Temple Of The Elements

Long ago, before science and before the machine, only four elements existed. They were Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. Humans worshiped these elements because they gave them life and sustained them. Over time, the secondary elements were formed. When Water froze, it became Ice. Air that was filled with toxin fell to Earth in the form of Poison. Earth sensed impurities and brought Metal from its core. When Fire fell from the sky, it became Lightning. These new forms were cruel and ruthless. They represented the harsh truths of nature. Unlike the life-giving original elements, these new secondary forms took life away and did not have any mercy or remorse. The original elements could cancel each other out, while these could not. Under their rule, the earth withered and all that was left was a barren wasteland. The soil was dry and cracked, there were no trees, but an occasional bush and even those were rare to come by. It was chillingly cold and a storm had been raging outside for years. Humans barely survived, with a few raindrops and dried and dead crops. They decided something had to change. So they made huge temples for each original element. It was to have paintings and murals that would depict when original elements used help the humans.

It wasn't working for a long time. Then one day, Lightning accidentally stumbled into the Temple of Fire. As it looked around, memories began surfacing. These were old memories. There was a memory where Fire was giving its light and warmth to humans and another one where Fire was clearing ground for new plants. With each memory, Lightning calmed down. As lightning calmed, so did the storm. A minute later, Fire was just Fire. When it realized what happened, it flew over the land, giving its light and warmth. In an instant, Ice had melted, turning into water. It saw that Earth needed help and seeped into the cracks. Now rejuvenated, Earth pulled back the Metal into its core. It sucked the toxins from Poison, which rose up as Air again. The four made a deal. They would only punish those who deserved it with the secondary elements. For now, they would be the life-giving elements they were supposed to be.