Magic Theory For Dummies: Part One

It's been a rough week for Constantine since he arrived at the base. He had a lot to process. The escape and relocation to the Outcast base was abrupt. Hearing that he can't go near Vicky or his friends, would've left him in shambles if not for the very real danger posed to them by the mysterious mages and their shapeshifter pet. Just how long was Myra Hindley pretending to be his neighbor? Were they neighbors all along? No, this can't be it, it didn't make sense. According to Marcus, lineage plays no role in becoming an Outcast, and he wanted to think his parents would've told him about the supernatural before they died. Kento's theory is that the shifter probably ate – yes, ate – the real Mrs. Hindley and replaced her a day or two before the incident. The ability to absorb someone's memories through eating them and replacing them felts horrifying to Constantine; "Things like her shouldn't exist," he murmured.

In truth, he was becoming obsessed with Hindley, or whatever her real name was. Part of him thought that if he could kill her and those mages, he could get his life back. He didn't understand why the people here called themselves Outcasts. He didn't feel like an outcast – in fact this might be the most welcome he's felt somewhere in his entire life, except for his own apartment. "There's something they're not telling me," he whispered. He remembered Marcus' speech about being rejected by the world but didn't pay any mind to it; honestly, he thought he just said it to sound cool but then he got to get to know both him and Kento, who also reaffirmed it and, although they would not give him details just yet, he could tell there was something they were hiding.

Nobody walks around calling themselves Outcasts for no reason, after all. But Constantine wasn't an idiot; he knew that whatever that reason was would throw his head off the game and he needed to lock in and be at his best for the inevitable fight. His combat training was going well. He sparred with Jane, Kento and Darryl daily. Each one had a different purpose. Kento was more like a teacher, showing him new techniques in hand-to-hand combat, trying to emphasize his strong points and cover for his weaknesses.

Apparently, Kento's philosophy was that getting your ass kicked every day turned you into a better fighter quicker than with regular training, so they were basically beating him up daily. Jane was a little too happy about that. Darryl's role was to show him how to incorporate his powers into his fighting style. He had already unlocked a few abilities and Marcus wanted to make sure he could grasp the fundamentals before he taught him more.

Darryl was an expert in that area, and he was the safest partner for Constantine, who couldn't control his powers well yet, because of the simple fact that he couldn't be hit. Constantine could almost understand Jane's frustration; he couldn't figure out a single loophole that would get him to land a hit on Darryl. But, on the other hand, he could make as many mistakes as he wanted without harming anyone. You win some, you lose some. Jane's role was to be a sparring partner where Constantine could apply what he learned – except for his power combos. He wasn't allowed to use them in sparring until he had full control of them. Kento handled most of Jane's training and, finally rid of Darryl, Jane was in a better mood, so there was peace in the base – for now.

As they ended that day's training, Marcus called them over to the operations room. The operations room was big, with a round table, various computers, projectors and screens, and a whiteboard.

Inside, Constantine saw Shift, the Outcasts' tech whiz, operator, hacker, and medic. She was a short, curvy woman with long black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing large glasses and she looked sleepy most of the time, always drinking excessive amounts of black coffee. Darryl told him that her power was technomancy but Constantine couldn't understand what that meant. Shift's real ability was integrating aether in objects, which gave them specific functions and allowed her to control them remotely.

"Hey Shift, what's up?" Constantine said, walking towards her.

"Hey guys," she replied, stifling a yawn. "Just setting up for the night. Darryl, it's your turn tonight."

"Damn it, can't Kento take this one? It's the most boring job I've ever had to do, and I feel like a stalker. He's both boring AND he likes stalking, he was built for this!" he said with a laugh.

"Shut up before I make you." Kento said, his deep voice having an actual edge to it.

"Easy there, bro, I was just playing with you. I'm on my way." he said as he walked out, a little rushed.

Darryl was going to Constantine's old apartment; for now, he was rotating shifts with Kento, waiting to see if the mages or Hindley would appear again. Constantine was grateful for this, but it also frustrated him to no end; he longed to see her.

"Say hi from me!" Constantine yelled after him.

Darryl walked in the elevator and turned around, looking at Constantine with a grin.

"Hell no." he said, and pressed the button.

"Dick." Constantine muttered.

"You're starting to get it newbie," Jane remarked.

"Okay, pipe down kids." Marcus said. He pointed at a whiteboard he had set in the room. On it, the phrase "Magic Theory for Dummies" could be read in Jane's handwriting. She was grinning.

"You little-" Constantine turned towards her.

"I said cut it out!" Marcus interjected, starting to lose his patience. "We're here today so you can learn more about Nightkin, magic, aether, and how our powers work. Yes, you too Jane, Darryl told me how you've been slacking off on theory," he said sternly. Jane frowned while Constantine held back a laugh.

Class was now in session.