Welcome to The Duality of Man, an original animanga role-play that features numerous supernatural creatures. Unfortunately, these various species have distanced themselves because of the war that occurred thousands of years ago, plaguing some with eyes that only see their dualism. While others meddle themself with their differences, two groups fight, each attempting to eliminate the other in for their definition of worldly peace. These two groups of the Terror Response Syndicate (TRS) and the Assembly of Phantoms (AP). With individuals fighting merely over their differences, it brings uncertainty to the outcome of this war.
We happily accept all role-players as long as they obey the rules and are capable of meeting our word count of 50. This does include those who are unfamiliar with this style of role-playing. The staff of The Duality of Man are willing to happily help those who are new to the role-playing world so they feel comfortable on site. Feel free to message the staff if you need help, they can be found here or in the site Discord and will gladly answer questions alongside calm concerns. If you have any suggestions we would love to hear them; guests may use the support board as a suggestion area as well. Should you decide to join, may I say welcome to the site and we all hope you enjoy your time here.
Yours Truely,
The Staff
season
Summer 2024
Heat has broken through into a glorious summer. The snow has entirely dried through the spring, leaving to the brilliance of the warmer months. Terror activity has risen as people are brought out of their homes, leaving the TRS in a position of consistent work. Each are attempting to maintain victory in the endless struggle for power.
Since the wonderful members of TDOM enjoy the site enough to play around on it, this thread is to assist with the site's tidying! Functionality is important and we want to make the site functional even if its activity will be minimal at best!
The news was handed over abruptly without an opportunity for research. He was expected to become acquainted with the young man, whom they informed him possessed the name Graelish Aurendel. Limited information was specified, mostly the type Brasti would require for training exercises all handed verbally. They knew if the hacker desired more, he could hunt it down without hassle... The short-noticed responsibilities left Brasti rising from his chair moments after being given the information alongside a start date; more so a time given it was today.
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The scout deputy assumed it was their method of keeping him out of trouble. Meanwhile, they gleefully used the blackmail material he provided when requested. Alas, the demon held no ill-will towards having an apprentice thrust upon him for their mentorship period. Tristan Anderson, a former apprentice of his, turned out excellently and at times operated as a station hand for his office during dire situations. Although, he was under the assumption Graelish could be a more field-oriented scout unlike Tristan, whose skills were better suited for hacking information rather than on-field work.
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As Brasti exited his office, he accomplished the regular action of locking the door behind him. Some snoopy individuals discovered pleasure in invading his personal space and an unexpected training session would be an opportunity. Thus, the scout deputy kept the door locked tight before bringing up his phone to verify that the cameras were opperational. A smoke break was one thing, but being out for training, Brasti preferred to maintain caution. Once satisfied, the demon accomplished a finally survey the immediate area before heading down the hallway towards an alternative exit.
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Through the hallways he ventured, shoes lightly tapping on the tiled floors of the TRS headquarters. He passed by the occasional person who lifted a brow, but dared not say a word against Brasti's actions. Briskly, the man walked, hands hidden in his pants pockets as escaped the information center to the back entrance. As he turned the final corner, a pair of large double doors blocked his path. Upon nearing the door, a hand slithered from his pocket to push the door open. With a simple push, he entered the mid-summer heat of a pleasant July morning; the temperature was dialing up recently.
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Nonetheless, the heat exposure failed to even perturb the fire immune demon as he began his short walk along a small dirt path overseeing the sparring grounds. The short path led to the front of the training centre, the second building located on TRS property. The front door was pulled open as Brasti entered the building, weaving through the hallways to the well-known gymansium. The individuals who handed the manipulative demon the training task informed him his apprentice was sent there. As he approached the gym's doors, Brasti mentally ran through the limited information he received in regards to his new apprentice.
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Graelish Aurendel, Seraphim, Scout Apprentice, Unit 2.
