Chapter Text
It had been said that every act creates a ripple. Although phrased in hundreds of ways by thousands of different races, creeds, religions, and origins, the fundamental truth remained simple. But mortal lives are too short to begin attempting any comprehension of just how even small ripples affect the future. And even should one of those deemed immortal grasp such a concept, the full understanding would still be lost to them. For despite the use of the term "immortal" such lives remain barely even a blink in the eye of the universe.
A ripple was merely the surface. Beneath that, far more transpired. Such was the way of things. No matter how intuitive, how imaginative, how genius the minds of mortals and immortals were, their primary fault was always to accept things at limitation. Even the most inquisitive or curious only dug so far before believing that was all to be found. So it was that the ways of the world were believed to be set after ages passed and nothing further was uncovered. Four primary elements: Earth, Fire, Air, Water. Three secondary elements: Light, Dark and Spirit. And of course the strange outsider called Arcane.
What remained overlooked for so long was a very simple matter. Of course each element was divided among various majorities of practitioners. Nature elements were typically divided between the shaman and the druids with hunters stalking associated paths. Light was the common realm for paladins and priests to dabble in, if the latter did sometimes turn elsewhere. Rogues and warlocks both held claim to portions of the Dark. Death knights held sway over portions of the Dark and the opposite end of Nature in their pestilence and diseases. And monks often employed spirit and nature in their ways much as some shaman did. The warriors were the odd ones out.
Only the mages were able to grasp the power of the arcane. While they often employed it to manipulate ice or fire, the arcane remained the source of such ability. So upon the surface the world and all existence was predominated by Nature and other Elements. It was understandable if one looked at the result of uncontrolled arcane power: the Burning Legion. Abuse and overabundance of arcane energy not only drew the Legion's attention but served to rip open portals to grant them access to the world of Azeroth. So the world and its heroes turned upon the arcane and buried it beneath the majority.
Not that any of this truly mattered. But what mortal and immortal awareness alike failed to comprehend was that the arcane was not merely some baseless power. Like the Elements, the arcane had a will of its own. And the source of that will was called Aether. Perhaps the highborn and the night elves that evolved from that race were closest to grasping that deep-buried truth. But the rift between the arcane-loving elves and the nature-loving elves blinded both to the discovery of this deity. Instead the night elves embraced Elune, who was truly just the ghostly whisper of one of Aether's facets. The highborn failed to embrace any personification of their source of power.
When the night elves sacrificed their immortality to halt the Legion, Aether took notice. But it did nothing. That was the price to be paid for the abuse. But it continued to watch carefully. It was when the cast-off trash of Legion make--the Scourge--led to the destruction of the Sunwell that it tilted the scales. The elves were the children of the arcane, Aether's children. And while it was punishment to stand by when night elves--and highborn--lost one of its blessings, to loose so many more elves was not acceptable. While history did repeat when the survivors split into factions of high elves and blood elves, the loss of so many children and so much power stirred Aether's hand.
Even as the peoples and elements of Azeroth rallied to face the Legion once more, Aether worked to correct the upset scales. Naturally, no one noticed the subtle changes. Not at first. They hardly affected every race. In fact, it was only the various races of elves who would feel the results of Aether's choice. But they would not realize the cause, only notice the change after the Legion was once again halted in its invasion of the world. Then, in that brief breath between one war fought on a shattered world and the next fought in the frozen north of Azeroth, the elves noticed the evolution.
Survivors began exhibiting strange behaviors. Even stranger were the abilities many males began showing. While there was a noticeable rise in elven births--previously limited due to the longevity of the race--it was not just the females able to give birth. Suddenly the elvish worlds were toppled sideways as it was revealed the more aggressive behaviors of some males balanced out the more submissive behaviors of others. The more submissive elves could give birth. And as discoveries went, it was only the more aggressive elves who could breed them. Thus began one of the better kept secrets among the elven races: Alphas and Omegas.