It was the barest flickering of flame, a puny spark not even sufficient for lighting a candle, but he was pleased beyond belief. The aspiring pyromancer felt a flood of joy flow through him, not so much at the sight of the pitiful glow but at the promise of stronger fires, true blazes to be feared for their sheer destructive prowess, infernos that could match the hellfire contained within the darkest pits of the Makai. His daydreaming had caused him to lose the careful concentration needed to maintain the ember, and it immediately vanished. He cursed himself for his carelessness. Fantasies of mastering even the untamable darkness technique would not get him anywhere, only rigorous training could help him achieve his dream of true strength. Still, he rather enjoyed entertaining the notion of raging flames licking at dry grass, spreading with the speed of a dragon's flight, a rain of embers preceding it and singing his fleeing opponents, dark smoke choking the sky and filling their lungs with ash, all while he stood, unharmed, at the center of it all.
Sighing, he turned back to his work. The palm of his right hand had been charred by the burning glow; he hadn't had the control to prevent it from harming him. Tentatively, he ran his tongue over the scorched flesh, wincing in pain. Even a bit of blackened skin flaked off, exposing raw flesh below it. Apparently, the spark had taken his skin as fuel, as payment for his actions. He licked the wound clean, ignoring the pain. The pyromancer stared at the black shavings of his own skin, but he didn't even flinch. After seeing others viciously slaughtered before his eyes, he was virtually unmoved by any gruesome sight.
He focused his energy again, and a minuscule glow appeared, this time on the ground. He gazed at it, transfixed by the destructive force within it.
"Someday, I'll master this," he vowed. "Someday."
So, when Hiei's Dragon of the Darkness Flames was charging right at the pyromancer, he couldn't help but remember his first fire, and the joy it caused. That was right before it struck Zeru, charring the flesh from his bones and turning those, too, to ash. Then his life, like his first fire, was extinguished just as quickly…