Pacing had only made it worse. Regardless he’d paced for at least ten minutes until finally he’d forced himself to sit down. But the nervous energy that flowed through Graelish Aurundel would not be quelled by something as simple as immobility. It started again in the form of his foot tapping until finally he was shaking his whole leg again.
Gray slammed his hand down on his knee like he was chastising someone. Strangely enough it worked.
He had no idea what to expect. Or who to expect really. Was this mentor going to be tough on him or were they going to be far too nice? Considering he actually needed to learn this stuff, Gray couldn’t tell which he preferred more. The instructor had been nice enough to give him a name though. Brasti Vanderfeld.
Footsteps echoed along the corridor outside of the gymnasium’s center and Gray shot up to a stand so straight even he was surprised at how good his posture was. The individual in question continued to walk…. straight passed the door. Gray visibly deflated, exhaling the breath he hadn’t know he’d been holding.
Maybe he’d gotten the date wrong after all.
Sinking back into the bench, he leaned over to grab his phone. With each flick of his thumb emails whizzed by until he found the one with his training dates. Gray stared intently at the email, re-reading each word as though there were a hidden meaning in between then lines. Because of this he was completely oblivious to the environment around him.
“Monday… at… 1100… gymnasium,” he read out loud, confirming that he was actually in the right place. The lines seemed darker the longer he stared at them. His eyes flickered to the time on his cellphone: 1103. Maybe they had sent him the wrong time or location. Maybe…maybe he was just worrying too much.
Extreme punctuality had been made impossible because of the circumstances of Brasti being handed the task. As he pushed open the gymnasium doors, his eyes flickered to the watch secured to his right wrist. 11:03am. This was already unprofessional due to the short notice assignment of his apprentice. A soft tsk escaped Brasti’s lips as he crossed the threshold into the training centre’s gymnasium. Behind the dark-tinted sunglasses, Brasti’s violet eyes surveyed the area. A few wayward apprentices were practicing in quiet corners, some having the attendance of an adult.
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None appeared to be similar to the hastily flashed picture they showed him before leaving his office. A gentle 'hmm' sounded from his closed lips as he glanced around until his sunglasses covered eyes managed to spot a lone figure sitting on the bench. The man sported the yellow accents of an apprentice along with vague traits overlapping with the quickly displayed photo. Dark hair, fair skin, there was a high probability the solidated man was his apprentice. A charmer's smile featured itself on Brasti's face as he sauntered over to his assumed apprentice.
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He offered his hand once the distance was close to create the beginnings of an introduction. It felt required given the limited information he received.
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"Graelish, I'm guessing? I'm Brasti Vanderfeld, I will be your mentor through your apprenticeship," the violet-eyed demon introduced.
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The smile remained on Brasti's face as the cogs of his brain turned. Hastily, he began developing a plan for showing the young man some defence skills alongside an array of movement practices. On-field scouts required high precision with their movements and a capability to defend themselves should things turn sour. Even the demon was trained in combat when he joined the TRS, although, he never required it given his past background as a hell soldier... As much as he despised his deceased father for attempting to separate him from Lilliana, the man trained soldiers well.
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With the initial introductions completed, Brasti reaches to softly adjust the collar of his dress shirt. The grumble of throat-clearing echoed through his closed lips.
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"Anyways, I imagine your classroom lessons taught you the basics, so where would you like to start? Self-defence skills or perhaps some movement practices?"
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He offered the option to his apprentice to "repay" for his late attendance. While the incident was beyond his control given the short-notice nature of this apprentice assignment, he would not sully the TRS name with his grievances. Besides, there was plenty more they could speak about in regards to him and he would rather not handle personal questions from an apprentice.
Gray nearly jumped at the voice from behind him. Not because it was harsh or rude but simply due to the fact that he’d been so focused on whether or not he’d messed up. The dark-haired man was quick to turn around and take in the sight of his would-be mentor. Dark, stylishly casual hair framed an expression hardened by experience.
Gray wasn’t sure what he had expected but this guy didn’t fit the bill. He looked like one of the guys out of an action movie. Heck, he looked cool. It was incredibly intimidating.
