The Flow System

The Flow System is the main Magic System used in King's Agency. This System gives a person the ability to control Flow, a mana-like energy source, Transmute that Flow into an Element, and alter the physical properties of that Element in order to create anything they want (within reason).

Terminology/Rules/Terms

 * 1) Flow is controlled only by the mind. No hand signs, no wands, no spells, nothing.


 * 1) Flow can only be Transmuted into Fire, Steam, Water, Ice, Wind, Sand, Earth, and Lava.


 * 1) Elements DO NOT INTERACT* and cannot be combined in any way (Combining Fire Magic and Water Magic will not result in Steam Magic).


 * 1) Transmuted Flow is called "[Element] Magic". The name of the Element is capitalised to avoid confusion with their real-world counterparts.


 * 1) Elements will dissolve into Flow if no Mental Link is established (If nobody is using it).

Property Alteration

 * 1)  All  physical properties of Elements can be altered according to the user's will.


 * 1) In total disregard for the laws of physics, altering one property will not affect any other.


 * 1) Property Alteration takes effort. Some are easier changed than others, but all will require some practice.


 * 1) Some Properties are unique to specific Elements, but all Elements can have the following properties altered:
 * 2) *Temperature.
 * 3) *Density.
 * 4) *Viscosity.
 * 5) *Colour. (Takes a while to get the hang of. No combat benefit. Usually ignored.)
 * 6) *Physical State. (Solid Wind Magic, liquid Ice Magic, etc.)
 * 7) *Weight (If this variable is deactivated, Magic will ignore Gravity.)
 * 8) *Time taken to dissolve back into Flow.
 * 9) Altering properties with purpose is infinitely more effective than just messing about.

Techniques
Purposeful alteration of an Element's physical properties in order to serve a specific purpose is called a "Technique". Techniques are insanely more useful and powerful than the standard version of that Element. Some are easier than others, but they're all pretty difficult to be honest. Techniques manifest differently depending on who's doing it, so nobody will be able to use one exactly like someone else does, but they all serve the same purpose.

Examples of Techniques are given further down.

Affinity
Every Mage has an "Affinity" towards one of the Eight Elements. This is the Element they have the most natural ability Transmuting Flow into and wielding. All other Elements can only be controlled to a lesser degree. A Mage will have two Secondary Elements and two Tertiary Elements, which they can control to 50% and 25% of their Affinity's proficiency, respectively.

All Mages have three Elements they have no natural control over, "Null Elements" so to speak. Under normal circumstances, a person can only Transmute Flow into five out of eight Elements. What Elements a person can and can't use depends on their Affinity.

Affinity Graphs
Visualisers of how a Mage's Affinity affects their Magic use. The filled out area represents your Affinity, the half filled areas next to it represent your Secondary Affinities, and the small areas to either side of those are your Tertiary Affinities. In the Example given, all areas are filled out to showcase each Element's colour, but this will not be the case with regular Affinity Graphs. The shape of an Affinity Graph does not matter, nor does the green centre; both are for decoration.

Effort and Flow used depending on Affinity.
A Mage will be able to use their Affinity to their fullest potential, whatever that may be, as you would expect.

When using Secondary Elements, you must choose between doubling the amount of effort it takes, or halving the amount of Flow you can comfortably use. With Tertiary Elements, you must choose between quadrupling effort used or quartering Flow used. Null Elements still cannot be used.

Elements
This is a full run down of every Element. Skip this. It's too long. But it has to be done to set everything in stone.

Fire Magic
Fire Magic's default state is Gaseous. Fire Magic has the most Element-Specific Properties.

Brightness

 * Changing the brightness of Fire Magic can be used to raise quality of life as easily as it can be used to lower it.
 * Brightness isn't a hard property to alter. Altering it to extreme levels can come as easily as balancing a plank on your nose (not THAT hard).
 * Taking light out of the equation when using Fire Magic by lowering its brightness can allow for a more comfortable experience when using it.
 * Raising the brightness of Fire Magic can give a Mage the upper hand in a fight if they're well equipped to deal with it. Bring sunglasses and the blinding light will only affect the person you're slinging the heat at!
 * Altering Brightness in conjunction with other properties is the basis of many Elemental Techniques and even more Elemental Gemstone devices: Ovens, hobs, and heaters that need to bring the heat without blinding people, as well as light bulbs, street lamps, and flashlights that need to let it shine without burning people!

