Because the shaper of worlds does not craft without cost.
The world had begun to unravel long before they noticed, long before they felt the weight of the crumbling structure of humanity pressing down upon them. But it was in their darkest, most desperate moments—moments filled with fear, rage, and a silent plea for escape—that something far older than the earth itself stirred beneath their skin. It whispered to them, soft as breath, powerful as a storm, a force of nature woven into the fabric of their bones.
For each of them, the moment of change came in the way it always does for the broken and forgotten: swift, violent, and entirely unasked for. But what they could never have imagined was that the forces that answered their cries were not borne from the heavens, nor the cold calculations of a distant god. No, what came to them was more intimate, more raw—ancient, boundless, and elemental. It wrapped around them with the kind of warmth that only comes from a love deeper than time itself, yet it brought with it a weight heavier than any of them had ever known.
Earth, Air, Fire, Water—these were not just the primal forces that had shaped the world since its birth. They were the building blocks of creation, the Quintessential Elements, and now, they had chosen.
Four youths—troubled, lost, scarred by a world that seemed to have abandoned them—stood on the edge of an abyss they could not see. And in that moment, when hope seemed like a memory lost to the wind, the Elements reached out, claiming each of them in a manner so undeniable, so consuming, that they could never be the same again. A connection was forged, not of their choosing but of necessity, and with it came knowledge. Deep, intuitive knowledge—what they had been given was both a gift and a burden. These powers could only have come from a source of unconditional love, from a place so pure and vast that it terrified as much as it comforted.
But love is not without its demands.
The world was dying, the structure of humanity buckling under the weight of its own corruption. It was too late for simple repairs. To save it, to shape what came next, would require more than mortal hands. It would require the force of creation itself. And now, in the hands of four fragile, flawed youths, the power to either rebuild or let the world burn awaited its reckoning.
The Elements had chosen. Now, what was left to be decided was whether their bearers would.
Because the shaper of worlds does not craft without cost. Creation, destruction—it was always one and the same. And in this crumbling world, the Quintessential Elements could decide the fate of all things. The question that remained was: would they rebuild the world… or would they become the force that ended it?
-Kevin Wikse
Might, Magick & Middle Finger 