Miles is the son of renowned magic scholars Leopold and Ursanne Alabaster. They're purveyors in understanding magic and how it works and their son is no different, following right in their footsteps. Their daughter was the same too, until she fell gravely ill and died just as she reached into adulthood. To the outside world, the family seems to be the pinnacle of pride and envy, but what happens on the inside of those walls is far more twisted.

Miles' sister didn't die because of a mystery illness, and he knows it, because he watched his parents implant a magic crystal into her chest, then watched her slowly fade away. His parents have always been obsessed with the secrets of magic, of what truly separates mortals and gods, and how to break that barrier. They raised him for this purpose and this purpose alone. It was his job to break that barrier and share his secrets with his parents. However, he started progressing too quickly, which made his parents concerned. What if, with this power, their son turned against them?

They devised a plan. They crafted a curse for Miles - one that makes each spell eat away at his life, coating his body in a deep, dark, corrupted purple as it progresses - and struck him with it. They then turned around and claimed he was afflicted by dark magics, a danger to everyone, and with the city's council on their side, Miles was exiled not only from the city, but from the kingdom.

But he doesn't really care. He goes where he pleases and nobody can stop him. He's an apathetic, unfeeling man, and he doesn't mind if he has to kill a guard to get where he wants to be. With his back to the world and everyone against him, he's going to do something for himself for once: he's going to achieve goddom, and he's going to revive his sister.