Ability to burn
Fire Magic will burn anything it has direct contact with. Fire Magic doesn't spread. BUT, the heat generated from it can cause real fires in their stead. Low temperature Fire Magic will be fine to sit next to, but will still burn if you touch it. You can change that by also altering ability to burn. The opposite is also true in that high temperature Fire Magic can be (relatively) safe if ability to burn is minimised.

Burn Speed


 * You can also alter the intensity at which Fire Magic burns things in contact with it!
 * Burn speed is one of the harder properties to get the hang of, but it has its uses.
 * Raising Burn Speed will turn anything your Fire Magic gets it's hands on into ash within seconds of setting alight.
 * Lowering Burn Speed is only used for the torture and abuse of victims
 * (You have the option of not making Fire Magic burn at all. Making things burn slowly is cruel).
 * Burn speed is the basis of many Fire Magic Techniques.

Oxygen consumption

 * By default, Fire Magic does not consume Oxygen from it's surroundings.
 * But it can if you want it to.
 * Altering this property is very hard, but is incredibly useful for putting opponents out of commission without the need for violence.
 * This works by just having the Fire Magic temporarily absorb oxygen (since there's no way for it to actually burn the stuff up), and is all released when the Fire Magic dissolves back into Flow. This has its uses in underwater missions where a supply of air is needed.
 * This property becomes even scarier when used to deplete a large area (or a small confined one) of all of it's oxygen
 * Potentially has Gemstone uses for keeping oxygen away from foodstuffs.

Dependence on Oxygen

 * A very hard property to differentiate from Oxygen Consumption, Oxygen Dependence will make it so that Fire Magic will instantly dissolve into Flow if it's surroundings lack Oxygen.
 * By default, Fire Magic doesn't depend on Oxygen to stay Transmute.
 * There isn't much reason to alter this property from it's default.
 * However, activating this property is useful in the detection of poisonous gases in the surroundings.

Smoke Production

 * By Default, Fire Magic does not produce smoke at all.
 * Enabling this property isn't hard compared to Fire Magic's other properties.
 * Smoke will copy the properties of the Fire Magic that produced it (except from brightness), and cannot be controlled like an Element would.
 * Smoke Production is a property best used in conjunction with the alteration of other properties.
 * Useful for smokescreens, gas bombs, signals.
 * Gemstone uses include barbeques and pest control.

Susceptibility to water

 * By default, Fire Magic is totally immune to Water Magic, and can be put out by regular water. Raising or lowering this property can change this for better or worse.
 * Fire Magic that is put out by water will instantly dissolve back into Flow. That Flow remains under the control of whoever was in control of it before it was dowsed.
 * Raising Fire Magic's susceptibility to water will also make it vulnerable to Water Magic, which has many applications.
 * (A previous attack that went out of control can be put out with an ally's Water Magic. Performing Flow Takeover on an a large mass of Fire Magic that is too much to dissolve at once, then having it all dowsed by an ally's Water Magic.)
 * Lowering Fire Magic's susceptibility to water is notably harder to do than raising it. Lowering this property allows Fire Magic to stay alight underwater, whether it be Water Magic is real water.
 * Fire Magic will stay alight underwater with Water Susceptibility lowered, even with Oxygen Dependence activated.

Elemental Techniques

 * Safe Flames: Minimise Temperature, Ability to Burn, and Burn Speed. Safe Flames are a simple Elemental Technique that anyone who can use Fire Magic should be able to do. Good as a light source.
 * Cremation Flames: Maximise Burn Speed and Ability to Burn. Temperature doesn't matter all too much since making contact with this type of Fire Magic will cause immense pain and destroy body parts within seconds. This includes you and your allies, so be careful when you fling these about.
 * Napalm: Change the Fire Magic into a liquid, increase its burn speed, and maximise the amount of time it takes to dissolve back into Flow. Then you've got yourself some damage-over-time magic. Nice.
 * Flashbangs: Maximise Brightness. Set dissolve time to be as low as possible. Great for tactical advances.

