Drake grew up rough on the streets of London, son of a prostitute mother on the dole and one of her many johns, who would remain unknown to Drake for many years. He entered a life of petty street crime young and was an accomplished street hustler in the Norf End Alley gang by his mid teens. He would have likely had an unremarkable life in and out of custody, save that he had a spark of something more and was taken under the wing of Alexander Acaelo, a wizened and wise old man who was also a pratitioner of the Mysteries. Seeing Drake's potential for the art, Alexander took on the slow and difficult process of domesticating the wild young man.
Displaying saintlike patience, the old master slowly and painfully taught the lad how to mystically protect himself, travel by bending space, and to fog the minds of others. Drake began to care for the old man as a father figure, and eventually tried to quit his gang. That didn't work out so well. The gang turned on Drake, and hostilities escalated. In a final bloody encounter gang hooligans caught Drake alone on the streets and pursued him. Drake managed to flee to Alexander's flat and the old man scared off the pursuing punks, but had a stress-enduced heart attack which proved to be fatal.
Alexander tragically died in Drake's arms, but in the aftermath it was revealed that he had named Drake as his heir. And in a weird twist the will further revealed that Alexander Acaelo was Drake's grandfather; prior to his death the old man had divined via magic that his wayward son Xander had fathered the boy. Xander had departed the scene shortly after conception, but once he knew of his grandson's existence Alexander stepped in due to familial obligation.
Drake inherited a small sum of money, Alexander's books and notes, and news of a great aunt who lived in Boston...Alexander's sister and fellow Mysterian Agnes. Per Alexander's wishes Drake moved to Boston to live with his newly discovered aunt, who subsequently endeavored to complete Drake's education. Among other things Agnes was a sometime Hunter, and Drake got his start as a Hunter under her tutelage. Most significantly Drake learned powerful offensive Mysteries from her.
But all things come to an end, and so it came to pass that Agnes was killed by a possessor daemon known as Uarreazeal during a particularly difficult and long hunt. Left to his own devices Drake pursued his craft and continued Hunting on occasion, now has nearly a decade of making his own way under his belt, and can fairly claim the title of Master Mysterian.