On the surface, Magnes appears to have his life entirely figured out. His work has led him to a great degree of success—he has more wealth than his humble beginnings ever would have predicted, more power in the underbelly of Faline than he should ever have been granted, and the wit, charm, and connections to weasel his way out of any bad situation he might find himself stuck in. The casual observer would see no reason for him not to be truly satisfied with life, though any who take the time to see past his charm see the deep sadness his superficial veneer hides.

Magnes is a very charming and often flirty individual. Blessed by good look and a strong sense of social situations, he finds it very easy to play on the emotions and expectations of others. He is always put-together, always quick with a smooth line or casual distraction. Moreover, he comes off as having a direct friendliness- the kind of graceful, alluring energy that draws someone in and sets them at ease. He’s quick to offer small favors or compliments. He does lack a bit in his manners at times—the sign of someone who was not raised in the high society he now tries to emulate. He also tends towards a somewhat troublesome persona: charismatic, flirtatious, fun, someone who chooses to break social norms for the sake of amusement, and not shy about dropping flattering compliments. To some degree, these are ways for him to take control of situations and trick those around him into letting their guard down. As someone who thrives off of his ability to read and manipulate social status and connections, seeing the links between himself and others like the delicate web of a spider as both tool and weapon, his ability to quickly build connections is a business asset.

However, Magnes’ ways are also a desperate attempt for someone alone in the world to find companionship. It has been over a decade since the deaths of his closest friends and the loss of his family and community, and he has yet to find friendship that even begins to rebuild what he has lost. He mourns the loss of feeling part of a group, of friendship and trust beyond those of a business partner. He longs to forge friendship and belong to a group once again; however, he simply cannot allow himself that trust and vulnerability at the present. Should anyone get too close, he self-sabotages any chances at a deeper friendship. At his core, he sees himself as the reason his friends were killed, and his friends as the only reason the town of his birth tolerated him. He believes himself to be the odd one out, the pity case—accepted because his peers felt bad for him, not because they truly like him. Any time he gets close to another even now, those insecurities come rushing back, and he finds himself frantically pushing his companion away, undermining any attempts to strengthen their connection. He allows himself acquaintances, or, at times, physical connections, but these bonds never go deeper than surface level connections.

At his heart, Magnes does not feel himself worthy to even breath the air around him. He faces a deep survivor’s guilt over the loss of his friends, and profound insecurity in his daily life. He struggles to even grapple with his own emotions, and focuses primarily on easy goals: money, power, influence. His wealth, though it is what he believes he wants in life, does not satisfy him. Instead, he finds himself one step removed from directionless. He chooses to chase business dealings and wealth as he doesn’t know what to do with himself otherwise. There is a depression behind his eyes, a sadness hidden in a cocky smile, that few see, and none can access.

640 Words

trigger warning: violence, death

The Births of Three Mages

Polaris was born to a small town in Ivras; the kind of run-down place so distant from major cities that it rarely even appeared on maps. It was the sort of village where everyone knew everyone, and the town functioned largely as it pleased. Folks farmed and traded in their skills, children played in the fields, and while the danger of wild animals and swarms was ever-present, the community was tight-knit. Everyone knew everyone else. Notably, the town had a somewhat odd history for Ivras: though many generations of children had been born and raised on these lands, and more arrived every year, the town had never seen the birth of a mage. The town did not know magic, aside from the rare, enchanted item or passerby.

That was, until one fateful winter. Some said it was a sign of favor from the Patrons after decades of suffering under stronger and stronger swarms, some said it was caused by some auspicious event, and some especially obstinate older folks called it a curse, but one particularly harsh winter, three mages were born in one year, each to a different family: Tyri, Ferr, and Polaris. From the moments of their births, the fates of the three were inextricably entwined.

From a young age, the three were inseparable. Perhaps it was the town, encouraging the three mages to bond and play together, or perhaps it was age alone. Either way, they were fast friends. Tyri, the oldest and the only girl of the group, quickly gained a reputation as the level-headed and bright leader of the trio. Ferr, the middle child, was an honest and kind-hearted healing mage with a heart of gold. Magnes, then Polaris, quickly gained a reputation as the immature one and the troublemaker. He had a tendency towards stoking chaos and finding the fun in a situation. While this brought his friends many joyous memories, it did make him often the odd one out of the bunch, the scapegoat, or the least favored of the town. While others seemed overjoyed just to see Tyri and Ferr, when he was around he was viewed with skepticism and a lack of trust. It didn’t help that his magic seemed the least tamed and least helpful: Tyri, with her control of plant growth, was always helpful in a farming town, and Ferr, a healer, saved many. Polaris was able to summon flashes of light—a fun way to surprise and daze an unsuspecting person, but not nearly as helpful as the skills of his friends.

However, Tyri and Ferr never let him feel like he was less useful, or less worthy of being there. As they grew to teenagers, the pair remained deeply close, and began to take more active roles in their community: joining in combat against swarms and other threats, chasing off bandits, and aiding people in their everyday work. They gained the reputation of town prodigies, or heroes: a band of young mages who had so much to contribute to their town.

The Monster

That was until a monster was rumored to be in the area. Everyone held their breaths—certainly, the beast was too far in the distance and their town was too small a target. The monster would never find them, never attack their town. However, the young mage trio couldn’t attempt to just lay low and hide, not when there was a great threat in the region. They met late one night to discuss the issue, and at Polaris’s insistence, they agreed: the very presence of a monster in the area was a threat, and it was their duty to snuff out the monster and protect their people. This was finally a chance for Polaris to prove himself, and to show that he was more than the weak troublemaker, following after his more responsible friends. He vowed to slay the monster and protect his community.