Steam Magic
Steam Magic's default State is Gaseous.

Transparency
You can alter the opacity of Steam Magic. Ranges from total invisibility to impossible to see through. Minimising transparency is useful for smokescreens. Maximising transparency is useful for sneak attacks. Wrapping yourself in fully transparent Steam Magic will not render you invisible. Very Tactical.

Humidity
Not to sure what to say about this. Making really dry Steam Magic is pretty much the same as Wind Magic, also makes it hard to see. Humid Steam Magic makes you cough if you breath it in, makes your clothes sticky and icky, makes it hard to breath, and obscures visibility. Raising the humidity of Steam Magic makes it more cloud-like.

Texture
You can change the way Steam Magic feels. A property unique to Steam Magic (also messing about with the properties of other Elements can achieve the same effect), this is what makes Steam Magic the most tactical Element. The ways you could trick someone with this is endless. Changing the texture only changes the way it looks and feels. At a high level of skill, it is entirely possible to create replicas of items with Steam Magic by altering it's State, Density, Temperature, Texture, and Colour. This is a highly coveted skill among Steam Mages.



Elemental Techniques

 * Camouflage: Wrap yourself or another target in Steam Magic, make it a liquid, maximise it's transparency, and change it's Colour accordingly to match the environment. Skilful application of this will allow you to totally hide objects from others. Liquid Steam Magic is easy to keep still (unlike Gaseous Steam Magic) and flows easily (unlike Solid Steam Magic). Using this next to a surface will make you near-invisible. At a high level, you will be able to camouflage yourself while moving. Minimising dissolve speed will allow the effect to linger even after you stop using the Technique.
 * Amorphous clouds: The same concept as Camouflage, but there is no target to envelope. Instead, you're shaping the Steam Magic into a fool-proof replica by altering every property that you need to. You can also use these replicas to attack since it is still a piece of Magic.
 * Invisible walls: A simple Technique that utilises Solid, Transparent Steam Magic. This technique is also usable with Wind Magic.

Breathability
You can alter how well air can pass through Water Magic. Minimising this properties doesn't make it all too different than Regular Water Magic, but is an easy way to make a room air-tight. Raising this property turns Water Magic into a all purpose gas mask that can filter the air out of just about anything! You'll be able to sit comfortably in a room full of mustard gas and even breath underwater if you wrap high breathability Water Magic around your face!

Surface Tension
Altering the surface tension of Water Magic can lead to some pretty wild stuff. Slamming a ball of Water Magic against a wall would make it bounce if you raised it's surface tension high enough. You could even stand on it while it's still a liquid. Lowering surface tension makes Water Magic spread across everything it touches.

Boiling/Freezing Point
You can make it so that your Water Magic instantly dissolves back into Flow if it goes above/below a certain temperature. There is no combat benefit to this other than measuring the temperature of the environment. This property is usually something you ignore considering that the defaults are Absolute Zero/Absolute Hot and the fact that you're basically limiting the temperatures you can output. Only useful for recon.

Elemental Techniques

 * Pressure Manipulation: Squeezing Water Magic to raise it's pressure is an effective way to increase it's offensive capabilities if done right. Loosen your hold on a small point to make your Water Magic shoot out as a focused beam. Potentially fatal. Also requires you to maintain control of that piece of Magic.
 * Glue: Several different types of makeshift adhesives can be created by increasing the viscosity of Water Magic. Messing around with other properties can allow for different effects.

Ice Magic
Ice Magic only has one Element-Specific Alterable Property.

Crystal Structure
This is just a fancy way of saying "What kind of Ice it is". Alteration of this property can change your Ice Magic from standard ice to snow to slush to anything else in-between.

Melting Point
Useless Property to alter for the same reason it is with Water Magic.

Elemental Techniques



 * Permafrost: Minimising dissolve speed is a very useful technique for Ice Magic for a multitude of reasons.
 * I seriously can't think of any.

