Nature Boy is the most powerful Wizard the world has known, for he wields the power of Awesome. (He is basically the genie from Aladdin, but not with the teeny tiny living space). He lives in the land of Smallened, where he presides as Prince, for his family was killed in the war with the Land of the Droopy Ruler.
The Droopy Ruler has the power of Evil. Vile and cruel, he rules with an iron thumb upon all his land, and seeks to overtake the land of Smallened one village at a time. To do this he sends spies into the land to coerce and beguile the people of Smallened. These villages are lost in the evil ways, and cannot leave for fear of losing their lives.
Being 16 sucks. Being 16 and running away after you burn down a library with flames you shoot from your hands, trying to carve out a place in the world for yourself while understanding this strange curse double sucks. Getting interrupted from figuring out magic completely on your own by an evil witch with plans to take over the world by doing *extremely* gross things to dead bodies triple sucks. Add in a pet mouse, a hot boy who shows up halfway through and amounts of emotional suppression never before known to mankind and you get a rough approximation of Max's life.