"The Beginning of Power"

“First up, Jovino. Step into the center.”
The wind was gentle on the rooftop, but there was a weight in the air—like the sky was holding its breath. Jovino Delterragon nodded, walking to the center of the roof. His usually laid-back expression was focused now.
Shin'ō stood before him, cloak swaying slightly. He lifted one hand and placed it over Jovino’s chest.
“Jovino Delterragon… TERRA.”
A wave of invisible force exploded outward from the point of contact. Stones around the rooftop trembled, levitated, and hovered for a few seconds before falling back into place with soft clinks.
Jovino’s eyes widened. He flexed his fingers.
“I… feel stronger.”
“Next,” Shin'ō said, turning to the group. “Bezkon, you’re up.”
Bezkon stretched lazily and got into the center with a smirk.
“Bezkon Arkogromov… THUNDER.”
The wave this time came with the scent of ozone. Electric sparks crackled around the rooftop’s edges, and somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbled softly.
Bezkon blinked. “I feel lighter.” He grinned. “Like cardio was never invented.”
Shin’ō sighed. “Yo, tall boy. You’re next.”
Helwin von Schattenreich pushed his glasses up and stepped forward in silence.
“Helwin von Schattenreich… FROST.”
The wind shifted. As the wave pulsed out, snow began to drift from the sky above them—light, quiet flakes. The atmosphere cooled instantly.
“I feel colder,” Helwin muttered, exhaling mist.
Shin’ō hesitated before turning to Audaxor. “Do I really have to call you—”
“No.”
“…Fine. Audaxor Noctusapius… FLAME.”
As the wave passed, the freshly fallen snow hissed and vanished. The snowfall stopped. Heat pulsed around Audaxor, but…
“…Yeah,” he said flatly, “nothing changed.”
Note: Nothing changed for Audaxor because we’re all hot as hell anyway.
Bezkon, thinking: "Bro really said all our element names wrong."
“Alright,” Shin’ō continued. “Let’s test your powers. Hold your palm out, face up, and try focusing power into it. Use your fingers to guide it.”
Helwin went first—ice forming instantly around his hand and shaping into dagger-like shards. He stared at them, impressed.
Bezkon’s hands sparked, arcs of lightning dancing along his knuckles. He moved his fingers and redirected the current like a conductor leading a storm.
Jovino stomped once. The roof cracked beneath him, stone rising into a sturdy platform under his feet.
Audaxor tilted his head, focused—and formed a small fireball in his palm. It hovered briefly before shooting out with a sharp hiss, leaving a trail of steam.
“Alright,” Audaxor said, brushing ash off his sleeve. “I think it’s time we resume time.”
“I can take us down safely,” Jovino offered.
He raised both arms and shaped a wide platform of stone. They stepped on, and it gently lowered them from the rooftop to the ground, as if descending on an elevator made by the earth itself.
They reached the top of the tallest hill nearby, gazing toward the crack in the sky that shimmered with blue light.
“It’s your call, Shin’ō,” Bezkon said, sitting cross-legged.
Shin’ō looked up at the blood-streaked moon, and raised his hand.
“Hear this call of mine—‘Time’.”
Time resumed.
The effect was instant.
The crack above burst open wider, its light spilling into the sky. It stretched like a spiderweb, reaching every corner of the heavens. The moon turned deep crimson, and the cracks oozed a glowing blue mist, like the sky itself was bleeding magic.
The five stood in awe as a pulse ran through their bodies. Their powers surged—deepening, sharpening, evolving.
Elsewhere, the world convulsed.
People felt a strange force awaken within them. Power erupted randomly—some subtle, some monstrous. The strong rose, the weak trembled. Some celebrated. Others lost themselves.
Chaos followed.
Some ruled. Others stole, killed, or worshipped the strange new force. Cities burned. Thrones were seized. The structure of the old world cracked—just like the sky above.
And from this chaos… the Fifth Council was born.