Air Pressure
You can change the pressure that Wind Magic is perceived to have. You can squeeze your Magic to pressurise it, sure. But altering the Air Pressure of Wind Magic affects it's surroundings too. Lowing air pressure will cause anything close enough to be affected to be sucked in. Raising air pressure will cause anything that isn't Wind Magic to be pushed away. Dissolving high pressure Wind Magic will create a pseudo vacuum that quickly pulls air in to fill the space, creating a loud noise.

Elemental Techniques

 * Wind Magic is incredibly hard to divulge into. There's so much you can do with this, especially considering you have full control of where the Wind Magic goes.
 * Black holes: Sort of sharing this technique with Earth Magic, large amounts Wind Magic with minimal air pressure can create large areas of crowd-control.
 * Almighty Push: Create a sphere of high pressure Wind Magic, then project it outwards. Nothing will be able to pass through it.

Sand Magic
Changing the state of Sand Magic is tricky. It's default state is liquid. Turning Sand Magic solid makes it clump together like it's wet. Turning Sand Magic into a gas makes it behave like huge dust clouds.

Grain Size
When Transmuting Flow into Sand Magic, it will turn into several tiny granules that are controlled as one mass. You can alter how large/small these granules are.

Grain Structure
You can freely change the shape of Sand Magic granules. At a higher level, you can have several different grain structures in effect at once.

Elemental Techniques

 * Silk: Lower grain size, change their structure to be as round as possible, and change its state to liquid. Easy and satisfying to control.
 * Dust: Minimise grain size, lower density, increase viscosity, and change it's state to Gas. Useful for smokescreens and asphyxiation. Luckily, it's very easy to overpower a person's control over their Magic when they use this Technique.
 * Grindwheel: Maximise grain size and change their structure to be as sharp as you can, then make it spin as fast as you can, and that's how you kill people in the most gruesome way possible. In the hands of talented Mages, this stuff can chew up just about any material.

Earth Magic
Earth Magic is also quite strange.

Eartheness
Similar to Ice Magic, alteration of this property will effectively change "what kind of Earth Magic it is". Ranging from soil, to stones, to dry af desert rock. Pretty much anything.

Gravitational Pull
Earth Magic exerts a Gravitational Pull, unlike the other 7 Elements. It can also be increased and decreased according to the user's will. This property is very hard to alter, but it's WELL worth it. Mastery of this property could make you near unstoppable. The gravitational pull exerted by your Earth Magic can get strong enough to misdirect enemy Magic attacks. You can also choose what direction the pull is exerted in, making it possible to create Earth Magic that only pulls things in on one side. The opposite is also true in that you can make Earth Magic repel anything close enough to feel it's push. There is no limit to this.

Elemental Techniques

 * I don't know.

Lava Magic
Alternating between liquid and solid will determine how Molten your Lava Magic is. Gaseous Lava Magic is something else entirely. Don't fuck with it.

Cragginess
This property is linked to how "lumpy" your Lava Magic is. When it's liquid, craggy Lava Magic will be like a bowl of soup with razors in it. When it's solid it's like cold custard with razors sticking out of it.

Brightness
Just like with Fire Magic, the brightness of Lava Magic is an easy property to alter and allows for increased quality of life or a tactical advantage.

Meltiness
Altering this property will change. Low Melty Lava Magic is like a rock. High melty Lava Magic is like a fluid. Remember that this is separate from Lava Magic's state of matter. you can have a liquid rock lava or solid magma.

Bubbliness
Altering this property will change how much your Lava Magic bubbles and spits flecks of hot magma everywhere.

Elemental Techniques

 * Explosions: Raise bubbliness, raise temperature, raise or lower meltiness depending on preference, lower density, increase weight and raise viscosity. GET LOADS AND SQUEEZE THE FUCK OUT OF IT. After shrinking it to about a tenth of it's original size, let go. This will hurt like a bitch.
 * Sparks: Raise bubbliness, change state to gas, maximise crags, lower meltiness.
 * Cold Lava: There isn't anything else to say.

