That was the word Jody had just heard from Syd Barrett's lips—seconds before the Hyperloop arrived.
Now the four agents had gathered around her in a loose circle, with Sera—recently awake—sitting beside her.
There had been a minor disagreement earlier between Mickey and Syd about whether they should reveal this information to Jody now, rather than waiting until they were back at headquarters. But Syd had stood his ground. "She's going to find out anyway," he argued, "better she knows now than later."
And if someone was going to explain it, of course it had to be Syd Barrett.
Jody could immediately tell why everyone was tense. They weren't trying to hide anything malicious—they just didn't want her or Sera to feel overwhelmed.
"Do you remember when they sent you in for a physical exam?" Syd asked.
"Why?"
"You remember they took a blood sample from you, right?"
"Which you guys... used for something?"
"Well..."
Syd scratched his neck and gestured vaguely with his hands.
"We had it analyzed," Roxxy cut in.
"We took your blood for testing. Because ever since you started playing a more active role in our missions... your power raised a lot of questions. We had to ask ourselves—could you be an Elementalist?"
"And this... Elementalist thing... what is it exactly?" Jody asked.
"Before I explain what an Elementalist is," Syd said, "let me start here—remember those literature classes you took in school?"
"You mean the ones where you always fell asleep? Yeah, I remember."
Syd bit his tongue at the jab but let it slide.
"In those classes, they talked about poems, beliefs... or more formally, philosophies from the ancient world. Beliefs that existed long before humans discovered things like atoms... Back then, the world was believed to be made up of four basic elements."
He held up four fingers, palm facing himself.
"Air fire Earth and Water?" Sera offered (clearly wanting to be included).
"Exactly."
AIR
FIRE
EARTH
WATER
"Oh..."
Jody's brows lifted.
"I think I see where this is going."
"Don't interrupt. I'm not finished yet."
Syd raised a hand, though he knew both of them were sharp enough to figure it out. Still, there were nuances to cover.
"Listen carefully, you brainless lot... What I'm about to tell you isn't knowledge you'll find anywhere outside our organization. You know what that means?"
"It's a top secret?" Jody guessed.
"...You could say that. But here's the thing—"
They all scooted in a little closer.
"Up until now, you've believed that powers are unique, right? Each person gets a different one. Like a gacha roll—random draw. Totally unique. That's how it works, yeah?"
Jody and Sera nodded.
"But here's the twist: There's another type of power user. Their powers aren't determined like a gacha roll. Instead, they follow a different logic. It's what researchers call a pseudo-inheritance system. You following me?"
"...!?"
Both girls blinked in confusion.
They'd never heard anything like this in their lives.
"That can't be right! Powers can't be passed on! You're born with it, or you're not. If you die, it dies with you. Are you telling me there's some kind of power that can be passed down from parent to child, or from master to disciple?! Same ability? Same symbol?"
Sera was adamant. But Syd surprised her by saying:
"No."
"...Huh?"
"I told you, just listen."
Syd continued,
"You're sixty percent right. Yes, powers are usually one-and-done. Can't be inherited. You die, it dies. But this power I'm talking about... it's not passed down like that. There's no eating hair, no drinking spinal fluid. Nothing creepy."
"...Then what do you mean by 'inherited'?"
Jody folded her arms, frowning.
"It's just a term researchers use. To be clear, I never said it's actually inherited. I said it's pseudo-inherited. You know what that means?"
The girls shook their heads.
"It means... this type of power can reappear. Same form. Same aura. But it follows a specific mechanic—one that makes it 'pseudo.'"
"And that mechanic is...?" Jody prompted.
"Random generation—across generations," Syd replied.
"..."
Sera's head was spinning, so Syd switched to an example.
"Think about it like this. The usual belief is that some higher power randomly assigns people abilities at birth. Either you get one or you don't, and if you do, it's something unique—something nobody else in the world has. Kind of like a fingerprint, or DNA."
"Okay..." Sera nodded.
"Now, imagine this: there's a different kind of power. A rare one—super rare. Still operates like any other power, still feels unique, but the twist is... the universe has designed it to recycle."
"!!!"
"Wait—so..."
"Let's say it's the year 2019," Syd said, looking at Sera. "And your power is to duplicate and reconstruct materials. That would make you the only person on Earth—out of 7 billion—with that ability. When you die, it dies with you. That's how it's always worked. That's the normal system, right?"
Sera: "Right..."
"Now," he pointed to the blonde girl beside her, "Jody here has the ability to control air. Which, by all normal standards, should be a one-of-a-kind power just like yours. But unlike yours—when she dies, that power doesn't vanish forever. It goes back into the gacha pool... and one day, it's drawn again. By someone else. In a future generation."
As Syd explained, it finally clicked for everyone.
"You mean... if I die... someday, someone out there in the future—maybe generations from now—will be born with the exact same power I had? Air control, same blue aura, maybe even the same symbol?"
"The symbol might vary slightly," Syd admitted, "but you've got the gist. That person could be anyone. But for now, in this very moment... you, Jody, are the sole owner of this power. No one else out of seven billion. But once you die... it'll pass on. To someone else."
"..."
"That's why we call it pseudo-inheritance. If you had a child, the odds of them getting your power? Practically nonexistent. The chance that the same power, recycled back into the gacha pool, would land on your kid... you'd have better odds finding an Earth-like planet in a neighboring galaxy."
Mickey chimed in, "No joke. Statistically, interstellar life is more probable."
"Exactly," Syd agreed. "And these special recycled powers? There are only four of them in existence. That's why they're called Elementalists."
"Which are... Earth, Water, Fire... and Air," Jody murmured, her gaze rising to the swirling blue symbol floating above her palm.
"...So I'm one of those four?"
"You've been confirmed as one of them," Roxxy said.
"There are three others in the world. The remaining elemental powers: Earth, Water, and Fire. You... you're Air."
Sera whispered, "...Holy crap. This is literally Avatar..."
"And that's not all," Syd added. "But the rest... you'll learn from the specialist at HQ. He'll walk you through everything an Elementalist should know."
"And who's this specialist?"
"His name is Vega," Toshi replied.
"...Okay. I think I get it now. But wait..." Jody looked up at the team surrounding her. "That means... I'm the lucky winner who just got the wind gacha pull, huh?"
Syd: "...Yep."
"And the ones before me? Who were they? And before them?"
"You'll find out," Mickey said. "Trust me, you will. That's why this is such a huge deal. The data from your test hasn't even been widely released yet. But the Global Elites and Grandmasters? They've probably all been notified by now."
"...Why? What's going to happen?"
"All the Grandmasters... from every corner of the world... they're coming to our base. To discuss you. And they're going to meet you."
"...Meet me..."
For the first time, Jody felt real anxiety creeping in. Even someone as calm as her was starting to sweat at the weight of what this meant.
Then a sudden thought struck her.
"Wait... if all the Grandmasters are coming... that means—"
"Yeah," Syd said, reclining back and picking his nose.
"My mom's coming too. In person."
"!!"
Syd's mother.
At that moment, only Roxxy truly understood what Jody must have been thinking.
But she chose to say nothing.