Deep in the middle of the wilderness, the thunderous rumble of a waterfall was deafening. Legend has it that two great primordial beasts had waged war on this very land. There was a great crater at the center of the world that bore testament to this legend. After thousands of years, the crater had become an ocean. Legend also says that the rivers that branched from the ocean were formed from the claws of the legendary beasts that fought that day.
No one knew the truth of the matter anymore after so many years had passed, though it was true that the rivers stretched nearly endlessly throughout the world. Nearly. It was near the end of one of these rivers that a young boy was looking up at a waterfall with a pale face. Though no trace of fear could be found in his eyes.
The young boy had blue eyes and dark, raven colored hair characteristic of those from the Raven Tribe. Uncharacteristically, he was small for his age, being only 1.5 meters tall at 10 years old.
Next to the young boy was an old man who looked like he had a foot in the grave. Though, even hunched over, he was well over 2.5 meters tall. Like the young boy, he also shared the raven hair and blue eyes of the Raven Tribe.
"Little Dusk, tomorrow is the Ceremony of the Ancients. Your physique is lesser than that of others your age. If you want to prove to me that you deserve to attend the ceremony, you must stand under this waterfall for an hour straight."
The young boy looked at the elder and nodded before looking back to the waterfall, "I won't disappoint you Chief."
As Dusk made his way to the waterfall, a glint of disappointment flashed in the Chief's eyes. Other children his age had nearly half a meter on Dusk and a more powerful physique rather than the lithe one belonging to Dusk. Even those children would be at risk of death upon performing the ceremony. The only saving grace was that he was much more intelligent than a child his age should be.
As Dusk arrived beside the waterfall, he could barely hear his own thoughts. For him this was good since he was less likely to overthink and realize how dangerous it was to attempt standing under the waterfall. He had to perform the ceremony no matter what.
From the time that Dusk could walk, he had been adventurous. The Chief and the warriors of the village were caused no shortage of worry as by the time he was 3, Dusk was already bored with the little clearing their village was located in. He took to exploring the outskirts of the forest and more than once had to be saved from a wild beast.
By the age of 5, while the other children were still playing in the mud, Dusk was pestering the warriors to teach him how to hunt and trap game.
By the age of 8, Dusk was already exploring the lands beyond where even the warriors and the Chief would go to hunt.
It was during one of those explorations when Dusk saw something that cemented his desire to one day explore the entire world. Not unlike the waterfall he stood next to now, thunderous booms caught his attention.
Two powerful figures battled in the sky above him. One figure, a male, wore a fanciful robe covered in mysterious beasts that seemed to be roaring toward the heavens. He carried a spear in both hands that released bursts of flame every time he stabbed out. His opponent was a beautiful woman in an equally beautiful robe that seemed to be made of liquid ice and shimmered spectacularly in the sunlight. She carried a thin sword, like a rapier, that looked to freeze the air wherever it passed by.
Dusk only caught a glimpse of this battle for a few seconds before the disappeared as fast as they had arrived.
When Dusk returned to the village that day, he was in a daze. Never before had he seen something so fantastical. The warriors and the Chief of his village had great strength, but they couldn't fly. They had great speed, but they couldn't appear and disappear from sight in the blink of an eye.
Dusk went to find the Chief to speak to him about what he witnessed.
"Little Dusk, there exist in this world people and beasts who are capable of wiping out mountains, creating rivers and seas all with the wave of a palm. We live only on the very edges of civilization and fight daily for the chance to survive.
"This wasn't always the case though. You know the statue of our ancestor that lies in the center of the village? Centuries ago, we used to be a great tribe that lived near the great ocean in the center of the world. The Raven Tribe was known far and wide. For reasons unknown, our ancestor left those lands and traveled here to retire, thus forming the Raven Tribe you know now.
"Since the time of our ancestor, none of the Raven have ever had those powers, but we have records of their existence. Also left by our ancestor is the Ceremony of the Ancients. Those who perform it have the possibility to awaken and become what is called a Primal."
Dusk left the Chief's hut with more questions than answers. One thing he knew for certain is that he had to perform the ceremony no matter what. Unfortunately, fate had other plans. Three days later, Dusk had fallen ill for an entire year. He was forced to be in bed the entire time. His body becoming weaker and weaker. His physique, once like the other children, had become diminished. When he finally recovered from his illness, his body stayed in that form.
The Chief and the other villagers did all they could to help him recover, but it was useless. Dusk was informed that without a strong body, he would not be able to perform the Ceremony of the Ancients. Although he was devastated to hear it, a fire seemed to be lit inside of him.
Every day from then on, Dusk worked from dawn till dusk on strengthening his body. Eventually, though his body didn't recover to the way it used to be, he began to become stronger.
An entire year later, he stepped beneath the waterfall.