Only as Tough as Your Spirit

Vandrad had spotted potential and against his better judgement, he knew he had to help hone it. It wasn’t that he didn’t get fulfillment out of helping others get stronger -- in fact, it was one of his specialties when he was in the Bellum army. He was the one that got sent the recruits that were arrogant or cowardly or didn’t adapt to the system easily. The Prince was quite good at getting people to push themselves past their limitations, as well as breaking their wavering spirits into something more concrete. It was why he had excelled at teaching the children at the school; a request made by Nessa that had brought him face to face with snot-nosed, selfish brats. He’d made an example of them and from what he had heard, they were developing much more efficiently.

But he didn’t want to show that side too often. Eventually he would train someone that had heard of him or his methods and then his cover would be blown. For the sake of keeping himself unheard of, he generally kept a distance from people that didn’t force their ways into his life -- such as Mercury. Yet he couldn’t help the notion inside, after having watched Magnus against Nessa. There was simply no chance for the fledgling member to beat a Wizard Saint and Ace of Fairy Tail… but there was a spark that Vandrad could sense. A latent power within that could be coaxed into something greater.

And based on what he’d heard of Kaido Kemono, a literal giant rivaling his uncle’s height. Though he seemed gentle and kind, there seemed to be a raw power buried in his soul as well. Two candidates for extreme power potential -- it was like a perfect hurricane for the Prince. So he had sought them out, explaining that he wished to test their abilities during a morning training session. He advised them when to meet him in the advanced training room; seven thirty in the morning and not a minute later. He didn’t provide any warning beyond that, seeing no need in giving them advanced notice to the rigorous test they would endure.

The morning came about, with Vandrad already prepped and ready for their entrance. He had gotten himself up earlier than usual to complete his own training regimen, so that he was limber and ready to go when they arrived. He patted his forehead with a damp towel to cool himself down, glancing down at the tablet Mercury had provided him for the time. Soon. When they did arrive, they would find the man dressed in a black tank top and black shorts, each one giving a full showing of just how built his body was from training. He cast his eyes in their direction, tossing the towel away and walking towards the center of the room.

"I am not here to be your friend nor your emotional support,” he stated simply, as he cracked his neck on either side. "I have sensed potential in both of you but I don’t settle for half-hearted attempts and excuses. If you want to get stronger, more adept with your magic, I can help you. But my methods are not easy -- in fact, they are quite the test for anyone, even myself. I will break you and then you shall rebuild yourself stronger than before. Is that clear?”

He didn’t wait very long for an answer before folding his arms over his chest. "Alright then. You two are going to fight each other. Do not hold back. And no matter how the situation changes, you must keep fighting. When I give the word, you two will stop fighting one another… and then focus on me. Understand?”

Another beat for their answers before he nodded. "Go.”

Vandrad knew very little about this Kaido Kemono, besides the fact that he was extremely tall and didn’t do a lot around the guild. He was known to go on certain jobs but overall, he seemed more interested in drinking and smoking. The Prince wasn’t sure if it was laziness or perhaps something deeper that kept him from staying active. But based on what he had heard, there was potential there for a strong wizard. And if there was something that Vandrad could do to water that seed, then he’d do his best to do just that.

It was the giant Kaido that arrived first, looking about as pleased as most people would be at seven in the morning. As he came in, the taller man’s focus seemed quite intent on Vandrad and not necessarily out of admiration either. It wasn’t an unfamiliar look -- in fact, the Prince knew it quite well. Most people had this fascination with the steep widow’s peak that crowned his head and the forehead that held it up. He had been getting remarks about it since he was young so at this point, he was so numb to the stares that he simply shrugged them off. Magnus arrived shortly after, looking far more spry than his sparring partner. Vandrad had seen the wild man in action against Nessa, and had gotten the opportunity to sense his magic and the chaotic, powerful nature to it. It was dangerous no doubt but truthfully, what magic wasn’t if it wasn’t mastered?

Kaido seemed… less pleased with the instructions to fight his fellow guildmate, looking about as excited as a child being told to do his chores. He agreed to the battle, if only because he lacked the reason to say no. He turned to Magnus and muttered a few incantations to start up his magic, cloaking himself in a crackling, frightening azure aura. Even from this distance, Vandrad could tell the energy dispersal was thick in its energy, granting him enhanced defenses.

Magnus didn’t answer verbally, choosing to grin as his approval for his preparation. An aura of black and white wrapped around the wild man, his chaotic energy brimming to the surface in an open energy flame. It seemed to primarily focus around his limbs, perhaps giving him enhanced strength for his physical attacks. It was Magnus that started the fight, launching himself at his guildmate and throwing a mixture of attacks. But Vandrad was half-watching the fight -- instead, he walked back over to the tablet and pulled it up. Flicking through a few screens, he connected to the training room’s system and engaged a few utilities. Instantly the room faded away and sent them onto a grassy hillside, overlooking a sea that stretched out to the horizon. Another engaged event brought forth a roll of thunder and a flash of lightning as rain began to fall all around them. He turned up another setting, bringing forth a heavy wind that seemed to blow against their bodies from all directions.

With the chaotic world set, Vandrad set the tablet down behind an illusory rock and stepped back to position, now fully attentive to the fight at hand.

