Avaloria's Balance and the Power of Solivara. For centuries, Avaloria stood as a beacon of balance, where the powerful gem Solivara held the four elements-fire, water, earth, and air-in perfect harmony. But greed knows no bounds. Enemies from distant lands sought to claim the gem's power and attacked the royal palace, unleashing chaos upon Avaloria.
The King's Final Wish. King Favian Aurelios stood at the front lines, his sword glistening with the reflection of Solivara's light. Before he rode into battle, he stood before his wife, Queen Alandria Seraphis, his eyes filled with both love and sorrow.
"If the tides of war turn... protect Solivara. Divide its power, for in unity lies our hope."
With a final, lingering embrace and one last kiss, Favian left for battle-never to return.
The Death of the King and the Shattering of Solivara. The battle was fierce. Though Favian and his army fought valiantly, they were overpowered. As the king fell, a mournful cry echoed across Avaloria. Queen Alandria, heartbroken but resolute, knew what had to be done.
In the depths of the palace, she stood before Solivara, her hands trembling as she uttered ancient incantations. As her magic shattered the gem into four pieces, the world responded
The earth quaked violently, shaking the enemy's forces, the ocean surged into monstrous waves, swallowing entire armies, the air howled with fury, sending tornados to scatter the invaders and the fire of the mountains erupted into volcanic fury, incinerating the remaining foes.
The enemy forces were obliterated, but Avaloria would never be the same.
The Rise of the Four Nations. From the chaos, four nations emerged, each imbued with the power of a shard of Solivara:
Flamoria - Born from the ashes of fire, a nation of passion and ambition.
Aquaria - Rising from the depths of the oceans, a realm of wisdom and serenity.
Verdoria - Rooted in the strength of the earth, where resilience and valor thrive.
Aetheria - Carried on the whispers of the wind, a land of intellect and freedom.
Queen Alandria entrusted the divided gems to her four children, who became the first rulers of these newly born realms.
The Creation of the Grand Academy. To honor her husband's wish and ensure that future generations could master the powers of the elements, Queen Alandria transformed the royal palace into a massive school of elemental mastery.
The halls that once echoed with the laughter of royalty now thrummed with the footsteps of students eager to embrace their destinies. The students were divided into four groups, each representing one of the elements:
Drakfyr - For those who seek ambition and intelligence through fire.
Strixwyn - For those whose minds soar with creativity and knowledge like the wind.
Ottralis - For those whose loyalty and dedication flow like water.
Leovarn - For those whose strength and courage are as unshakable as the earth.
A New Era Begins. As the sun set over Avaloria, the castle-turned-academy stood as a symbol of unity and hope. Solivara's legacy now lived on in the hearts of the students who would one day protect the realm.
"In a land where power is divided... only unity can restore what was once whole."
Now, centuries later, the castle that once housed Solivara had become the Avaloria Institute-a colossal elemental school for the gifted. At its heart, the children of a divided world studied, trained, and unknowingly stood on the edge of history repeating itself.
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A pencil tapped against a blank sheet. A long sigh followed.
Vladislav Viktorovich Volkov sat at his desk, eyes blank, staring at the stone wall of their dorm room. Books were sprawled open, his essay prompt glared back at him like a challenge he didn't sign up for.
"Write about the role of elemental harmony during the rise of Avaloria."
Seriously? That felt like a Vyacheslav question.
"I am Vladislav," he mumbled under his breath, leaning back in his chair as if narrating his own tragic movie. "Fifteen years old. From Flamoria. Stuck writing a stupid essay that's due in an hour. I have absolutely no ide-"
Snap!
Selene Wren Holloway's fingers clicked right in front of his eyes. "Hellooo? Earth to Flamoria boy? You've been staring at that wall for ten minutes."
Vladislav blinked. "Huh? I was brainstorming."
"You were drooling."
He wiped his mouth instinctively. "Was not."
"You were," Selene said flatly, but her voice was warm, teasing. "They are waiting for us, you know. And if you don't finish that, you're gonna have to listen to Leo and Sofia rant about fruit milk for twenty minutes."
"That sounds like torture," Asher Lorne Whitmore mumbled from the bunk behind them, still hugging a sketchbook to his chest. "But maybe don't pressure him too much. Vlad's brain just works... differently."
"It works fine," Vladislav grunted. "Just... not fast. Maybe I'll ask Wei for help-he's a Strixwyn. Or Ami. She's smart too."
Selene raised an eyebrow. "Asking Wei? You're brave."
"I could ask brother," Vladislav muttered, then grimaced. "No. He'll glare me into a coma. I'll just finish it later."
"Later is never," Asher added helpfully.
"Shhh," Vladislav stood and stretched. "C'mon, let's go before Selene becomes a full mom."
"I am the mom friend," she said, hands on her hips as they headed out.
Outside the dorm tower, the sunset painted the sky with streaks of molten gold and misty purple. The main quad of Avaloria Academy was alive with students returning from training halls. But standing out - like a walking human migraine - was the secondary trio.
Sofia Virtanen was spinning in a circle like she was in a musical, shouting something about how the air "smelled like fire and victory."
Next to her, her cousin, Leo Virtanen was mimicking her movements - poorly - while occasionally juggling small rocks with earthbending.
And in the middle of this storm of noise stood Wei Zhao, holding an open book, entirely deadpan.
"Are you two trying to summon the god of chaos?" Wei asked flatly, flipping a page without even looking at them.
