Kayden

Kayden is the protagonist of Tales of Concordia and one of the main characters.

Backstory
Kayden was born 16 years ago on April 30th somewhere in East Concordia. Little is known about his birth aside from this.

Fostering Grudges
At 6 years old, Kayden was discovered wandering the slums of Helton, West Concordia wearing nothing but a hospital gown and a necklace with the words, “Kay” and “Den” engraved into it separated by a strange symbol. He was immediately put into foster care which in Helton is treated as little more than a welfare program since most parents only sign up to abuse the free stipend that comes with taking a new kid in. Kayden was constantly placed in broken homes and was subjected to neglect regularly. The young but ambitious Kayden took upon himself to fulfill the responsibilities of his various caretakers by scolding them for their terrible child rearing, learning to cook and clean so his foster siblings could live comfortably, and even calling the police or intervening himself if their parents turned abusive. Since most juveniles simply cope with these conditions, Kayden was labeled as a “problem child” and got tossed around to various foster homes throughout his childhood.

A Magical Discovery
By age 13, Kayden’s optimism was wearing thin and he started growing tiresome and restless about his terrible life. He often visited the electric gate that closed off Helton from Gilt Edge, the richest state in West Concordia. While intensely longing to cross over, he became engulfed in a splash of light and when his vision cleared he once again looked at the security gate; only to realize that he was on the other side of it. Kayden came to the astounding yet terrifying realization that he was a Magus. He decided to discreetly use his powers to enter Gilt Edge and get supplies for himself and his siblings despite the risk of getting caught.

Exposed
By age 16 Kayden had learned several spells all on his own but his magic seemed to be rather hard to control. He noticed that he was at his best in casting when he was in a good mood. But his powers were almost impossible to contain when his emotions were bubbling over. While intrigued by his magical research, the revealed nuances of his powers caused him to develop an even deeper distaste for West Concordia because of all the anti-Magus laws and scornful propaganda that was present in the government and media. While attending a concert with some of his friends, he was petrified to see the event get halted by a swat team. They demanded to know where Kayden was as they had reason to suspect he was a Magus citing that his hacking attempts from earlier that day were recorded by the FBI. Kayden tried to escape, but the team was anticipating that and had agents placed in bus stations, subways, and even taxis. Having no other choice Kayden hitchhiked a ride but upon trying to cross the bridge that led out of town, all vehicles were ordered to stop. When he tried to proceed on foot, the bridge was drawn up at a 90 degree angle where Kayden stood looking down at the fate sealing splash below and back at the eternal imprisonment that waited for him with the police. After a mere few seconds of deliberation, he jumped. With his heart pulsating at an all-time high, Kayden casted his teleportation spell just before he hit the water and prayed that he would wake up in a place as far away from his troubles as possible. And he did, specifically; in East Concordia.

New Countries, New Allies, New Enemies
Upon regaining consciousness, Kayden was stirred by a sweet voice and opened his eyes to see a light blue sky unsullied by pollution. As his vision cleared, he realized his head was in the lap of the most stunning girl he had ever encountered. The pink haired beauty expressed concern for his well-being as she wondered how he wound up in the forest out cold. Before he can bluff his way out of telling the truth, he notices that his shirt is pulled up with electrodes on his stomach that are hooked up to a strange pink machine with a digital smiley face on the screen. When he freaks out, the girl stoically reassures him that she was only checking his vitals and that he seems to be okay. She presents the machine as “Gidget” a multipurpose drone that she invented and she introduces herself as Lucinda Lovelace. He asks if she’s from the famous Lovelace family whose ancestors are known for making world changing contributions to Norman culture to which she replies “Yes.” and nothing more. From this Kayden assumes that he is still in West Concordia but as he walks through town with Lucinda, he notices the old fashioned architecture, the use of horses and carriages in place of hover cars, and several people using magic. After passing out yet again, Lucinda bluntly tells him that he’s in Pacis, East Concordia. While getting his bearings over a parfait, Lucinda cuts him off from his momentary relief by revealing she’s known he’s a Western citizen the moment she found him and that he will surely be sent back or imprisoned if the authorities find out. Before they can reach any kind of agreement, the shrill cries of the townspeople drown them out and they go outside to find a large snail creature terrorizing the city. He asks her if this is an everyday thing to which she replies that strange occurrences only seem to accompany his presence. Regardless, Kayden puts his magic to use by attacking the creature and Lucinda provides assistance with Gidget who is revealed to have offensive settings.

