In the makeshift lecture hall inside the Outcast base, Marcus had taken his professorial role quite seriously; seeing both Constantine and Jane this eager to learn made him feel determined.
"Magic," he continued, is the ability to use abilities related to the divine domains through the energy known as mana, the energy of creation itself. Mages aren't bound by domains and authorities in most cases. There are a few, referred to as "mancers" with limitations to a single power but they're rare and they can still access more than one domain. A mage's power has only one limitation; they can only do what can be done." Marcus said.
"What does that mean?" Constantine asked. Jane also leaned in, curious. She was never taught that before.
"It means that if it's not possible to be done through physical means, even through technology or just theoretical concepts, they can't do it. A mage can cause an explosion that blows something to smithereens, but they can't erase matter from existence; I can. A mage can manipulate wind or magnetic force to bring an object to them. I can just do this," he said, raising his hand; a pen floated smoothly to it, and he grabbed it.
"Magic gives the user the ability to do everything that's possible." he continued. "They have power over all domains. We don't have power; we have authority. We can distort the very concepts we have authority over and do things that can't be humanly done, with magic or otherwise. In essence, we violate natural law itself. However, in exchange we are usually restricted in only one domain and authority, and this power comes at a Cost."
"Cost?" Constantine asked.
"The Cost is a penalty upon our psyches given to us through our Reality Breaks. A Reality Break disconnects us from mana, and by extension creation itself, and allows us to use aether, which is a cosmic force. My cost is obsession with protecting others...or avenging them. Jane's is her uncontrollable temper. And yours…" Marcus said, trying to decipher something from a notebook he pulled from the table.
"Darryl's notes say you're something called a "crashout". What's that?" he asked.
Shift and Jane immediately started laughing; Constantine stood there, dumbfounded.
"It means he goes berserk, dad," Jane said amidst bouts of laugher.
"Ah, yes," Marcus continued, "You have a sort of manic energy that I noticed back at Silver Haven too. It seems that you lose control of yourself and attack everything with extreme aggression."
Thinking back to the training sessions, Constantine remembered having blacked out a few times.
"I don't remember doing this." he said.
"It makes sense. We'll teach you to control it, don't worry. Costs are usually detriments but, if you learn to control them correctly, they can even be helpful at times. Now, let's go back to the elements. Our elemental affinities are not like the mages' which use the traditional elements in their traditional functions, as dictated by natural law. Water is water. Fire is fire. All creatures born with mana have elemental affinities," he continued.
"That's the element they're most proficient with. Our Elemental Distortion works differently. The elements do not work as they do in reality. Very few awaken one. Mine is fire." he said. He took the pen from his hand and, using telekinesis, moved it higher in the room. Then, his eyes flashed crimson and the pen was enveloped in crimson and black flames that burned it to the point where not even ashes remained.
"My fire can't be put out and perfectly incinerates my target," he said. "Your lightning could do a lot of things, but it won't function as actual lightning; it will rather have a unique effect. If Jane were to awaken a Fire Distortion, it wouldn't be the same as mine. Our powers as Outcasts are mostly individual, and often tailored to our personalities or personal traumas." he concluded.
"But why do we have a power that's this close to magic?" Constantine asked.
"Constantine," Marcus said with a serious tone, "our existence itself is peculiar. We seem more…designed than naturally created. No matter what we think of ourselves, we can't deny that we're a somewhat perfect counter to mages. It's as if something – or someone – made us that way."
"Outcasts with an Element Distortion have something we call a "Twin". A mage, almost always a mancer, that they awakened simultaneously with; one they share their affinity with. One they are meant to kill." Marcus said with a grave expression.
"Our elements are called distortions because they cancel out their counterpart. My fire can neutralize fire better than water can. Unlike regular fire, it doesn't provide heat or warmth; to everything but my intended target, it's completely harmless. We need to discover more about your element…and your Twin."
Constantine was dumbfounded; everything seemed to be getting more complicated every day? How the fuck does he have a Twin? What even is that? Why does he have to kill them?
He shook his head in frustration.
Somewhere behind The Veil:
Elektra Saetta should've been happy. She was supposed to graduate with honors, go through with her awakening, and start working for the Association. She had a bright future. Then, on September 7th, everything went downhill. She spontaneously awakened on her own – an extremely rare thing to happen – in the middle of class, causing a lightning storm and injuring several students. Moreover, she awakened as an electromancer; although she knew her affinity was lightning, Elektra was a well – rounded mage with several versatile spells in her arsenal, but electromancy meant she couldn't use any other element again. She'd have to redesign her entire repertoire. Finally, instead of being allowed to go through the rest of her senior year she was given an early graduation – at least with honors – and was relocated to a secure section of the Academy. Her professors looked very a concerned about her situation but wouldn't say anything when she asked and, instead, assigned her rigorous combat training, which even included heavy emphasis in physical combat. She only had two clues about her condition, two words she overhead while eavesdropping on a faculty meeting, before she got caught.
"Twin" and "Outcasts."