The History of Magic
History
Pre-Collapse
Long ago, Kwillian were a completely magicless species, incapable of the fantastic feats that although seemed impossible to those in olden times are now commonplace. Before the Collapse, the technology ran rampant, poisoning the minds of Kwillian-kind as they became obsessed with improving upon their technology. When the collapse came, technology crumbled, and Kwillian were left with nothing in the darkness of their new underground home. That was until Leht gave them a blessing unlike any other.
The ability to perform magical feats of wonder.
The ability to create light and fire from nothing, to pull water from the air, to move the earth that confined them so. However, their magic was still weak as they only had so much space to store the magical energy, so Leht gave the first Kwillian a gem. The gem contained the source of all Kwillian magic, giving it a place to be stored that was better than the vessel of flesh. With the gem, Kwillian were able to draw from their soul and perform magic like never before. They thanked their god for the gift she had given them, but little did they know that gift came with a curse riding on the back of it.
Beht was still there, and he was watching, and he thought to himself and the greedy, I can give you magic, too. So the Corruption Alignment was born from Beht's want to influence Kwillian-kind, and his magic wormed its way into the souls of Kwillian just as Leht's did. And so, the six primary elements were born, the same six primary elements that all magic of the modern day is born from.
The Elements
Most Kwillian are born aligned to one of the six Primary Elements, regarded as the original sources of power and the origin points of all other magic. Long-kept history states that the balances are evenly split between two categories. Those of Creation, and those of Destruction. It's widely believed that Leht, the Mother Goddess of Kwillian-kind, created the elements of Creation to help her people know piece and joy, while Beht, brother to his sister Leht, created the elements of Destruction to ravage the land. Together, the elements create a cycle that sustains nature as it's known now, from the new leaves that bloom in the early months to the wildfires that rage and burn down everything in their way after the new leaves come.
When two different primaries breed together their magic can mix before the soul is properly formed, producing a new form of magic in the way of Secondary Alignments. Secondary Alignments are nothing like dual elementalism, instead of the elements fighting to split apart and get away from one another, Secondary Alignments are a smooth blend of the elements to make something new.
Though they may not be the original elements, these secondaries have become just as much of a requirement in everyday life as the basic primaries. Most often needing the Crystal Kwillian to make the massive obelisks that hold the energy to fuel the protective shields many towns in dangerous areas have. But there's all nature of jobs for the other Secondary Alignment! From Nature Kwillian, speeding up the process of farming by growing the plants, to Ice Kwillian working in food storage in order to keep meats and fruits cold.
Though there are secondary elements born from what's considered safe combinations, creating useful elements that have much to do for society, there are also tainted secondaries. These elements are born from combining the Corruption Element with the other Primaries excluding Purity. These Tainted secondaries are often looked down upon or even looked at with fear as they're capable of dangerous magic that can harm other Kwillian or the environment around them.
Elemental Conflict
Though all of the Elements may come from the same overarching source of godhood, they don't get along as well as one might imagine they would. All of the different Elements dance to their own music, a different rhythm to each kind of magic that fuels the difference in their abilities. This difference in the way the magic moves and shifts is what influences a Kwillians personality, from the gentle push and pull of Water Magic influencing Water Kwillian to simply go with the flow, to the twisting blaze of Fire Magic that tends to fill a Kwillian with passion or ignite a flaring temper.
When you put two elements together without the smooth combination that happens as a soul develops and mix the elements together, you get Dual Elementalism. Dual Elementalism is the presence of two completely separate magics in the gem, and it is considered one of the worst fates for Kwillian kind. This is because when two elements are placed together in a confined space, they clash together, and their different movements are constricted and confined by the presence of magic that does not move the same.
These confined elements wish to have their own separate room, which when confined to one soul simply doesn't work, so they seek to each make their own room. They do this by separating their own piece of the soul from any others, unevenly tearing the soul of a Kwillian into pieces. The sensation of a soul being torn can be described as 'indescribably agony' as most Kwillian who go through the process of their soul separating from other pieces of itself can do little but thrash about and scream from the overwhelming pain.
Thankfully, Dual Elementalism is incredibly rare and unable to happen through any natural means such as breeding or the like. Instead, it is often an intentional process that is done to grant the use of more than one magic. This is done by removing the element from something else, such as a magical artifact, a magical crystal found in the mines, or, even from another living creature. That element is then inserted into the soul alongside whatever present element is already there, granting two magics in one soul. This process is obviously very illegal, and any caught performing it are put to death to prevent the spread of Dual Elementalism and the agony it causes.
The Gem
The gem is, quite literally, the most important part of a Kwillians anatomy and what gives them life. Every Kwillians soul is contained within their gem, and their soul is the riverbed that carries magic throughout their bodies. That's why when a Kwillian uses their magic, their gem glows! It's glowing with the power of their soul and magic as they channel it through their body to perform magic abilities.
A Kwillians gem is also an indicator of just how healthy and happy they are at that moment. When a Kwillian is at peak health and happy, their gem will practically sparkle and be shiny and reflective to mirror their good health and mood. When a Kwillian is unhealthy or incredibly sad though, their Gem will be dulled and matte, showing no shine and being dimmer when it glows. This means that it's quite easy for a Kwillian to tell when a buddy is in a great, or not so great, mood.
Just remember that since a Kwillians gem holds their soul, any damage to the gem is damage to the soul of that Kwillian. Cracking, Scratching, and other damage or afflictions to the gem aren't common, but they still inhibit a Kwillians magical power. With a damaged or otherwise afflicted gem, a Kwillian might not be able to perform magic well, be able to perform higher tier magic, or sometimes, even be able to perform magic at all. It's always a good idea for Kwillian to take care of their gems, and protect them from harm. After all, without that, they can't live.