TTM Lore: Mage Auras
From the ancient beginnings of Faes bestowing humans with their own magic, Mages have evolved to develop their own type of magical force known as an “Aura”, to act as the key to unlocking what their eventual form of magic will grow to be like.
Auras are usually detected from in the womb by a mage doctor’s enchanted mirror (the TTM-equivalent to an ultrasound monitor), and can come in a variety of types ranging from bold and fiery (Fire mage), calm and cooling (Water mage), firm and peaceful (Earth mage), bright and warming (Light mage), bleak and foreboding (Dark mage) and so on...
Though normally expected for each mage to carry their own unique and individual Auras, sometimes there will be a case where a Mage parent will end up passing down an Aura of their own that will lead to the child developing near-identical powers. In this case, it’s a phenomenon called an “Aura-bond” which in most cases will cause both parent and child to form an emotional bond that is especially strong on a deep, psychological level. Their levels of magic tend to flare up more if they team up in battle, feeling empathetic with their feelings more often then not, and such a connection could even allow them to sense when the other’s at risk for being in danger long before it actually happens.
Some examples of this Aura-bond phenomenon happening among the current cast includes Prym, Tula and Aevri with their fathers (Luka, Ivor and Riu, respectively), Autem with her father Elken, Hakem with his mother Furaha, Tawnie with her mother Gladionna, Kaz with his father (even though Kaz never technically “met” him before), and many more unexplored as well.
Unfortunately, not every Aura-bond case is going to guarantee a completely healthy and mutual dynamic for both parties... such as if the parent in question turns out to be abusive/rejecting towards the child (ex. Kain, Cable), or if something dire happened to the child that caused the bond to “sever” or tarnish too badly to ever fully repair (ex. Fevrier). For the party effected most by these damaged bonds, their Aura will often times turn a darker, "tainted” color that doesn’t always guarantee for the most “stable” of spells to be unleashed... so they’re often times discouraged by other Mages from joining their potential traveling groups.