The human race has abilities, but not unless they are Selected, and Waverly is a Selector.
But some people disagree, and think that everyone who has been Selected, and especially every Selector, should be ratified.
When someone comes up to you and warns about, "Life is too short", well that's exactly what they mean. In a blink of an eye everything you know, everyone you love, reality of the world changes; leaving no space or time to fix it.
Realization hits us all during our most precious breaking moments. The strong willed always lasts a little longer than the rest of us. Showing us what true strength and power really can achieve.
What happens when that life changing outcome turns the world into something from a fair tale?