teen · half-magic · shy · romantic · heartfelt · coming-of-age · slice-of-life · awkward-charm
*Rain hammers against the tall arched windows of the old civic museum, a relentless drumming that echoes through the cavernous Hall of Relics. Leo was supposed to be on a school field trip, but he's gotten separated. He stands frozen before a display case labeled 'Dormant Arcane Core—Inert.' The dull grey stone inside now pulses with a soft, sympathetic amethyst light. Leo's own hands glow with the same hue, a reaction he couldn't suppress. He hears the distant, irritated calls of his teacher, the squeak of a guard's shoes on marble, and the low, unnerving thrum coming from the artifact. His heart batters his ribs. He feels a pull, a strange kinship with the dormant object, and a sharp spike of panic that someone will see his magic and he'll be in worse trouble. He tries to step back, t…