#two out of our six protagonists had normal childhoods till a traumatic event occurred. One had a fairly normal teenager hood as well

[spacetimeaccordionfolder]

It's an interesting idea. The idea of kid Erin running into a thunderstorm trying to help his sister is sweet and heart wrenching all at once. This is the kid Tess has described as fragile and prone to passing out. A storm rolls overhead and he feels the passive magic to see if there's another will on it. Maybe that's where he learned the "rookie mistake" that poorly channeling lightning magic can paralyze. If there's a storm god moving past, then the two stay inside. If not, then maybe they sneak out of the house, with Erin hoping that the sky might choose his sister.

Likely, Galen and other folks of the Ruunaser household weren't exactly thrilled with the tiny elemental magus running right into a lightning storm. My brain has started thinking of the various shenanigans Erin might have to pull to get out of the house during a thunderstorm.

Galen, exhausted, disheveled, wearing a bathrobe: Erin this is the fifth time in the past two weeks please come back inside

Erin, tiny small child, who just got outside the house: You can't make me do anything! [this is referencing that one vine]

do you guys ever think about the fact that when Erin entered The Storm for the first time he entered it from the lightning side because it was the element he felt most comfortable around after being raised with Tess?

do you think when he saw the lightning he thought of her?