Ren groggily opened his eyes. It was dark and quiet, unnervingly so. The ground he lay on was soft and squishy beneath him; moving steadily at regular intervals not unlike a person's chest while they breathed. Ren attempted to get up and look around, but his body didn't respond, like his limbs had been disconnected from his mind.
'Move!' he commanded, but his body stayed still. After struggling a few more times but failing, he gave up.
'I can't even get angry now.' he sighed. 'My emotions are still gone.'
Realizing he was going nowhere for sometime, Ren decided to take guesses at where he was. 'I'm moving, quite fast actually.' He noticed.
A pungent, nauseating smell crossed his nose and he curled it in disgust. 'I know where I am now.'
Ren sighed again, something that was quickly becoming a habit. A few minutes had passed and boredom slowly took over his thoughts. He couldn't move his body yet and he didn't know why. So with nothing to do but wait it out, he let his thoughts wander. Precisely to the events that happened before he returned back to Earth.
Memories of the meeting in the strange realm with a woman who claimed to be his real mother
He reflected on the things said woman had told him lots of things about himself including his race and powers before she sent him back with a few gifts and words of advice.
'Damn her,' he coughed a few times and frowned in disgust, at least his face was responding to his brain. 'It smells horrible in here.'
Another sigh escaped him. He had no clue as to where he was, and his body was yet to respond to him.
'What do I do now?' Ren asked himself. He couldn't move for reasons he wasn't aware of, and he was being attacked by a very serious disease already; Boredom. With nothing else to do, he decided to go over the information he'd gotten about the changes in his world.
'It's dark, quiet and peaceful. And the smell is manageable. Looks like I can collect my thoughts in peace.'
Ren closed his eyes and cycled through the new history of the world he had changed.
In the year 1078 A.D, angered and saddened with the death of Eirlys, Ren caused a tsunami that flooded the Earth. It swallowed up every species on the earth and changed them.
While he had been conversing with his mother, the people who woke up discovered that they had not died, but their bodies had evolved into different species with different defining physical qualities.
They were later grouped into seven main species; The Demonkin, The Ice Giants, The Beastkind, The Titans, The Humans, The Elves.
An affinity with each element was given to each race along with the ability to manipulate Aether in various ways. They familiarized themselves with it, called the energy mana, and the ability to control it magic. From the on the world progressed into an Era of Magic, where the talent you possessed at magic determined how influential you were in society.
Magic capacity could easily be determined by the color of the hair. The color of the hair told which element they held the highest affinity with, and the shade told of their mana capacity.
Along with this new evolution, there were many changes. The continents of Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas had conjoined to form a Central Super continent called Pangaea. The continents shape remained unchained, but borders were built along the merging point of the continents, and given to each race who renamed them.
A border was built between Asia and Europe. Asia was inhabited to the humans, as it had the largest land, and it was fit to hold the race with the highest birth rates. It's name was changed to Nilevar.
Europe was inhabited by the DemonKin, the polar opposites of the Humans, with low birth rates and a much smaller population. It's name was changed to Hilefor.
The Americas were inhabited by Elves, and no border separated the North and South continents. The two continents named Aeilestair by the Elves, who had many different subspecies among them.
Africa was inhabited by the BeastKind, humans who had gained special abilities from many different animals. It was renamed Eumenia, a continent with the best tropical weather of any continent.
The Titans lived in the merged continent of Australia and New Zealand. Being the only merged continent that was physically separated from Pangaea by a vast ocean. The continent was named Azlaebos and is home to the race of giants; a cannibalistic, unintelligent and terrifying species.
The Ice Giants inhabited the Artic and Antarctic continents, the species weren't discovered until a few decades after 'The Flood'. The continents were later renamed North and South Ivel.
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Ren groggily opened his eyes. It took him a few seconds before he rendered where he was; to which he still didn't have an answer to.
'Maybe I can move now,' he attempted many times to raise his leg, but his body still did not respond. 'Damn it.'
He stopped trying and rested his head back on the ground. He looked up at the darkness above him and wondered what to do.