They manage to stop it just long enough for the White Knights to arrive. When Kayden displays worry thinking that Lucinda is going to turn him over to the cops, she tells him that she’s fascinated by his magic disclosing that she specializes in merging enchantment with tech to make unique inventions. So she proposes letting him stay at her house and keeping his secret in exchange for his magic. Before they can shake on it, the creature gets back up and gives one final attempt to strike them, only for it to be contained in a spiritual barrier. The one responsible for the last minute save is revealed to be a short pigtailed girl in a yukata. She introduces herself as Chryssy a traveling religious disciple who overheard Kayden and Lucinda in the forest and decided to follow them. Kayden looks nervous at the revelation that an outsider knows his secret too, but Lucinda begrudgingly decides to give Chryssy shelter as well since she was apparently living in the forest anyway. With that, the three friends turn in to Lucinda’s manor where Kayden stays in a guest room and looks out unto the night sky wondering how different his life will be from now on.

Personality
Determined, sincere, and gutsy, Kayden is a teenaged boy who wants little more than to become a sorcerer. Having grown up in the almost unanimously prejudiced West Concordia, his Magus heritage was something he had no choice but to hide. But being embittered by his surroundings hasn’t deterred his spirit since he’s seemingly the only good person who lived in Helton. Kayden had to pick up the slack for his foster parents, his teachers, and his classmates by caring for his siblings, keeping the school computers up to code, and tutoring his friends after school. His habit of coddling everyone around him has made him develop a hero complex of sorts. When he sees someone in danger, his first instinct is to dive in head first and save them no matter how unprepared he is to handle it. He believes that the world won’t straighten itself out so when he sees something wrong, he tries to fix it. Aside from his strong-mindedness, he’s just an overall friendly and caring person who wants to lead a happy life without persecution. Kayden loves cooking, gaming, basketball, and learning about magic. He also seems to have a natural talent for computers as he displays exemplary hacking skills that have allowed him to research East Concordia regardless of the West’s supposedly impenetrable firewall.

But his most likable trait is his nurturing temperament. Kayden had to take care of his adoptive siblings because his parents wouldn't and this has led to him becoming very tender and kind towards people in need; especially children. He is quick to empathize with people in terrible family situations or those who are subject to unfair treatment by authority since he was forced to deal with these things growing up. While his tendency to act like an older brother is usually helpful, it can get a bit annoying at times. He constantly chides Lucinda for things like her reliance on her mother to clean her home as well as her terrible diet. He also dotes on Chryssy by treating her like one of his younger sisters and even shutting down people when they talk about things like sex in front of her.

His most troubling flaw however is his complete dismissal of authority and rules. With every adult or government worker he had ever come into contact with being incompetent at best and self serving at worst, Kayden grew wary of following the rules set by those people and he now regards all of his superiors with a “so what?” attitude. He carries this mentality with him to East Concordia where he gets a supposed fresh start but he constantly jeopardizes it by antagonizing the very people who can throw him in prison if they find out who he is. Luckily he’ll often get set straight by Lucinda who makes it clear that she’s doing him a favor by harboring him and she won’t let herself get detained because of his stupidity.

Powers and Abilities
Magical Energy: Kayden possesses both esper powers and magical powers. These abilities combine with each other to create a more unstable but potent form of energy. His magic comes out as static green sparks implying that his esper power is electricity. Kayden is able to execute a number of spells through his magic ranging from teleportation to healing. He also seems to have a high magic potency since a single blast from his bare hands can destroy trees, metal, and even parts of a building without a wand to intensity the effects. His curernt casting method is free style. (bare hand usage)

Enhanced Parkour: Kayden has spent the better half of his life running either from the police or to simply get to school on time. He's become rather proficient at making his way through cluttered areas quickly even without the use of magic. His honed agility allows him to run, dodge, and climb his way around blasts and obstacles during fights.