"We are the gods of chaos," Leo said proudly, tossing a rock behind him. It nearly hit a first-year.
"Speak for yourself," Wei muttered.
Sofia lit up when she saw the others. "There you are! Finally! Vladislav, did you die or something?"
"I was thinking, actually."
Selene leaned over and whispered, "He was staring at a wall."
Sofia gasped. "Oooh, mysterious. Very tragic hero behavior. You hiding a dark past, Wall Staring Prince?
"Yeah," Vladislav replied, voice deadpan. "My trauma? Writer's block."
A few paces behind, the additional trio stood apart. They didn't need to talk loudly. They didn't really talk much at all.
Vyacheslav Viktorovich Volkov, Vladislav's brother, tall and quiet, stood like a statue. Eyes calm. Posture rigid. As if he was always waiting for a mission.
Beside him, Ami Himura was seated on the edge of the stone wall, the wind gently brushing her black hair as she read. She didn't look up.
But the chaos came from the corner.
Akio Himura, Ami's younger brother, had climbed halfway up a tree, reaching for a crimson fruit dangling near the top.
"Akio," Ami said, voice soft but commanding, "get down."
"No," Akio grinned.
"You're going to fall," she added, eyes still on her book.
"Let him," Vyacheslav said without blinking.
Vlad laughed, then turned to the rest of the group. "Alright. Everyone's here. Team Elemental Chaos has assembled."
Selene shook her head. "We're not calling ourselves that."
"I already made the flag," Leo said, pulling out a wrinkled scrap of paper with an oddly drawn dragon wearing sunglasses.
Asher looked at it once. "That's... a crime against art."
"I know, right?" Leo beamed proudly at the poorly skewered fruit tower stacked like a rainbow disaster.
Akio dropped the fruit into his hand and landed with a grunt. "Ta-da!"
"We were thinking of heading to the park," Sofia said, bouncing on her toes. "Fruit drinks, meat skewers, that spicy fish-on-a-stick... the works."
"Food before essays. I like it," Vlad said.
Vyacheslav's eyebrow twitched.
The park outside the academy was glowing in golden afternoon light. Elemental students mingled earth-shapers building benches out of stone, fire-students roasting street food in controlled flame, and water benders creating floating drink spheres that shimmered like bubbles.
The group sat on stone steps by a fountain, food wrappers and drinks surrounding them like trophies from a hard day's battle.
Laughter echoed-mostly from Leo, Sofia, and Akio, the designated chaos trio.
Leo was tossing food into Akio's mouth like it was a carnival game, missing half the time.
Akio dramatically collapsed every time it hit him instead.
Sofia kept roasting marshmallow skewers using stray fire sparks from her fingers, accidentally catching a napkin on fire, which Leo stomped out with unnecessary flair.
Asher sat a safe distance from them, arms crossed, eyeing the flaming napkin aftermath like it personally offended him.
"Can't take you people anywhere."
Wei Wen Zhao sipped a chilled tea with quiet dignity, completely unfazed by the circus next to him.
Selene leaned back, head tilted toward the sun, exhaling slowly.
She handed Vladislav a strawberry drink. "For surviving the day."
"Still haven't done the essay though," Vlad muttered.
"That's tomorrow's problem," Sofia said, talking with her mouth full. "Future Vlad can cry about it."
Vlad turned to Wei. "Hey... any chance you could help me later? I've been blank all day."
Wei raised a brow but gave a small nod. "Sure. I don't mind."
Relieved, Vlad smiled. "Thanks. You're a lifesaver."
Then, he turned to Ami. "Would you help too? Just in case I get lost halfway through."
Ami opened her mouth to reply-but then froze.
Vyacheslav's gaze had already locked on her. Sharp. Cold. Unblinking. No words were needed. The warning in his eyes was enough.
Ami faltered, her voice soft. "Alright."
The atmosphere shifted. Even the chaos trio went quiet.
Asher slowly lowered the fruit skewer in his hand, lips pressing into a thin line.
Vyacheslav turned his eyes to Vladislav-stone cold.
"Don't rely on others to do your work. You're not a child anymore."
The weight of his voice pressed down like thunderclouds.
Leo blinked. "...Damn. He didn't even raise his voice, but I felt my ancestors flinch."
Vlad shrank a little. "I'm not-I just... needed help starting it."
Vyacheslav stepped forward slightly, tone colder. "If you want to lead, act like it. Don't let the people around you carry your-"
"Vyacheslav."
Ami's voice cut through, gentle but firm. She wasn't loud. She didn't beg.
But the look in her eyes-disappointed, pleading, quietly tired-stopped him in his tracks.
Vyacheslav stared at her for a heartbeat. Then another.
And then... he stopped.
Without another word, he turned away and began collecting the trash with precise, sharp movements.
The tension broke slightly. Vlad let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Ami looked down again, folding her hands in her lap.
Vlad sipped his drink, trying to wash away the sting. "One day... I'm gonna death glare him back."
"You'd die first before doing that," Selene snorted, nudging him.
Still, she leaned her head on his shoulder, and the quiet returned-
Broken only by Leo accidentally spilling sauce on himself and cursing like he'd been stabbed.
Akio cackled. "That's karma for throwing squid at me."
Sofia tried to hand him a napkin and tripped on her own bag.
And in that moment-beneath the golden sky, with Solivara's legacy humming deep below-the group laughed again.
Not yet knowing they'd be the ones who'd have to save it all.