“Yeah, uh, you can just call me Gray,” he offered his best smile, smoothing over the fact that his mentor was an action movie hero of some sorts.
Now he was smiling?! Gray vaguely wondered if the man before him could sense how suddenly nervous he was. Had he maybe read up on him…? Did he know…? Gray spend several seconds thinking of all the horrific possibilities. He wasn’t normally an anxious person but for some reason today seemed to be the exception.
Oh wait, Brasti had asked him a question.
“Self defense sounds good,” he blurted out despite the fact that self defense did not really sound good at all. He didn’t handle weapons. Gray hadn’t really told anyone for fear the TRS would reject him. He needed to be here making things right. If he had to hold a knife again though…
Gray straightened up, shoving the thought aside like a bad idea. Now wasn’t the time to think about those things. He’d be taking it step by step. If Brasti handed him a weapon he could deal with it then. Unclenching his jaw, Gray eyed his mentor with more poise than before. “Are you a scout or a general mentor? Sorry I just, I’m not really sure how things work around here so I was just curious,” the seraphim reasoned, certain that there was no way someone this cool was a scout.
Well-placed anxiety was exhibited by his apprentice. The demon's eyes narrowed slightly from behind his darkened spectacles. Rumours followed Brasti, hushed words exchanged because of his questionable methods of information gathering alongside his willingness to blackmail. The possibility existed given the sheer weight given to his name. The scout deputy was detested by those around him, therefore, it was nothing unusual. Despite these potential revelations, Brasti maintained his charming smile, playing the part as unconcerned.
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Revealing cards were unnecessary until the pieces of the fictional chessboard aligned accordingly. Without buckets of information on his latest apprentice, Brasti's choice of action was playing off the nervousness. There were no requirements or laws stating he needed to ooze constant blackmail and trouble causing. Once their game concluded, the demon would retreat to his office and begin the deep dive into researching Graelish Aurendel. His primary job was acquiring information on others, and Brasti was frightfully adept in accomplishing those goals.
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At the provided nickname, Brasti gave a nod without further words. He would obey the seraphim's wishes of being referred to as Gray, impart because Graelish was a mouthful. The choice was given to his apprentice, a minor thing given both lessons required learning. The blurted out response suggested a young man anxious for the battlefield; it was not unusual.
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"Alright. Do you have any battle training? Weapon preference? Or are you someone who uses your abilities to fight?"
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The basic questions escaped Brasti's lips with a neutral tone. These were the boring aspects of apprentice training, but unfortunately a necessary evil; like his blackmailing! The demon waved his hand, gesturing for Gray to rise and follow. If they were doing self-defence training, he wanted to give Gray an idea of what he could work with. The question in regards to mentorship hit Brasti's ears and resonated in his mind... This apprentice was actually clueless about him, evident by the question he asked.
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From Brasti's perspective, the young man was unaware he was apart of the scouting division and furthermore, a deputy. The pair of blue stars on his chest made it evident he was a scouting deputy after all. Impulses to allow a devious smile to form were resisted, the demon maintaining his charming expression.
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"I am unit one's scout deputy," he began his explanation. "So, I am apart of the scouting division, however, I usually focus on camera management and information gathering. I am assuming you're going to be geared to the on-field work? Unless that is not your forte?"
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On-field work meant terrors, tracking and information gathering. The general groundwork was accomplished by the on-field work, meanwhile, Brasti was considered somebody geared towards research, hacking and gathering information through questionable means. Could he accomplish on-field work? Most definitely, at times it became a requirement given Donovan's reckless tendencies. The dark-haired demon could fight, it became among the reasons he was never spared from mentoring duties. He was versatile with work and merely placed where he was considered strongest.
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If Gray rose to follow, Brasti would start walking his apprentice towards the equipment room where some of the training weapons were stored. Behind a locked cabinet were the weapons permitted for training sessions which were composed of a variety of swords, knives, guns among other options for young apprentices to try.
