A while later, those same senses tear me from my sleep. Branches cracking under the footsteps of several living beings and the rustling of vegetation have woken me up. It sounds like a group of people, although after all this time alone, I'm not entirely sure. Soon, however, voices join in, and any doubts disappear. Are they members of the Organization? No, they would probably be better at hiding their presence. On the other hand, they could be deliberately pretending to be ordinary people to make me lower my guard. I have to remain vigilant. Especially since the noises are coming directly toward us. Whoever it is, they've seen the light.

I sneak out from behind the boy and try to spot the source of the sounds.

"What? Where? What?" I hear his sleepy voice.

He probably woke up because his body was suddenly deprived of its source of warmth.

"Be quiet!" I command him.

"Where...?" he starts again after realizing that he is several feet above the ground. I can see how this sudden realization fills him with uncertainty, if not fear, but a hiss from me silences him.

I consider extinguishing the magical fire, but ultimately decide against it before I head out. Whoever they are, I'd rather deal with them now than have them sneaking around the area.

A while later, they finally come into view. There are about eight women and men, armed with swords, spears, and sabers. They all move in a way that proves that they have many years of training. Their posture and aura give them the appearance of experienced fighters. So are they members of the Organization after all? I jump from branch to branch and gradually make my way through the trees until I am directly in front of them. They don't seem to have noticed me yet, as they continue to run straight toward the light. Are they the ones looking for the boy? He mentioned something about a martial arts school. But they could just as easily be adults from the Organization. If that's the case, I should get rid of them as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, I can't just take them all out if they are the ones the boy is waiting for. But even his parents or others from his school or town could be a danger to me. I'd better play it safe and take control of the situation.

I claw myself into the tree and climb down the trunk headfirst so that I'm still above the people's heads, but not quite as high, and then wrap myself in my fire magic. The magical fire extends my cat ears and claws, and even my tail blazes like the hottest inferno as the flames envelop the rest of my body and dance wildly around me. I control them so that they don't set the tree on fire, despite the heat and bright light that suddenly emanate from me.

Frightened, the group staggers back a few steps, and as soon as they regain their composure, they raise their weapons against me.

"Drop your weapons!" I hiss at them.

"It can talk!" I hear from the frightened and tense group.

"Drop your weapons!" I demand again.

"Who are you and what do you want from us?" asks a man with a sword in his hand, which he has lowered, while the woman at his side continues to keep her blade pointed at me with watchful eyes.

Of all of them, these two appear the most composed, even though I can clearly see their tension, and the smell of their sweat reveals their fear and uncertainty.

"I said drop your weapons!"

I emphasize my demand with a hiss, which I amplify with a greater amount of magic. Unfortunately, the group does not seem to be blessed with reason, or they are truly enemies. Although the pressure of my hiss forces them all to their knees, they quickly get back up and advance aggressively toward me.

"Stop!" commands the woman who, together with the man, is blocking the others' path.

"We don't want to hurt you, we're just looking for our missing son. We saw a light and hoped he might be there. Have you seen him?"

"Drop your weapons!"

First, I have to minimize the potential danger they pose as much as possible. Then I can take care of everything else. Even if it's unlikely that they belong to the Organization, given their behavior.   

"Put your weapons on the ground!" the woman orders.

"But, but, Master!" some of the group protest, but a glance from her silences them, and they finally comply. A slight clinking sound echoes through the quiet night as they lay down their blades and spears.

"Can we talk now? We're really just looking for our son. Have you seen him?" the man begins the conversation with me again.

"And how can I be sure you're not lying to me?"

"We have no reason to lie to you. Please! Let us know if you've seen him. Otherwise, we'll leave and continue our search. We have no intention of threatening you or invading your territory. He's been in this forest for a long time now and hasn't returned home. You surely know how dangerous it is here for a human child without protection, don't you?" the woman now joins in.

Are those two the boy's parents? It seems so, but I'm not entirely sure yet. I've seen humans and other beings deceive others too many times to achieve their goals. I can't trust anyone, not even the boy. Except my sister, of course. Hmm, but at the same time, I'm also sure that I could easily take out everyone here if it came to a fight. They seem to be good fighters, but of course, they can't even begin to compare to the opponents I've faced before. After all, they are only human. So why am I so worried? Even if they betray me, as long as they don't inform the Organization, there's probably no danger. And they don't seem to know about the form I took with my fire magic, which proves that they don't have any information about me from the Organization. Oh well, all these thoughts are leading nowhere.

"Come!" I demand of them and, without turning around again, I dive back from tree to tree toward the magical fire that still lights the way to the boy.

Finally, I land on the branch where the boy is still sitting. Well, you can't really call it sitting anymore. He is no longer tied up and was probably just about to start climbing down the tree, but he doesn't look very comfortable or safe in his endeavor. I look at him in confusion, and he notices me staring at him in my fire form. He lets go in fright, but before he can fall to the ground, I let the flames die out, grab his arm, and pull him back up.

"Why do you cause nothing but trouble?" I comment on the whole situation.

"T-That is you?"

"Who else could it be?"

"B-But all the fire?"

"So what?"

I don't understand what his problem is. But I've seen such a surprised reaction so many times before. Even though my opponents have seen me wielding magical fire before. For some reason, it seems surprising to them that I can also envelop myself in fire. But his reaction is a little different from those in the past, as his face lights up instead of contorting in fear. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you right away. But why didn't the fire burn the tree? And where did the flames go that were just there a moment ago?" He bombards me with questions, which I deliberately ignore again.

"Oh, um, and of course, thank you for helping me again," he says, silencing himself.

Thank you. This term still sounds very strange to me. I understand why he used it in this context, but isn't it obvious that I'm keeping him alive because I want something from him? Anyway, it doesn't matter. Instead, I grab him and jump back to the ground, while he lets out a startled scream.