Magnes has blurry memories of what happened that night. He recalls the adrenaline; spotting the monster in the distance and approaching it with high spirits and determination. After that, though, his memories get blurry. He recalls the metallic reek of blood, and he recalls pain. He still hears the screams of his friends in his dreams. He recalls decimation. He knows that he was the first to fall to the beast’s claws, too slow and inept to dodge the monster’s powerful claws. He knows Tyri’s last act of magic as she succumbed to her wounds was to wrap Magnes in a protective cocoon of roots, and that Ferr died after healing him from the brink of death.

When he woke up, his friends were dead, the monster was gone, and he was still alive.

Flight to Faline

Polaris knew he could never return home. Not after he led his friends into this mess; not when they sacrificed the last of their magic to save him, the one who the town needed the least. He could never return to the community and face what he had causes. He did not know if they would pity him as the victim or recognize him as the villain he felt he was, and he could face neither option. He left that day, leaving behind his family, his life, and abandoning his name in his past. He fled the lands he had called home his entire life, searching for anywhere else. He took on the name Magnes, and stumbled his way to Faline, seeking a city large enough to be forgotten.

Magnes took on odd jobs in Faline, just trying to survive day by day. Though directionless, the need to simply make enough coin to pay for accommodations and food was motivation enough to get through each day, and he found whatever work he could get the only distraction able to drive his mind away from the night of his friends’ deaths. Quickly, he fell into the shadier side of the city; where lost and unskilled laborers could be better paid, and the more ambiguity of the jobs felt more like home to one who viewed himself as unworthy of redemption. First, he was hired for various physical jobs: moving potions or other illicit substances through the streets, acting as a guard, or being sent to rough someone up. Over time, however, it became clear that his skills lay elsewhere. Magnes had always had a charming personality; someone who could fake a saccharine smile and earn just about anyone’s trust. Though any positivity was a front, his charismatic exterior was an asset that quickly gained him trust in the criminal circle, and he began to be moved away from violent jobs and towards positions that requires wit and deceit. He was a grifter, or a handler to those more skilled at enacting violence. He became a manipulator of social situations, putting targets into just the right positions for thieves, assassins, or whoever else to take them out. He was sent to charm victims, gain information, and otherwise use his charisma and insight into social situation to create favorable outcomes for his employer. Magnes excelled in this role, and became a trusted figure to those who operated in the underbelly of the city.

Current Day

Over time, Magnes began to act more independently. He has now been in Faline for over a decade, and his reputation in the criminal underworld is high. Within the past few years, he has focused on moving weapons. He has strong connections with many smiths, enchanters, or those who are willing to steal from the Order. He takes the most powerful of weapons and connects them with the right buyer, taking a cut of the sale. Magnes also has a hand in supplying anti-Order and pro-mage groups, believing the overreach in regulating magic use and the consistent failure to protect the people reason enough to disband the Mage Order and allow for free, unregulated practice of magic.

Moreover, time has given Magnes the distance to bury his feelings of guilt deep within himself, so deeply that he can pretend to himself they never happened. His dreams are haunted by the deaths of his friends, yet, in day time, he never betrays that vulnerability to himself or to others. He pushes it down, focusing on the material goals in front of him, and pretending he never looks back. However, a deep sadness still claws at him, and the few who manage to get close to the light mage see a deep self-hatred and sense of guilt that he can never allow himself to process, in fear that it might crush him.

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Magnes's magic derives from the ability to create, destroy, manipulate, and take on characteristics of photons. Most of his powers, therefor, results in alterations of light and heat. He accomplishes this by siphoning solar photons into his horn and fur, granting him control of the photonic electromagnetic radiation surrounding him.

Lumiokinesis: By manipulating the photons in his environment, Magnes is able to control the light around him. This manifests, in part, as a glowing of his horn and patches of his fur. He can also control the ambient light around him, such as creating bright flashes similar in intensity to a lightning strike, illuminating a darkened room, causing an item to glow, or cloaking the light of a candle. In battle, he often uses these powers to create distractions or to stun an enemy with flashes of light. He currently has control over quick bursts of his power, such as flashes of light, but struggles with sustained use. For example, he can only illuminate an area in a five-foot radius around him. Currently, he less skilled at dampening light, though he is working on this.

Quantum Shifting: Magnes is able to transform the particles of his own body in photons, allowing him to take on characteristics of light. While, in the future, he believes he can perfect this into allowing for light-speed travel if fully able to shift, but for now his control on his shifting is far from mastered. He can currently transition some is body to photons, reducing his weight and becoming less tangible for a split second.

Future Abilities

• Radiant Forge: As Magnes increases his discipline, he will be able to trap photon energy within objects, heating them. Some especially dry or volatile materials may be able to catch fire as a result of this, such as tinder or alcohol, but he will not any control over the resulting fires.
• Luminant Strike: As Magnes increases his power and discipline, he will be able to concentrate the light emitted from his horn into a laser-like beam which he can use in combat.
• Photonic Distortion: As Magnes increases his discipline, he will become more skilled at manipulating light in his surroundings, allowing him to distort appearances. For example, he may be able to wrap the light around an object and make it appear invisible, or shift the color of an object. He will not be able to create detailed imagery, such as creating an illusion.

Costs

• Magnes' abilities are weakened under specific circumstances (1). The source of his powers involves capturing a specific type of radiation of the sun, and using the netted photons to channel his magic. Therefore, his magic is at full power when he is in sunlight or has been exposed to sunlight within the past hour, and his magic is weakened at night or in shadowy locations.
• Magnes' abilities reduce his mobility while in use (1). Channeling and controlling photons requires Magnes to consider the behavior of particles, governed by quantum physics, rather than the Newtonian physics used in day-to-day life. This need to focus on a way of movement so different to the way his physical body interacts with the world makes coordination more difficult in the moment, and will reduce his mobility if he does try to focus on two scales of the world at once.