Accidentally Overpowered and Definitely Not in Control

Kaelen had a problem.

A huge problem.

Namely, he was now the most powerful person in Eldrath… and he had absolutely no idea how to control it.

The moment they left the glowing cavern, he had already:

1. Accidentally summoned a mini thunderstorm inside his own boots. (Very uncomfortable.)

2. Turned Thorne's cloak invisible—but only the cloak. (Thorne was now an ominous floating torso.)

3. Briefly teleported, which would have been cool… if he hadn't reappeared upside-down in a tree.

Lyria, of course, was enjoying this way too much.

"You know, Kaelen, I always thought you'd get yourself killed by something dumb," she mused, dodging a stray spark of magic that zapped from his fingertips. "But this? This is new."

Kaelen groaned. "I am so close to quitting and becoming a farmer."

"You'd accidentally grow a sentient potato army in two minutes," Lyria pointed out.

Kaelen rubbed his face. "That's… depressingly accurate."

Thorne, still adjusting to his floating torso look, sighed. "Alright, listen, you clearly need training before you explode a village by accident."

Kaelen held up a finger. "Correction. I need a wizard to lock me in a magic-proof basement before I do something really stupid."

As if on cue, Kaelen sneezed.

A fireball shot out of his nose, spiraled wildly through the air, and slammed into a tree. The tree immediately started tap-dancing.

Kaelen stared. Lyria clapped. Thorne sighed.

Thistle, the squirrel, chittered something that definitely sounded like laughter.

"I hate this," Kaelen muttered.

Thorne pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright, new plan. We're taking you to the Sanctum of the Arcane."

Kaelen raised an eyebrow. "That sounds fancy."

"It is fancy," Thorne said. "It's where the most powerful mages train. If anyone can help you, it's them."

Lyria smirked. "Or they'll just throw him in a magic-proof basement, which—let's be honest—is probably the better option."

Kaelen threw his hands in the air. "Great! Fantastic! Let's go before I accidentally set the sky on fire."

Lyria's grin widened. "Now that I'd like to see."

Several Hours Later…

The journey to the Sanctum was, in a word, chaotic.

Kaelen tried to keep his magic under control. He really did.

But somehow, in just a few hours, he had:

1. Turned his horse into a unicorn. (Cool, but highly impractical.)

2. Made Lyria's sword sing opera every time she swung it.

3. Accidentally created a tiny floating version of himself that followed him around and insulted him.

Lyria had immediately named it "Mini-Kaelen" and was now feeding it snacks.

"This is your best mistake yet," she said, watching Mini-Kaelen float around, shaking his tiny fist.

"I despise this thing," Kaelen muttered.

"I AM THE TRUE KAELEN," Mini-Kaelen declared. "ALL HAIL ME."

Kaelen pointed at it. "This. This right here. This is why I should not have magic."

Thorne, who had given up on trying to look serious hours ago, just sighed. "We need to move faster. Before he accidentally invents a new kind of disaster."

Kaelen crossed his arms. "Oh, come on. It's not like I'm gonna destroy reality or something."

At that exact moment, the sky flickered and briefly turned bright green.

Everyone turned to stare at him.

Kaelen coughed. "Okay. So maybe I shouldn't say things like that."

Lyria patted him on the shoulder. "At least we know where to find you if you do destroy reality."

Kaelen groaned. "Where?"

Lyria smirked. "In the very center of the disaster, looking deeply confused."

Mini-Kaelen cackled. "SHE SPEAKS THE TRUTH."

Kaelen sighed dramatically. "This is my life now."

Thorne nodded. "Yep. And it's only going to get worse."

As they finally approached the towering gates of the Sanctum, Kaelen had only one thought:

I really, really hope they don't turn me into a magic-powered potato.