Brasti Vanderfeld. Charging into battle with a sword in hand, dark locks flying to and fro on a hot, dying breeze… right to the corner of his desk… as a scout. Normally this would have made Gray think he was less cool but for some reason it only amplified the level of badassery surrounding his mentor.
Unfortunately, this train of thought soon withered under the words “battle training” and “weapons”. Gray had specifically chosen this line of work to avoid having to hold a weapon so the word caught him off guard.
“Powers are fine,” the mahogany-haired seraphim was far too quick to offer but he stood firmly by his statement. Reid had always told him that appearing confident was half the battle to actually being confident.
It was difficult not to cross his arms as Brasti introduced the next uncomfortable topic; what would he be doing? This was something Gray had struggled with since his decision to join the TRS. Ideally, he’d be better suited for a job behind a desk but his skills in areas of information-gathering, hacking, and overall material reconnaissance were poor at best. Which led him to believe that being a field scout would be ideal. He paused that train of thought to address Brasti’s description of his work.
“Wait, information gathering like… hacking?” his eyebrow quirked inquisitively at the other man, considering something his mentor had said as he followed Brasti to what appeared to be a cabinet of… knife-like objects.
Gray’s eyes locked on the smallest blade, a simple curved knife that could’ve been easily identified as the one he’d – no, this wasn’t the time. The seraphim looked away from the cabinet, feeling a little sick at the thoughts dwelling underneath the surface of his mind. If it came down to it, he would tell Brasti he didn’t handle weapons.
Hopefully, it didn’t.
“I want to do on-field work. I have no skills that would benefit desk work,” again his false display of confidence shone through as he stood in the shadow of the taller man. This wasn’t meant to be an easy path so he should’ve expected this but Gray still felt intimidated as he laid out the next part of their conversation, “i’m ready when you are Mr. Vanderfeld.”
Weapons were a glorified creation by a majority enter the Terror Response Syndicate. Apprentices were enthusiastic about laying their delicate fingers on the dangerous items. The opportunity to thrill themselves with the chance to hold something capable of mortally injuring someone. It was a common ailment captured in the excited eyes of TRS apprentices, especially those training to join the hunter's division. Based on Gray's initial choices, Brasti was under the assumption the dark-haired man was greedily awaiting the opportunity to try something from the arsenal.
Yet, his newest apprentice astonished him as he stated powers would be fine. Apprentices preferring the use of their abilities was not necessarily unusual, merely, unexpected. Nonetheless, Brasti proceeded walking along the gymnasium walls to show the seraphim the weapons room. Minds could be changed in a meagre few moments, furthermore, an ineptness in his abilities meant switching gears to assure Gray's safety. With the imposing threat of Assembly members being a frequent occurrence, self-defense was taken seriously by Brasti.
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The inquiry about hacking brought a smirk to Brasti's lips as he nodded in response. Hacking was considered among those intriguing skills, a powerhouse ability in the online world. Alas, the demon summoned those powerhouse abilities to the real-life forefront; a nightmare for some. The clack of keyboards and consistent combing through security feeds and information was what painted Brasti's life. It operated best for the demon given his capabilities, but the man was no stranger to field work. As they approached the cabinet, the dark-haired demon glanced over at his apprentice... to discover an interesting reaction.
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A brow raised at his apprentice's reaction to the cabinet. Rather than curiously comb through the dangerous collection, Gray glanced away, avoiding the weapons. He observed the dark-haired seraphim. Every word was listened to, the man appearing disinterested in revealing his distaste of weaponry. Curiosities orbited in Brasti's thoughts the longer he watched his apprentice... Was there something there? Temporarily, the demon ignored it, turning to lead the retreat out of supply room.
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"Alright. Then I guess we should get started. Let's head outside," he began as he exited. "Now, what abilities are you best at?"
