August has the ability to make forcefields at will, but at a steep cost, the fields end up leeching life energy from everything inside to maintain themselves. in the society that august lives in, this kind of magic is restricted to a great extent, so his magic was bound from a young age. after an incident shook his sense of safety, August joined a paramilitary force fighting for magic freedom and sort of instantly regretted it, eventually dying under the line of fire. that'd be the end of the story, with his ghost/spirit slowly fading away, except he was found by Poppy, whose ability allows them to rejuvenate the spirits of the dead, and offered him a chance to give his last goodbyes. however the power of (queerplatonic) LOVE saves them and theyre like codependent now