Asche zu Asche (Rich and Arsen)

Richard wandered out towards the lake in the early morning light as he had planned to for a few days now. Smiling slightly in the weak sunlight, he moved to the large stone that he'd told his new apprentice to meet him at. Yawning a little, Richard climbed up on top of the large stone with his handful of grass. Sitting down on the very top of the stone he began to transfigure the blades of grass into thin stones that he then tossed out across the water of the lake, skimming them casually as he waited.

He glanced down at his watch and sighed making his way out to the school grounds. The sun was only just beginning to stir so he wasn't at his best, which didn't make his first apprentice lesson appealing. His eyes were currently a mixture of his blue human eyes and the red of the demon.

Once he was outside he zeroed in on the man sat on the rock, his mind wondering to what he would teach him. He definitely needed to learn something from someone sane. Most of his uncles lessons would most likely end up with him dying.

"Professor?" He mutter as he got close to the rock, immediately shoving his hands into his pockets out of habit.

Richard looked up at the obviously sluggish Arsen with a happy smile,

"Ah Arsen..." he chuckled, "Not a morning person eh?"

He turned to look at the rising sun,

"Can't imagine why not. I mean you can gain some power from the sun right?" he glanced at his apprentice, "You would think it would help you. Your powers rising with the sun and all that jazz."

He stuck his hands in his own pockets,

"So what do you want to learn Arsen?" he asked casually, "I've got some ideas but I want to hear what you want to specifically learn."

He shrugged. "It depends what mood i'm in." He said, the days and nights just flowed into one another for him but sometimes it felt good to be human which wasn't possible for him once the sun was out. "I personally like the early afternoons when the sun is highest. It seems to energise me more."

He nodded. "The suns not that bright during the mornings so i'm stuck between shifts as you can see." He said pointing to his eyes. "I'm strongest when the sun is brightest." He explained giving the sun a quick look.

He thought for a second. "I want to learn everything. I want to be ready for this war, i want to fight and not end up being the bait like usual." He said gritting his teeth as he thought of his uncle. "I will be grateful for anything you can teach me. It will be nice to be able to do something without having to rely on the sun." He frowned.

Richard nodded,

"I suppose that makes sense." he agreed before shrugging, "So night time is like a sleeping pill for you or something? Calms you right down I'd guess."

He smirked a little,

"Sounds like it's a bit hit and miss." he shrugged, "I guess you'll just have to duck and hide more when the sun's down. Oh and try and wait for midday."

Richard frowned a little,

"You do realise that my style of fighting is absolutely nothing like the style your uncle uses right?" his frown deepened, "I'll teach you how to charge through a tank unharmed. I can teach you how to turn concrete into water and drown hundreds of people at once. I can teach you how to turn your entire body into metal, which you could superheat with your own heat-based abilities. If you learn these things you might not be able to work with your uncle as well as you used to. Your styles would contradict one another."

"I suppose so. I'm more human on a night and it makes using fire that much harder since it likes to take energy i don't have. But that also means i can think without fire clouding my vision. During the day i'm run by my temper. I tend to fight and think second which isn't always the best." He shrugged.

He shook his head. "That's why i'm here. I don't want to hide. I want to learn how to fight as a human so i don't have to rely on my demon side. I'm strong at anytime of the day, i'm just strongest at midday since the sun is directly above us." He explained.

He nodded. "Good i don't want to be like him. He's getting in my way. He shot me the other day with the intention of killing me. He thinks it's funny to watch the muggles faces as i heal. Now i don't know about you but that's not the kind of partner i want. He doesn't think about how much it will hurt me, he's sick and mental." He said gritting his teeth. "He'll live without me just as i'm more likely to live without him. I want to learn things your way if your willing to let me." He said his hand going to touch his pendent for reassurance as the sun slowly got brighter.

Richard chuckled a little,

"What's the matter Arsen? Not used to drawing from your own power like a mortal man?" he teased lightly before shrugging, "I'd say I'll try not to annoy you during the day... but I think it'll be fun to see you try to be honest."

He closed his eyes a simply listened to the world around him. The wing rushing through the leaves of the forbidden forest. The ripples of the lake's surface. Smiling lightly, Richard didn't open his eyes,

"To fight to the best of your ability you must know yourself... you must embrace yourself." he informed the third year quietly, "You must know your flaws and accept them. You cannot perform to the best of your abilities with two sides of yourself. You must reconcile the two sides of yourself Arsen. If you don't then you will be easy to destroy. If you don't I could rip you apart with my bare hands."

Richard smirked a little,

"I can see where a man such as Aspen might become a pain in the ass." he agreed before holding up a hand, "I'm going to teach you how to confront and accept your baser instincts. Are you willing?"

He frowned. "Well no, i was always taught to play by my strengths. I have more control over fire than my own magic because i haven't learnt properly how to use it. That's why i moved here. Ace the Highmaster of Durmstrang thought i'd be better off here. Too many professors thought they'd rather teach me something even i don't understand rather than what everyone else was learning." He shrugged.

