Obi Wan and his Protégé

Trekking across the mountainous landscape, Ardere's feet dug deep into the ground beneath him. Sin. This was not a country he was very fond of, or excited to travel to. If anything, he would have spent a majority of his life avoiding this place. He had to admit, he knew his travels could bring him here some day. But he certainly did not expect it to be this early on in his life. And to think, he had been summoned here. It was obviously by no demon, as he had no demonic enemies. They had mentioned he could come armed or unarmed, but with his magic that did not really matter. As a Samurai, he valued he sword, so he decided to take it anyways. He had been requested to come alone however, which was a tad bit suspicious. Whoever asked him to come all this way must have wanted this meeting to be in secret. He chose to park his ship in the dense trees and brush, but the land of Sin was a bit more primeval than other places.  The trees were generally dead, and barren wastelands littered the land. He was lucky to end up in one of the places that provided more cover. The fire mage made his way up to the volcano, as requested. It was a rather large and infamous volcano in this country, one most did not dare venture to. Hell, most didn't dare venture to this land at all. Letting a heavy sigh escape his pale lips, the guild master found himself trekking up a massive volcano to meet someone who he likely didn't even know. What kind of things did he get himself into? If Celica were here, she would have pestered him about it the entire time, that much was certain. Making it up to the top of the volcano, on a little platform he spotted a young girl in a blue kimono. I'd like to take a guess that you're the one who requested me to come all the way out here?

Removing his gloves, Ardere looked at the young lady. She did not seem to be harboring any ill intent, but it was quite curious for her to invite him all the way out here. Her actions were quite peculiar, but when she came in for a hug he did not resist. His arms wrapped around her lightly, and pulled away as she did. At your request. His choice to not come alone was a rather dangerous one, but he had never been one to fear an invitation. Considering the events in Sombra's Manor, he had a feeling he could take care of himself. It was in his nature to seek out those who would seek him out, rather than send a guild member. The mention of Black Rose cleared it up a bit, seeing as they were a guild who was good at being secretive and gathering information. He was a friend of Elyx's, which was probably one of the ways she had heard about him. But then again, he was not an unknown mage. His black flames were almost as well known as Yugi's crimson ones. Sure thing. Stuffing the red gloves between his armor plating, they were kept there tightly. His piercing orange eyes fixated upon her, as she detailed her request. Another presence had now come across his senses, that of a little girl. Nice to meet you Lilian. Running pale fingers through his thick brown locks, the fire mage replied promptly. Demon is a strong word, more like unholy. But yeah. Crouching down to be at a closer eye level to the young girl, she seemed a bit spunky. The projection of her display of flames was impressive, at least enough to peak his interest. You remind me of my daughter. She's a bit of a hot head though. Looking into her eyes, his pale muscular legs straightened, and he stood back up. I'll train her, but you might want to step back a bit. Even though he was an A ranked mage, it was common knowledge that his magical presence was highly notable. This meant this would get a bit explosive, but all the more fun for their training.

Nodding, Ardere tosses his gloves towards a rock for safekeeping. I can, and I will. Ripping off his cloak, the fire mage took a light stance. Taking a deep breath, he let the air flow through his lungs and out his mouth slowly. It was time for a demonstration, and then some instruction would follow. Let me show you my technique, then I'll educate you on how to replicate it. Sound good? After his deep breath, the guild master took a few steps back. Tightening all of his muscles, a black aura burst around his body. This was the revealing of his magical presence, and it would continue to grow until it extended past his own body. The ground around him began to crack and become more corrupt than it already was. His eyes went red, and his skin as well as his hair looked grey due to the shade coating them. Then, his aura would restrict to cover himself, and not affect the environment so much. This was him controlling his aura, forming stability which was much needed. Holding his hands out away from his side, two black flames formed in them. These flames are corruption, and unholiness. It is in their nature to be unstable and destroy all in their path, but if you want them to be effective in helping you or others, you must keep them in check. Channel the corruption through your body. Putting his hands together, he could create a moderately sized fireball. The heat and intensity could be felt from meters away, but it was controlled. He could ensure that it would hit it's target, and not destroy too much. The key is knowing when to restrain yourself, but one day you will meet an enemy who makes you unleash your full potential. But until then, you need to learn to control it or else you'll be a liability. Now, she me your flames young miss. The flames dissipated, turning to mere cinders floating in the air, before completely dissolving. Giving the young girl a reassuring smile, it was time to see what she was made of.