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Fleshing out Gray's strong and weak points was crucial for deciding where the training would begin. As they returned to the gymnasium area, Brasti proceeded to walk, heading to the exit door. A seraphim's powers were destructive, therefore, the demon decided to take Gray outside to proceed their training session. Damaging the gymnasium was normal, however, when possible the scout deputy wished to avoid filing out paperwork for damages. Furthermore, outside meant more room and potentially more privacy in comparison to the crowded gym area.
Brasti Vanderfeld. Hacking. That explained the sunglasses then. Graelish supposed that the abundance of computer light probably wasn’t good for one’s eyes over long periods of time… or maybe it was because it was easier to see imperfections in coding?
Knowing next to nothing about hacking, Graelish’s mind wandered for a moment to a multitude of scenarios where Brasti’s fingers flew over the keys as his eyes trained in on a screen of codes moving far too fast for normal eyes.
It was almost enough to distract him from the proximity to the weapons case. Once they had left the supply room Graelish felt he could relax. Though the next question was an even firmer punch in the gut, figuratively speaking.
His powers.
“Force fields,” he immediately offered, possibly too quickly.
Seraphims were notorious for their skills in fire manipulation but to say Gray had any skill in this area at all would be laughable. With a human as a stepmother and no real guidance to develop these powers, Gray had never really used them. It had been his intention to be a middle-class worker after all, not a TRS operative.
Gray let his gaze linger hopefully on those darkened shades, catching only the slightest outline of what lay beneath. This time the seraphim didn’t let his nerves show. He could get over utilizing his powers in front of a near stranger, this wasn’t like weapons. For a brief moment it almost felt as though Brasti were looking right through him.
Maybe he knew? No. Gray pushed the thoughts away, standing tall besides his action-movie-hero mentor. This was where he needed to be and he’d do what he had to in order to get to his goal. It was the least he could do. Still, it would be nice if Brasti ignored the fact that the seraphim in front of him hadn’t mentioned fire manipulation skills at all.
Surely there had to be some other seraphims out there that were bad at it… right?
Curiosities in regards to his latest apprentice played amidst Brasti's mind as they left the crowded gymnasium. Temporarily set aside, he paid them some attention with some prerequisite theorizing. Initial thoughts that circumvented the demon's mind was the possibility or Gray being involved in a traumatic situation. Perhaps once held at knife point in a hostage environment, hence causing the weapon to burn in his hands. Yet, it could be something as simple as an unorthodox fear of the dangerous items when the true fright should be the individual behind them.
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Alas, without available methods to gather confirmation on those inquiries, they promptly returned to their sidelined position in the demon's mind. Mentally, Brasti ran through the abilities procured with the heavenly species, seraphim. Thoughts towards the creature's extreme speed and fire capabilities fluttered through the dark-haired man's mind. Casually, his hand adjusted his sunglasses to the high position on his nose. Those would be the most ideal for situations of self-defense, although, speed more so for scouting in general.
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For a moment, Brasti's eyes flitted back towards his apprentice. Compared to their interaction with the armoury, the man had eased. The temptation to release a 'hmm' was suppressed. A simple set of noises could allow his apprentice to pick up on certain factors... Such as his suspicions to the past of young Graelish Aurendel. Although, hardly a moment to ponder it was given as the seraphim provided a grand total of one ability. The demon's eyes locked on him, staying silent for a moment as he expected at least two, but nothing came...
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"So... only force fields? Not fire manipulation? Speed? Wing manifestation? Anything else?" The demon questioned before giving a sigh. "Okay, let's get you started on fire manipulation. I can teach you that easiest."
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Compared to a majority of Brasti's abilities, fire manipulation proved among his best. The ability to strike up brilliant red flames came naturally to the demon. After being trained extensively by his father to assist with the war efforts centuries ago, he was best described as capable. In a way, fire was the demon's forte; something he could dance with while keeping the utmost capability. As they strolled outside, Brasti led the dark-haired seraphim to a patch of dirt. The constant sparing long eliminated the grass, leaving a large, barren circle TRS members used to spar in.