He shook his head. "Please don't. I don't have the best control over this thing yet. I've killed before you know. That's why im like this, i was like a ticking time bomb." He smirked remembering the look on his stepfathers face as he set on fire. He looked disappointed when he survived without a scratch.

He narrowed his eyes and glanced around looking for whatever he seemed to be listening to, but found nothing. He nodded understanding his works but even now with the sun still getting brighter it annoyed him. Just the thought of him trying to hurt him woke the demon in him but he held down the growl and took a deep breath.

"That's an understatement professor." He said then nodded. "Yes. I'm definitely willing."

Richard frowned,

"That what they're teaching at Durmstrang now? Huh. Changed a lot." he shook his head, "Kinda stupid if you think about it. Why spend more time training something you have a natural advantage in and spend next to no time in fixing the rest of it? No, in my lessons you will practice only with your human side."

He smiled thinly,

"You will hurt, you will break and you will bleed." he tilted his head to the side and the smile grew, "You will learn, you will grow and you will adapt. In short... everything good about being human."

Richard raised an eyebrow at his apprentice,

"Now you're assuming that you can kill me." he shook his head, "And I can tell you right now I've killed more people than you. So many people that I only remember the number of innocents I've killed. And there are a lot of them unfortunately."

He chuckled,

"That's me... master of the elements, keeper of the secrets of alchemy and king of understatement!" he joked lightly, "Oh you say that now... You'll probably say it later after we work on unlocking your instincts. It'll make your demon side more powerful, vicious even, in battle. It'll make you feel powerful."

Richard smirked,

"Then I'll have you fight your instincts. Have you fight the demonic side of you. Again. And again. And again." he shrugged, "Each time you'll be beaten down. You'll be on the edge of death before I help you. You will feel the hopelessness of the abyss looming over you before I bring you back. And then you'll do it again. You will keep doing it until you have made your stronger side submit. Until you have dominated it. Until you are king of your own power."

He nodded. "That's why i'm here. No one can teach me about my other half but me. But you can teach my human side. Good you are only as strong as your weakest part and at the minute that doesn't mean a lot." He frowned.

He nodded listening to his words but they didn't mean much since he knew he could heal instantly, he could never be human because he would always heal like a demon would. "I could. One single touch and your insides have turned to dust. Of course you'll be a lot more aware of that so will be expecting it." He shrugged then nodded. "I know you have." He said his first kill had been an accident, he didn't know any better but it made him the monster he was today.

"Master of the elements? Can you control fire?" He asked out of interest. "What? You want me to unleash it? I don't even know what it can do. What if it goes on a killing spree that i can't stop? You going to kill me to stop it?" He asked.

"So your going to make me fight it till the brink of death then bring me back? That sounds... fun." He said rubbing his eye. "What if it doesn't want to submit. Demons are tempermental creatures you know. Especially the fire kind."

Richard shrugged a little,

"Your weakest link is that you have not got a lot of power as far as a human wizard goes." he smiled a little, "You are only a third year after all. So you'll naturally get stronger as you age. With me I'll teach you a few tricks to make sure you live long enough to be a strong wizard and not just a strong demon."

He smiled at his apprentice, well aware that it probably looked very creepy,

"Now you're assuming that I don't keep spares. Or that my insides are the same as a regular human's all of the time." he shook his head, "Never make assumptions like that Arsen. Especially with an alchemist."

Richard scoffed,

"Oh please, don't tell me you still believe in that ancient elemental theory bullshit." he rolled his eyes, "Fire, water, air and earth? The only elements? Pull the other one. I meant the real elements Arsen. You know, the periodic table of elements."

He thought about it before shaking his head,

"I probably wouldn't have to kill you to stop it but I would if it got too far out of hand." he smiled a little, "Oh we'll work on unleashing it but first I'll have you simply using your instincts more."

Richard smirked a little,

"Yep. It'll make for damn good entertainment for me I have to say." he joked, "As for dominating it... what do you think a demon respects Arsen? Power. Why is Lucifer the strongest and undisputed ruler of hell? Because he beat down all of his challengers and showed them he was more powerful."

He nodded, he couldn't wait to finally work on his human side. It got really annoying when everyone depended on the side he hated most. "Then i could turn nocturnal and start hunting on a night instead." He smirked pushing up the sleeves of his jacket.

"You keep spare organs? That's messed up man, who'd you take them from?" He asked he was quite surprised the man would go that far. "Wait i didn't think you could transfigure your insides. It's one of those rules isn't it?" He asked, he was sure he had heard that from somewhere. He nodded. "Never underestimate someone right?" He said shoving his hands into his pocket.

He shrugged. "I don't know i can control fire so maybe there are others out there that can control the other elements." He said turning to look at the lake for a second. "Oh oxygen and hydrogen and that." He said he's learnt that during muggle lessons.