Watching Lilian's display, Ardere monitored her magical presence. He was no lacrima radar, but as a high ranking mage he could get an idea of how much energy she was exerting. It was hard to control, but he understood that struggle. God slayer magic and the dark flame, they were extremely difficult to conquer, let alone master. He did not consider himself a master, but many did. As far as he was concerned, he was one step away from reaching his next level of potential. But for now, he had the knowledge necessary to train most anyone. Digging his feet into the ground, he was surprised when she knocked herself back. He was about to burst forward and save her, but Lexa was right, she needed to do it on her own. The moment she fell, he would dive in and save her. But until then, he had to restrain himself and let her do it. Within the next few moments, his hopes for her were reaffirmed. She made it out of the volcano, and safely. Exhaling heavily, he moved closer to her ever so slightly. That was a close one, you need to focus as hard as you can. Clear your mind, and you will be able to do things like this. Taking a step back, he turned away from the group. Holding his hand out, the fire mage charged dark fiery energy within it. Flame God's. A massive explosion burst forward, breaking the parts of volcano in front of him into chunks. Judgement. The massive explosion burst forward several dozen meters, ripping up the earth in front of him. Stream of lava gushed down the side of the mountain, but where they were standing was safe. And you can do it without hurting yourself. Now. Practice channeling your energy a bit, then try and hit me with an attack. Don't worry, I can take it. Giving her a reassuring smile, he placed his leather covered hands on his hips.

Ardere watched Lilian gather all of her power, monitoring her movements. It was true, she had quite the bit of raw power, but it wasn't controlled. She would lose herself in this power, but that was what he was here to prevent. Fortunately no demons from Sin had interfered yet, but he did not doubt their presence becoming an issue. Luckily a test of strength would be a nice thing to wrap up their training session, but for now he chose to observe. In no time, her sister would interject. The two had quite the interesting relationship, but it was not his place to interfere. Instead, he chose to sit back and watch. He took a stance as she charged the miniature fireball, but his eyebrows slanted a bit when it fizzled. The fire mage was not mad, not at all. He was a kind teacher, but he knew she needed some motivation. You don't have to use anger, but use your passion. Forming a dark aura around his body, it looked normal for now. Think about who it is you want to protect, use them as fuel for your magic and a form of control. With each word spoken, his aura grew more powerful like a blazing black flame. Think of them, your love for them. All of the things they have done for you. Now return the favor and protect them. Attack me as if I am attacking someone you love, but don't use your anger, use your passion and your will to protect. There's a difference. His aura was massive, enough to scorch the ground beneath him. His thoughts were of Malva and Sayrn, his loves and family. Then, his aura would die down as he returned to a defensive stance. I believe in you, now do it! 