' I'm still not done learning about this new world, I'll just go back to sleep. Hopefully I'll be able to move when I wake up again.'
Ren closed his eyes and slowly drifted off for the second time. 'Hmm... Where was I?'
﹏ ﹏ ﹏
The six main elements were also discovered and each race had a different level of affinity with them.
The six elements were Water, Wind, Earth, Fire, Light and Darkness. The first four were very common while the last two elements were rare. All elements could evolve, but it was unknown as to what the last two elements could evolve into as only two races could evolve such elements.
Ren was already aware of what the dark and light element could evolve into. In short:
People who are born with one element can gain the evolved form of that element if they work hard and have a high affinity with it. Triple wielders are people who are born with two elements; one with low affinity and one with a high affinity. It is only possible for them to evolve the element they have a high affinity with while they are unable to evolve the low affinity element.
There was only one race capable of creating Quadra wielders; the Humans. This is because Humans can have a balanced affinity between each element.
Theoretically, if a human were born with two elements and a high affinity between the two, they could evolve both elements and wield four types of elements But it is very rare, and it would take quite a long time.
People who reached a certain peak in the Fire element gained the 2nd element of Lightning along with the ability to control electricity.
People who reached a certain peak in the Water element gained the second element of Bloodbending, along with the ability to control water molecules in the air.
People who reached a certain peak in the Earth element gained the 2nd element Metalbending, along with the ability to sense and control minerals in the Earth.
People who reached a certain peak in the Wind element gained the evolved element Air, that allowed them to individual manipulate all gases in the atmosphere. It was an element with the high potential, but also the hardest common element to evolve.
The first rare element: Darkness was first found in the Elven race. The first elf to evolve this element became known as the Dark elf. The evolved form of the element was known as Destruction and was so powerful that all other elements where easily corrupted by it. The dark elf became known as the Demon Lord, and wrecked havoc and murdered millions before being killed by a human-elf halfbreed who held both the Light and Darkness element over 700 years ago.
As a result, the Darkness element was looked down on, and any elf or human born with it was instantly killed upon birth, for fear that another monster would be born again.
The second rare element: Light first appeared in the human race, bestowed upon the child between human and elf. It was the only counter to the Darkness element's evolved form, Destruction.
Light's evolved form; Creation, purified any elements infected by Destruction and could also completely restore any living thing to their original form.
However, the cost of using the evolved forms of both elements resulted in extreme mana consumption and short lifespans of less than 40 years. Because of this, people born with these element often hid it their entire lives, or never evolved them.
The DemonKin had the highest affinity for Fire and a low affinity for any other element. Sometimes there were Demonkin born with two elements. The Fire element would gain the element Lightning, but the second element would not evolve.
Demonkin did not look human in any way, but could evolve into Oni who had the ability to change their appearance and look completely human except for having red eyes and hair, along with sharp rows of teeth. Triple wielders of the Demonkin race were extremely rare, and were only seen in noble families.
The Ice Giants had the highest affinity with the Water element and a low affinity with anything else. Sometimes, an Ice Giant would be born with the Water Element along with another element and more often than not, the Water Element would gain the element of Bloodbending while the other would not evolve.
The Ice Giants had no human appearance, but the Raeals; an evolution of Ice Giants could change their appearance to look human, except for having blue eyes and light blue skin. Dual wielders had the water element and Bloodbending element. Triple wielders could only be found in the noble families.
The BeastKind had the highest affinity with the Earth element and a low affinity with anything else. The BeastKind did look human, but would often have features of the animal they had merged with.
The Chimeras, and evolution of the BeastKind where special. They looked completely human, but could shapeshift into any animals related to the elements they had an affinity with. Chimeras were uncommon, but not as rare as Oni or Raeals.
﹏ ﹏ ﹏
Ren opened his eyes for the 3rd time in... He wasn't sure how much time had passed.
He attempted to move his legs again, and to his surprise, they moved. 'Okay, so I can move now. But should I leave yet?'
He was almost done going over the information on the last 3 species and he had a feeling that they would be vastly different compared to the others.
