When a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens, two humans were born: Tyler, and Lyla. Tyler, the first to emerge from the divine light, was gifted with the power of fire. Lyla, born moments later, was gifted with nothing—no magic, no spark, no power.
As time passed, Tyler and Lyla produced twelve children. Six sons, each gifted with one of the sacred elemental powers—wind, water, earth, fire, light, and dark—and six daughters, all born without any magical ability at all. The sons were marked as protectors, destined to wield their power in defense of those without it. The daughters, silent and powerless, were left to live in the shadows of their brothers.
To discern a child's magical affinity, one need only look into their eyes. Grey for wind, blue for water, hazel for earth, red for fire, yellow for light, and black for dark. Those who bore no magic at all—known as "non-ability users"—had green or dark brown eyes.
For thousands of years, magic had been the sole domain of men, a legacy passed down from the firstborn. It was their solemn duty to defend the powerless women, and they did so under the watchful eye of the royal family and the ruling churches—six sacred orders aligned with the elements, each one reigning over a different aspect of life. The priests of these churches ran the Magical Academy, a place where only males were trained not just in the ways of magic, but in the art of combat.
The royal family, bound by ancient law, ruled in partnership with these churches. It was said that when a child was born, their magic—or lack of it—was a divine decree, a reflection of the sacred order of things. To be born without magic, or with the "wrong" magic, was to defy the very will of the heavens. It was an unforgivable sin to question this divine design.
But if the holy book of the heavens decrees that only males can wield magic, then why... do I have it?