The Hidden Efforts - Infatuated Demon

Erika's feet lightened with each step towards the hidden monster. She let her blades hang beside her waist, the black mist enveloping her entirety as it turned her hair jet black. The surroundings became darker and darker as she approached, the forest and river now filled with an eerie darkness, the sounds of animal cries growing distant.

Within moments, the girl arrived at the beast, now illuminated by the moonlight.

It was a giant, a hulking mass of muscle and flesh that stood on four legs, its head covered in a mane of fur. It had a snout like a bear but with razor-sharp teeth that jutted outwards from its lips. Its body was covered in a hide of thick black fur, and the girl could make out a faint glow emitting from its chest.

"So you finally arrived, little one."

Erika froze.

"I must admit, I am surprised that you would come here, to the heart of the forest. This forest is not a place you may enter."