"Father"
When the words slipped from Typhon's mouth, the man he recognised as his biological father scowled.
"Don't call me that. You've lost that right."
Typhon didn't say anything but kept his age trained on him. Geralt Von Ellar was a prolific eighth-circle mage, one of the world's most influential users of the arcane arts. His mastery of ice arts was unparalleled amongst mages, and he sat as the Ice Mage Tower Chancellor and was their representative to the Mage's Circle. Unfortunately, Typhon's memories of the man were not pleasant. While there was no physical abuse, Typhon was cast aside by the entire family, bar his sister, with his father being the main instigator of his isolation. Geralt adjusted his glasses and shot Carmine a look.
"You need to go back to the dorms, Carmine."
"But father I-"
"NO! You have wasted too much time on this failure. You are the pride of the Von Ellar family; I forbade from interacting with him from this moment forward."
Carmine's eyes were wide from shock.
"You can't do that, father! He is my brother!"
Typhon was silent, yet internally he was bubbling with rage that threatened to break loose at any time. While the Typhon these people knew was a meek and weak-willed individual, he was an emperor. He would not be berated and talked down at by some self-important idiot who believed himself above others. Surprising the both of them, Typhon swung his legs off the bed and ripped the cables attached to his body off him, including his IV line. Typhon strode confidently over to Geralt and looked him dead in the eye.
"I have lost the right to call you father? You haven't earned the right to be called that."
Geralt took a brief moment to comprehend what was happening, but his face morphed into anger.
"You! How dare-"
"How dare I what? How dare I call you out for your shitty parenting? How dare I speak back to the man I respect the least in this world? You have done nothing for me yet demand everything from me and think this fair? I don't want to be part of this fucking family anyway, so strip me of my name and do whatever you want. I no longer care."
Now Geralt's fists were balled in rage. Typhon could hear his teeth grinding as he struggled to contain his emotions.
"You ungrateful fuck! This family has fed, clothed and sheltered you for 17 years, and now you spit on its name!? Do you know any shame!?"
Typhon remained still, staring into Geralt's eyes for a brief few seconds before shaking his head.
"If you truly think you did me a favour with all those things, you're even worse than I thought. You did me no favours. All of it is for your self-serving goals. If I were talented in the way you wanted me to be like my sister, I wouldn't have been anymore a person in your eyes, just another tool to use for your goals."
At that moment, Geralt snapped and grabbed Typhon by the throat and slammed him into the wall.
"YOU UNGRATEFUL PIECE OF SHIT! A PIECE OF GARBAGE LIKE YOURSELF WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN LOVED, NO MATTER WHAT FAMILY GAVE BIRTH TO YOU. YOU'RE LUCKY YOU LIVED IN THE OPULENCE YOU HAVE!"
Typhon was reminded of this body's weakness as he coughed up blood as his back made contact with the wall. Yet despite the blood leaking out of the corners of his mouth, he kept his gaze locked on Geralt, never breaking eye contact. Geralt expected this to be enough to scare Typhon out of his rebellious front. Yet, to his surprise, there was no wavering in Typhon's gaze.
"You gonna kill me, old man? Do it. See how you keep your oh-so-noble facade when you kill a cripple in his hospital room."
Realising that their commotion had attracted a large gathering of onlookers, with nurses and doctors crowding around to see what was happening, Geralt quickly let go of Typhon's neck. Typhon slumped back against the wall but remained upright.
"Nothing to see here, folks. Go back to your work."
Geralt said as he adjusted his suit to get rid of the wrinkles. The nurses and doctors scampered away and shut the door to the room. Geralt turned his head back to Typhon, who was still catching his breath.
"You think you can survive without this family? Fine, have it your way. As the patriarch of the Von Ellar family, I strip you of your name and any right you had to inherit any of the Von Ellar estate. I will pay for your hospital stay and the remaining three years of your academy tuition, but after that, you will have no formal ties with this family."
"Perfect, this family name has brought me nothing but pain."
Geralt turned to walk out of the hospital room but was stopped by Typhon's following words.
"But remember, when I stand above you, when I prove you wrong that you had a chance to show you cared. Know that by driving me out of your family, you have made a mistake."
Geralt snorted derisively at his words and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Carmine was still shocked at all that had transpired in the past few moments. The meek little brother she knew had all but vanished as he stood up to his father for the first time in his life.
"You... You are Typhon, right?"
Typhon looked at Carmine with a placid expression, not responding. He sat down on his hospital bed and sighed.
'I wasn't planning on letting it slip this early but these memories... I owe it to the boy to get the revenge he desperately desired. Maybe... I should tell her how the boy felt?'
Resolving himself, Typhon took a deep breath through his nose and looked Carmine in the eye.
"You know, he had really mixed feelings about you. On the one hand, you're the only person who ever treated him with any amount of affection or care, but on the other, you were constantly there, reminding him of how inferior he was when compared to you."
"He...? What do you mean he?"
"For all intents and purposes, the Typhon you knew is dead. Whoever you knew perished in that explosion. What I am now is irrelevant to you. My memories are fragmented and poorly stitched together, but I know the important parts. Now that I am free of the shackles they put on me with that last name, I will deliver his revenge and carve out a new life."
Carmine wasn't stupid; she knew that a necromantic spell backfiring meant that her brother was likely dead, but when he woke up and called her 'sister', she thought that maybe he had lucked out. Now it was clear to her that whoever her brother called from beyond the grave inhabited her brother's body. She had half a mind to cut him down now but hearing the man's words, she held herself back. It wasn't his fault that her brother screwed up; he didn't want to possess her brother's body.
"So... who were you before you were summoned?"
"I was also named Typhon. The rest of my story isn't something you need to be concerned with. I understand it must be hard for you to see your brother's body move and talk, knowing he is gone. If you so wish, I will never appear in front of you again."
Carmine stalled for a few seconds before shaking her head.
"I don't know who you are, but that body is still my little brother's. I... need to figure out how I feel about all of this but know that I don't blame you for any of it. For now, I will grieve my brother's passing. I will contact you at some point in the future once I have a better plan of what I'm going to do."
Typhon nodded and watched as Carmine walked out of his room on shaky legs. Sighing internally, Typhon crossed his legs as he sat on the bed and calmed his mind. For now, he had to gain intimate knowledge of this body and what it was capable of.