It seemed Kaido had a bit more strategy than he first let on. The muttered spells he had activated created a shield about him, as Magnus’ fist met an invisible wall before connecting with his fist. The wild man was already crafting another attack when the giant unleashed another invisible spell, the energy in the room flaring up as he sent the black-white blast into wisps of forgotten magic. With the advantage on his side for the moment, Kaido quickly sped above Magnus, thrusting a hand out to unleash a blast of lightning down upon his friend, as if he was harnessing the very weather that raged around them.

Magnus had moved away, giving the two of them space. Vandrad’s eyes flicked between the wildman crafting another attack and the giant that was… paused. He fell from the sky and landed on the ground, stunned by some unseen force. Based on the way his face was etched in stress and effort, it seemed that he was facing some kind of internal debate. Was he questioning the reason for this battle? Or was he simply allowing himself to be distracted? Whatever the answer, it was unacceptable.

Magnus was knocked about by Kaido’s magic but he still managed to unleash his attack, sending a ball of energy soaring into the sky. From there it grew into a sizable blast before falling down towards the ground, aiming to take full advantage of the unaware Kaido. But before it could get too much further, a wave of blue magic erupted from Vandrad, cutting the blast in half and causing it to break apart into nothing but glittering particles.

"Becoming distracted in battle often leads to death,” Vandrad said, now looking completely different from before. Gone was the black hair and dark eyes, replaced with a deep crimson color that seemed to glow with unearthly energy. His gaze flickered between the two before coming to rest on Kaido, narrowing slightly. "I put you two against one another so that you could test your abilities. But I can see that isn’t enough. Fine then. You need something to press you beyond your limits, then both of you come at me.” His arms unfolded themselves, falling to his side as he stood his ground. The world around them shifted, taking them away from the rain storm and onto a platform within the heart of a volcano. Lava bubbled all around the rounded island of stone where they stood, the heat pressing against them from all sides.

But it was nothing in comparison to the magical pressure that Vandrad was exuding, now fully untethering his limiters and giving them a feel for just how bulky his strength was by just standing there.

A migraine? In the middle of a fight? That was peculiar -- enough so that Vandrad’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. Perhaps this Kaido was lacking the potential that the Prince had given him credit for. The giant even said that combat was not something that appealed to him; a true shock considering his size and build. As Kaido set himself defensively, with staff in hand, he remarked about the ‘training’ thus far, curious to what the Prince could possibly want beyond what he’d seen already. "Tsk,” Vandrad scoffed. "It isn’t what I want. I brought you here to test your abilities for yourselves -- an attempt to help you discover more power within yourselves than you knew of prior. I didn’t ‘pit you against one another’ for my own amusement or for some malarky attempt to decide who was more worthy than the other. I fully intended on taking you both on as mentees, as per the Fairy Tail guild laws. But I will not suffer people that have no desire to grow and would rather lay back and simply exist. So you have to ask yourself, Kaido Kemono; if battle is not for you, then what is exactly?”

Yet Kaido still seemed little interested in fighting, even suggesting they take a break. They had truly barely gotten started -- the giant had come out swinging but had lost a step or two since then. Magnus though… his power was starting to simmer on a new plane. He spoke to his ally, telling him to rest and insisting he would face Vandrad alone until then. An honorable stance, one that the Prince could honestly respect. As he faced off against the wild man, his opponent stated it was time to begin and, as he said so, his tattoos started to glow. This was entirely different from the magic that he had been using against Nessa on the roof. Ethernano surged over his form, crafting several layers of shielding over his body in preparation as the magical pressure in the room started to shift to something… different.

White energy was running over the man’s body, hiding his form from sight. As his opponent started to transform, something started to… happen to Vandrad. He winced as a burning pain shot to the front of his forehead. Was it the light that was coming from Magnus that was causing such agony? No, it was something else… something within him. Anger and hatred rose out of nowhere, filling his veins as the wild man continued his transformation and, unbeknownst to him, the Prince was going through his own change. Blood burst from the flesh of his head and swept over his forehead, etching into a bloody ‘M’ that glowed with a light most evil.

Magnus did not wait even a beat once his change was complete, racing the distance between them with his new shield and sword wielded in each hand. The shield led the charge, aiming to slam into Vandrad and knock him silly, while the sword rushed down to swing at his body. The aegis would hit a hard source; Vandrad’s outstretched hand, with an energy most foul simmering over the limb as a protective barrier. The sword swing could come down and hit Vandrad square in the side but it too was stopped before it could cut into his form. The Prince’s stoic face had morphed into something wicked, a malevolent smirk on his face as he looked up at the transformed Magnus."A human that borrows from Heaven?” he asked with an inhuman chuckle.

A sickening magic erupted from Vandrad’s form, black ash and crimson electricity filling the entirety of the space around them and even as far back as where Kaido stood. The choking essence would seek to soak into the body, infecting the bloodstream and robbing them of their ability to move, their ability to think straight -- even their ability to breathe. It would also drain them of their magic, should they not find a means to get out of range quick enough, sapping their strength from them.

All the while, one of Vandrad’s armors was extending outwards slowly. A bright pink energy erupted from his palm and stretched both up and down, coalescing into a staff that then extended with a blade at the top. The Prince’s fingers wrapped around the shaft as he took hold of the scythe, as if he had wielded the weapon prior to this. The look in his eyes beckoned the challenge from Magnus, though it didn’t seem to be quite Vandrad anymore. No, it almost seemed as if something far more evil had overtaken him and had wicked intent for the two men.