The rain in the sky was nothing more than water. Scorched by the Sun, it became exceedingly tiny droplets and rose into the air until it encountered cold air and condensed into clouds, forming raindrops that fell back down.
Rainwater began as saltwater evaporated from the sea and became pure and drinkable through natural distillation. Artificial distillation, however, was much more complicated. Early sailors used this technique to filter fresh drinking water, yet when they could replenish their freshwater supplies, they still preferred to do so—and better yet, to go ashore.
Soil was the foundation upon which terrestrial plants and animals depended. It formed the solid ground beneath people's feet, giving plant roots something to grip tightly. When the wind blew in the clouds, rain fell and nourished the earth.
Within thirty degrees north and south latitude, the monsoons and trade winds were extremely steady and regular. They were not so violent as to blow down houses, uproot trees, and whip up towering waves, nor did they bring torrential rain and flooding. Hurricanes originated from Hurican, the demon of the Caribbean Sea, said to be one of the creator gods in Maya mythology—the god Hurakan, ruler of thunderstorms and whirlwinds. Typhoons, meanwhile, came from Typhon, son of Gaia, Mother Earth in Greek mythology, a monster with a hundred Dragon heads. Hurricanes and typhoons alike released astonishing amounts of energy and rainfall within a single day, while tornadoes could destroy everything in their path within seconds.
Hurricanes, typhoons, and tornadoes all moved incredibly fast. Even by the standards of the Muggle Olympics one-hundred-meter sprint record, a human running at the fastest speed possible could never outrun such storms.
Humans walked on their whole feet, but when sprinting at maximum speed, they still landed on the balls of their feet. This raised