The Talent / The Gift

**The Talent** or **the Gift** is a metaphysical power in the fictional universe. It is explained very sparingly throughout the series, but there are observations of what this power can do and who can use it.

## List of Notable possessors

† indicates deceased in the series.

* Friday Monday †
* Margaret Burton
* Poupee †
* Quanzitta Marison †
* Nakhl

### Personifications

* Madlax
* Laetitia
* Carrossea Doon †

## List of Notable Abilities

**Clairvoyance**: The most common observation for anyone with the Gift is being able to see or sense things that a normal person cannot. It is also known as extrasensory perception or second sight.

* Margaret, at a young age, was able to tell when it was going to rain (Episode 21). Years later, she can still tell if it was going to rain as well as feel as though people are around her (Episode 12); this is due to the dyadic mental connection she and Madlax have.
* Nakhl is a notable example as she was able to sense Madlax when she was studying the Elies language, 140 kilometers away (Episode 18), although she couldn't discern anything else about her when testing her for the Gift. Furthermore, Nakhl was about to report signs in the heavens like stars falling (Episode 9), foretell dreadful events that were about to happen, but she couldn't put it into words (Episodes 20 & 21).
* Quanzitta Marison, on the other hand, was able to discern coming events clearly such as the red moon (Episode 13) and an eclipse (Episode 21). She was even able to foretell future events (Episode 3).

**Resistance**: Another common observation is to resist the effects one would suffer when hearing the Holy Words of Saruon. People like Anne Morey and Maclay Mareny were not able to resist; they either lost control or lost their memories, or they ended killing themselves. However, even though Madlax fell victim to the Words of Awakening and its effects, she was able to overcome it (Episode 14) most likely due to her true nature.

**Manipulation**: Anyone with the Gift is seemingly able to control another person's body whenever that person is under their influence or able to control material objects. Chanting the words of Firstari can be used to bewitch someone into doing their bidding.

* Friday did this to anyone who he came across. He did it several times to Margaret Burton, and to Colonel Burton by reciting all three incantations. He was also able to turn the pages of the books without touching them.
* Carrossea Doon appeared to have used the words on Simon Dawson (Episode 17).
* Margaret was also able to manipulate things without knowing it, such as saving a moth from a spider (Episode 6). Later on, she was able to redirect Friday's bullets coming at her.

**Teleportation**: This is not an ability commonly shown. Margaret Burton was shown to be able to teleport by Friday Monday (Episode 22) and by herself with Laetitia at the end (Episode 26). Another means of teleportation can be to cross into the Sanctuary.

**Creation**: Another uncommon ability shown. Both Margaret Burton and Poupee exhibited the ability to create life by the Gift without knowing they were doing it. Anyone created by the Gift seemingly personifies an attribute of their creator, and is most notably invulnerable to all threats. However, the only observed way a personified being can either die or cease to exist is to see truth of their creation or merge with their creator.

* Margaret created Madlax as a means to escape the dilemma of having to kill her father in self-defense or being killed by him. As a by-product, Margaret's doll took on a life of its own, serving as the keeper of that memory and being that doll's namesake. Madlax and Laetitia were able to become one with Margaret, only then for her to separate them from her once again (Episode 26).

* Poupee was shot trying to defend Margaret. He may have died, but because his and Margaret's survival were his personal aim, that part of him was able to reincarnate as an entirely new person who would become known as Carrossea Doon. Carrossea then died upon realizing the truth of his creation and his motivation (Episode 21).

**Rewriting Reality**: This ability is a nigh-omnipotent form of manipulation. It is fully utilized when one with the Gift gathers all three holy books, enters the Sanctuary, stands before the Door of Truth, opens it and sees the truth, and accepts it, then stands before the Door of the Era and opens it. Only then can one's desire come to pass.

* Friday Monday almost achieved his desire. He only got as far as using the Holy Words of Saruon to incite Gazth-Sonika's Civil War in 1999. Later on in 2011, he used Margaret Burton to open the Door of Truth so he could use the Words again to revert the entire world into chaos, but failed.
* Margaret Burton was able to use this ability to its fullest. Once she become one with Madlax and Laetitia, she turned on Friday Monday, then was she able to open the Door of the Era, letting her desire come to pass.

By the end of the series, the books have been destroyed, making this ability now impossible.

## Suppositions

These are uncertain, but they are worth noting:

* Friday claimed that when Colonel Burton shot him, he lost his clairvoyance; he lost the Gift. If this is true, then he shouldn't have been able to use any of the observed abilities such as manipulation or resist the words of Firstari himself.
* It is uncertain whether or not Maclay Mareny and Chris Krana killed themselves. Since they could have exposed Enfant, Carrossea and Friday may have had them either join as informants or let them wonder free with their memories wiped.
* Vanessa and Elenore were subjected to the Holy Words of Saruon (Episodes 22 and 24 respectively); however, they did not lose control of themselves. They may have been able to acquire the Gift by being "touched by it," but they ended up dying.
* Limelda was too subjected, but she did not die (Episodes 25 & 26). Whether or not she acquired the Gift is uncertain.