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Ideally, it would be an excellent location to start the learning steps of fire manipulation. If anything turned wild, the lack of fuel would keep the flames from spreading far and quickly.
Gray knew the list wasn’t impressive but to hear it repeated back to him was an extra punch in the gut. Still he had enough confidence that Brasti would accept what was given, after all force fields could be more useful than people gave them credit for. Especially on a scouting job where combat capabilities were not needed. But Brasti had deigned it critical to focus on the telltale ability of any competent seraphim: fire manipulation.
Oh no.
Memories of his latest excursion came flooding back in montage that would make anyone cringe. He hadn’t really meant to set the car on fire… it just sort of well… no, that was irrelevant now. Gray was standing alongside Brasti, his mentor and a man of great talents.
Maybe he’d only failed in his previous endeavors due to the lack of a practiced hand to guide him. Alternatively, maybe Brasti didn’t value his eyebrows. Or maybe that was why he wore the sunglasses.
“S-sure,” a fresh new wave of heat made its way to his face a the idea of accidentally burning his mentor’s eyebrows off, “I mean I’m pretty bad at it but it's probably because I didn't have anyone to teach me.”
He was, in fact, quite unsure any progress could be made at all but Graelish was nothing if not optimistic in this situation. Thankfully the pair had moved outside so the damage he’d accidentally inflict would be minimal at best. A dirt area too! It was almost as though Brasti was anticipating how bad he was. Again, it explained the sunglasses.
“Okay just let me know what you want me to do,” Gray nodded, a new confidence brewing despite the turmoil that bubbled beneath its surface. Fake it. Just gotta fake it until he could finally get in and make a difference. He nodded to his mentor, ready to tackle this new hurtle in his training.
Force fields held their place in a scout's equipment, however, some offensive skills never hurt anybody. Especially fire manipulation, a skill capable of leaving a wall of impassable flames to allow escape. There was a chance Brasti granted the ability too much praise, however, his fire manipulation assisted in him slithering away from death's cold grasp. Through the War of Traitors, it was Brasti's main combative skill and remained as valued. The demon's darkness manipulation was low at best after all.
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Therefore, the scout deputy wanted to begin where he felt familiarity. After all, a complete sharpening of Graelish's abilities was necessary given the practical implications they had. When one was a scout, accessing superior speed or something as simplistic as wings came in handy. However, those could arrive after testing fire manipulation and sharpening his skills in those attributes. Little was Brasti aware of Gray's complete lack of skill in manipulating flames, although, that would not change his decision.
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The words stated were greeted with a dismissive waves. Many insisted they were horrendous in their abilities, but merely required some polishing. The plans proceeded as Gray requested some instruction to start the flame manipulating lessons.
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"Can you create fire?" The demon inquired.
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The scout deputy lifted his hand, upturning it. In a matter of moments, a small flame flickered in the demon's hand. The reddish flames licked the air, Brasti avoiding the use of his bluer flames; the type often described as hotter than the mundane.
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"Either way, start with moving this from my hand, okay? Just focus and tell the fire where you want it to go. Think about it going to the ground maybe," Brasti calmly instructed his apprentice.
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Admittedly, the demon thought nothing of the possible actions Gray could accomplish with a tiny flame. His confidence and calmness was derived from his fire immunity, his body entirely unable to burn in flames. Although, that hardly meant everything in the area possessed that immunity...
At first Gray wasn’t sure he’d heard the man right. His eyes stared at the flickering orange nestled within Brasti’s palm. The sunglass-clad man made it look so very easy but Gray knew if he tried the same thing he’d end up with a mess on his hand. Sometimes even lighting a grill was a major disaster. He swallowed hard at the concept of actually controlling a flame that big.
“Okay, right. Focus on the fire,” Gray plastered his best confident face on and repeated his mantra once more in gesture sorely lacking for confidence, “focus on the fire and where I want it to go.”
