Got too close to the sun. [Private]

"Scuse me! Pardon! Sorry! Just gonna squeeze inbetween you mister!" The short, red headed girl would try to squeak as she rushed between the large group of people. She had a look of urgency on her face, as she tried to get through the crowd. "Oi! Someone stop that girl!" A voice boomed somewhere behind her, but Kaia knew better then to stop and look. How long had it been anyways? 5 days? A week? Kaia couldn't remember. She had lost track of time a few days before hand. The chases were getting more and more frequent, and she was running out of places to hide...

For 2 months. 2 months Kaia had been on the run. A large organization named M.A.N.A. had been chasing the girl all across Fiore, but luckily she was smart. And now she had powers she didn't understand, but always seemed to show up when she needed them. Why was she being hunted down? Simple. She had information in her head, and now power locked inside her body that these guys wanted to exploit. Her father had already paid the ultimate price trying to safeguard what she was protecting, so now it was her duty to make sure they never got what they wanted. Of course, that all depended on her getting away from them.

Finally bursting through the crowd, Kaia began a full on sprint down the street, sliding on the cobblestone to turn into an ally way. Not long after, three men dived into the same ally way, and began chasing the girl. Each of them wore similar outfits. White suites with blue lining, and the letters "M.A.N.A." Stitched across their arms. Kaia began weaving her ways through the buildings, and streets as the men were gaining ground. Looking behind her with a worried expression, she held out her palm. "Cmon cmon cmon! Work just this once for me!" She yelled at her hand as she tried to focus. For a moment, nothing happened, but soon a small spark lit itself on her hand. She smiled a wicked grin, before the spar grew larger until it was a ball of smoke. Turning her head, she tossed the ball on the ground, and within an instant it exploded! Engulfing the entire street in thick, black smoke. The men had to stop for a few moments, coughing and hacking their way through Kaia's little distraction as the girl continued to use the panicked crowd as perfect cover to duck into a smaller allyway.

She quickly leaned her back against a building as she quickly tried to re catch her breath... Before slumping to the ground and chuckling to herself. "She went this way! Cmon!" One of the men yelled, running past her hiding place, followed by his two companions. She kept very still as she took heavy breaths... Not every day had a tiny girl like herself was forced to sprint or meet certain death... Or worse.

Kaia continued to try and catch her breath as she leaned over with her arms on her legs. However, it didn't take long until her hiding place was soon discovered. A large shadow formed over the girl, and slowly looked up to see a much taller man, wearing armor. She was startled for a second, backing up. This dude sure looked like he meant business... Whoever he was. She gulped nervously, her hands behind her back as he explained the situation to her. "Huh? W- Wait. You took care of them?" She questioned, her red gaze had an expression of curiosity and fear. How did he know she was running from them? Surly he couldn't have seen her through that display she had pulled off only minutes earlier. But then again, there was something off about this man. She could feel magic dancing off of him like a burning flame. However, Kaia quickly shook the thought.

"I Uh... Thanks mister. Those guys don't give up easily..." She mumbled quietly, still struck with fear about who exactly this guy was, and why he was supposedly helping her. "There may be more... I- I can't stay here for long." She would say truthfully. Seldom to MANA agents only work in groups of three. Especially unskilled ones.

Kaia continued to carefully eyed the man, waiting for his answer. He did seem friendly, and not at all a M.A.N.A. agent. Could she trust him? Maybe. He would then continue to hold out his hand for Kaia, and offered his help. Claiming there was a "safe" place near the docks. At this, the girl only got suspicious and raised an eyebrow, but wouldn't deny his claim. Even if she doubted it. She silently grabbed his hand and let him lead her through the streets at a rather brisk pace. The whole time Kaia would continued to carefully look around, keeping a cautious eye out for anymore agents. However, it seemed they were safe... For now at least. The man would walk at a brisk pace, which told Kaia he may have sensed something she couldn't.

Keeping close, he finally spoke, and the red haired girl gazed up curiously. He introduced himself as Ardere. But what he said after made Kaia blink in shock. "W- Wait. You're the guildmaster of Infinity Hydra?!" She would say, a mix of surprise and excitement mixed in her tone. She had never imagined she'd ever meet a guildmaster, let alone a Slayer! If what she heard was true, this man was in fact one of the 30 legendary slayers spread across the world! The Flame God Slayer if she remembered correctly. Legendary guildmaster of the Infinity Hydra guild! What was he doing here? Why did he help Kaia? "N- No way! You're kidding! You're one of the slayers, right? A god slayer, right? And you lead the entire guild of Infinity Hydra?" She began bombarding him with questions, as the girl couldn't contain her excitement of suddenly meeting a celebrity like this. Although the current situation wasn't favored on how she met him. She wished it was under better circumstances. Nonetheless, she had heard many stories, but never a physical appearance. But that didn't seem to matter, he was exactly how she had pictured. And she didn't have to worry about Ardere not being the man he said he was. Even to a mage of minor power, Kaia could still feel the magic radiating off of him.

