Gideon Greenroot

Kael stumbled into the outskirts of Embermire, gasping for breath, his legs screaming with every step. Sweat drenched his shirt, and his arms ached from holding Draven steady on his back. His younger brother hung limp, his face pale and motionless, and the faint rise and fall of his chest was the only thing keeping Kael from full-blown panic. The sound of Draven's shallow, uneven breaths echoed in Kael's ears, drowning out everything else. Fear tightened its grip on him with every moment that passed. Draven hadn't stirred once—not a word, not a flinch—since they left the woods. Kael had felt only the faintest rhythm of life from his brother's chest, but that was it. His mind raced, filled with a single desperate thought: Get him to Gideon. Kael didn't know much about Gideon Greenroot. He'd only seen the man a handful of times when his father brought them to Embermire years ago. All he knew was that Gideon was a healer, a skilled one, and that his father trusted him. That was enough. It had to be. When Kael finally reached the herb shop tucked into a crooked lane on the edge of town, he shoved the door open with his shoulder and staggered inside, his voice cracking as he yelled, "Gideon! Help—we ate the mushrooms, and Draven won't wake up!" Instead of Gideon, it was Jera—Gideon's daughter—who spun around from behind the counter. Her wide, amber eyes locked onto Kael and the unconscious boy slung over his back, and her expression shifted from shock to exasperation. "I knew you two would do something stupid," she snapped, rushing over. "And of course, you'd come running here." Kael barely heard her as Gideon appeared from the back, his face creased with concern. "What happened?" the healer asked, his calm voice steadying Kael's nerves. Kael tried to explain, his words spilling out in a jumble. "We were in the woods—Draven's awakening—there was those mushrooms, and he used magic, and then he—he just—" Gideon cut him off with a raised hand, stepping forward to inspect Draven. His sharp gaze landed on the boy's wrist, where a faint glowing roman numeral "3" was etched into his skin. The healer froze, his expression hardening as he inhaled sharply. "Bring him to the back," Gideon said, his voice suddenly low and urgent. "Now." Kael obeyed, his heart pounding as he followed Gideon to a small room lined with shelves of jars, herbs, and strange tools. He laid Draven down on a cot, his brother's face slick with sweat. Kael turned to Gideon, panic finally breaking through. "Is he going to be okay? Please, tell me—" Gideon placed a firm hand on Kael's shoulder. "Calm yourself. He's suffering from magic drain—he overextended himself right after his awakening. It's dangerous but not uncommon." Kael's breath hitched. Magic drain? He hadn't heard of that before but wondered if it was severe or not. "So… he'll wake up? He's going to be fine?" "With rest, yes. But there's more going on here," Gideon said grimly, his gaze flicking back to Draven's wrist. "Once he's stable, we'll talk. For now, let him sleep." Kael nodded, stepping back, but as he did, Gideon's sharp eyes landed on something else: a faint marking just behind Kael's ear. The healer froze mid-step, his hand suddenly shooting out to grab Kael's wrist. "Do you know what this means?" Gideon asked, his voice tense. Kael blinked in confusion. "What? What are you talking about?" Gideon pointed to the mark, his expression unreadable. "That's the highest magic marking a person can receive. You… Kael, you're an Infernal." He whispered it, almost to himself, as if not fully believing the words. "An Infernal…" Kael caught the faint murmur and turned sharply. "What did you say?" Gideon's eyes met Kael's, his expression unreadable, yet there was something heavy behind his gaze. "We have a lot to talk about, Kael…" Without another word, he motioned for Kael to follow him into the front room. "Jera, make some tea," he called over his shoulder as he guided Kael to a small, worn table near the counter. Jera frowned from behind the counter, hesitating for a second before moving. She didn't know these boys well—just that they had shown up a few times with their father in the past. Yet, her father was treating this like it was something personal. Why? She had never seen him look so serious, so urgent. Whatever this was, it had to be important.

Kael sat down reluctantly, glancing toward the back room where Draven lay unconscious. His hands curled into fists against the table.

