Ganko, the Emperor of Lightning

Among the events that led to the War of Chaos, the rise, in each elemental land, of an Emperor with questionable ambitions and desires was certainly one of the most significant.

The land of Lightning was no exception and witnessed Ganko’s meteoric rise to its throne.

Lightning magic possessed the extraordinary ability to power machines far stronger than the Espers themselves.

These machines became popular even beyond the borders, and a vast global electrical network quickly spread across the entire planet.

More lightning magic made it possible to power more machines, and more machines made it possible to produce even more magic.

Ganko was the heir to this economic empire, and it did not take long before he also took power as the ruler of the country.

During his reign, however, voices had already begun to rise among those who understood that the use of magic also had a hidden cost: Aether, the life source of Esperia, was consumed a little more with every use of magic.

But it was already too late. The vast majority of the Espers across the planet had been blinded by the immense possibilities these machines had brought. They no longer saw the damage that had already been done, nor were they able to understand the catastrophes yet to come.

Like the Emperor of Lightning himself, they were stubborn, trapped within their own vision, convinced that it was the only right and possible one: to keep expanding the global economy without end.


Our latest tales

  • We are in the same boat

    We are in the same boat

    Is this reality truly understood? When we look at how the governments of the richest countries behave, it doesn’t seem so. A consensus on climate change should be obvious. “Because others don’t act, why should we? We’ll just lose the economic war.” Well, since we — unfortunately? — share the same boat, and it’s the…

    Read more

  • A Shared Pool of Willpower

    A Shared Pool of Willpower

    The StarDust, like all things, is governed by rules. With Vati’s guidance, the Seven Shapes soon came to understand this. And one of these rules concerned Willpower, and how its use was like drawing from a shared pool. Whenever an Esper used their will to take on tasks that were frustrating or required deep focus,…

    Read more

  • Little by Little

    Little by Little

    This was one of the mottos of Kenko, the Shape of Health. “A bit of exercise every day is far more effective in the long run than one full day of training, followed by months of nothing.” Now that the StarDust is known by all the Espers, it makes complete sense. Shala always reminds the…

    Read more

  • Ask Questions

    Ask Questions

    Eklea and Vati soon became very good friends. Eklea, the Shape of Awareness, always loved asking questions, which came to her mind as swiftly as her Element of Lightning. In Vati, the Shape of Wisdom, she found a companion who would always listen and think along with her. Vati was often surprised by the questions…

    Read more

  • Innocence

    Innocence

    The Seven Shapes understood that for the Espers to act in unison, there needed to be shared values and goals — a common foundation for a new beginning. Gurumin, the Shape of Empathy, became a symbol of what must be protected, and of why working together was the only way forward. Her innocence was admired…

    Read more

  • I Want to Know

    I Want to Know

    Just as being able to say “I don’t know” is a sign of wisdom, wanting to know—rather than passively accepting things as truth—is yet another mark of it. “It is so easy to accept facts as they are, without trying to understand whether they are true or the reasons behind them,” taught Vati, the Shape…

    Read more

  • Triple Point

    Triple Point

    Reflections on how to build a world with harmony at its center led the Seven Shapes to place balance at the heart of the matter. Atma, the Shape of Balance—born from the fusion of all Five Elements and the discovery of the StarDust—was understood to be the key to solving this challenge. They contemplated the…

    Read more

  • A Decisive Time

    A Decisive Time

    Shala and Vati discussed extensively the development of StarDust throughout the lifetime of an Esper. One of their conclusions was that even before the birth of a new Esper, the time spent in the mother’s womb had already begun to shape what its future StarDust would eventually become. Broadly speaking, childhood is the “decisive time.”…

    Read more