Courfeyrac is 5 years old when he discovers his powers.
It also happens to be the day his beloved older brother, Éttiene, dies.
Ever since Éttiene had left to fight the Second Great War, Maman had been worried. She tried to hide it, but Martin knew. Martin always knew. So when he woke Monday morning to a pang of anxiety, Martin assumed it was just because he knew Maman was upset. He never thought to tell anyone—he didn't want to worry Maman more. So he just shrugged and forgot about it.
Miles away, Éttiene was receiving orders—he and his squadron had been assigned to battle a known raiding party of the rebel Skinchangers. It would be his first and last time seeing action.
He's climbing a tree the next time it happens, the feeling intensified this time. The shock of it is enough to make him lose his grip on the branch, tumbling to the ground. Luckily enough, it was a low branch, but the unexpected wave of fear combined with the fall leaveds him stunned, gasping for breath on the rough ground. "Martin? Are you alright?" It's Marie, his friend and climbing partner.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine." His voice is shaky, but Marie lets it go. God knows the kid does enough weird stuff, this probably isn't any different. The feeling fades, and he forgets about it with the vivacity of any child with better games to play.
Éttiene, in the meanwhile, has caught his first glimpse of the foe. It's a much larger host than they'd been led to expect, and Skinchangers are always a frightening sight.
The rest of the day goes by quickly, as summer days will. Before long, he is being tucked into bed. It's a sign of the times that it is Maman putting him to bed instead of the governess. She's reading him a story when he's struck with a moment of absolute terror, unlike anything he's felt before. He tries to ignore the feeling, but he's trembling and crying. "Martin, darling, what's wrong?" He shakes his head—he doesn't know what this is, what's happening to him. And he can't tell what he doesn't know. But the longer he ignores the mounting fear, the worse it gets. His chest feels tight, like he's in the middle of a too-small elastic band, and it's all he can do to just breath.
The battle is fierce and fiery and deadly. Éttiene is not the first to die, nor is he the last, but a comrade who witnesses it takes particular notice. There is, at first, the 'normal' terror and pain in his eyes as the Skinchanger's panther claws him, easily tearing through armor to reach flesh and bone. But then—something changes. There is an eerie calm to the young de Courfeyrac's face, a sense of peace even as he lies, dying what Robert knows to be an extremely painful death.
The moment seems to last forever, but it does eventually end. The strange, sudden terror is gone, leaving him weakly holding on to his Maman, exhausted. The experience seemed to have snapped something inside him, and he slowly realizes that he can feel Maman's fear and worry and confusion. His brow furrows, awareness bringing on a torrent of emotions, foreign and powerful. He's trembling again, running his hands through his hair rougly. He only realizes that he was tearing at it when Maman captures his hands in her own, trying to calm him but only letting her worry bleed through more. "Make it stop!" he says (whispers? screams? he doesn't know), wincing as it only makes the emotions swirling through his mind that much more violent.
Maman, though, is decisive in the sudden, unnatural calm that's settled over her. She scoops him up, puts him in the back seat of the car, and heads toward the Academy.
Everyone knows about the Academy, the one place where the many races and species of Lysani would coexist peacefully. It was also a place to bring the strange children, the ones with special powers and abilities. And after the night's events, there was no doubt that Martin was special.
The next time Martin opens his eyes, he's in front of an old lady. She looks kindly, wise and benevolent. But there's something about her that puts him on edge. So when he feels an unnatural calm settle over him, he fights back, even as he feels the clamoring roar of foreign emotions diminish to a low, managable gurgle. Sudden realization washes over him, and awe overcomes even the forced calm. "You're a—a—a"
"Yes, child. I'm an Empath, like yourself. Although I must say, I've never seen one quite so young. You must have been very close to your brother, for his going away to awaken your powers. I am Madame Fauchelevent, headmistress here at the Academy." She introduces herself, then turns to Maman to talk about boring adult stuff. So he climbs up onto the nearest chair, and, exhausted, falls asleep immediately.
The next morning he awakes to two older boys blinking down at him, one a scruffy, bespectacled human, the other a haughty-looking High Elf. "Whe—" he begins, but is interrupted immediately by the scruffy brunette.
"hospital wing, but we're to bring you to the dormitory." he spouts off quickly. "My name's Combeferre, and this is Enjolras. You're an Empath, aren't you? I'm a Telepath, myself."
Martin blinks, a bit overwhelmed. He looks down in embarrassment—usually he's the chatterbox, he's not used to not being able to get a word in edgewise—and finds that his arms are wrapped in crisp white bandages. "Did I do that?" He wonders aloud, forgetting for a moment about his two new aquaintances.
"Understandable, given your circumstances. Madame Fauchelevent says Empathic awakening without proper precautions can be traumatic." It's the High Elf who speaks this time, and Martin catches an edge of curiosity and even a little concern.
"We're sorry about your brother, by the way."
That caught Martin's attention. "What happened to 'Tiene?" his concern for his brother clear.
"Oh. I-I'm sorry, I thought you knew. I—you had to know, at least subconsciously, or I wouldn't have been able to pick up on it…" The elf shoots a surprised reproving glance at Combeferre, who blushes. "Sorry. I still have some trouble controlling it at times…" He sighs, finally addressing the younger boy's question. "Your brother died, Courfeyrac. Killed in the war. That's what triggered your Empathic awakening." Martin nods, sensing Combeferre's genuine sympathy.
The two help him through his first few days and nights at the Academy. Enjolras, in particular, was surprisingly good at calming him when he was still, unfortunately, a very young boy away from home the first time. Soon, the three were fast friends, a bond that would last them a lifetime.