Most would have found it difficult, to follow the person's trail into the deeper marshes. Whoever it was hardly left a foot step in the mud filled swamps, and only the snapping of an occasional twig betrayed that anything had come through at all. Ichigo had seen Dryads who left more evidence of their passing.

Even so, Ichigo followed as fast as he could, relying not on sight to guide him, but on person's leaked energy trail, sort of like a scent. It was a method Ichigo had devised himself over the years. Each and every thing, as far as Ichigo could tell, had magical energy about it, though the monsters produced the greatest quantity. So if you can feel out that energy and follow it along, you can find just about anything.

He moved as quickly as he dared through the marsh, careful to look out for sink holes and keeping his senses open for any other monsters that might be nearby. Even so, it was a while before he felt it. Coming from the same direction his query had gone was something else. A pattern of magic like nothing he had ever sensed before. It felt as if someone was blowing out air, rather than simply leaving a scent in their wake. With each step the energy got stronger and stronger, and a sense of underline wrongness started to creep up underneath Ichigo's skin.

Monsters were becoming closer together, gathered just outside his vision as he steered himself to stay clear of them. All of them seemed somehow stronger than the average ones he had been used to. Just as he began to get worried about the return trip, he step out from behind a set of heavy branches and saw the one he was following.

He froze at the sight of her, for it was a girl. She was small, just a child, probably only a year older than Ichigo's own little sisters. Her black hair fell down to her shoulders in a measuredly chaotic way, if that made any sense. Upon hearing his hand on a tree branch she spun around, starting straight at him with eyes that were a pale violet color, her expression calm and collected. Ichigo's eyes went from her face down her small framed body which had been garbed in a black robe like clothe, at her side was a sword, the butt of its sheath was dug into the ground as she seemed to be drawing with it. In the hands of the child, Ichigo was convinced that it had to be a toy of some sort.

"What are you doing here?" The girl snapped, her purple eyes narrowing as she measured Ichigo up. Her voice was cold, but rather pretty in a way, and seemed so odd coming from a child.

"I should be the one asking you that." Ichigo said as he approached the child. "Don't you now that it is dangerous going into these marshes? Come on, I'm taking you back to the city."

"I have business here. I will ask you this only once; leave, and don't interfere." The girl said turning her attention back towards the ground.

Ichigo glared at the child, his skin was crawling from whatever it was in the area, and he couldn't just leave the girl. "Not an option, I'm getting you out of here. I don't give a shit about any dare your little friends gave you, but you aren't staying in this place." Ichigo grabbed the girl's shoulder and pulled her around. "Now are you going to go back quietly, or am I going to have to beat your ass until you decide to act like a good little girl?"

The child froze, her purple eyes widening and an expression of pure hate entering her face, showing off white teeth. "What did you just call me?" Ichigo was shocked, not just by the venum in her voice, but by a sudden force that started to leak from the girl. Before he could move, one of her hands twisted into a complex sign and she murmured words that he couldn't catch.

It felt as if something was crushing him, his arms were pulled behind his back with such force that it knocked him to his knees. Ichigo's shoulders were screaming, feeling as though they were going to be pulled out of their sockets. "The... hell..." Ichigo gasped, struggling against the weight that he know found on him.

"I am nearly thrice your age, you stupid git, and I won't be mocked." The child, no, the sorceress spat at him.

Fuck. Ichigo had never encountered a sorceress before. He hard about their unnaturally young appearances, but he hadn't expected something like this. And he had gone and pissed one off thinking it was an innocent little girl. "What the hell, is a sorceress doing... out here?" Ichigo gasped, glancing around. He saw patterns pressed into the loose soil.

"That is none of your concern." The sorceress said, a smile spreading across her face, one that made Ichigo want to shiver, if he could have. "Be glad I was so merciful, most other sorceresses would have turned you into a toad for your insults. That paralyzing smile was an incomplete one. You still have use of your legs, and it should wear off, in around three days."

"Three days! Now you..." Ichigo started, but stopped as something in him screamed danger. "Get down!" He awkwardly kicked his body forward, pushing himself onto the sorceress, who had been to surprised that he could most so much to get out of the way.