Ardere kept his calm, waiting for Lilian's flames. She had begun to form them, and with each passing second they grew larger. She had a lot of untapped potential that was now coming out. He could tell she was channeling her love for her sister, and the will to protect her. It was a powerful emotion, love. The encounter reminded him of the first time he met Hephaestus, when the black flames found him, or rather they found each other. His power was out of control, but in time he used his passion and will to control it. The flames engulfed the volcano peak, and with his fire sight, he could tell Lexa was being protected. She came at him with a powerful punch, one that reminded him of his own spell. Side stepping her punch just barely through the use of blasting flames from his sides and feet, it slammed right into the ground. He had a good idea of how this punch worked considering his similar spell, and a burst of flames was coming his way, thus he tapped into his lineage's power, he controlled the explosion mentally through the use of pyrokinesis. Prompting the flames to swirl around their bodies, it missed him completely. Tattoos of flames on his right cheek and neck began to appear, glowing slightly. These tattoos increased his reaction time, helping his actions. Looking at the passion and strength in her eyes, he smiled. Very good. It seems you've gotten the jist of it. Though you might want to control yourself a bit more. Lifting his hands up, he used his ability to lift all of her flames upwards, and form a gigantic fire ball above his head. The group could now see the sheer size and power of the flames she had created, and it was quite the feat. This is all your doing, just by putting your mind to it, you did this. Causing the flames to dissipate, he wiped dust and ash off of his hands before exhaling deeply. Giving the girl a look of pride, he unsheathed his blade. And impeccable timing too, seeing as we have some company. The smell of demons crossed his nose, and the sound of their movements as they climbed up the mountain pierced his ears. Demonic entities were something he knew a lot about, even as a God Slayer. It was time to put Lilian's powers to the test, and see if she could truly gain control over them. 

Running his finger tips across the flat part of the blade, he caused it to heat up with a black corrupt flame, causing the blade to turn bright red, then darken. The blade was now searing hot, perfect for battle with armored demons. Ardere twirled the blade in his hand, then looked to the young girl. Stay close to me, but blast anything that comes across your path. This is Sin, no worrying about hurting innocents here. Readying himself, a horde of demons began to crawl up the mountain and onto the peak where they were. There was around a dozen demons, each covered in a dark spiked exoskeleton as tough as steel. They possessed multiple legs, and spiral horns atop their heads. Growling and snarling, the fire mage dashed towards one of them. Slashing repeatedly, he used his S ranked speed to cut a large X across it's body. The exoskeleton was melted and seared as he cut, thus bypassing their natural armor. Jumping onto it's head as it fell to it's death, he performed a back-flip off of it. While in mid-air ad still upside down, he exhaled a massive amount of black flames at another one of the large demons, hulking over multiple men in size. Flame God's Bellow! The amount of flames scorched across the earth, searing all in it's path. Hitting two demons, it did not defeat them but it weakened their armor. Landing back down on the ground, he left an indention where he landed. The cracked earth around him shifted, as he burst forward. Slicing right through the spiked legs of the other two demons, no black blood spilled, rather he instantly cauterized the wounds as he cut through them. It was obvious he enjoyed fighting, but he looked to Lilian to make sure she was alright. 

Acknowledging Lilian's safety, the fire mage landed on his own two feet after his flurry of slashes. He was quite eager to see what the young girl could do, and she would prove to be the daring one. As tactical and smart as she was, she had the daring spark that all fire mages had. Even for one of the most level headed fire wizards, Ardere was quite daring. Leaping back into the air, his body twirled. Slashing through two legs, searing the wounds, he slid across the black rock. Slashing a blast of flame across the already scorched earth and rock, it ripped right through one of the two he had cut. The other did not take any time in dashing towards him. Igniting his fists, he deflected the slash coming towards him, counter attacking with a flaming punch and kick. Slashing right through the center body mass, a large thud resounded throughout the area as he finished off his opponent. Turning to check on the young girl  once more, he spotted her sending blasts of flames and scaring off the larger enemies. Sliding in front of the two, he drew his blade back. Even though their enemies were backing off, they were demons, meaning they would come back in stronger numbers. There was no way he was letting them endanger the girls any more, even if they could take care of themselves. He would have done the same for his daughter, and as such he slammed his blade forward with a flaming drill around the crimson sword. Flame God's Gungnir! The massive flaming drill displayed his true power, becoming dozens of meters in length and width, spiraling across the mountain. For the most part incinerating their opponents, left a chunk taken out of the side of the volcano. Once it was done and they were safe, he sheathed his blade. Wiping the dust off of his hands, the guild master nodded and looked to the two girls. That's that. Now let's see how far your focus and control has come. Then we can all get out of this hell hole.