance. Then it hit her.
A few years prior
Joy was walking down the halls of the most esteemed academy for nobles on Lazarus. She kept her head held high, even with the murmurs that followed in her wake.
“Why is she even here? I heard that she is still at the Marked Stage at 15!”
“I know, that’s nepotism at work, though. She shouldn’t even be here.”
Ignoring the fact that they were all there because of nepotism, they were nobles for fuck's sake, Joy firmly believed that she would reach the second stage any day now. She had to.
She had to.
She had to.
Reaching the courtyard broke her out of mantra.
“Hey, did you hear about Yulin’s trip to the Undercity?”
“What, no! Why would he go down there? I wouldn’t be caught dead in that city full of parasites, what if I catch something!”
Rubbing his eyes tiredly before replying, the boy said, “First of all, Toria, You can’t get sick! I swear on all that is magic, you must be the only Marked hypochondriac! Second, he went there to practice his Glyphs! Before you say anything, yes, I know, It’s technically illegal. No one actually cares, though. Who’s gonna listen to a fucking Unmarked?”
Now
That didn’t make any sense, though. The Panoptes don’t have any Glyphs that can be applied to Unmarked? So why-
“Who’s gonna listen to a fucking Unmarked”
That bastard! He wasn’t here to practice magic, he just wanted to beat up people without consequences!
Sure, yeah, who the fuck cares about some random Unmarked, but why was he wasting time like this? He has his dreams in the palm of his hands! He has a Rune that worked! Why was he wasting his time down here beating on some insignificant insect! He’s a god compared to them, so why, fucking WHY, WAS HE DOING THIS.
Years of Rage, Shame, and Envy started boiling deep in her gut.
why, why, Why, Why, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY
Then it clicked. It all made so much sense. Of course. He was lesser too. It must have been a mistake. Joy should’ve gotten his power. It was hers all along. It was just a mistake of birth that she got a broken rune and this worm got a functional one. This would not stand.
Deep within, she could feel a shackle unlock. Yes. It was hers all along.
Come back.
She Pulled.
Joy realized what she did immediately afterward, but the Panoptes didn’t. She slowly backed up.
*Clang*
Both looked back.
“Huh, funny meeting you here. What are the chances? Ah, don't mind me, you can get back to what you were doing now,” Joy spoke nonchalantly.
“And who are you to determine what I do- Joy! Ah, just the filth I was hoping to see! How has your time been with the rest of the worms, huh? What happened to your hair- ah it’s not important, again, how have you been?”
“It has been fine enough. Dealing with their kind has slowly become more tolerable.” She said, skirting by the weird hair question.
“Hmm, it’s so nice to see that you're finally with your own people. Do you need anything? Do you want to finish this man off? Take it as a gift from me, yes?”
“I’m not in the mood. I wouldn’t want to impose.” Joy spoke, trying to leave.
“Hm, fine. Ignore my hospitality. I don’t know why I expected manners from filth.”
Joy grit her teeth and walked away. His laughter echoed in her mind until she finally got home.
Finally relaxing, she could address the blinking at the top right of her vision.
That’s new.
Congratulations, Joy! Through grit, rage, and shame, your Rune: Minor Rune of Copy has evolved!
Oh, that was good. Very, very good.
It has evolved into… Drumroll, please… The Demonic Rune of Mythical Envy
Oh, that was bad. Very, very bad.