What a pity it is to be the spare and not the heir. Had he been born into any family other than the Santiago coven of witches, things would have been different for Sebastian Santiago. Unfortunately for him, however, his coven was a matriarchy that traditionally allowed the firstborn daughter to lead. No matter how accomplished he would become, Sebastian would never be eligible for power. It was a bitter pill to swallow, and growing up, Sebastian's irrelevance always hung heavily over his head. His sister, Xiomara, was kept separate and trained, the apple of their mother's eye. Sebastian and his younger brother, Victor, were left to their own devices. They were expected, of course, to uphold the family name, not shame the coven, and be competent witches. Outside of that, Sebastian chafed at the idea that he'd have to be his sister's defender and advisor instead of someone relevant in the coven.
Over the years, Sebastian's resentment never waned. He watched Xiomara nearly disgrace the family when she fell in love with a human, further proving she wasn't fit to lead. The coven came first. Always. Love didn't matter— not when they had the power to commune with the Other Side. Despite his supposed worthlessness, Sebastian excelled to prove a point. Not only did he undergo the traditional act of dying and being resuscitated to assume his full powers when he came at age, but he was the fastest to ever resurrect. When it came time, he ended up finding a powerful witch, Daniela, and brought her into the coven so that he could start a family of his own.
Although most don't know it, everything Sebastian does is incredibly planned out. A union with Daniela wasn't about love but power. He knew her magic was strong, and as a result, the children they'd have would be strong as well. His eldest was a son, Noé, but his second was a daughter, Luciana. From the beginning, Sebastian coached Noé on how to support his sister while never making him feel like he was worthless. Luciana, on the other hand, was subject to intense pressure from Sebastian. Although she didn't know it as a child, Sebastian had a plan for her.
Although he played the part of a loving brother, Sebastian was never able to let his righteous anger go. His feelings felt even more justified when Xiomara had an affair with the same human she had loved as a teenager and ended up pregnant. His mother, Alma, had long passed to the Other Side by this point. As an ancestor, it was now Alma's job to commune with Xiomara and the coven to lend them energy. In her anger at Xiomara's bastard child, Alma refused. It hurt the coven greatly to lose the power of their former matriarch, and it was Sebastian's final straw. Even though Xiomara's daughter, Violeta, did end up as a full Santiago witch, Sebastian knew that his sister was weak and unfit to lead. She'd need to be replaced for the good of the coven. The issue was that Sebastian knew he'd never be seen as an acceptable replacement. The order of succession went from Xiomara to her first daughter, Isabela, to her second daughter, Violeta. After Violeta, however, Luciana would come next.
The plan is simple. It's more of a coup, really. Get Xiomara out of power, then ensure that Isabela and Violeta never take over. Sebastian would prefer to avoid violence against his nieces, but he'll do whatever it takes. He's already trying to drum up support for Luciana by showing the coven how accomplished she is, and some cousins, like Luis, have already agreed to support Sebastian when he makes his play to oust Xiomara. In a perfect world, his sister will agree to peacefully transition and pass the power to Luciana. In a less than perfect world... well, Sebastian is preparing for that too. After a lifetime of being overlooked and underestimated, it's far past time for the coven to get a taste of real leadership.
☾ XIOMARA SANTIAGO was crowned coven leader simply because she was the firstborn daughter. Sebastian was all but cast aside when she was born, and he's been forced to lived in her shadow his entire life. Sebastian never wanted to hate his sister, but it's impossible for him to not feel resentful. He wanted the power, he wanted control. He wanted his mother to act like he mattered. But he didn't get that. Xiomara did. Ending her line won't be pleasant, and it's definitely not something Sebastian wants to do, but he feels he has little choice. She's not a good coven leader and has proven that through being selfish and jeopardizing the coven. The Santiago's need a strong leader, and even if it can't be him, Sebastian will do what it takes to put one in charge.
☾ LUCIANA SANTIAGO has had a purpose from birth. Sebastian always planned great things for his daughter, especially as he was held back from great things himself. Luciana never asked for power or said she wanted to lead the coven. Sebastian decided that for her, and so far, Luciana has done her best to try to keep up with his incredibly high standards. Sebastian knows she's a hard sell with Isabela in the running, but he's confident that his daughter has what it takes to lead. With her in charge, he'll have far more say than he ever has before.
☾NOÉ SANTIAGO is doomed to suffer the same fate as Sebastian: overlooked for a sister. While Sebastian hates that, he knows overtaking the line will be a hard enough sell with Luciana. Trying to put Noé into the leadership role? The ancestors and coven would never approve. And so, much to Sebastian's chagrin, he's had to tell his son to take second place. Because he knows how it feels, however, Sebastian has tried to be more sympathetic to his son's plight than Alma ever was to his. He's tried to make it clear to Noé that his role is necessary to help the coven right itself, and he'll be rewarded when their family gets control from Xiomara.