Soon, however, Ardere had asked Kaia the long expected question. She knew it was gonna come up sooner or later, and knowing who he was, she'd have to answer truthfully. "I- I'm Kaia..." She started, stuttering. Not knowing how exactly to answer. "Those guys..." She said, turning her head to make sure they weren't being followed. "They're part of a group my father used to work for..." She slightly clenched her fist, as small tears formed in her eyes. But she didn't have an expression of sadness... No.. it was anger... "All he wanted to do was make the world a better place... But as soon as they discovered what he was working on in private, they..." She stopped, not wanting to say the words out loud. "I managed to grab hold of his little project before they could... And I ran with it. I had to find a way to destroy it. But then something happened." She gazed down at her hand for a moment. "The object turned on me, and it d- did something to me! I'm not sure what, but now I have these strange magic powers! And I've never studied magic in my life. Even so, they're still chasing me. They know what happened, and they want what was absorbed. So I run. Not just for my life, but if they get what they want, I fear it will cause collateral damage to many lives..." She said clenching her fist, then wiping away a few of the tears on her sleeve with the same angry expression... "They call themselves MANA..."

Kaia stared at Ardere as he placed a hand on her shoulder. His words have the young girl some comfort, but the past was still the past. No amount of magic could change that. She was curious as to how Ardere would intend to help her, but she trusted him based on his title and the fact he was a guild master of popular guild. She'd continue to follow close behind until they reached their destination.

When they entered the building, Kaia was taken off for a moment just by the look. However, Ardere made himself comfortable on a chair, before stretching out his neck. Kaia simply peered out the window with her red gaze. She stared for a few moments until he spoke. She silently looked back at him curiously. Of course, Kaia knew all about his magic. Anyone would probably know. God slaying magic was rare, and because of that factor it was popular. She figured he may have had similar problems with his magic in the past, but she couldn't be sure. Her magic came from a cursed flower, blessed by a spell that was created by the sun itself. Only recently was this flower discovered in ancient ruins, and eventually made its way into Kaia's possession.

"Mr. Ardere, sir. I- I don't know how it works, b- but I don 't want to hurt people with it... Yet I can't control it... Every time I feel anger, it wells up inside like some horrible monster, and then it explodes!" she held her hands on her head, an expression of fear as her mind raced back with memories... "I can 't stop it... It's like I'm replaced by a different person. One with only rage, and the desire to burn everything around her." She said truthfully. Finally referring to her fire based magic.

Kaia stared at Ardere's magic in awe as her red eyes reflected the flaming dragon he had just created, shortly before its color changed into a much scarier black version. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she looked back down at Ardere as the dragon disappeared. He'd go on to explain how she could try and control her magic by controlling her anger. At this, she scoffed, revealing her sarcastic side. Kaia wasn't known for not being angry about something. The girl was very easily annoyed most of the time, and would love to learn how to get people off her back. But if what Ardere said was true, it'd be a very difficult habit to forget. However, then he asked something unexpected...

"Y- You want to see it?" She stuttered. Her eyes widened at his request, as she wasn't exactly sure how to produce the magic herself. Not without getting angry... "I- I can try." Her voice quivered, slightly afraid of what might happen. With that thought in mind, Kaia slowly closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She concentrated as hard as she could... Digging deep into her mind to try and unlock the power in her body... But nothing. She opened an eye to see if anything had changed, and furrowed her brow to see it hadn't. She concentrated harder, and lifted a hand.

She didn't understand! Why couldn't it work? Kaia gritted her teeth as the air continued to lie still without event. Soon, a feeling could be felt within her. A familiar, dangerous feeling. Annoyance. The longer nothing happened, the more it grew... Until it became frustration... And then something did happen! On the ground below Kaia, a faint magic seal would appear, flicking in and out of life, as it was extremely weak. The seal was red, and depicted a red lotus lily. Seeing this, Kaia got even more angry. Cmon! Cmon! Work you stupid flower! She thought, as the seal got brighter, and brighter! Soon her thoughts raced back to previous events, knowing exactly what she had to do now based off the behavior of the seal. She remembered the night she ran. The people who took her father. The people who took her younger brother...

Irritation.
No...
Frustration.
I can't... Let that happen...
Anger!
Never again!
HATRED!
THEY'LL ALL BURN!

Suddenly, the magic seal lit up! It's red color casted a glow in the entire room as soon as flames burst from its edges! The seal exploded in a shower of red fire as Kaia stood there with a look of hatred, the fire reflecting in her eyes, and burning off her hands...

(So sorry for my late replies! I'll try to reply sooner this time!)