Gates
Gates are a special, non-vital Organ possessed only by people who can use the Flow Magic System that lies on top of the skin. They're essentially another type of skin that can replace normal skin. They're deep black in colour and bear elaborate patterns that vary from person to person. Gates allow a person to filter and expel the Flow out of their bloodstream so that it can be used in a safe way. Gates don't glow or make a sound effect or anything when Flow is released through them. This is because having them do so would bait a person out if they were, I don't know, pretending to be dead and trying to escape. (*cough*jiraiya*cough*)

Development
Gates normally develop at puberty, but some kids develop theirs earlier than that and others are born with fully functional Gates right off the bat. Being born without Gates is genetically impossible, it seems. Gates can and will develop anywhere on the body as long as it'll create a distinguishable pattern, although the hands and arms are the most commonplace areas for them to develop. Hair that grows over Gates becomes black in colour, regardless of the person's actual hair color.

Pattern Uniqueness
Similar to a person's fingerprint, the Gate patterns of a person is totally unique to them; even among twins and family members, Gate patterns will still have distinguishable variation. The areas in which Gates develop can be influenced by strong emotions and environmental factors, not always, but they can.

Darkness and Pattern Complexity
The Darkness of a person's Gates is an indicator of how much Flow they can release out of them at once. The complexity of a person's Gates indicates the strength of their Mental Links, as well as Transmutation speed.

When first coming in, Gates are weak and have little darkness and no patterns. As a person trains, these will improve and using Magic will become second nature. There is no limit to the Darkness or Pattern Complexity of Gates. Improving Gate quality can be done via hypertrophy: simple overwork and rest, but people have their limits and overworking your Gates will result in Flow Sickness or a Mind Crush.

A person's Magical prowess can be estimated by the condition of their Gates. Be fearful of people with impressive Gates.

If you have control over a mass of Flow, and someone with more Complex Gates than you tries to take control over the same mass, your link will be overridden.

Closed Gates
Flow is a shared resource, the human body uses it for metabolism and for Magic. The less you use Magic, the harder and more energy-taxing it becomes to use it. Neglect it for too long and they'll close up, becoming barely visible and making it look like the person could never use Magic in the first place. Magic use becomes completely impossible with closed Gates since your body has prioritised using it's Flow to keep you alive rather than for Magic you don't use. Closed Gates take about a week to open back up. It can be done forcibly as the cost of pain beyond description, however.

If a person becomes dangerously low on Flow and begins to suffer from Flow Deprivation, their Gates will temporarily close until they have recovered enough Flow to be put out of danger.

If you get put into extreme danger, they open back up instantly. It's a little painful but the adrenaline that'd be coursing through your veins will mitigate it.

Flow Deprivation
The Flow-System-Specific version of Aura Deprivation. All symptoms of the latter are inflicted in addition to forcing the Gates to close in order to preserve Flow. The amount of Flow needed to recover from Flow Deprivation decreases in correlation to Gate Darkness: The recovery threshold can be anywhere from 100% to 35% of a person's maximum Flow. Flow deprivation is lethal if inflicted for more than "Flow deprivation isn't a major part of any plots yet, so it doesn't matter."

Flow Overload
If a Mage ends up harbouring more Flow in their body than they can handle, they'll begin to suffer from something called Flow Overload. Once the body realises it contains an excess of Flow, it'll try to get rid of it as fast as it can...by automatically Transmuting it into the affected person's Affinity whilst it is still in the body. This is lethal. Always. The last words of a person before dying of the condition describes Flow Overload as "Like going to the bottom of a pool, and trying to drink all the water so you won't drown."

The lungs are normally the first organ to be destroyed by Flow Overload, which causes you to suffocate since you literally cannot breathe anymore. As more and more of your body is ripped apart from the inside by your own Magic, you'll begin to lose form, and eventually, nothing remains but a pile of whatever Element your Affinity was. It's an especially sad way to go for anyone with Steam, Wind or Lava Affinities, as there'd normally be nothing left of them once they die. You'd dissipate into mist, disappear into thin air, or explode, literally.

Flow Sickness/Mind Crush
Attempts to "Go Beyond Your Limits" is impossible with the Flow System. Trying to do more than you can handle will result in one of the following. Know your place.

Flow Sickness
If a Mage attempts to release more Flow out of their Gates than their Gate Darkness allows, they'll get hit with Flow Sickness of varying intensity depending on how overboard they went. This the Flow System's natural way of preventing a person from getting Flow Deprivation.