The ground. That was probably for the best because the majority of it was dirt. Gray clenched his jaw as he stared directly at the fire, willing it move. There was a small twitch – much to his surprise. He reached out with his mind’s eye, trying to steadily direct the flame. There! Another twitch. Gray wondered if Brasti’s coolness was somehow influencing his ability to control this flame.
Oh how very wrong he was.
With one more mental poke, the flame burst into what one could only describe as a bonfire in Brasti’s palm. Gray reached out to grab it before any serious damage could be done, thankfully that his own fire immunity was functional. Only it was far too large for him to control so he only ended up separating it into two rather medium-sized flames.
“Shit shit shit!” he cussed, in an unusual display of profanity for Gray, and threw his flame on the ground, quickly stomping it out. But a cinder had already set his uniform sleeve on fire. After a good amount of flailing it died down but one thought lingered in his mind.
Brasti! Was he okay? Gray was pretty sure setting a mentor on fire was grounds for dismissal.
Beneath the harsh weight of his father's expectations, Brasti Vanderfeld possessed a powerful skill with his fire manipulation. As an upcoming Hell's soldier at the time, his father required those strict rules. Therefore, the scout deputy was determined about teaching Gray similar capabilities. In dire situations, he would be required to protect himself against terrors and Assembly of Phantoms members. Therefore, every lesson in self-defense alongside some offensive strategy was required in the demon's opinion.
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Quietly, the dark-haired demon listened to the seraphim repeat the instructions. Focus on the fire, show it your control and move the flame. Those were the requirements Brasti considered when one mentioned how to control fires. Although, the demon foolishly believed Gray held some vague understanding of fire manipulation. These were among the reasons the scout deputy accomplished in-depth research about his apprentices. Education plans could be completed easier furthermore information was always valuable to a man whose occupation was required it.
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The high-ranking scout observed his apprentice's progress. The violet eyes of the demon watching from behind the dark tinted lenses of his sunglasses. In his hand, the flames twitched in his hand, suggesting the possibility of Gray completing the first task in his training. Suddenly, everything went brutally wrong. The flames grew in size, Brasti tilting his wrist out to avoid the flames scrapping across his face. The demon's expression changed into a grimace from surprise over the actions being done by Gray.
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Flames ate away at the cuff of Brasti's uniform. Everything moved fast, the flames divided for the scout deputy could accomplish his fire manipulation to snuff out the flames. The fire was thrown to the ground and snuffed out by Gray meanwhile Brasti calmly placed his hand over the flames eating his sleeve. Immediately, the flames dissipated, making it obvious the demon's control of the flames was improved to Gray's. Only moments later did the demon cracked a smirk, a gentle chuckle leaving his lips.
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"That could have gone better," Brasti commented. "Maybe I should teach you how to snuff them out before you start moving them. This time you just have to focus on making it smaller."
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At this rate, everybody's safety hinged on Gray learning to snuff out the fires. Else the seraphim was better not using the dangerous ability, else somebody receive an injury from his apprentice's lack of control. Smoothly, Brasti created a small, candle-sized flame. In a mild gesture he offered it to Gray for him to attempt to snuff out.
Once Gray realized the magnitude of his display heat rushed to his cheeks. Couldn’t he do just one thing right? Certainly not when fire was involved.
Gray was once again reminded of the lighter incident from the summer before. Never again. As his gaze fell from his own charred sleeve to Brasti’s he tried his best to not imagine what sort of talking to was about to come his way. Well, it had been a valiant yet ridiculous attempt on his part.
At least Brasti’s sunglasses sat on the bridge of his nose largely undamaged. Wait, was Brasti… smirking? Grays eyebrows dipped into a furrow but he was quick to replace it with a more neutral expression as he listened to Brasti.
AND HE WANTED GRAY TO TRY AGAIN!
