The Impossible-to-Overlook Sorcerer

Kade was sick again. That wasn’t unusual; what was unusual was how heavy even the act of sitting felt. His body sagged in the wheelchair, breath coming in slow, careful pulls, but still, he had insisted on being moved from his bed. The nurse said nothing, only wheeled him to the far end of the ward where a great window opened onto the hospital garden.

Rain patterned the glass in restless rivers, blurring the hedge maze into smudges of green and brown. Beyond that, the sky hung low and swollen, its gray belly pressed close to the earth. Kade held a book in his lap, spine balanced loosely between his palms. The words had stopped mattering pages ago. He sat adrift in his thoughts, eyes fixed on the trembling leaves outside.

A faint squeak of wheels broke the quiet. An older man rolled into view, maneuvering his chair beside Kade’s with practiced ease. A wool blanket draped over his legs, though only one knee rose beneath it. His head was bare, polished smooth, the skin lined and thin.

“Afternoon, lad,” the man said, his voice warm but thinned by illness.

Kade’s lips curved, though it was a tired sort of smile. “Hi.”

The old man glanced toward the rain before turning back. “I missed you yesterday.” He reached into the side pocket of his chair and drew out a wrapped parcel, a slim, rectangular weight. “Happy birthday, Kade. Sorry I couldn’t be here.”

Kade took it carefully, as if it might break. Beneath the paper lay a book, its cover deep blue with a sword painting. “Thank you,” he said, the words hushed and polite. His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

The man studied him, and something tightened in his face. “They didn’t come, did they?”

Kade hesitated, then gave a small shake of the head. “It’s all right,” he murmured. His gaze slid back to the garden. “If I could…” He stopped, the thought stretching out with the rain’s steady whisper. “If I could, I’d be out there too. Somewhere far. Just… living.”

The old man’s sigh was quiet, almost lost to the sound of water striking glass. He didn’t reply.

Kade leaned forward as far as his frail frame allowed, eyes tracing the slick curve of the path winding through the hedges. “I just wish I had the chance,” he said, softer now, almost to himself. “To see the world. To be part of it.”

For a moment they both watched the rain in silence. Then Kade looked back, lifting the book with trembling hands until the gold title caught the light. His smile bloomed brighter this time, startling in its suddenness. “Well,” he said, “I suppose I can start with this one.”

****

Kade woke with the memory still clinging to him, the sound of rain lingering in his ears. For a heartbeat, he almost expected to see the hospital garden outside the window, to feel the weight of the blanket across his knees. Instead, sunlight spilled through the tall windows of his room in the Badania estate.

That boy in the chair had wished for a chance to live. To be part of the world.

And now… here he was. Alive. Breathing without pain. No nurse to wheel him anywhere.

Yesterday’s ceremony had left its mark, confirmation that his magic did not belong to their neat magic order of three flames. He was a sorcerer without a path, the sort of answer that might have crushed someone else. But Kade wasn’t someone else.

He had a chance. He wouldn’t waste it.

If he couldn’t be neatly placed, then he’d make himself impossible to overlook.

****

The morning sun filtered through the high courtyard walls, casting long shadows across the packed dirt of the training yard. Birds chirped overhead, undisturbed by the clack of swords on wood and the steady rhythm of drills being carried out nearby.

Kade bounced slightly on his heels as he approached the center of the yard, a wide grin plastered on his face. Hanel stood waiting, arms crossed, the tip of his boot idly drawing lines in the dirt.

“Morning!” Kade called cheerfully.

Hanel gave a small nod, expression unreadable save for the faint lines of weariness under his eyes. “You’re early.”

“You said sunrise.” Kade beamed. “I’ve been up since before the birds.”

“Of course you have,” Hanel murmured, glancing briefly at the sky. “Well then, ready to begin your first training?”

Before Kade could answer, his eyes narrowed with concern. “Wait. You look tired. More than usual. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Hanel replied, too quickly.

Kade’s face lit up with sudden inspiration. “I *know* what’ll help!”

“Kade...”

“Don’t worry, I’ve seen you drink it before... dark leaves, smells kind of smoky but fancy? I’ll get your favorite tea! You stay right here.”

And before Hanel could form a protest, Kade was already dashing toward the house with surprising speed, boots thudding against the ground and arms pumping like he was racing the wind.

From a few paces away, Galir paused mid-swing, sword resting lazily against his shoulder. He turned toward Hanel with one brow arched.

“Since when do you have a favorite tea?”

Hanel sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Apparently since five seconds ago.”

Galir snorted, shaking his head as he resumed his drills. “He's gonna burn the whole kitchen down trying to boil water.”

“Let’s hope he doesn’t find the wine cabinet,” Hanel muttered, mostly to himself, already regretting not stopping Kade when he had the chance.

Still... the corners of his mouth twitched, just barely, into something resembling a smile.

****

Kade burst into the kitchen like a gust of overeager wind.