The moment Flow Sickness occurs, your Gates will forcefully (painfully) close all of its gates and will refuse to open for an amount of time that increases depending on, you guessed it, how overboard you went. The amount of pain felt also corresponds to how much over their limit a person went; the pain doesn't go away until your Gates reopen either. It's like a cramp, on your skin.

Mind Crush
A Mind Crush occurs when a Mage tries to exercise more control over their Flow than their Gate Complexity allows, such as:


 * Trying to seize control of more Flow than you can handle.
 * Trying to control Flow with a level of precision that isn't attainable yet.
 * Trying to resist having your Magic being taken over by someone else with a higher Gate Complexity than you.

It's a terrible headache at best, bleeding from every hole in your face and fainting most usually, and falling into a week-long coma at worst.

Non Elemental techniques.
There are certain ways to make Magic use a lot more effective and powerful. The following are Techniques that can be applied to all Elements. These techniques revolve around masterful understanding and control over the Flow System's principles.

Fifth Limb
Flow can be controlled telekinetically, so there is nothing stopping a Mage from learning how to use their Magic as if it were an extension of their own body. The ability to grasp and use objects using Magic with the same dexterity as a human hand is VITAL to quality of life. 5th Limb can also be used to fly by placing Magic underneath your feet and forcing it to move in any direction you desire. How flight can be achieved varies from Element to Element, but it's all the same in principle.

Absolute Mastery over one's fifth limb allows their Magic to truly become an extension of the senses and is vital to the mastery of other Non-Elemental Techniques. It may take a lot of concentration, but it would even be possible to see and hear by using your Flow in a certain way.

Flow Takeover
You can seize control of Magic that is being used by another Mage if your Mental Link strength is higher than theirs. Flow Takeovers are performed easier if the difference between Mental Link strengths between the two (or more) parties involved, but will take considerable effort if Mental Links are comparable or equal in strength. Flow Takeovers are performed easiest on Magic matching Affinity of the captor. It will take double the amount of effort to do the same on Secondary Elements, and quadruple on Tertiaries. Flow Takeovers cannot be performed on Flow that's been transmuted into one of a Mage's Null Elements.

Attack Negation
Combine clever application of the Flow Takeover Technique along with mastery over how quickly a Mage can cause Elements to dissolve back into Flow will allow to completely negate any Magic Attack that comes their way.

Instant Transmutation
Being able to Transmute one's Flow the moment it leaves the body is a technique that is imperative to the development of a talented mage. This technique is relatively dangerous to learn since the risk of Transmuting Flow before it's left the body is present.

Aerial Flow Control
With about two year's worth of training, a Mage will be able to control and Transmute the Flow present in the air. This is most valuable skill to learn when using Magic. It's faster, more efficient, and harder to read then using one's own Flow. Opponents are practically always within a lethal distance when Aerial Flow Control is masterfully applied. That being said, opponents who know this technique are just as deadly. Constant Attack Negations must be performed in tandem with dishing out attacks of your own in order to survive a fight with a Mage with AFC.

Flash transmutation
instant Transmutation (not the NET) of any Flow under a Mage's control. Useful for offense and defence, this technique is impressive to watch and incredibly useful. Mages who mainly use ranged attacks will find that they become considerable less vulnerable when Flash Transmutation is applied in combat.

Reflex Shield
This technique that builds upon a Mages skill with their 5th Limb and the instinctual human reaction to flinch. It forces the person to Transmute the Flow in the air around them into a protective barrier to defend themselves. Reflex Shields manifest differently from person to person, but the most common type is a simple spherical barrier. There are some that form a thin layer of Magic that absorbs the kinetic energy of whatever touches it, others that form a tough Armor that has to be completely broken away completely before another one can form. It all depends on the person.

















At the end of the day, a person's power is only limited by their imagination when it comes to the Flow System.

Magical Personality
Magical Personality is the "effortless and natural bias towards controlling and transmuting Flow and in a specific way". Vaguely reflects the temperament of the Mage in question.

Magical Personality takes into account all facets of the Flow System and how an individual uses them in order to create a concise summary of their Magical skill.

It's a template that helps me decide how a person uses their Magic.