Gideon settled into the chair across from him, his face unreadable. "What happened to Draven," he began, his voice measured and calm, "is called magic drain. It happens when a magician—especially one who has just awakened—burns through all their energy at once. Think of it like a fire running out of fuel. Without rest, recovery is slow… but he will be okay." Kael exhaled shakily, but the tightness in his chest didn't fully ease. "Okay… but—what about these marks? This energy? And what does it even mean to be an Infernal?" His words tumbled out fast, a frantic edge creeping into his voice. "Is that why this happened to Draven? Is that why we—" "Kael," Gideon cut him off, his tone sharp but not unkind. "Calm down." He gave the boy a moment to catch his breath before continuing. "I know you have a lot of questions, but we need to take this one step at a time." Jera returned with two steaming cups of tea, setting them down carefully. She glanced between her father and Kael, trying to piece together why this conversation felt so heavy. Why was her father acting like this was life or death? Gideon took a slow sip of his tea before setting the cup down, his piercing gaze still locked onto Kael. "Now," he said at last, "let's start with the basics." 

He started with the Nexus Power Ranks: Spark – Basic magic users with small reserves.Ember – Strong but limited reserves. Flare – Capable of condensing and refining magic, sometimes creating new techniques. Ignis – Masters of their affinity, naturally absorbing and storing magic.• Infernal – Legendary power, often achieved artificially through dangerous alchemy.Then he introduced affinities—the elemental forces that define a magician's power. There were twelve elemental affinities, each granting different abilities. He already knew Draven had a fire affinity—something Gideon recognized instantly because he, too, carried the same affinity. "Fire magicians can recognize one another, like a kinship of flames," he explained. Jera's jaw clenched. "You are a magician?" she blurted out, her voice laced with disbelief.

Gideon exhaled slowly, as if releasing years of buried truths. With deliberate movements, he rolled up his sleeve, revealing two tally-like marks burned into his skin, much like the one on Draven's wrist. The scars were old, but the significance was clear. "A long time ago," he admitted, his voice quieter now, carrying the weight of something unspoken. Kael's mind reeled. Gideon had been a magician? A real one? Then why was he here, running a simple herb shop instead of wielding his power? Jera stepped closer, her eyes burning with an emotion Kael couldn't quite place. "You lied to me." It wasn't a question. "All this time… you let me believe you were just a healer?" Gideon ran a tired hand through his graying hair. "I never lied, Jera. I left that life behind for a reason." Before she could press further, he turned back to Kael, changing the subject with purpose. "Tell me about your awakening. Kael hesitated, still grappling with everything he had just learned. But he forced himself to focus. "I felt three pulses of energy," he said slowly, recalling the moment. "A deep, heavy kind of power… It was purple-blue, and inside it, I saw stars. Or at least, something like them. Like the night sky was folding into itself." Gideon stiffened. "Stars, you say?"

Kael nodded. "That confirms it. Your affinity is space." The words felt foreign to Kael, but deep down, something clicked into place. Gideon turned back to where Draven was resting. "And this one is fire. That much is obvious." He exhaled through his nose, his gaze distant. "Fire and space… a volatile mix. One rooted in destruction, the other in endless expansion." Kael didn't like the sound of that. "What does that mean?" Gideon shook his head. "It means your journey will be unlike anything you imagined. Space affinity is one of the rarest, and Infernal rank is almost unheard of outside of alchemical tampering. The fact that you achieved it naturally…" He trailed off, eyes sharp and searching. Kael shifted in his seat. "And what does that mean for me?" For the first time, Gideon hesitated, as if weighing whether to speak the words aloud. "It means you have a power people would kill for." His voice was low, serious. "And if the wrong people find out what you are, Kael, they won't stop until they have you. Kael's stomach turned. Gideon pushed away from the table, pacing slightly. "There are those who seek to become Infernal through force—through potions, forbidden spells, and ancient relics. Few succeed. Most die trying. But a natural Infernal?" He shook his head. "You're the first I've ever seen." His eyes flickered toward the far end of the shop, where an old wooden alchemy bench stood, covered in dust and scattered tools. A dark gleam passed through his gaze, a thought left unspoken. Then, just as quickly, he dismissed it, rubbing his temples. "But that's a concern for another time." He turned back to Kael. "What matters now is that you understand what you are." Kael swallowed. "And what is that?" Gideon held his gaze. "A magician on the edge of something dangerous." A heavy silence followed. Jera's voice was the one to break it. "So what do we do now?"Gideon let out a breath, rubbing his chin. "First, we let Draven wake up. Then, we figure out where to go from here. "Kael looked toward the back room, where his brother lay still, his chest rising and falling steadily. Whatever had started back in that forest… it wasn't over. It was just beginning. And the deeper they fell into this world of magic and power, the more Kael knew—they were never going to be the same again.