Black embers resembling the dark night fell to the ground at a steady pace, with Kiramaru creating a large ball of fire. From one moment it would be compacted into a small orb and in the next, a large blaze of black shades.

"It's starting to come easier now. It seems running into different types of enemies will be better for me than I first thought."

After seeing that demon's ability to shape its limbs like weapons I had the idea to do the same with my flames, or rather the mana itself.

When I change the flow of how mana travels throughout my body it changes how much energy is produced but as an expense, I lose stamina and build fatigue at a larger rate.

I countered this by concentrating on storing mana in my respiratory system, but this can't be used as a long-term method as It will affect my body's health after a while.

During my fight with the apex demon, I used a barrage of flames and a burst of flames to back him into a corner, for this, I need to think of mana as an extension beyond my body unlike when I heal or change body functions.

I need to imagine the flames concentrated in a single point and then pulsate that burst immediately after release to create a barrage of attacks.

Somethings been bugging me though, that If I'm able to alter my body's fatigue slightly then maybe I could affect my endurance or rate at which I get stronger. It's worth testing right? At worst I could paralyze myself so I'll need to be careful, even if I have a good feel for it, it's still dangerous.

Alright then, If mana flows through my body at this speed then maybe If I increase the flow a little...

"Aaghh-"

"It's- HEAVY..."

Ok so not that much. How about storing mana within the muscles themselves, I can make it so that I reach fatigue much later than usual while making the muscle fiber breaking point faster to reach.

I don't hear anything around me approaching, so this might be the best time to test this out.

An hour passed of working out and Kiramaru stood up slowly drenched in sweat, his face didn't match his body at all though. If anything he looked ecstatic about the experience and grinned in accomplishment.

"I'll take this as a success, I don't even feel the fatigue and the soreness from my muscles are getting less with each moment. This almost seems like cheating at this point."

-You're strange-

"Hm-"

"Hi."

Kiramaru had been continuously watching his surroundings, this was the only way to make sure an enemy couldn't get the upper hand using a surprise attack especially seeing as he lacked knowledge on different types of demons and creatures.

Though a child stood in front of him, which he was sure was not there moments ago.

A small child no older than 9 years old with dark brown hair and scratches on his arms and legs. These aren't surprising seeing as the environment of this forest hasn't been very hospitable.

Wait I can't let my guard down, not even for this child.

Kiramaru took a step back while raising his left hand and a blaze of fire at the ready all in one motion, this surprising interaction seemed to startle Kiramaru more than he would have thought.

"Uuuh!"

"Thump"

The sudden movements from Kiramarus fighting stance mixed with the large black flames emanating from his hand were enough to send this child falling on his butt.

"You're scary mister."

"Scary?"

Oh, that's right, he said hi earlier as well, demon don't usually talk unless they are quite strong from what I've seen so far. Maybe a deity...

Besides that... This kid's whole aura gives off is so underwhelming, he gives off the feeling that he's barely alive. It reminds me of those ghosts from the stories I heard growing up.

Kiramaru sized up the child before him to confirm his intentions, but no matter what though it didn't add up.

Looking at him now he seems pretty beat up, most probably from the forest's harsh environments but how has he survived this long with all the demons roaming around.

"How long have you been in this forest?"

"Sniff sniff"

"Most of the day."

"Why?"

"I ran away..."

So no more than one day and he ran away? I doubt he would lie seeing as how scared he got from my flames. Could the demon not have gone for him because they were attracted to me?

It's possible, I didn't get that dizziness like I normally get from strong beings. For now, I'll just have to keep an eye on him, do I bring him along?

"Haa~. I guess it was my mistake, sorry kid."

The flames resting in the palm of his hand went out in a burst that shrunk in on itself and disappeared.

"You look like your in bad shape, do you need some bandages for your legs and arms?"

"Hmm...Yes please."

He seems like a good kid for the most part, shy at best but his clothes look like he belongs to a poor village. Those rags he has aren't too different than the kind Hina and I were forced to wear.

"That should take care of that for now. Thankfully Mr. Motto gave me more than food supplies."

"Mr. Motto, is he a friend of yours?"

After the number of blows I took to the stomach, I wouldn't go that far...

"He was more of a teacher that took a chance on me."

"What did he teach you?"

Would he believe me if I told him about the demon, if anything I doubt he knows about it?

"He taught me how to move forward."

"Speaking of... we should g-"

"Could you show me?"

This child has barely shown emotion in his words to this point. Simplistic, soft, no extravagant language use either.

"Huh?"

"Show you what?"

"How to move forward."

This kid... I was struggling to get a read on him because of his simple demeanor but I understand now. He has his own burdens to deal with but lacks the knowledge on how to.

Thinking on it now I don't think It's all that different, is it?

"Your name?"

"My name- My name is Elfen!"

His face finally changed. A smile.

Even when frightened by the flames attached to Kiramaru's hand, Elfen never changed his expression. At best his mouth opened slightly suggesting he was surprised.

"My name is Kiramaru."

"So why did you come to the forest Kiramaru?"

I'm back to another question where the answer is a demon, Although I ruled him out as an enemy, the fact remains that his story doesn't sit well with me.

How could he have been here the whole day and not run into one demon, not to mention the forest's poisonous nature? He surely would have needed to drink or eat.

"I'm looking for someone. They're supposed to help me move forward, but I've been having trouble finding them with all the fog."

"I see. Well, how about we look for them together."

"Mm sure, that would be a good help."

That's the first time I've agreed to something before thinking about it in a while. As long as I tread cautiously It might actually be useful to find out something about this fog.

The child able to avoid the threats of this forest, definitely an interesting thought.