'Knowledge is power.. I guess.' The toxic smell no longer fazed him, and he'd grown quite used to the position of his body, so much so that he didn't really want to move.
'Once I've learned everything I need to, I'll go.' He promised before closing his eyes and returning to his mind.
﹏ ﹏ ﹏
The last 3 species had very special qualities that made them unique and better than the first 3.
The Elven race; known as a proud yet secretive race. A race that could have a high affinity with different elements, and the first race to have the evolved dark element; Destruction.
Usually, being part of a race would grant you a high affinity with one element, guaranteed and, with the first 3 races; the Demonkin, the Ice Giants, and the BeastKind, you were guaranteed to have a high affinity with only Fire, Water or Wind.
The Elven race was quite different. They were capable of having multiple high affinity elements among them. In turn, they also became the only race with multiple evolutions.
The first evolution of the Elves were the Earth Elves. They were rarely seen because they lived deep within the earth, and over the millennia, their bodies changed because of this. They didn't bother with clothing and their skin became extremely pale and easily irritated due to the lack of sunshine.
Earth Elves possessed a great knowledge of soils, rocks, minerals, and plants, and they keep this knowledge alive in their songs and rituals. From their friendship with the earth, they have also gained great contacts with the animal and plant spheres.
They tended to be tribal, and preferred to live peacefully in underground in shallow caves.
The Air Elves were extremely few in number and only one had ever been studied. To match their element, they developed working wings and their bones became lightweight and porous. Their lungs and circulatory systems were also adapted to suit the thin cold air.
They were physically weak, but made up for it with speed and agility. Polar opposites of the Earth Elves, they hated enclosed areas and underground situations.
The Fire Elves were the most
common of a elves partly due to the fact that they could thrive at any location. Wild, willful and unpredictable was their nature. They saw fire as a way of life, but they were still fairly secretive in their society. Even finding a fire elf outside their continent was something to behold.
Their magic preserved them against the adverse effects of fire. On the contrary, if one were to be enveloped in fire, they word receive strength from the flames. On the whole they are dark-skinned simply because they spend much time outdoors. After all, the sun is a great source of fire and they consider it to be the Holiest Flame and are proven to be stronger when the Sun is out.
The Water Elves are considered a rare sight even among the Elven race. Their physical bodies are actually forms of water and they have the ability to alter their physical appearance at will, but must consistently immerse themselves in water to maintain their physical appearance. They will usually appear as your stereotypical elf so it is very rare to meet a genuine water elf that is not hidden.
Like the Air Elves, they are pacifists who have no interest in battle or war. Why would they? They have long lifespans and are the hardest known species to kill because they possess a fluid body. They are the most patient beings as they view the world from the Ocean's point of view. To them there is nothing they cannot outlast or simply wash over.
Because of the passive behavior of the Elven race bundled with their rare sightings. Many over the years have tried to conquer the continents of Aeilestair, only to be met with cruel ends by Elven hands.
The second race; The Humans, were different from all other races. The humans were the second and last race capable of creating all types of element wielders. They were ordinary people who did not experience any change after 'The Flood' except for the ability to use mana. They also had no evolutions and stayed the same their entire lives. With short lifespans of only 100 years compared to other races, they should have been the weakest but made up for with tenacity, and their extremely high numbers plus varied element wielders.
Not much is there to say about the human race, they were just a normal race with a wide range of powerful abilities.
The Titans, were the most different race of all. So little was known about them, so most of Pangaea's population didn't know about their existence. Fortunately, Ren had received extra information about them from his mother before being sent to Earth, so he knew much more about them than most, if not all.
They possessed an element unique to their race; Shadow. It was an element capable of deflecting all forms of magic including the dark and light element. Because of this, the Titans are born with incredible levels of mana resistance, and put together with their cannibalistic and demonic ways, it's a good thing that they are separated from Pangaea.
The evolved form of their element is Void, the most powerful element on Earth, it theoretically doesn't exist yet, simply because no Titan is intelligent enough to evolve the Shadow element. Ren only knew of its existence from some knowledge imparted to him straight from mother. Not Camri, the other one.
