Aura

 is Marle's 1st-level Tech and the first healing Tech of the game,. Aura heals approximately 50 Hit Points initially, but in its most powerful form, it heals up to 500 Hit Points. It can be used both in battle and outside of battle, through the menu. While effective to cast it alone, it also pairs with Crono's Cyclone Tech to perform Aura Whirl.

Description
Marle holds her arms out and an halo of blue light appears around her, then purple sparkles appear around the character whom the Tech was cast on. A high-pitched sound plays and the targeted character spins and their Hit Points heal.

Strategy
Before Marle learns Ice Magic from Spekkio, her Aura tech proves useful for quickly healing a single party member who is damaged in battle. Since Marle is a mandatory party member when the party travels to the Future through the Gate in Guardia Forest, she is the only character able to heal through the use of Techs at this time, which can save Gold and Potions. Also, since Marle's physical attacks are relatively weak, it works well for her to cast this, while Crono and Lucca focus on using Fire Whirl to eliminate crowds of enemies. Also, while fighting the R-Series robots in Derelict Factory, Marle can focus on using Aura, while Crono uses Cyclone or Wind Slash to damage these opponents.

Name Origin
An is an aureole of light or force-field of energy that surrounds objects and persons. Believed to be the source of mystical power, Auras appear in many religious and occultist cultures worldwide. Interestingly, Marle has several techs that start with the letter "A" as well, such as Allure and Arise. Her other single techs almost always include the letter, "I", as with Ice and Ice II. It seems more than coincidence that her techs would all start with vowels, albeit, the same vowels. The letter A symbolizes love and affection, while the letter I symbolizes ego, both of which may allude to some aspect of her personality. Her affection nature finds evidence in her ability to learn healing techs, as well as being the voice of reason when it comes to rescuing complete strangers or doing the "right thing". For instance, she is the one to first suggest questing to defeat Lavos. Additionally, it is her that suggests the party rescue Schala, even when there is no clear motive for doing so.