The seraphim stiffened, clenching his jaw tight enough to be painful. Before he could resist this idea Brasti had procured a similar flame within his palm. Its tiny center danced like a true candle flame, drawing Gray’s captivation for a moment. He could do this part. Surely he could do this. Adjusting to be closer while ignoring the draft from the hole in his sleeve, Gray placed his palm over the candle flame.
Just… had to make it smaller… to extinguish it.
“Okay, uh… sorry about your sleeve,” he responded, somewhat awkward before he channeled his attention back to the minute hazard swaying to its own beat within Brasti’s palm. After a good minute, the flame began to reduce until finally, in a mini puff of smoke, it disappeared.
Gray stood there dumbfounded, absolutely in shock that he had done something so significant. Maybe he could do this… maybe he could make up for the past. He was halfway to a cheer when his palm caught fire. Flames licked there way up his arm, dangerously close to Brasti as well. They seemed stronger than before and Gray’s control on them now was absolutely useless.
Teaching involved promoting the infamous mantra of 'try again' tenfold. As disastrous as the initial incident was, the practice was bound to be among the only methods to allow Graelish capability with his fire manipulation. Every defence required an offence after. The phrase something Brasti learned to believe in wholeheartedly, fixating on the notion. As a man forged by the fires of cynism and somewhat harsh home life, he recognized the importance of self-defence. Therefore, Brasti planned on pushing Gray forward in the training efforts.
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It became clear the smirk dancing across Brasti's face confused the young apprentice. Evidently, the man had yet to adjust to the attitudes of his demon mentor. Nonetheless, the scout deputy was certain his apprentice would learn of the entertainment he discovered in this. For the time being, amusement flickered in the hidden violet hues as he watched his apprentice's embarrassed red cheeks. Although, Brasti would be quick to move onto other possibilities in training, specifically extinguishing the flames for a hopeful starting place.
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Patiently, Brasti waited for Graelish's attempt at extinguishing the flame. His apprentice's hand brushing against his as he obeyed the instructions. An apology left the seraphim's lips, however, Brasti waved him off. There was no reason to use words at the moment, especially given his apprentice's lack of control. Gradually, the flames dwindled until supposedly being extinguished, at least, until the flames crawled up Gray's sleeve. The demon pulled away, a hushed 'whoa' leaving his slightly parted lips.
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Quickly, Brasti's hand swiped, attempting to diminish the flames eating at Gray's sleeve. Compared to the previous situation, the flames were stronger than before.
[break][break]
"Get your jacket off!" The demon shouted.
[break][break]
While he worked towards persuading the flames to smoulder away, Brasti wanted to avoid further damage to Gray's clothing. The uniform already required replacing, but the demon was hopeful the remainder would be salvageable. Should the jacket be shrugged off, Brasti would close in on removing the licking flames.
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The skin is created by Wolf of Adoxography and Gangnam Style. The thread and conversation remodels are by Kagney. The Strange Reality board list, Heal My Soul info center, I Remember Now mini profile and Electric Requiem profile remodel is made by Pharoah Leap. The Who's That Member member list remodel was made by Tictactoe. The Cbox.ws Shoutbox remodel was made by Trinity Blair. All templates used for claims, information sheets, applications, etc are credited to their owners; credits for these can be found in the threads the templates are use on. Images that are used on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners, however, they have been edited by Zac with a few being edited by Chibi Magician. The plot, rules and various other information pieces for The Duality of Man are written by Chibi Magician with the assistence of her co-admins, Finnegan and Dremulf, alongside other unlisted people who were kind enough to give their input. The TRS, AP and face claim were all created by Fleur for specifically the use of TDOM. All plugins used on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners. The templates my members use are credited to their maker, if you find a template that belongs to you, but is uncredited, please speak to Chibi Magician or the member themself. Characters created on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners and should not be used elsewhere without the creator's permission.
Special thanks for the members of TDOM who make suggestions to help make this site better. Even though we can not accept all suggestions, we immensely appreciate it. Thus, we give credit to any additions that you thought of and were later implimented by the staff, because we are glad you give us these excellent ideas.
