A couple of days had passed since the duo had left the now desolated village of hope. After burying the bodies of the villagers, Leo went from house to house as he gathered supplies for their journey.

While he himself had no need for food nor sleep to sustain himself, the same could not be said for Naya. Though he said provisions, the only thing he managed to find was a little bit of dried meat and fish stored away in one house.

After asking Naya about it, he came to understand that the house belonged to the village hunter, whose job was to 'clean' the area from any wolves and bears that came closer. He had also managed to find a surprisingly sharp short sword, with a black blade.

A swing of the said sword was easily able to cut through the stone wall of the house greatly shocking Leo. He was unable to figure out what material the sword was made from, nonetheless, when trying it against his own body, the blade passed through it harmlessly as if he was a ghost, leading him to believe that although he was able to use his body to attack, it was also immune to physical damage.

Glancing at the short sword in his hand, Leo decided to pass it to Naya. He also stumbled upon a bow stored inside a chest under the bed, though a bit large for her body, for now, he still decided to pass it to her as well.

And so with their provision stored safely in a leather bag held by Leo, a short sword that almost reached the ground sheeted by her hip and a bow at her back, the duo made their way north, where the so-called caves lied in wait.

He did not want to leave the child alone in an empty village, that would have been essentially condemning her to death, and it wouldn't have sat right with him, so Leo decided to bring Naya with him until they met with other humans where he would hand her over to them.

Looking at the little girl cheerfully trotting ahead of him in the forest, Leo's heart felt a bit heavy in his chest. The memory of the previous screen still fresh in his mind. He was Death.

However that happened, he still could not understand. He was no longer human that was a fact, just looking at his now grey-ish body served to further confirm that. But then again, why did his color change? Why was it gray now when it was obsidian when he had just arrived in this world?

So many questions, yet no answers. Looking at Naya happily chasing a butterfly in front of him, with no care in the world, she had yet to truly understand the finality of death, for her, her parents have only left for a long journey ahead, and she would follow after them. One thing that bugged him, however, was how she was somewhat immune to his powers.

He would have thought that perhaps she was just too young? Maybe it was truly not her time to go yet? Perhaps that's why she survived when the rest perished? Yet that thought was thwarted away when he saw the corpse of the little boy amongst the victims.

If she survived because she was young? Why did he die? Something just didn't seem right. The only difference he could remember between Naya and the boy was that his life flame turned brighter during the days he was watching the village. The noteworthy change started when the boy was sick and had to stay in his house until his strength recovered.

This caused Leo to have several suspicions, firstly, one thing was for sure, it was the life flame burning brightly inside every villager that attracted him to this place. Secondly, for whatever reason, Naya's flame was dimly lit, akin to that of a candle. Third and last, was how only those with burning flames attracted him and were attacked by his fog, leaving behind little Naya.

The flame was after all the only difference he noticed between the children besides their genders, which he felt had no role in their survival. Yet even that was a little too early to assume.

Letting out a long sigh, Leo raised his head, the tall trees obstructed a clear view of the sky, yet small rays of sunshine still found their way between the branches.

He had too many questions yet too few answers. For now, he would visit these northern caves, according to what the villagers said, the people that lived there were referred to as elders, beings that walked this planet since the beginning. Maybe they hold the answers to the questions he is seeking.

Along the way, the duo had surprisingly not encountered a single animal. Leo had a faint guess that his less than pleasing appearance, coupled with the intimidating air surrounding him was the reason behind the lack of animal interaction.

He didn't mind too much, if anything it made their journey smoother as if they were taking a leisurely walk in their backyard. He had no need for food, so all of it was left to Naya, yet he still did not know how long it would be before they reached civilization, and so he took care of distributing the rations, making sure she had enough to keep her healthy throughout the journey, while also saving some for any unexpected incidents that may occur.

They were after all in a dense jungle, with no game to hunt whatsoever, the last thing he would want is for Naya to fall due to his own negligence. Another thing he was careful about was avoiding exhaustion. While he seemingly had an unlimited amount of stamina, the same could not be said for the little girl, and so Leo made sure they took regular breaks for her to rest her weary body, never pushing her harder than what her body could handle.

As the sun began to retreat from the sky, Leo decided that it was time for them to call it a night. The veil of darkness looked no different than daylight in his eyes, yet as he sat down on a fallen trunk, with Naya by his side, Leo had no heart to push the little child harder for the day, she had been through a lot, and while she had been obedient following everything he said with a smile, he could see the longing in her eyes, ever once in a while as she stole glances at the direction of the village.

A small nudge broke him from his train of thought as Naya had fallen asleep, unable to keep her head up she collapsed on his leg and mumbled.

"Mother, i'll be a good child."

Leo's face was expressionless, yet his hand unconsciously reached to gently stroke the little girl's head. His mind slowly reminiscing the past, Maria always wanted a child, didn't she?