 * 1) Affinity (Affinity is the most obvious factor; it decides what Element you'll have the most control over, and what others you'll have access to.)
 * 2) Gate locations (Gate locations have a smaller role, but still one nonetheless. It affects control method of Magic and physical combat styles.)
 * 3) Gate strength (The darkness/complexity of Gates is a short term factor, since both of those things will eventually be maxed out.)
 * 4) Gate pattern complexity (Shape of transmuted Flow is, well its kind of obvious how that's important.)
 * 5) Shape of transmuted Flow (One's control method is also highly important, determining how they (and their opponent) will interact with the Magic they produce.)
 * 6) Properties of transmuted Flow (Properties of transmuted Flow is second to Affinity in importance when deciding Magical Personality.)
 * 7) Non-Elemental techniques (Being able to use non-Elemental techniques changes the game for a Mage A LOT. Their Magical Personality will undoubtedly change drastically when one of these are learnt.)
 * 8) Elemental techniques (Elemental techniques are also equally capable of causing drastic changes in a Mage's Magical Personality.)

Taking all of these into consideration when thinking about a character's Magic Style will allow for a totally unique cast, even when up to 5 people have the same Affinity.

General Progression
Ordered by what you're expected to have  mastery  over first.


 * 1) Internal Flow Control (Not even considered a NET since this is literally the first thing you learn)
 * 2) Your own Affinity
 * 3) Flight
 * 4) Property Alteration
 * 5) Your secondary and tertiary Elements.
 * 6) Elemental Techniques
 * 7) Instant Transmutation
 * 8) Flash Transmutation
 * 9) Flow Takeovers
 * 10) Attack Negation
 * 11) Minimising FD threshold
 * 12) Controlling several Elements at the same time
 * 13) Aerial Flow Control
 * 14) 5th Limb
 * 15) Reflex Shield
 * 16) True Power

Gate Quality development will occur as a Mage learns how to do all of these things, and as such flow sickness and mind crush resistance is slowly built up over the course of time.

ESPR
Extremely rare, an ESPR is a person who is born without the ability to Transmute Flow into an Element. They are instead adept at controlling Flow in it's natural state. ESPs can still control Flow that's been Transmuted, however. Meaning that they excel at seizing control over other people's Magic. How well they can control this stolen Magic lines up with their Affinity.

SFTR
Just as rare as being an ESPR, being born as a SFTR means that you are unable to control Flow. Transmuted or not, Flow will no move an inch under your command. However, SFTRs have the unnatural ability to Transmute one Element into another without dissolving it into Flow. SFTRs have full control over the conversion process. What Elements they can shift and which ones they can shift into line up with their Affinity.

Spoiler-y Lore Stuff that doesn't actually matter and has no impact on the story whatsoever
The Flow System is an artificial L.U.CY Gene created by the Great Kings, Aether and Akasha, as a way to prevent more Arkin from awakening.

The name given to Aura is contextual and based upon on what Magic System it is being used by. When talking about the Flow System, you use the word Flow. The colour of Aura also changes when being used by different Magic Systems, Aura turns Turquoise.

In order to secure their place as rulers of the Region, they enacted a plan called the Arkin Preventative Measure to use Tomahtra to replace the dormant L.U.C.Y gene of every non-Arkin with an extremely weak version of their own. This plan was hatched perfectly under the guise of "granting all of humanity the power of the gods".

True Power
The Flow System is an extremely weak Hybrid L.U.C.Y Gene. Some people's version of the Flow System L.U.C.Y Gene are stronger than others, and we call that difference in strength True Power.

Lore
Created by The Great Kings. Aura is called "Flow" when used in the context of this Magic System, and is coloured Turquoise

While the Great Kings were enacting the Arkin Preventative Measure, they thought it would be a bit boring if everyone was weak forever, so they made it so that random people have a stronger version of their L.U.C.Y gene than others.

True Power Percentages
True Power is measured in percentages, 0% to 100%. True Power % is indicative of how close your L.U.C.Y Gene's strength is to that of an Arkin (specifically). Standard people have No True Power. About 2 in 10 people have True Power greater than 0%. Ethraksha mainly collects in the eyes, so a person's eye colour will become progressively greener with higher amounts of True Power.