As his body pushed against hers, he saw a large burst of crimson light flying straight at them. He twisted his body in order to shield the girl and the flames hit him on his already injured left side. He screamed in pain as his skin was burned and his clothes were set alight. He forced himself to roll over in the mud, quickly squelching the flames and giving him line of sight on whatever had attacked them.

"Shit, its worse than I thought." The sorceress gasped as she pulled herself out from underneath Ichigo, and unsheathed a bright silver short sword covered in runes.

The monster that had attacked them flouted a good foot off of the ground. It's head was that of a boar's, with dark orange fur and a mane made of pure fire licking around the place where a neck should be. Its chest was wide and twisted, baring two long arms, each segment as long as its body, and each ending in bird like talons. Below that, a worm like tail twisting out underneath it.

The creature was not just ugly, it was otherworldly in its ability to repulse the orange haired boy. "The hell is that thing?" Ichigo asked as he fought down the pain that was gripping his entire body.

"An embodiment of fire, an Ifrit." The sorceress said as she dipped her body down and held the sword in front of her with one hand, her second held to the side, ready to cast spells. "This Point of Power is growing unstable. Rifts are opening between the spheres. But still, I didn't expect to find one of its kind here."

Having its surprise attack fail, the beast circled, keeping both eyes on the sorceress, completely ignoring Ichigo who was still burned and bound on the muddy ground. It opened its snout, letting wisps of silver steam exit the sides to travel slowly into the air. The sorceress, also moving in a circle, all be it, a smaller one, the unsure footing of the swamp making it difficult for her to maneuver. Then the stale mate shattered and the battle commenced.

A sphere of fire erupted of one of the Ifrit's hand and sailed through the air at the sorceress. But the girl didn't falter, moving with practiced grace she brought her hand around, releasing a spell that shot out a pale blue bubble of light, dispelling the flames. Then, while the fiery monster was blinded by the light, she took three quick steps forward, closing the distance between the two of them and slashed outwards with the silver blade.

The Ifrit pulled back at the last second, dodging the tip of the blade before it could reach it's stomach and swung one of its massive arms down towards the girl. The sorceress's free hand shot up, another spell cast as golden links appeared in the air, wrapping around the monster's arm and pulling the swung aside.

The sorceress tried to take advantage, bringing her silver sword back around it an artful sweep, one faster than any a normal human could accomplish leading Ichigo to believe the girl was enhancing her physical strength with magic. Unfortunately, the chain that held onto the beast snapped and it withdraw quickly sending out still more flames to force the sorceress back.

Ichigo watched in stunned silence. He had never seen anything like this in his entire live. The sorceress's moves were like a dance, setting a pace for her body to accomplish without the focus of her mind as she spent her concentration on her spells, the brilliant flashes of light and power. It was... beautiful to watch. While the monster's savage blows were powerful swift and savage, making him sure that a single true hit would be the end of the girl.

The Ifrit flew up high and went into a death dive, speeding for the girl so fast that she had no time to cast one of her defensive spells. Her free hand grabbed the body of her hilt and she held onto a two handed guard. The attack was blocked but sent her to the ground hard enough to cause her to go sliding through the mud, her sword being wrenched from her hands and falling to the ground, standing up right just a few feet away from her.

"No!" Ichigo shouted, trying to move to help, but only managing to get another face full of mud. The Ifrit flouted above the girl, as if laughing at her. But when she rolled over, she had a smerk on her face.

"Got you." The sorceress said, moving a hand over the girl and shouting a spell. The runes she had shaped into the ground earlier began to glow and dozens of golden chains jumped from the earth to latch onto the beast. The Ifrit screamed in surprise, trying to tear through the links, but for each one he rendered, two more took its place. "Chiniku no kamen, banshō, habataki, hito no na o kansu mono yo! Sōka no kabe ni sōren o kizamu, taika no fuchi o enten ni te matsu!"

This final spell was nothing like the others. Ichigo could see that nothing was being held back. A river of blue light passed out of the girls hand, falling over the bound monster. The wind roared as the power from the attack tore through the air, ripping up entire trees and leaving a plot of land large enough to start an entire farming district.