Titans were already impossibly strong even compared to the Chimeras. Even without the Shadow element, they would still be a massive threat to Pangaea's population. Thankfully they are strong but unintelligent creatures, and have a small population compared to any of the races, their numbers varying in the five hundred thousands.
﹏ ﹏ ﹏
Ren opened his eyes and stared at the darkness surrounding him. He picked himself off of the ground, slightly satisfied with his body's responses, and stretched his limbs in an odd fashion.
"Still feels weird after not having a body for almost a millennium." He wheezed. "I'll get used to it soon, though."
When he finished stretching, he looked around in the darkness.
"It's too dark. How do I use magic again?" He contemplated it for a short while. "I think it was something like... Light Orb??"
In an instant, a ball of light formed in front of him. It brightened until it was like a supernova.
Ren was immediately reminded of the massive star he'd seen when he was with the woman before. They were above the Earth, which seemed to be orbiting a star several thousand times it size. A truly magnificent sight.
Ren brought his mind back to his current dilemma in the formerly dark encirclement. The orb he'd created was so bright he was struggling to see in front of him.
"Too bright." He muttered. "Tone it down a little."
The light lessened, but it was still way too bright to consider substantial progress.
"Nothing changed." He noticed. "How did that woman say my powers worked again?... Oh yeah, I need this."
He opened his enclosed fist, and inside was the earring that Ren received. He turned it in his palm making sure that it was the same one he'd gotten from her, and it was.
"She will never cease to surprise me." Ren sighed and stabbed the sharp point into his ear.
A bright light illuminated him. Vastly different to the light from the orb, which was dimming at a steady rate. While the light from the orb was gold, like sunshine, this one was tinted blue, like the color of the moon.
Once the light faded, Ren, who had closed his eyes midway through the process, opened his eyes and looked for any differences in him.
His body now felt heavier and more sluggish than it had before. With a sigh, Ren said. "Water wall." A floating wall of crystal clear water formed in front of him, defying the laws of gravity itself. Ren used it as a mirror to look at the earring on his ear.
The earring had locked itself into place on his ear, the stone in it now pulsing a dark red. Ren knew that as a sign that it was working. That and the fact that he felt slightly more tired than before meant that it was draining the AEther from his body and lowering his strength.
Now that he was looking closely, he also noticed that he hadn't aged at all. He still looked the exact same. He still had the same weirdly colored eyes, the same 14 year old body, the same grey hair...
"Why do I have grey hair?!" Ren slightly alarmed at this new discovery. "Damn it all, what did this earring do to me?"
'Okay. Let's think this through. It's probably just a side effect of the earring you put on. Yeah... That makes sense. If your hair color reflects how much mana you have, then the change to grey probably means that my mana capacity has dropped slightly.'
Ren, now at peace with the change in his hair color, stared at the water mirror, absentmindedly picking at the grey tufts of hair.
'It didn't really change that much, and grey doesn't represent any element... Ahh I know what it means now.'
"If white hair meant I could use all elements at an infinite mana capacity, then the grey hair means I can still use all elements, but my mana capacity has dropped. She wasn't kidding when she said I was strong even with the limiter on." He chuckled at the sheer stupidity of his strength.
"So from this new discovery, and the information I received, I can guess that Red means Fire, Blue means Water, Earth is Brown, Light is Yellow, Darkness is Indigo, Air would most likely be green, and Shadow would definitely be Black."
Once Ren had figured out the reasons for his current appearance, he turned his attention back to finding a way out of his current predicament.
Now that the light emanating from the orb was much dimmer, Ren could actually see where he was. From what he could tell, he was at the bottom of a massive tunnel lined with sharp ridges that stuck out of the pink walls. The entire tunnel pulsed like a living, breathing animal, and a loud pounding noise resonated around it.
He observed the his surroundings for sometime, trying to piece together some information and find out where he was. After a few seconds, a knowing look came upon his face.
"....Ahh, I know where I am." He said. "...The real question is how to get out without possibly killing something."