How True Power Awakens
True Power takes effect once a person reaches the peak of their physical and magical strength, when they otherwise would not be able to get stronger.

Once a person reaches their limit, they'll be able to start strengthening their True Power. True Power takes quite a while to fully develop. If somebody had 100% True Power, it'd take about 30 years to reach it's maximum power.

What True Power actually does
True Power affects a person in the same way an awakened L.U.C.Y Gene would affect someone and turn them into an Arkin, but with varying intensity depending on the person's True Power percentage. Higher True Power means more.


 * The Eyes get progressively more Cerulean the more True Power a person has. This serves as the main way to identify a person's True Power %
 * True Power serves as a general power boost, making you insanely strong. Even 1% True Power can put you leagues above those who would otherwise have equal strength to you.
 * Artifacts become easier to operate when the user has True Power for two reasons.
 * More and more of their body is replaced with Ethraksha, which means that there's most of it can be diluted into a LOT of Flow, preventing the user from suffering from Flow Deprivation
 * Their L.U.C.Y Gene is more awakened, which makes them more Genetically similar to both of the Great Kings, which dampens the effect of the forced Aura Drainage.
 * These two facts combined make Artifacts a LOT more easier to use for those with True Power


 * True Power replaces a lot of the body with Ethraksha, and since Ethraksha is created from the Flow a person breathes, those parts of the body that have been replaced with a readily available resource can be easily regenerated if damaged. Above 40%, deep wounds can completely heal within months.


 * For the same reason mentioned above, the body can dilute the Ethraksha it is now partially composed of into Flow and use it as it would normally.
 * For the same reason mentioned above AGAIN, True Power renders the body more resistant you are to extreme environmental conditions.
 * A person's innate weakness to Pallobalt (touching it drains Flow at an alarming rate) is dramatically more lethal with higher amounts of True Power, to the point where limbs could be permanently damaged or even lost with prolonged exposure to Pallobalt.


 * People with 100% True Power are able to use all eight Elements equally. The only people who have ever attained 100% True Power are the Aetheraksa and Akashethr branches of the Tsunian royal family, and the Taganis family.

True Power is separate to regular power
You have to think about the concept of True Power like two Resource Bars.


 * At first you can only spec into your normal power.
 * Once your normal power is full, you can than spec into your True Power bar.
 * This makes so that you have effective True Power (Where you're at now) and Maximum True Power (How high you can go)

True Power is NOT relative
The amount of extra power you get from having True Power is THE SAME FOR EVERYONE. Using the Resource bar analogy again:


 * Everyone's True Power bar takes 10,000 xp to fill.
 * Nobody's normal power bars are the same. I could have 120, someone else could have 180.
 * This is why maximum power is never a fair fight.


 * If normal strength is on par, then it's about who has more True Power.
 * If True Power is equal, than it's about who is actually stronger.



Trivia
Have a nice time trying to remember all of this.


 * 100% True Power =/= Arkin. Arkin have their own Magics Systems and are immortal, nigh-invincible proto-gods. Somebody with 100% True Power is still a normal human, but with power and abilities comparable to the Great Kings. There's only person in all of Era IV with 100% True Power, Hiro Taganis.
 * People with higher True Power percentages are less common than those with lower ones.


 * "We've been lying this whole time there's actually more than eight Elements! There's actually magnet, steel, lightning, mud, paper, wood, silver, and gold!" You see that? We don't do that here. NO. NONE OF THAT! There's Eight Elements and that's it. FUCK NARUTO
 * There are people who prefer to do things like hand motions or call out the name of the attack they're using since it allows them to focus on maintaining mental links or even strengthen them, but these are placebos at best. They could do the exact same thing lying flat on the ground if they wanted to.
 * Also, if you don't have gates, that means that your Magic System isn't the Flow System. Meaning you will NEVER, EVER be able to use this type of magic, EVER. I'm not bullshitting it in. I refuse.
 * Also, if you don't have gates, that means that your Magic System isn't the Flow System. Meaning you will NEVER, EVER be able to use this type of magic, EVER. I'm not bullshitting it in. I refuse.