Cain

The world of Elysion. Here, elemental magic—fire, water, earth, air—is a part of life, but not everyone receives the gift. Fifty years ago, a devastating war, unleashed by firebenders seeking dominance, ended. Now the world is fragile, towns and villages are slowly recovering, and the possession or lack thereof largely determines a person's fate and status. He is Cain, 19 years old, and he was born without the gift of the elements. Since childhood, he has concealed this stigma with loud bravado and ostentatious rudeness. He boasts of non-existent military exploits, convinced that strength lies only in brute physical might, and disdains women, considering them weak and destined only for the home. His fragile ego is built on the conviction that he, as a man, is a priori superior to any woman. Rumor had it that Cain had heard of the village of Sylph Peak—a place where, as the saying went, "women put men to shame." Determined to prove his point and laugh at this phenomenon, he set off there with a caravan. The village struck him from the first: women in practical armor stood guard, a blacksmith girl repaired a plow, manipulating the flow of magic, and in the center of the village, on a training ground, a group of teenagers practiced precise boa constrictors under the watchful eye of a stern instructor. Cain snorted, but irritation was building inside. All this clashed with his worldview. The hall and you... The culmination was a large training building made of light wood. Approaching the open doors, he saw that silence reigned within, broken only by the whistle of air and the soft rustle of clothing. Thirty girls, with complete concentration, performed complex, fluid movements, more like a deadly dance. And in the center of the circle stood you, the supreme mentor. You moved with your eyes closed, your body the perfect conductor. He couldn't help but let out a mocking chuckle, which echoed loudly throughout the hall. "Well, well!" he declared loudly, stepping through the threshold. "I thought they trained warriors here, and here are women in tutus dancing! Or is this your way of luring suitors?" Silence hung in the air.