"Sōren Sōkatsui. The spell requires both hands and some time, but it well worth it." The sorceress said smugly as she admired her work. Ichigo could hardly blame her, it had been breath taking. But even so, something didn't feel right.

"It's still there." Ichigo said, long before the smoke and throw up mud had cleared from the air. He could still feel the monster's presence, and it wasn't getting any weaker. "It's still alive! Can't you feel it! Its getting stronger!" Ichigo shouted, sure of what he had been saying. The sorceress looked at him in surprise.

With a deafening roar, the smoke was blasted away to reveal the monster, flouting in the air, right were it had been before. Only it was different. Its skin and hair had turned an azure blue color and white flames danced around the tip of its tail.

"Dammit!" The sorceress swore. "Its drawing more power from the point!" She tried to rush forward to regain her sword, but a shot of white fire flew straight at her, requiring the need of a defensive spell. The blue bubble appeared around the sorceress, but this time, the fire was too strong, smashing through the shield and hitting the girl. She screamed as her skin was burned and she was sent to the ground.

Ichigo watched as the Ifrit laughed, flouting slowly towards her, moving in for the kill. "No... dammit!" He shouted, pushing himself to his knees. "Get away from her." He said though the Ifrit ignored him. He was just a normal human, bound and helpless. It was the sorceress that interest him. Ichigo gritted his teeth, struggling against the unseen bounds that held him. "Get... away!"

The Ifrit stopped as it felt something and turned towards Ichigo. The boy's arms were getting farther and farther away from his sides and he was somehow managing to rip through the magical bind. Something that should have been impossible. The sorceress watched him doing this in silent awe, unable to fully believe it.

With one final cry he pushed as hard as he could and the magic dispelled. Then, staggering, he took a few steps forward, pulling out his silver chain. "Stop it you idiot! Normal silver won't work!" The sorceress cried out. "This isn't just some monster! It is an avatar of fire! True magic given physical form in our world! You can't beat it! Just run!"

Ichigo looked down at the silver chain and spat. "Like hell." He said before letting the chain slip between his fingers. Then he took a few steps forward and grabbed the girl's silver sword. The moment it was gripped between his fingers he felt power like nothing he had ever experienced before. He felt sure of himself, like nothing could stop him. He knew he could win. "I'm not running."

His eyes locked onto the Ifrit which was bellowing in rage at being confronted again. The short sword held out to the side, prepared to strike. But the sorceress noticed something strange. Ichigo's eyes, which had been a yellowish golden color, were now glowing a bright blue.

The Ifrit's arms were thrown out and a ball of white flames flew straight for Ichigo, but the boy didn't make any move to dodge. Instead, he swung the sword around with such speed as to make it nothing more than a blur. The sorceress gasped as unadulterated energy, the pure essence of the Force was released from the blade. A wave of blue light that ripped through the ball of fire like a strong wind and blew it out of exitance.

Ichigo leaned forward onto his strong leg and lunged forward before the monster could regain its composure. He covered the distance between them in just two strides and struck out with a quick upward's slash which caught the beast's arm and cleaved it clean off. The Ifrit screamed and its form disappeared into a flash of white flames.

"It's still here." Ichigo murmured to himself, his glowing blue eyes passed over the clearing but found nothing, so he closed them, concentrating on his other sense to guide him.

The sorceress watched as he shifted his balance into a neutral position, bringing his burned left hand around to grip the small sword with both. Ichigo's breathing stopped as he waited for it to happen.

The moment the creature's form started to reappear behind him, he attacked. Spinning around, ducking underneath the outstretched arm and lunging the silver blade into the beast's throat. The Ifrit froze, a gargle of surprise escaping its snouty mouth just before Ichigo forced the blade upwards, cutting the head down the middle, leaving the body to fall to the ground, fizzling into weaker and weaker flames until all that remained was ashe.

"You are... a Source." The sorceress said in surprise as the boy stood there, having felled the monster. But slowly, the burning blue left his eyes, the blade slipped out from between his fingers, and the boy fell to the ground.