He smiled. "Thanks not many people would kill me. I can't believe i just thanked you for saying you'd kill me." He smirked shaking his head. "No idea what's gotten into me lately." He frowned.

He smiled. "You're just a little weird you know that." He smirked. "So basically i need to show it who's boss?" He thought about it for a second and nodded. "That sounds easier said than done. So where do we begin?" He asked eager to get stuck in.

Richard grinned at the statement, liking the way Arsen was willing to fight as a human as well as an immortal demon,

"With my help..." he smirked, "You'll stalk the night and prowl in the day. The chain of your strengths doesn't have to be strong to be give you victory in your life Arsen, it just has to be consistant."

He rolled his eyes with a smirk,

"You assume I took them? You really have spent too much time with Aspen." he chuckled, "I made them. I can make them out of almost anything to be fair."

Richard chuckled and stuffed his hands into his pockets,

"The laws of transfiguration, yes. The laws of alchemy? No." he replied with a smirk before grinning, "Bingo. Give the kid a prize."

Richard thought about it for a moment before shrugging,

"That would be a little far fetched though wouldn't it? And we'd have heard of other elementals before now." he commented lightly, "Yeah, those are some of them. Titanium is a favourite of mine."

He grinned,

"You're not the first for saying that." he replied, "Maybe I've been a good influence. Nyos knows how, I'm not around much as a mentor."

Richard smiled a little,

"I make it my business to be prepared Mr Salvator and you and your uncle are not the first servants of Lucifer I have encountered." he revealed quietly, "We show it who is boss..."

He chuckled,

"A gross over simplification." he told his students with a smirk, "You don't show it who's 'boss'. You show it who's KING. You have to dominate it completely. It'll respect that. It'll work for you if you're it's King. But if you're it's 'boss' it'll fight against you."

Richard reached into his pocket and pulled out a shrunken book. Enlarging it again, he opened it to a page that appeared to be totally blank but was actually just protected by powerful charms. Wouldn't have mattered anyway, it was written in the same dead language his alchemy spells were. Well beyond any of the other teachers, let alone Arsen. He coughed a little,

"Bear with me..." he muttered, somewhat embarassed, "It's a pretty long chant/speech..."

He closed his eyes and when they opened again they were clouded over,

"Abandon your fear. Look forward. Move forward and never stop. You'll age if you pull back. You'll die if you hesitate." he spoke, his voice rumbling and unnaturally deep, "This are the words you must live by to fight any foe. But you are weak! You have become divided and weak!"

He stood up and walked over to Arsen, standing only a short distance from him,

"It's all, Arsen, because you despaired and ceased to walk forward." he paused, "Arsen. I won't let you remain this way. Right here and now, I will pull out the source of your despair."

Reaching up faster than Arsen could react, Richard pushed his hand into Arsen's chest, where it sunk in without breaking the skin,

"Face the source of your despair!" he declared and pulled. When his hand came out he was holding something. Pulling harder, he threw a fully formed figure out of Arsen's chest, near the water's edge. It was a blacked out version of Arsen, his inner demon given temporary flesh, "Face you demon."

"You made them?" He asked his eyes wide in surprise. "But i didn't think that was possible, you must be the only person then that can do it." He said he'd heard of people trying it to help loved ones live but no one had succeeded to make a decent living organ that could be used in a human body. "Do they work these organs? Like properly work? They could keep you alive?" He asked trying to think how he could possible have done it. He smiled. "Aspen doesn't like the organs too much they get in the way." He smirked.

He shrugged. "Wouldn't surprise me though, i shouldn't exist but i do. This pendent is probably the only thing keeping me alive, my father worked around the rules and found a way to keep me alive unlike the others that have tried." He said he hated his father more than anything for making him like this but he had to be thankful that he'd had chance to live his life. "Oxygens mine it keeps me running." He smirked both the human and demon side to him because fire couldn't live without oxygen.

He frowned. "Who's Nyos?" He asked.

He growled. "I'm not servant of Lucifer. I was born this way but that doesn't mean i have to like it or follow what's destined for me. I hate anything attached to my father." He said just the though of him made him angry, his fists clenched but his side were already hot in temperature.

He nodded but that a lot said easier said than done. "And how do i just do that?" He asked, because he knew nothing about his other half. Hr frowned, his brows furrowed as he said his little chant but he still had no idea what he was doing. It wasn't from the bible because he'd definitely feel that so what could it be? He gasped looking down at his chest as his master hand went right through him. "What are yo..." He said before watching as he pulled out something from his chest.

His eyes widened in shock. "That's not... no it can't be." He said moving to look around his inner demon. How did you do that?" He asked before ducking as a fire ball came his way. "Woah what the hell?" He said balling his hands into fists. Why was he attacking himself? But then he remembered the demon in him was always fighting his human side. It weakened him and demons didn't like weaknesses. "Right so how do you defeat something that could kill you in seconds but you can't kill them?" He asked keeping an eye on the demon just incase it tried to kill him again.