“Hi! Sorry! Excuse me! Don’t mind me...!”

The staff scattered instinctively as he zig-zagged through, narrowly avoiding a tray of peeled carrots and ducking under a ladle one cook had just raised. The warm air smelled amazing, roasted something, and herbs, and for half a second, Kade forgot what he was doing.

Then he spotted her.

“Juni!”

She jumped, nearly nicking her thumb on a paring knife. Her black hair had come loose in a few wisps around her cheeks, and she looked at him like he was about to declare a kitchen duel.

“You remember me, right?” Kade asked, slowing down as he reached her. “We met my first night here. You took me to my room, then disappeared really fast. Which, by the way, impressive.”

Juni straightened. “Yes, young master, I remember.”

“You can just call me Kade.” He gave her a quick grin, then leaned in like he was sharing a secret. “I need to make tea.”

Juni blinked. “...Tea?”

“Yeah. The kind Hanel drinks. It's purple-ish? Kinda smells like smoke but in a comforting way? You know the one.”

Juni nodded slowly. “I do. I’ll prepare it right away...”

“Oh! Wait... no. I wanna do it. Myself.”

Her hands froze mid-turn. “You… want to make it yourself?”

Kade nodded with determination. “Yep!”

There was a pause. Then Juni’s shoulders sagged slightly, and she looked down at her cutting board. “If this is because my tea isn’t good enough, I understand.”

Kade’s eyes went huge. “Wha... no! No, no, that’s not what I meant! I’m sure your tea is fantastic! You probably make amazing tea! The best tea! If tea could win medals, yours would win gold!”

Juni blinked again.

“I just… I wanna help,” Kade said, his voice quieter now, though his hands still flailed occasionally as he tried to explain. “Hanel looked really tired, and I thought, hey, he likes that tea, and I’m part of the house now, right? So maybe I can do this one little thing. For him. Even if it’s just tea.”

Juni studied him for a moment. Then she gave him a small, amused smile.

“I understand, young master,” she said softly.

“I’ll take that as a yes!” Kade grinned. “So… where do you keep the leaf-things?” He leaned around her, squinting like the tea might jump out and announce itself. “Is there a label system? Do we need a treasure map?”

“Come on,” Juni said with a faint laugh, turning toward the shelves. “I’ll show you.”

****

Outside, the sun had risen higher, warming the packed dirt of the yard. Hanel stood with arms folded, watching a leaf swirl aimlessly across the ground. His eyes narrowed just slightly. He sighed, again.

Galir, a few paces away, hadn’t even looked up. His blade swept through the air in clean, practiced arcs, feet steady and deliberate.

“He’s been gone for a while,” Hanel muttered.

Galir didn’t reply. He adjusted his stance, pivoted, and struck again, flawless form.

Then came the sound of quick steps on gravel.

“I’m back!”

Kade trotted up to them, both hands carefully wrapped around a steaming cup. His face was practically glowing with pride.

“For you,” he said, offering the cup like it was some priceless artifact.

Hanel raised a brow, hesitated, then took the tea slowly. “Thank you.”

He didn’t drink it.

Kade stood there, grinning like he expected applause.

“I hope it helps,” he said brightly. “We can start training now!”

Hanel looked down at the cup again, then up at Kade. “Do you… like making tea?”

“Oh! No. I mean, this was my first tea ever.”

From across the yard, Galir snorted. Loudly.

Hanel’s expression didn’t change. He just closed his eyes and sighed again.

“Kade.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re sure it’s safe?”

“Juni showed me how to do it,” Kade said proudly. “She was really nice about it!”

That finally made Hanel lift the cup. He winced a little, whether from the tea’s heat or the beginnings of a headache wasn’t clear, then took a cautious sip.

Galir, meanwhile, finally sheathed his practice blade and turned toward them. “You didn’t bother her, did you? She doesn’t like attention.”

Kade blinked. “Why not?”

Galir’s expression darkened, a rare change from his usual dry neutrality. “She worked for the Toliar family before she came here. Another Marked household. Not the good kind. Real wastes of space.”

“Galir,” Hanel said sharply, lowering the cup.

“What?” Galir shrugged. “He wants to be a sorcerer, doesn’t he? Might as well learn how rotten some of the others are.”

Kade’s brows furrowed. “But… that’s awful. I mean, if you’ve got power, shouldn’t you use it to make things better?” He looked genuinely perplexed. “What’s the point if you’re not kind?”

Hanel glanced sideways at him, something unreadable in his eyes. Then he finished the last sip of tea and handed the cup back.

“That was really awful,” he said.

Kade’s face fell. "Oh..."

Hanel patted his head once and added, "Thank you anyway."

Kade practically lit up.

“Now.” Hanel nodded once. “We really ought to start.”

“Right!” Kade stood to attention. ”I am ready."

Galir muttered something suspiciously close to The Mother help us all, and returned to his drills.

Hanel exhaled again. But this time, it almost sounded like a chuckle.