The flames quickly spread among the room, but were consumed equally as fast by the slayer. Kaia was still surrounded by her own circle of flames that appeared not to spread, and her arms were completely engulfed in the hot fire. Her eyes also seemed to have changed from their usual crimson to a burning bright red. The expression on her face was pure anger. She focused on Ardere, not saying anything, but she stared intently at him as she saw her fire was consumed. That's when she challenged her to attack him. She simply glared, and lifted a hand... Behind her another magic seal appeared instantly, depicting the same lotus flower.

Within an instant, three streams of magical fire burst from the seal! They were in the shape of strange serpents, made completely of raging flames. They snaked around Kaia quickly, before launching themselves directly at Ardere! Their speed was extremely fast, and they left trails of flames on the ground and walls around them. The three streams had initially split, two going along the walls of the room while one dove straight through the center, all the with the intent of converging on the fire slayer. All the while Kaia kept her hand in place with her teeth gritting and her expression stuck to a burning rage.

The rage still burned inside Kaia's soul, as she stood in her own flames watching Ardere effortlessly defend himself against her fire streams. At this, she only seemed to have gotten angrier. She hated it when her attacks missed their marks. At this, the flames around her grew more intense, burning hotter, causing the roof to start to spark. Then Ardere shifted his feet, and got ready to retaliate. Kaia let out a angered grunt, before lifting a hand in the air. As he prepared his attack, Kaia focused on her hand, as it became covered in fire once more... Finally, he released his slayer attack! The shaded flames came right for her, and at that moment Kaia threw her arm downwards across her body, suddenly a magic seal appeared underneath her, and then a complete wall of flames shot up in front of Kaia! The burning dome formed around her as the black fire smashed into it. At this, Kaia raised both her arms, and closed her eyes... She shook slightly, struggling to maintain the barrier from the attacking black fire. Soon, the dome caved! The defense broke as the black fire piled over her... However, as it looked like she was being consumed in shadow another red burst of fire exploded from the girl, quickly splitting the shaded flames to fork around the girl. She stood up straight, unharmed, but dazed...? The fire around her calmed, and the look in her eyes faded into a very faint red, almost grey as her pupils widened... She shook silently in the smoke filled room, before falling to her knees, keeping a hand to hold her from falling... She breathed heavily. Completely exhausted from using almost all her magic energy to defend against a god slayer's attack. Her weak arm finally gave out and Kaia's tired body slumped to the ground. She wasn't hurt at all, simply drained of magic power. She lie still breathing heavily on the wooden floor. Barley awake...

Kaia breathed slowly as the fire user came over and picked her up, setting her down on the couch. It took Kaia a few moments, but she was eventually able to regain some stamina and lift herself to a sit up position, putting a hand to her head. It ached, like always after using her magic. She hated this feeling. It was like waking up from a terrible dream, only it never was a nightmare... The Fire Lotus had taken over Kaia's mental state completely. It felt like she was a completely different person. One filled with nothing but rage and the desire to cause as much destruction to her enemies as possible. Once she got angry enough, there wasn't any ways she could stop the feelings from her heart well up inside and burst out of control. Which is why Ardere's first comment surprised Kaia. Breathing heavily, she simply raised an eyebrow. "P- Progress? That's usually what happens when I lose control..." She wheezed.

Reaching for the bottle, Kaia would sit silently and take a small sip. Ironically she wasn't very thirsty, but seeing Ardere give her one told Kaia she should probably cool herself off as well. After all, he was much more experienced in fire magic then she was. But what he said next caused Kaia to look at him with a expression of shock and confusion, which ended with a wide eyed stare... "J- Join the guild? You mean you'd take me to Infinity Hydra?" She blinked, unsure weather he was being serious or not. But based off of what just happened, she wasn't going to doubt him now. She did take a moment to think about it however. Joining the guild was a big decision. First off, she didn't know a ton about the magical guilds that dotted Fiore. Only that they were groups of wizards that came together to use their magic for a common purpose. Kaia wasn't sure what exactly made each guild different either, but apparently they were vastly characterized among each other. Then there was the issue about MANA. The group would still be searching for Kaia in an attempt to bring her back to Bosco, but she had no idea weather they'd be willing to go through a guild to get to her.

Shaking these thoughts from her head, she gulped nervously and shifted her legs, before asking Ardere. "T- Those people... They would still be after me even if I joined..." She started. "My presence could put people in danger." She finally stated, looking at her hands. However, something struck her. Almost as if a basic instinct locked deep inside Kaia sprang back to life. Her head flashed with the memories of the past few months. With this, she furrowed, her brow, and clenched her fist... Joining a guild would be the best solution s he'd have to her little problem. Those idiots thought they could really kill her family and take her back? She'd have to train hard to prove them otherwise! Kaia was going to burn them all to the fucking ground! Finally, she looked back up at Ardere with an angry expression, before giving him a sly smirk. "Well, that's only if I let them anyways. If you're offering after all, you can teach me to finally end their operation in flames."