Tehya dashed forward, faster than any top athlete that was still alive on earth. She wrapped her arms around the girls as they silently wepped.

Please no, I’m not a childcarer. Alphonse ruefully shook his head. It looked like there wouldn’t be much peace.

Then, a group of older people rushed out of the house, panic-stricken on their faces. They were, presumably, the girls’ parents.

“Girls what the hell are you doing, get inside now!” A gruff, middle-aged man with a beer belly grabbed the girl by the arm and pulled her a step back to the house.

“Dad, it-it’s Tehya! She’s a friend!” The girl that was being held said. Tears welled up at the corner of her eyes.

“I don’t care, you don’t just leave the house without telling us!” The man’s face quickly turned red in exasperation. He looked over at Alphonse. Alphonse waved back with a little smile on his face.

“Especially with people we can’t trust.” The man continued.

“Your father is right, Olivia. He-he has blood on him.” Her mother looked at Alphonse.

Alphonse sighed. “Tehya, I know they are your friends, but I’m not a caretaker. I do not know what dangers are out there. I can protect you, but not the others.”

Tehya looked back and forth to her friends, then to Alphonse. Biting her lip, she nodded and walked back over to Alphonse.

A growl was heard behind them. The girls screamed at the sight of the demon. It had a large body, its ribs were clearly visible. Smoke was puffed out of its mouth, as if embers were being breathed to life within its beastly maw.

Alphonse looked at it in disappointment. His stomach told him it wasn’t a worthy meal. Neither did his instincts notify him he was in front of a strong opponent. Alphonse’s cleaver appeared in his hand with a slight flash of light, thanks to the space ring that he had. A flickering flame surged forth from the sharp edge of the blade. His arm moved faster than anyone could see as a blade swiped through the air. It reached the beast in a second, splitting it in half. Blood and guts spilled out onto the floor, filling the air with a coppery-tang.

The girls and their parents looked at him, their mouths agape.

“Mm-maybe we should go with them.” The man stuttered. Looking at the split demon. He watched as Alphonse continued walking away from his home. “Quick, we’ll follow him!” The man was quick to decide. He disappeared within the house, then re-appeared with a bag full of supplies.

Alphonse looked back and shook his head. He couldn’t exactly force them to not follow. It was their own decision.

They soon left the city, the drop in the amount of monsters was staggering. Looked like his initial thoughts were true. The monsters spawned in dense areas.

Alphonse was never a fan of cities with dense, towering buildings. As more greenery began entering his vision, he could feel a sense of contentment that the countryside brought with it. The grassy smell of manure and the fresh air, free of the stench of the dirty city. Then, when the wind blew, it brought with it the scent of a woodsy fragrance.

“You used to love going camping.” Tehya said by his side.

“Yeah?” Alphonse smiled. “What was I like as a child?”

Tehya giggled, her eyes turned distant, as if ruminating about the past. “Reckless, adventurous, hungry, and…” She shook her head then continued, “brave, kind, and caring. You made sure I was fed when I was hungry, and that my clothes were washed for school when mum was working.”

“Sorry for leaving.” Alphonse sighed.

“It’s like it was your choice. Don’t beat yourself up.” Tehya nudged his arm.

They continued their walk, their pace was quite slow. He was getting agitated, partly for being impatient but mostly because he was becoming hungry. His stomach spoke its grievances.

“We’ll make camp at the edge of these woods. I’m getting hungry.” Alphonse said to the others.

“W-are you insane? Camping outside while monsters roam everywhere?” One of the other parents said.

“By all means, go back.” Alphonse flashed a grin. Without waiting for anyone else, he walked into the forest. He looked at Tehya. “I’m going to go out hunting for a while. I’ll bring back some food to cook. If something happens… run. I mean it.”

Tehya nodded. “Be careful out there.”

“It’s the monsters that need to worry.” Alphonse chuckled as he vanished from the spot.

His hand brushed up against the solid tree bark. It was a distinct sensation to the other trees on the other planets. He was used to the harsh nature and foliage that could split open your skin with a slight touch. Everything in this forest just felt so… brittle. The tree’s bark crumbled at his touch, the sticky aromatic sap stained his hand.

Chop.

It echoed throughout the peaceful forest. The chopping continued, it sounded like an axe cutting through a wet log. Alphonse blinked up into a tree as he peered down into the clearing between the trees. A familiar sight appeared within his vision. It was an enormous, pudgy demon with long horns that started from its forehead and began receding backwards. Strangely, a chef’s hat fit perfectly on its enormous head. A long, sprawling apron covered its fat stomach.

Is-is that the hat I’ve been looking for? No way right? Alphonse’s eyes opened wide. It had to be too good to be true. Well, only one way to find out. Alphonse couldn’t blink that far, so he had to do it in two tries. He first blinked behind one of the large trees using Ground Perception. He accurately appeared behind the demon.

His blazing cleaver chopped into the side of the demon, the feeling of something hard snapping transmitted into his hands and then stopped. The overpowering smell of charred flesh ruined the earthly forest scent.

With a demonic howl, an aura surged out from the demon's body, sending Alphonse’s body hurtling through the air, crashing into the brittle trees behind him. He could see the aura rising from the demon. It was the same with Mahir.

“Two can play at that game.” Alphonse joined in. It was the first time he was using it, but it felt instinctual. The skill that he had gained told him everything he needed to know about its uses. He felt the strength in his body rapidly rise, his body rapidly changed into his amalgamation of different forms. A confidence welled up inside him. It raged forward like a storm.

A content laughter exited his mouth as he disappeared from the spot. His cleaver vanished. Instead, he used his fists. The Flame Brand skill encased his fists as they crashed into the demon’s fatty flesh. Despite his hard contact with soft flesh, a crackling sound blasted through the forest like a lightning strike. Both auras contacted each other as they were both sent back. Alphonse quickly dug his feet into the ground, stabilising himself.

Alphonse had a sudden idea, a flame flickered to life with his palm, then moved onto the flat surface of his knuckles. He reappeared in front of the monster; he punched with a blazing ball of fire attached to his fist. An ear-splitting explosion ripped into the forest, filling Alphonse’s vision with a flash of blinding light.